My Spine Explained
The main source of mechanical pain is the joints between the vertebrae called the facet joints . This pain is typically increased by movements such as turning over in bed and getting out of bed . Turning and bending the neck can be uncomfortable and frequently associated with crunching sounds and a feeling of stiffness .
Many people , who suffer from mechanical neck pain , have associated headaches . This is frequently caused by inflamed joints , which in turn cause the muscles of the neck to go into spasm . These muscles are attached to the head and cause headaches by pulling on the head . Stress headaches are also caused this way . It is important to treat the facet joints itself and the inflammation of these joints , as well as the associated muscle spasm .
Medical treatment may include the use of anti-inflammatory medication , pain medication and muscle relaxants . Manual treatment may include pressure point therapy , massage therapy , physiotherapy and chiropractic therapy . Nonsurgical management such as radiofrequency rhizotomies , local blocks and facet blocks are options in treating this kind of spinal pain . Mechanical back or neck pain associated with spinal instability may be treated by performing a fusion operation .
Referred pain
Referred pain is experienced at a site distant to the source of the inflammation and is frequently associated with mechanical pain . Referred pain is pain that spreads from the inflamed tissue in the spine along nerves to other parts of the body . This would frequently be experienced in the area of the hips , the thighs , between the shoulder blades , the head , or even behind the eyes .
Referred pain is a frequent cause of headaches . The nerves that supply the skin of the head come directly from the neck and pain can spread along these nerves . Where the lower back is concerned , it is sometimes difficult to correctly diagnose the specific type of lower back pain , because the patterns of referred pain frequently overlap somewhat with sciatica .
The treatment for referred pain is the same as for mechanical pain . 13