low back and neck pain
bone, joint, and muscle disorders
Neck Pain
Along with Low Back Pain , neck pain is a very common reason for health care visits. The pain usually results from problems with the musculoskeletal system—the spine, including the bones of the spine (backbones, or vertebrae) and the muscles and ligaments that support it. Some disorders cause only neck pain. Other disorders can cause neck and low back pain. Occasionally, neck pain results from a disorder, such as The neck's flexibility makes it susceptible to wear and tear and to injuries that overstretch it, such as whiplash. Also, the neck has the critical job of holding up the head. Poor posture makes that job more difficult. Neck pain, like back pain, is common and becomes more common as people age. For pain located in the front of the neck, see Sore Throat . The part of the spine that is in the neck is called the cervical spine. It consists of seven back bones (vertebrae), which are separated by disks made of jelly-like material and cartilage. The cervical spine contains the Spinal Cord . Along the length of the spinal cord, spinal nerves emerge through spaces between the vertebrae to connect with nerves throughout the body. The part of the spinal nerve nearest the spinal cord is the spinal nerve root. Muscles and ligaments in the neck support the spine. Neck pain can involve damage to bones, muscles, disks, or ligaments, but pain can also be caused by damage to nerves or the spinal cord. A spinal nerve root can be compressed when the spine is injured, resulting in pain and sometimes weakness, numbness, and tingling in an arm. Compression of the Spinal Cord can cause numbness and weakness of both arms and both legs and sometimes loss of bladder control ( 