Clinical Practice - Neck Pain

At any given time, 10 percent of the adult population has neck pain and it is the second leading cause of lost time from work behind low back pain, with less than 1 percent developing neurologic deficits and requiring surgical intervention. Most of the patients do recover with conservative therapy regardless of the underlying etiology of pain. Patients clinically present for a number of contributing factors and despite the cause, end up recovering well with conservative therapy. The development and use of standardized clinical practice guidelines ensures that tested and proven treatment approaches are used across the board and allows for analogous patient care. One of the research studies conducted is the Philadelphia Panel for Evidence Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (EBCPG) on Selected Rehabilitation Interventions for Neck Pain. What are the major contributing factors of neck pain and some of their treatments?
Neck pain occurs when there is an issue with any of the underlying structures of the neck. A strong spinal canal is formed by the cervical vertebrae, along with the supporting ligaments and the overlying neck muscles which is responsible for surrounding and protecting the spinal cord. The cervical vertebrae are 7 square shaped bones that are arranged one on top of the other making up the cervical spine and are named C1-C7. Between these bones are disc the absorb force between the bones by cushioning one bone from the other. Pain related to this area can happen when the bones begin to wear down and/or develop atypical growths otherwise known as bone spurs. Other injuries related to the cervical vertebrae may happen when excessive pressure is applied to the disc and they begin to protrude, otherwise known as a herniated disc.
Ligaments are the strong connective tissues that connect bones with one another. They are located immediately over the bones and discs originate and innervate with vertebrae and function to limit the movement of one