There are many structures in the neck and back that can be injured from trauma: tendons, ligaments, vertebrae, inter-vertebral disks, etc. Injury to these structures will typically cause pain. In addition, the body's natural response to the underlying injury includes contraction of the muscles in the area, resulting in muscle spasm and "referred pain".

There are two common causes for "shooting" pains seen after spinal injuries. The first reason is known as "referred pain". This is the brain's interpretation of the signal received from areas of contracted muscle. This is also a common reason for headaches after a neck injury. If pressure is placed over a sore spot in the neck muscles (known as trigger points), you may notice pain shooting into the arm or the head. The other reason for radiating pains is due to a nerve injury, commonly occurring at the point just before the nerve attaches to the spinal cord (known as the nerve root). A herniated disk is often the cause of this problem.

Tingling or a "pins and needles sensation" in the arms and legs may also be a sign of nerve damage. Everyone, at one time or another, experiences this feeling if the pressure is placed on an extremity for a period of time, for instance, while sleeping. This is because the nerve is not getting enough blood. The feeling generally goes away in a few minutes. If, however, the sensation is of a more permanent nature, it may be a sign the nerve is injured. This funny feeling may last long after the nerve injury has happened, but typically resolves over days to weeks if no further nerve damage occurs. Frequent causes of nerve damage seen by a neurologist include herniated disks pressing on nerve roots (radiculopathies), Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and ulnar nerve injuries at the elbow. Always be sure to let your doctor know if you experience a persistent "pins and needles" or numbness sensation.

There are many causes for headaches following trauma. These include muscle tension, post-concussive syndrome and migraine headaches. A more serious cause for headaches following head trauma is bleeding around the brain called a subdural hematoma. This bleeding usually occurs soon after an injury to the head, but occasionally the blood can build up slowly over time. This slowly accumulating blood more commonly happens in older individuals.

The term "discs" refers to soft material between the vertebral bones in the spinal column. These discs can get squeezed out from between the bones, and this is called a herniation. A herniated disc can sometimes press on a nerve causing some of the symptoms described above.

Some conditions in the spine can be corrected with surgery by a neurosurgeon. This difficult decision can only be made after consultation with the doctors involved with your care.

Once the period of formal rehabilitation has been completed and surgery is not indicated, the best course of action is for the patient to continue a course of self-directed care. This includes muscle-stretching exercises, maneuvers to improve range of motion and strength training. Along with this, analgesics should be used for episodes of acute pain.

This is an issue that must be addressed by you and your doctor on a case by case basis. In general, you should abstain from strenuous activities in the weeks following a neck or back injury. Particularly pay attention to those activities that aggravate your symptoms. If you are someone who works out at the gym, don't use free weights or weight machines while you are undergoing rehabilitation therapy. Rather than running or using a treadmill, try swimming. This is a great way to get a cardiovascular workout, without putting additional stress on your lumbar spine.

Offered on site at any NAG medical facility, a Nerve Conduction Velocity Study is a test designed to specifically look for "nerve damage". It is typically performed in two parts. The first part is done by a technician and tests the speed and size of a nerve's response. This is accompanied by applying an electric shock to a particular nerve through the skin. The small electric shock is applied with a hand-held instrument used by the technician. Underneath the skin, these nerves conduct electricity, much like a copper wire would conduct electricity from a battery to a light bulb. Flat metal disks are taped over the skin to record the nerve's response. The shock feels somewhat similar to being snapped by a rubber band or static electricity. A medical doctor then performs the second part of the test. He uses a very thin needle, which acts like a microphone, to listen to muscle response. The tip of the needle is inserted through the skin and into a muscle, recording the electricity inside the muscle. The electrical signal's size, shape, and sound changes if the nerve is damaged. By analyzing the results from the first and second tests, the doctor is usually able to not only identify if a nerve is sick or injured, but where along its course the problem has occurred.