The Top 5 Reasons for Neck Pain

August 15, 2025

These are 5 reasons why we see patients with neck pain in the office

These are listed in no particular order.

Posture

Posture is probably one of the most common reasons contributing to neck pain. Posture is important in everything we do, not just when we sit. It should be taken into consideration when we are sedentary AND in motion. The posture, or alignment, of our joints affects how much tension is or isn’t in our muscles and the force it puts on our spine during a particular movement. If we are in a constant state of poor posture – our spine starts to feel overloaded with compressive forces which can lead to neck pain and unwanted muscle tension.

The good news is that it can be a simple fix of having awareness around your posture in certain activities and breaking up prolonged periods of repetitive movement with the right exercises.

Previous Injury To The Neck

History of an injury can be a significant risk factor to a future injury in the same area. Injuries of the neck can alter biomechanics, reduce proprioception, cause weakness and increase compensatory patterns of the body.

The solution for this is to have the neck injury be properly diagnosed with an appropriate treatment plan.

Upper Extremity (Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist) Pain or Limitation

Our bodies are resilient! When we have injury to one area, the regions above and below it often compensate to protect it to follow through the task you want to do. When there is an injury to the shoulder or elbow, the neck often compensates for what the shoulder lacks in movement and strength. As a result, the neck becomes strained, overused, and painful.

The solution to this is to address the primary cause of the dysfunction which is the upper extremity injury. Doing this should significantly reduce the strain on the neck.

Strength

Muscles are the active stabilizers of our joints. If they are weak, our joints are not properly supported. If our joints are not properly supported, there will be excess stress on our ligaments and tendons, which are the passive stabilizers of our joints. Movement with weakened muscles and poorly supported joints causes pain. When the he smaller stabilizing muscles of the neck are not as strong as they should be , they are overpowered by the bigger muscles such as the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), scalenes, and upper trapezius.

The fix to this is to have a functional assessment of the neck and upper body and to start strengthening the neck!

Structural

Structural causes for neck pain include arthritis, bone spurs, scoliosis, disc herniations, stenosis, nerve compression. While these can be a reason for chronic and acute neck pain, that isn’t always the case. With proper diagnosis and management, these conditions can be asymptomatic and a neck can be fully functional. The key is to keep the spine mobile, strong, and aware of its functional limitations.

Conclusion

While there are plenty more reasons for neck pain, the biggest takeaway is that identifying the primary reason why you have neck pain is so important to your recovery. Being properly assessed by a professional can save you a lot of time, energy, and effort into getting the results you want. Our chiropractors perform these assessments with their new patients and utilize a combination of manual therapy and exercises during treatment.
Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions! If you’d like to see if we can help, we offer a free 15 minute phone consultation with our chiropractors.