The back portion of the neck is known as upper back or cervical region.

(a) Cervical Spondylosis

The term cervical spondylosis denotes a series of degenerative changes in the cervical spine, which is very common after the age of 40. By 65, practically every person shows some spondylotic changes. It is the commonest cause of pain in the neck and shoulders. These changes may produce encroachments on the cord and nerve roots in the spaces, producing various degrees of pain, spasm, restriction of neck movements and muscle weakness. Sometimes, one, more or all of these may be present in a person.

Many times, wear and tear is related to one's profession. Take, for instance, a car driver who has to move his neck constantly in various directions, and at the same time, bear the brunt of shocks and jerks experienced on uneven roads.

Due to this, the internal structure of the disc gets deranged, resulting in the loss of the substance that cushions the disc.

Occupational drawbacks, such as tension or a sedentary lifestyle or lack of exercises, which makes muscles flabby, can lead to a damaged spine.

The pain originating in the neck can be due to:

a) Damaged ligaments of the joints.

b) Over-stretching of various ligaments, causing abnormal stiffness in the neck.

c) Formation of osteophytes, which compress the nerve roots as they leave the spinal canal, causing pain. Sometimes, pain may travel all along the nerve to the organs in which it spreads.

Generally, patients complain of discomfort in the neck and shoulders, and at times, in the chest muscles. Exact location of such specific damage of the nerve root in compression can be identified and treated. Nerve damage can also cause numbness or a tingling sensation in the limbs, accompanied with poor reflex responses.

d) In very severe cervical spondylosis, spinal osteophites may often project backward, beyond the intervertebral disc, thereby pressing on the spinal cord. This can lead to weakness and loss of sensation in the entire lower part of the body.

At times, the degenerated disc between two vertebrae can compress the nerves causing pain. Such a situation can be easily identified and diagnosed by modern devices, such as magnetic resonance imaging, CT Scan, etc. In severe cases of disc protrusion, the disc can be removed through surgery to reduce pressure on the nerve. Such an operation, when it becomes absolutely necessary, can give relief, but one should take extreme caution as improper diagnosis or careless surgery could lead to other major problems.

(b) Headache

The bundle of nerves that passes through the cervical vertebrae gets irritated, resulting in stiffness of the neck, numbness in the upper limbs, etc. This is, perhaps, a common cause for headache. Though headache normally strikes during middle age, of late, even children have been developing this problem.

There are many instances where people in the younger age group suffer from headache, dizziness, etc. without any degenerative changes in the cervical vertebrae, as nothing is revealed by their X-ray pictures. At times, this syndrome is brushed aside as being psychological and the patient is made to visit a psychologist, who, unfortunately, cannot find a solution as the pain is not principally psychological, rather due to the irritation of the spinal cord. This ailment can be easily cured by proper repositioning of the cervical vertebrae by chiropractic method. Headache can also be due to brain tumor, eye problems, psychological and digestive disorders, sinusitis, tooth infection and other forms of infection, including diseases that affect the brain.

(c) Dizziness

Dizziness is mainly caused due to irritation of nerves which pass through the cervical region. Treatment of this syndrome, with medicine can only improve blood circulation and provide temporary relief, but the root cause is not eliminated.

(d) Migraine

Migraine manifests itself in the form of a severe headache which attacks an individual on and off, and is often associated with nausea and vomiting. The pain is so intense that the patient gets irritated and depressed even at the slightest provocation, and wants to escape from the outside world. The attack may linger for hours or days. The present method of treating migraine with drugs is totally insufficient and temporary, as the root cause, namely irritation of the nerves, is not corrected.