Two causes of neck pain at the base of the skull Jenison, MI

For people who work at a desk all day, neck pain at the base of the skull can be a common issue. However, this condition can also affect people who do repetitive head or neck movements in Jenison, Michigan. If you’re dealing with this type of pain every day, you may be wondering what’s causing your pain. Here are two common causes of neck pain at the base of the skull: 

1. Issues with suboccipital muscles

A common reason that people have neck pain at the base of their skull is they have an issue with their suboccipital muscles. There are four pairs of suboccipital muscles, and they’re located at the base of your skull. Their job is to support movement between the skull and the first and second neck vertebrae. These movements are often subtle, but they can be repetitive. 

For example, the suboccipital muscles help move your head back and forth as you read. When you’re working on a computer all day, this movement is one that you may do for hours at a time. Even this small but repetitive movement can cause issues with the suboccipital muscles: They could become tired and weak; in turn, this can lead to worse head posture and even more neck pain. Also, repetitive suboccipital muscle movements can cause the muscles to become inflamed, and the inflammation could be the reason you’re feeling pain at the base of your skull. 

2. Occipital neuralgia

Another condition that can cause neck pain at the base of the skull is occipital neuralgia. This condition involves a problem with the occipital nerves. These nerves run from the top of the spinal cord and through the scalp, and they can cause you to feel pain in the back of the head and at the base of the skull. 

These symptoms may be mistaken for a headache or migraine, but they are actually the result of some type of injury to the occipital nerves. For example, a blow to the back of the head can cause these nerves to be pinched, and this injury can lead to the pain you’re experiencing. Such injuries are common during car accidents and while playing high-contact sports. Tight or inflamed suboccipital muscles can also rub on the occipital nerves and cause neck pain. This means that the repetitive movements mentioned above could be causing you both muscle and nerve pain. 

Find help for neck pain at the base of the skull at Advent Physical Therapy in Jenison, MI

For residents of Jenison, physical therapy can be the key to getting rid of your neck pain, and Advent Physical Therapy has a clinic here in town where you can find the treatment you need. We offer free screening to help you start therapy. Our team also creates personalized treatment plans for our patients that can make use of therapy techniques like: 

• Manual therapy
• Instrument assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM)
• Ergonomic recommendations

Take the next step to start getting our help with your neck pain. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.