Understanding the True Source of Your Neck Pain
Chronic neck pain often persists because the underlying cause is never properly addressed. One of the most common yet often overlooked causes of neck pain is damage to the cervical discs, which act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae in your neck. Over time, due to wear and tear, injury, or poor posture, these discs can suffer annular tears—small rips in the outer layer of the disc (called the annulus fibrosus). When these tears occur, they can allow the inner gel-like material (the nucleus pulposus) to leak out, irritating nearby nerves and leading to pain, stiffness, or even sensations like numbness or tingling in the arms and hands.
What’s Behind Your Neck Pain?
If you’re struggling with persistent neck pain, the culprit may lie in your cervical discs. As we age, or due to injury and poor spinal health, these discs can develop tears in the outer layer. These tears weaken the disc and allow the gel-like inner core to leak, which can cause nerve irritation, leading to pain that radiates to the shoulders, arms, and hands. Common symptoms include stiffness, sharp pain, or tingling in the arms—conditions that can seriously disrupt your daily activities.