Mechanical Neck Pain Is Also Called Axial Neck Pain
Mechanical or axial neck pain is neck pain that does not radiate into the arms or upper extremities. The pain is located in the neck, base of the skull or occipital area and the back of the shoulders.
Many time, mechanical neck pain is associated with headaches that may radiate into the base of the skull, side of the head (temporal) or around the eyes (periorbital). These headaches are called cervicogenic or neck related headaches.
Mechanical neck pain may have different symptoms; it may be one side or both sides of the neck, cause headaches, stiffness and may lead to restricted motion in on or all directions in the range of neck motion.
Most of the cases of mechanical neck pain involve some type of damage to the muscles or other of the “soft tissues” like ligaments and relief is usually within 4-6 weeks with conservative treatment. Unfortunately, there are about 1/3 of mechanical neck pain cases which do not see relief within this period of time and go on to be considered chronic neck pain. It is these cases where many will seek various methods of treatment and have difficulty in coping with neck pain. Of the approximately 1/3 of cases which progress to the chronic stage of neck pain, about 50% of these will have headaches which radiate to the base of the skull.
There has been much effort to understand the cause(s) of mechanical neck pain, focusing on a better understanding of anatomy and neurology. Unfortunately, most of what is understood about mechanical neck pain is not complete or theoretical and that relates to lack of a very effective treatment that is predictable.
The next part focuses of the features of mechanical neck pain; what your doctor will ask you and look for during an examination.
Features Neck Pain | Radiographs Neck Pain | Cervical Strain | Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease | C4 Radiculopathy | Failed Neck Surgery | Rheumatoid Neck Disorders | Shoulder Problems | Mechanical Neck Pain Summary