Neck pain can be a common complaint after a car accident, as the jolting, jarring effects of the incident can culminate in the muscles and ligaments in the neck and upper back. The neck region of the spine, also called the cervical spine, works to support and stabilize the head through a system of vertebrae, discs and facet joints, with supporting muscles and ligaments. When trauma occurs and affects any of these components, you may feel it in the form of acute or chronic neck pain.
Neck Pain after Car Accident
If you’re experiencing stiffness or pain in your neck and upper back, call Meadows Chiropractic for a consultation and examination to help determine the root of your pain. Your neck injury could spur from any of the following:
- Disc injury: whiplash, a common car accident-related injury, can cause tears to the outer walls of the cervical discs. An injured disc can cause pain and weakness and even disability, preventing you from working or enjoying everyday activities. Cervical discs may also herniate and cause nerve pain within the neck and down the arm.
- Facet joints: Facet joint injury causes pain just to the right or left of the center back of the neck. Some patients mistake fact joint pain for neck pain because the area may be sore or tender to the touch.
- Muscle strains: neck pain after a car accident can be caused by direct trauma to the muscles supporting the neck or because of fatigue when muscles work overtime to protect injured joints or discs.
- Nerve pain: A herniated disc or bone spur in the cervical spine caused by a car accident can lead to nerve pain in the neck. This pain usually radiates through the neck and down one arm.
If you’re experiencing neck pain after a car accident, you don’t have to live in discomfort. Visit Meadows Chiropractic and get the treatment you need to get on with your life.
