Painful neck can be debilitating to endure. Hopefully by now you would agree that cervical lordosis is a vital anatomical marvel to have. It is not just for the health of our spinel but also responsible for our general health. It is definitely not a normal variant, and a loss of this curvature is extremely detrimental to our overall health.
So, how detrimental can it be?
When your neck curve is not aligning in the lordotic arc that it should be, the normal biomechanics of the spine get affected. Our neck curve serves as a spring to absorb forces that comes into the spine. When this curve starts to straighten out or goes into a reversal direction, the weight bearing axis shifts forward and the neck loses its ability to absorb forces efficiently. This causes you have a painful neck.
Loss of neck curvature as the cause of a painful neck.
In the beginning, pain and aches can momentarily be relieved by massages or soft tissue therapies. But as the spinal biomechanics continues to alter and deteriorates, a person with the loss of neck curve will more likely to experience severe neck pain (in regards to both the intensity and the frequency of pain). Furthermore, headache, dizziness, and other visceral related problem can often be the accompanying complaints. These signs and symptoms are often indications from the body signalling us that something within is not functioning optimally. In addition, early / premature degenerative spine disease (e.g. bone spurs, ligament calcification, disc height narrowing ) can be observed due to the loss of neck curvature.
Being a cause of and as an aggravating factor; cervical kyphosis or loss of neck curve is also closely related to spinal cord and nerve root compression in the neck. As the spinal degeneration continues to deteriorate, it exposes the person to a higher risk of neurological complications. Studies have also shown that those with a lose of neck curve suffer long term whiplash injury and their recovery is slower compared to those who has a better cervical lordosis due to biomechanics changes in the spine. More importantly, the importance of cervical lordosis doesn’t only exist in the context of conservative rehabilitation of the spine. Surgeons performing invasive spinal surgeries also understand and attempt their best to maintain as much curvature as possible for those undergo spinal surgery for better long terms consequences of their overall health.
Restore your neck curve to eliminate the pain in the neck.
Once again, the lordotic curve in our cervical spine is of significant importance to our health. Signs and Symptoms are ways the body is telling us something within need to be checked. Painful neck is just one of them. Early detection, wellness and prevention are the new healthcare paradigm that we should all embrace and practiced for many healthier generations to come.
Regards,
Dr Chew Wei Lun
D.C., CFMP®, Certified CBP®
