low back and neck pain
bone, joint, and muscle disorders
Neck Pain
Most of the Causes can also cause neck pain, and most involve the spine, the tissues that support it, or both. Common causes of neck pain include Muscle spasms Injuries to muscles and ligaments Arthritis (usually Osteoarthritis (OA) ) Cervical Spondylosis None Cervical Spinal Stenosis None Herniated Disk None Fibromyalgia None Spasms of the neck musclesare common and may occur on their own or after an injury, even a minor injury. Injuriesmay occur during routine activities (for example, lifting, exercising, moving in an unexpected way) or result from trauma such a fall or car crash. Often no specific injured structures are identified with imaging tests, but doctors presume that some muscles and/or ligaments have been affected. In Cervical Spondylosis , the vertebrae in the neck and the disks between them degenerate, usually because of Cervical Spinal Stenosis describes the condition in which the space inside the spine canal becomes narrowed. In the cervical spine this results in compressing the thecal sac (the outer covering of the spinal cord), often the spinal cord, and/or its nerve roots. The usual cause is a combination of Herniated Disk can cause neck pain. The disks between each of the vertebrae have an outer layer of cartilage (a tough, fiber-like tissue) and a soft, jelly-like interior. If a disk is repeatedly squeezed by the vertebrae above and below it, the outer layer may tear (rupture), causing pain. The interior of the disk can bulge out through the tear (herniate). The bulging disk can push on or even damage the spinal nerve root next to it. Rarely, the disk compresses the spinal cord. Fibromyalgia is a common cause of pain, sometimes including neck pain. This disorder causes chronic widespread pain in muscles and other soft tissues in areas besides the neck. Less common causes of neck pain that are serious include A tear in the lining of a neck artery (dissection) Introduction to Meningitis None A Spinal Tumors or infection A Acute Coronary Syndromes (Heart Attack; Myocardial Infarction; Unstable Angina) or Focal and segmental dystonias is also a less common cause but is not as serious as some causes. It is a severe type of spasm of a specific neck muscle that causes the head to tilt and rotate into an abnormal position. Sometimes the spasms are rhythmic, causing the head to jerk. The cause may be unknown or may be due to certain drugs or hereditary disorders. 