What’s Really Causing Your Neck and Shoulder Pain?

Neck and shoulder pain is extremely common, particularly with modern lifestyles involving prolonged sitting, screen use, and repetitive movements. In fact, up to 70% of people will experience neck pain at some stage in their lives.

The majority of neck and shoulder complaints we see clinically involve cervical facet joint sprains, disc-related injuries, or rotator cuff muscle strains.

Cervical Facet Sprains

Facet joints are small joints in the neck that guide movement and provide stability. Like any joint, they can become irritated or sprained with poor posture, sudden movement, or repetitive strain.

Typical symptoms:

Local neck pain or stiffness
Pain when turning the head
Pain with looking up or down
Headaches, often from the base of the skull

Facet sprains are commonly linked to prolonged sitting, poor posture, sudden movements, or sleeping in awkward positions.

Cervical Disc Injuries

Cervical discs act as shock absorbers between the bones of the neck. Repetitive strain or overload can lead to disc irritation or injury.

Common disc-related problems include:

Disc bulges
Disc protrusions
Annular strains

Typical symptoms:

Neck pain with stiffness
Pain that may travel into the shoulder or arm
Numbness or tingling in the arm or hand
Pain that worsens with prolonged sitting or screen use

Disc injuries are often associated with sustained postures, repetitive strain, or sudden loading movements.

Rotator Cuff Strains

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that stabilise the shoulder and control arm movement. These muscles can become strained or overloaded with repetitive use or weakness.

Typical symptoms:

Shoulder pain with lifting the arm
Pain reaching overhead or behind the back
Weakness through the shoulder
Pain when lying on the affected shoulder

Rotator cuff strains are commonly related to repetitive overhead activity, poor shoulder mechanics, or muscle weakness.

What’s Really Causing Your Neck and Shoulder Pain?

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Neck and shoulder pain is extremely common, particularly with modern lifestyles involving prolonged sitting, screen use, and repetitive movements. In fact, up to 70% of people will experience neck pain at some stage in their lives.

The majority of neck and shoulder complaints we see clinically involve cervical facet joint sprains, disc-related injuries, or rotator cuff muscle strains.

Cervical Facet Sprains

Facet joints are small joints in the neck that guide movement and provide stability. Like any joint, they can become irritated or sprained with poor posture, sudden movement, or repetitive strain.

Typical symptoms:

Local neck pain or stiffness

Pain when turning the head

Pain with looking up or down

Headaches, often from the base of the skull

Facet sprains are commonly linked to prolonged sitting, poor posture, sudden movements, or sleeping in awkward positions.

Cervical Disc Injuries

Cervical discs act as shock absorbers between the bones of the neck. Repetitive strain or overload can lead to disc irritation or injury.

Common disc-related problems include:

Disc bulges

Disc protrusions

Annular strains

Typical symptoms:

Neck pain with stiffness

Pain that may travel into the shoulder or arm

Numbness or tingling in the arm or hand

Pain that worsens with prolonged sitting or screen use

Disc injuries are often associated with sustained postures, repetitive strain, or sudden loading movements.

Rotator Cuff Strains

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that stabilise the shoulder and control arm movement. These muscles can become strained or overloaded with repetitive use or weakness.

Typical symptoms:

Shoulder pain with lifting the arm

Pain reaching overhead or behind the back

Weakness through the shoulder

Pain when lying on the affected shoulder

Rotator cuff strains are commonly related to repetitive overhead activity, poor shoulder mechanics, or muscle weakness.