What Causes Neck and Back Pain?
An estimated 80% of Americans will have trouble with their back at some point in their lives. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent each year managing chronic pain and compensating for lost productivity because of pain. So, what are Americans doing to end up with so much trouble in the neck and back? Here is a look at some common causes of back and neck pain.
Stress
One of the biggest causes of neck and back pain is stress. Stress causes the body to remain in a constant state of tightness, keeping muscles working harder and longer than they need to. Everyone carries their stress differently—for some, it manifests as a headache. Others experience tight muscles that cause aches in the back or neck.
Posture
Poor posture also contributes to a large amount of reported neck and back pain.
Sitting or standing with a hunch, keeping your neck leaned back, leaning to one side, keeping your back too straight, and standing with your chest or rear thrust out are postures that increase tension in the muscles around the back and neck. Even sleeping at abnormal angles, on a bad mattress, or with pillows that are too flat or too fluffy for your general sleeping position can increase these pains.
Pinched Nerves
With 33 vertebrae in the spinal column and a bundle of nerves connected all over the body, there’s a lot of space for something to go wrong. A pinched nerve in the neck or back occurs from compression that forces pressure on the nerve, nerve root, or myelin sheath that protects the nerve. This pressure interrupts the signals being passed between brain and nerves, resulting in sharp pain in the neck at the exact spot and often radiating outward. This sharp pain in the neck can be accompanied by tingling, decreased sensation, muscle weakness, and hindered mobility. While pinched nerves can generally be managed fairly easily, if left too long or worked too hard while compressed, damage can become permanent.
Tumors
Tumors can also be a cause of sharp pain in the neck or back. Tumors of the spinal cord cause pain at the tumor’s location along with more serious symptoms such as lowered sensation in the extremities, difficulty with mobility, decreased bowel or bladder function, changes in vision and other senses, and weakness. If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms in conjunction with your back and neck pain, seek medical help immediately.
Other Factors
Other conditions that affect the spinal cord (and can cause pinched nerves) include degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, and spinal stenosis. Herniated discs refer to a condition that causes the cushiony padding between spinal discs begins to leak out of its shell. Degenerative disc disease is a condition often related to age (as the integrity of the spine is compromised) in which the spinal column begins to herniate and disintegrate, interfering with mobility, causing weakness, muscle spasms, tingling, and stiffness. Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal cord actually begins to grow more narrow. If you’re experiencing sharp pain in the neck or back that isn’t getting better, doesn’t seem to respond to at-home treatments, or seems to be getting worse, talk to your doctor or a specialist about what you can do to manage or get rid of your pain.
