Cervicalgia, What Is It And What Are Its Causes?

The word cervicalgia is the medical term that refers to neck pain. The cervical area is the one that is in the back of the neck, that includes from the skull to the thoracic vertebrae.

It is a very frequent situation that, approximately, affects almost 70% of people at some point in their life. In fact, it is estimated that around 14% of sick leave is caused by neck pain.

In reality, cervicalgia comprises more than pain in the neck, since, on many occasions, this pain extends to the head or arms. In addition, it tends to limit the movements of all these parts.

Neck pain can be due to many causes. Normally it is not serious, but due to its effects on the life of those who suffer it, in this article we explain everything you need to know about it.

What is cervicalgia?

The cervical spine is a part of the spinal column that extends from the base of the skull to the thoracic area. It comprises 7 vertebrae and is characterized by being one of the most flexible parts of the spine. Neck pain refers to pain in this area.

However, it may be a painful sensation that spreads to the arms, head, or back. Sometimes it can be accompanied by other symptoms, such as tingling in the fingers or dizziness and nausea.

This neck pain has many causes. It can be due to alterations of the muscles or ligaments, to injuries in the vertebrae or joints and, even, to nervous pathologies. Similarly, neck pain is often due to poor posture. For our body position to be correct, our head must be positioned correctly on the neck.

However, many people have their heads too far forward, which causes the back muscles of the neck to suffer from too much tension. Similarly, this posture tends to compress the rest of the cervical structures, which also causes neck pain.

What are the causes of cervicalgia?

It is true that most of the cases are the result of an overload of the neck muscles. However, we can summarize the causes of neck pain in the following:

Muscular causes of neck pain

They are the most common and affect the muscles in the back of the neck. They include the overload of these muscles, contractures, efforts, and so on.

Trauma that affects the neck also tends to do so at the muscular level. The most common trauma is whiplash . It is an injury that occurs when the neck is abruptly and excessively extended or flexed.

Nervous disturbances

Neck pain can also be due to nerve injuries, which, in turn, can be caused by many reasons. Mainly, they occur due to a herniated disc. It is a situation in which the disc between the vertebrae is displaced from its usual place. Then, it presses on the nerves and produces pain and other neurological symptoms.

On the other hand, neck pain can be referred pain. This means that, in reality, it is a pain originating in another part of the body. For example, an injury to the shoulder or even the esophagus can produce this symptom.

Other diseases of the cervical spine

As we have already mentioned, there are numerous diseases that can cause neck pain. Regarding those that directly affect the cervical spine, the main ones are cervical stenosis and osteoarthritis:

• Cervical stenosis is a pathology in which there is a narrowing of the canal in the spine. This narrowing can eventually injure the spinal cord. It usually appears due to aging, since it affects both the intervertebral discs and the vertebrae and ligaments. This disease also causes loss of strength and sensitivity in the hands, among other symptoms.
• Osteoarthritis is a very common joint pathology that consists of wear of the articular cartilage. Neck pain in this disease is usually worse in the morning and improves during the day.

In conclusion

Cervical pain is the term used to refer to pain in the cervical area. Although its causes are numerous and it is not usually serious, it is important to go to the doctor to make the diagnosis and choose the appropriate treatment.