| Neck pain can start in the bones and joints or it can | | | | Burning or stinging pains start with a sharp and sudden |
| arise in the nerves - due to pressure from a disc or a | | | | twist while the neck is flexed forward. This often |
| worn area on the bones around the facet joints. | | | | causes immediate burning or pain down the arm and in |
| Sometimes nerve root pain starts suddenly and | | | | sports is referred to as a stinger or a burner. It is often |
| dramatically but at other times it just arises in a slow | | | | seen in contact sports like rugby or football. |
| and grumbly way - gradually becoming more and | | | | Disc prolapse or slipped disc is also an issue at times |
| more intrusive into the person's life. | | | | because a sudden load applied to the neck in any |
| Sometimes your doctor will find no clear reason for | | | | posture can cause a disc to slip or to prolapse. |
| this neural pain - other times a scan or an x-ray will | | | | Some older people have wear and tear or |
| identify the cause of the problem. | | | | degenerative changes in their cervical spines and with |
| Certain situations are more likely to trigger a neck pain | | | | repetitive or sustained neck postures they get pain as |
| problem. Moving the head back quickly or twisting the | | | | an osteophyte can impinge the nerve cause |
| neck causes nipping on the nerve root. This can result | | | | symptoms. These symptoms are often slow to start |
| in injury to the nerve and we often see this in sport or | | | | and even slower to get better. |
| road traffic injury. | | | | |