What Causes Neck and Shoulder Pain?
When neck and shoulder pain occur together, people often experience varying degrees of discomfort, and the level of concern or intensity can depend on which area feels more affected. For some, the neck pain may be more concerning, especially if it is associated with tightness, stiffness, or difficulty in turning the head. Others may find shoulder pain more disabling, particularly if it restricts their range of motion, making everyday activities such as lifting objects, reaching, or even sleeping difficult.
The intensity and nature of the pain can vary significantly depending on the underlying cause, and how it presents can change throughout the day or during specific activities. For instance:
- Neck pain might worsen with movements that require turning or tilting the head, such as looking over the shoulder or even prolonged periods of looking down (e.g., while reading or using a phone).
- Shoulder pain can become more pronounced during overhead activities, like reaching or lifting, or even when carrying heavy loads.
In some cases, the pain may radiate between the two areas. This means that a muscle strain in one area (e.g., the neck) can cause tension or discomfort that extends into the shoulder region, and vice versa.
The depth or severity of pain can also shift with certain activities. For example:
- Physical exertion or sudden, jerking movements might trigger more acute pain, especially if the muscles are overstretched or strained.
- Resting or sitting in a certain position for long periods (especially if poor posture is involved) can lead to more constant, dull, or nagging pain.
- Stress can also exacerbate the discomfort, causing muscles in both the neck and shoulder regions to tense up, which can lead to increased pain or tightness.
Treatment varies depending on the severity and cause of the pain, but common approaches include rest, stretching, strengthening exercises, massage therapy, heat or cold application, and sometimes anti-inflammatory medications. In more severe or persistent cases, seeking medical attention or physical therapy may be necessary to identify the underlying cause and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
Below are some reasons for neck and shoulder aches to seem simultaneous.
Common Causes of Neck and Shoulder Pain
Some of the extra not unusual place reasons for neck and shoulder aches encompass:
When a cervical disc’s hardisc’sr layer (annulus fibrosus) tears or, in part, tears and the gentle internal layer (nucleus pulposus) begins to evolve to leak outward, the close-by nerve root can emerge as infected and painful. If a disc inside the decreased cervical backbone herniates, a radicular ache inside the shoulder blade location may also accompany the neck ache.
Watch Cervical Herniated Disc Video
Cervical spondylosis
Degeneration within the cervical backbone, additionally referred to as cervical spondylosis, can include cervical osteoarthritis, cervical degenerative disc disease, and different wear-and-tear situations of the backbone.
As the backbone eventually begins to degenerate with age, one or more extra intervertebral foramen (bony openings wherein the spinal nerves go out of the spinal canal) may also emerge as smaller, referred to as foraminal stenosis. With much less room, a spinal nerve may also appear compressed or infected, inflicting aches from the neck down to the shoulder.
See Cervical Spondylosis and Cervical Myelopathy Symptoms
Muscle pressure
Several important muscle groups interconnect the neck and shoulder regions, including the levator scapulae and trapezius muscles. These muscles play key roles in supporting and moving the head, neck, and shoulders. When these muscles are strained or tight, they can cause discomfort and stiffness in the immediate area.
The levator scapulae muscle, located at the back and side of the neck, elevates the scapula (shoulder blade) and assists in neck rotation. If this muscle becomes tight or overworked, it can lead to pain in the neck and shoulder area, often radiating toward the upper back.
The trapezius muscle, a large muscle that extends across the upper back and neck, helps move and stabilize the shoulder blades and support neck movement. When this muscle is strained, common symptoms include aching or stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and upper back. People often describe feeling tension in the upper traps, which can contribute to discomfort that may also extend to the head and arms.
In cases of muscle strain, even if the pressure or tightness is concentrated in one muscle or area (such as the neck or upper back), the pain can be referred to nearby regions. This means that the discomfort might be felt in areas adjacent to the affected muscle group, such as the upper arms, head (leading to tension headaches), or even the lower back, depending on the severity and extent of the muscle tension.
Treatment for such muscle strain often involves stretching, massage therapy, heat or cold therapy, and sometimes physical therapy to address the underlying muscle imbalance or overuse. If the pain persists or becomes severe, seeking advice from a healthcare provider or physical therapist can be beneficial to manage and treat the strain effectively.
See Neck Strain: Causes and Remedies
Stinger injury
When a collision causes the neck to bend sideways, it can overstretch the nerves in the neck and shoulder, inflicting a stinger injury. A stinger injury, also known as a burner, usually results in a shock-like ache that shoots down the arm and can also encompass a few tingling, weak points, or numbness.
Stingers commonly depart quickly; however, they will remain for longer. A sports activity collision, inclusive of throughout soccer or hockey, is a not unusual place reason for stinger injury.
Read more about Stinger Injuries on Sports-fitness.com.
Sometimes, neck and shoulder aches may also be caused by multiple reasons. For example, an annoying injury, such as an automobile collision or falling from a ladder, may also cause a herniated disc or fracture, and the muscle pressure each one makes contributes to neck and shoulder aches.
In This Article:
Understanding Neck and Shoulder Pain
What Causes Neck and Shoulder Pain?
Other Causes of Neck and Shoulder Pain
Some much less not unusual place reasons for neck and shoulderachese may also encompass:
Thoracic outlet syndrome
This situation happens when nerves and/or blood vessels become compressed in the thoracic outlet (the small location between the pinnacle rib and collarbone). Thoracic outlet syndrome causes aches, tingling, numbness, or a weak shoulder and arm point.
It will also be observed using a neck ache. When thoracic outlet syndrome results from compressed blood vessels, the neck ache may also sense warmth or bloodlessness because of bad circulation. When nerves are compressed, tingling or numbness can be felt inside the neck.
See Neck Pain from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Brachial neuritis
When irritation or harm happens inside the brachial plexus—a set of nerves that journey through the shoulder from the decreased neck and higher back—it’s referred to as brachial neuritis. This situation usually begins offevolved suddenly, including a sharp or electric-powered shock-like ache. While brachial neuritis ache is commonly felt on one facet of the frame inside the shoulder or arm, it can additionally be thought inside the neck. Tingling, numbness, and weak points might also cross into the shoulder, arm, or hand.
See Brachial Neuritis (Parsonage-Turner Syndrome)
Cervical myofascial ache syndrome
This situation of unknown causes of painful cause factors within the neck’s muscles and fascia (connective tissues). When a cause factor within the neck is pressed, it can refer to an ache down into the shoulder or other nearby regions.
Shoulder osteoarthritis
The breakdown of defensive cartilage in the shoulder joint can cause aches and irritation. Degenerative modifications in the shoulder joint might also cause nerve compression that radiates aches as much as the neck.1
Read extra approximately Shoulder Osteoarthritis on Arthritis-fitness.com
Fibromyalgia
This syndrome usually includes tremendousachese, fatigue, and soft factors and generally coexists with intellectual fitness problems, including melancholy or anxiety. Myofascial ache is regularly related to causal factors that can be found in diverse elements of the frame, especially within the neck and shoulders. Trigger factors may also sense soft or tight, and they could refer to touches in nearby regions while pressed.
See Neck Pain from Fibromyalgia
Many different reasons for neck and shoulder aches exist. Visit a physician for any neck or shoulder ache that persists for more than every week or two if the ache is observed with the aid of any found storms, infoundnstormsoints, numbness, dizziness, nausea, or issues with coordincoordinatiocoordination they initiated.
Related: Do you about cervical pain?
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