The causes of neck pain after a concussion

A concussion is a type of brain injury that happens when your head and neck go through sudden, forceful movements, like in a car crash or during sports. This can make your brain shift inside your skull, causing one or more impacts.

Sometimes, after a concussion, you might feel pain in your head and neck, which is often called whiplash. This happens when the force makes your head and neck move violently.

Recovering from a concussion depends on how bad it is, but many people who get concussions from sports go back to normal activities in about 2 weeks. However, for some people, symptoms can last longer, and often, the impact on the neck isn’t noticed enough.

A study from 2023 found that a lot of people with concussions reported neck pain afterward. Some had trouble moving their necks, and about half had one or both of these issues.

When you get a concussion, it can damage your neck or cause pain in a few ways. Your neck has 7 bones called the cervical spine, along with discs that absorb shock. There are also many muscles and ligaments in this area that help you move your neck, hold up your head, and support your spine.

Neck pain or difficulty moving your neck after a head injury can happen because of various reasons:

• Injury to the bones in your neck
• Damage to the cushions between the bones
• Weak or injured neck muscles
• Sprained ligaments or strained muscles in the neck
• Spine problems that get worse over time
• Bad posture

If you experience neck pain right away or after a head injury, it could indicate a more serious problem that will take longer to heal.

Neck pain is more likely in people who get a head injury from a fall or car accident than those injured during sports.

Treating Neck Pain Due to Concussion

After getting a concussion, how your healthcare provider treats your neck pain depends on how badly you’re hurt. But here are some tips that might help:

1. Sit up straight to avoid straining your muscles more.

2. When you’re working, try to keep your arms and neck relaxed.

3. Instead of bending your head down to look at things, bring them up to eye level.

4. Don’t lean forward too much when you’re using a computer or watching TV. Bring the screen closer to you.

5. If you’re watching something, try to face it directly instead of turning your neck for a long time.

6. If you sleep on your back, use a small pillow under the back of your neck. If you sleep on your side, use enough pillows to keep your neck in line with your body.

7. Don’t sleep on your stomach with your head turned.

8. If your neck hurts, use ice packs wrapped in a cloth for 15–20 minutes. You can also gently rub ice on the painful area for 5–7 minutes at a time.

9. If you prefer heat, use a warm towel or gel pack for 10–15 minutes.

10. Do stretching exercises slowly, especially after using heat.

11. Usually, neck pain after a concussion gets better within a few months to a year. But in severe cases, it might last longer and cause chronic pain or disability.

How upper cervical care can help in managing neck pain

Many people worldwide experience neck pain, ranging from slight discomfort to intense pain affecting daily activities. Common reasons for neck pain include strained muscles, lousy posture, degenerative disorders, or injuries.

The upper part of the spine, where the head and neck connect, is crucial and can be easily injured or shifted out of place. When this happens, it may pressure nearby nerves, leading to irritation in the brainstem. The brainstem has a part called the reticular formation, which controls muscle contraction.

Upper cervical chiropractic care is a special treatment that focuses on the upper part of your neck, particularly the top two bones in your spine. It’s a gentle and precise way of taking care of your spine that aims to fix any misalignments in the upper neck to make your brain and nervous system work better.