Neck and Shoulder Pain – What Can Cause This?

A type of pain that is almost debilitating is neck and shoulder pain. In fact, it can incapacitate someone from doing work, or simple activities of daily living.  From so many myths on the causes of this pain, it is almost impossible to point out which one is (medically) true. So who are the real culprits?

Definitely, stress can be the first culprit to be blamed. Over thinking and excessive worrying can take their toll on one’s healthy by manifesting as a persistent pain in the neck and shoulder. Another obvious cause of neck and shoulder pain is staying in one position on a prolonged time, such as countless hours in front of computer, or a whole day sitting behind your office desk. By holding a single position for quite a long time, the muscles in the neck and shoulder area are stiffened, and its fibers tightened. These may later cause the pain. Additionally, sleeping in an uncomfortable position may also cause neck and shoulder pain. Include also to the culprits of pain are the obvious injury and trauma to the neck area.

Neck and shoulder pain can also arise from more serious conditions. These conditions include injury to the muscles, ligaments and organs in the neck area. A fractured collarbone is one of these. Bursitis, or the inflammation of the sac that covers the muscles and the joints, can also cause pain in the neck and shoulder. A whiplash injury can also lead to severe excruciating pain. This is due to a sudden accelerating force in the neck and shoulder that left an injury or a tear in that area.

Tendonitis is also another underlying condition that may cause sore feeling in the neck and shoulder. Tendonitis is the inflammation, or a strain, in the tendons, which functionally connect muscles to the bones. Moreover, excessive sports activities that require lots of throwing and shoulder movements can lead to Rotator cuff Injuries. This kind of injury presents itself as a pain in the neck and the shoulder region.

Arthritis of the neck can also bring about some tenderness in the shoulder-neck area. Also called Cervical Spondylosis, neck arthritis is more common to older people. It happens when aging bones put pressure on the spinal cord. This can eventually lead to numb and weak feeling, and later on, pain.

Another more serious cause of this type of pain is a bulging vertebra that traps a nerve. And while it continuously impinges the nerve, after few months, the pain increases in intensity. There is also muscular rheumatism, or more popularly knows as Facet Syndrome. It is described as a crick in the neck. And unlike the entrapped nerve, muscular rheumatism is more acute and sudden.

Although it seems quite hard to achieve relief from neck and shoulder pain, one should always take the first step to get to a successful pain relief goal. And that first step is to know what causes the problem. It may be as simple as uncomfortable sleeping position or as threatening as nerve damage. No matter what it is, take the initiative to discover what causes the troubling pain. And from there, a pain-free neck and shoulder may no longer seem that too hard to achieve.