Just because you low back pain has creeped up and really hurts, sometimes even goes into the leg. This doesn't mean that the neck is all-of-a-sudden all better. So, you have sciatica (that's the leg and back pain), there's good probability that this is all that's on your mind.
Meanwhile the the neck pain is still there, in fact, it could be worse. If you have pain in one of those areas, there's a high probability you get pain in the other.
Here's why: if you have arthritis in one area of the spine then it's probably in another. Think about it; what is arthritis? It's a breakdown to that area, and it presents as boney deterioration, loss of disc height, and maybe inflammation.
The most common form of Arthritis is Degenerative Joint Disease or DJD. It typically presets with those characters - the bones get deformed and get jagged edges or spurs, the disc flattens like a jelly donut and is often bulged out, and inflammation crowds the area often putting pressure on nerves.
There are so any forms of arthritis really: rheumatoid, ankylosing spondylitis, etc... All have specific characteristics that make them unique, but they all typically have the 3 components I mentioned, in some way, shape, or form.
So here we are with some pretty bad neck discomfort but now the low back is worse, so we've put neck pain on the back burner. Because of this you can make the neck worse however. Let's just say you are doing all you can to protect the lower back, well this opens up the neck for greater chance of injury.
The entire spine works together, so we really need to take care of all of it. So whether one area hurts more than another, try not to neglect any area that needs your attention.
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