Download Causes Of A Stiff Neck - Mornington Peninsula Chiropractic

Causes Of A Stiff Neck
Hi, I'm Dr. Ben from Mornington Peninsula Chiropractic Centre. Today, I wanted to talk to you about a
common condition that we see in the practice and that's stiff necks. Now, there's lots of different causes
of stiff neck, but there's probably three common causes that we sometimes see in practice, and there's
one cause that I want you to be very, very aware of.
Muscle Spasm
So one of the first common causes, of course, is muscle spasm. Now as you know, the neck and its
position and the movement of the neck is controlled through the muscles. And so, sometimes, we can
injure those muscles and those muscles go into spasm. Sometimes it's the muscles on the front of the
neck or the muscles at the back of the neck. There's a big muscle that helps stabilize your neck called the
levator scap, and that muscle, when it goes into spasm, will restrict movement in your neck. And we
often see people, of course, that have got this stiff neck and they end up sort of turning their body like
this, and if you've ever had a stiff neck, you know what I'm talking about.
And of course, the stiff neck often comes with pain. The pain can be localized, which is in the neck, or
sometimes the pain can travel up to the head and cause headaches or down in between your shoulder
blades or even out into the shoulder, as referred pain.
So stiff neck, quite disabling for some, or for some, it's just an annoyance. But if it's caused by muscle
spasm, one of the best treatments is, of course, massage. Whether that's my therapy or whether
traditional massage to help relieve some of the spasm in the muscles. And of course, as a chiropractor,
one of the things we do when we look at correcting spinal function is by adjusting that spine, we often
also relieve that muscle spasm.
Joint Dysfunction
So number one reason that we get stiff necks is muscle spasm. Number two is, of course, joint
dysfunction, those special little gliding joints that help your neck glide into the different directions and
positions that we move in. Sometimes, we can end up with joint dysfunction or what we call
subluxation. It's where our joint stops moving properly.
As a chiropractor, we're trying to find those abnormal joint movements and restore movement very
gently back into those specific vertebrae and remove that neck stiffness. And that can often happen
very, very quickly. And just in a few treatments, you can restore normal neck function and movement.
Meningitis
And of course, the third cause of stiffness in the neck is meningitis. This is often associated with a stiff
neck, and people often get quite worried about getting a stiff neck because they're concerned about
getting meningitis. Although it's not all that common, it's something that we need to be aware of.
Meningitis is an inflammation or irritation of the sheath, the bag that surrounds your spinal cord, and
sometimes this can be bacterial or even a viral infection of the meninges, and that will cause some
stiffness in your spine and of course into your neck.
Get a proper examination done
Now, if you've ever got a stiff neck and you've certainly got a fever associated with it, it's very important
that you get a proper examination to make sure that it isn't meningitis. And if you're seeing a qualified
and experienced chiropractor, that will be one of the first things that they'll check in with you if you
present with stiffness in the neck.
So, three main causes, abnormal muscle function or muscle spasm. Secondly, joint dysfunction or what
we call subluxation, abnormal joint movement. And thirdly, an inflammation or infection associated with
the meninges or sheath that surround your spinal cord.
So if you've got a stiff neck, I strongly encourage you get it checked properly and professionally. I'm Dr.
Ben from Mornington Peninsula Chiropractic Centre and remember, look after that spine.