Question
I have been dealing with chronic back pain for about 2 1/2 years and I am not sure if it is affecting my neck as well.

When I turn my head to the right my neck feels fine, but if I turn my head to the left it begins to hurt a bit and if I keep looking to the left I begin to get headaches as well.

When I am playing with my son on the other hand I can't really bend my neck upwards because it hurts and in serveral occasions it feels like something is going to break in my neck, so I stop.

I was sent by my employer to take a functional capacity evaluation and here are the numbers that I was given.

Cervical Spin ROM:

Flexion: Occiput 51, T1 4, Result 47, Normal AMA 50
Extension: Occiput 32, T1 12, Result 20, Normal AMA 60
Right Flexion: Occiput 53, T1 8, Result 45, Normal AMA 45
Left flexion: Occiput 54, T1 4, Result 50, Normal AMA 45
Right rotation: Occiput 80, T1 0, Result 80, Normal AMA 80
Left rotation: Occiput 76, T1 0, Result 76, Normal AMA 80

Answer
Mark,

Thank you for you question.  The most common cause of the symptoms you are describing is a previous injury that resulted in a misalignment of one of your top 2 neck bones Atlas/Axis. When you have this misalignment your head goes off center and your spine below has to compensate to make up for this. The head weighs 10-14 lbs.  When your spine is unbalanced you develop high stress areas. These are the areas where all the extra weight is going to go.  Then you fast forward on average 10-15 years and then you start to develop neck and back pain.  In addition you provided a great clue when you said that turning your head left causes pain and headache if you maintain this position.  This also provides more info that the misalignment in your upper neck is likely decreasing the blood flow in and out of your head as well. This is the most common cause of the symptoms you are describing.  

I hope this makes some sense. It would be a good idea to find an Upper Cervical Chiropractor in your area and call for a consult. There are some great Upper Cervical Doctors in California.  

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Dr. Grayson Blom, B.Sc., D.C., U.C.A.
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Specialist
www.uppercervicalhealthcentersboise.com/