Back and Neck Pain

With a neck problem you could experience pain in your neck, shoulder, mid-back, arm or headaches. Likewise with a back problem you could experience pain in your back, groin, hip or leg. These symptoms may be caused by an injury to any of the following:

• Discs – a disc can cause pain in your neck or shoulder, which may radiate as far as your hand.
• Muscles – with neck pain the muscles in the affected area can go into spasm (cramp). Poor posture especially when sitting for long periods can cause problems in the muscles of the neck and upper back.
• Joints – stiffness and degeneration of the spinal and sacro-iliac joints are common causes of low back pain.
• Ligaments – spinal ligaments sprains are generally caused by over-stretching or trauma such as a fall.
• Nerves – compression of a nerve such as the sciatic nerve can cause pain, pins and needles and numbness in your leg.

There are also certain syndromes associated with neck pain such as whiplash, jaw pain and headaches which can be treated.