Key Takeaways
- Understanding Neck Pain: The page provides comprehensive information on chronic neck pain, including its symptoms, causes, risk factors, diagnosis, management, treatment, and prevention.
- Symptoms and Causes: It outlines various symptoms and causes of neck pain, such as injuries, aging, physical strain, mental stress, and other health conditions.
- Diagnosis and Treatment: The article discusses how chronic neck pain is diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, and diagnostic studies like CT scans and MRI. Treatment options include pain medications, physical therapy, steroid injections, alternative therapies, and surgery if necessary.
- Management and Prevention: The page offers practical advice on managing and preventing neck pain, emphasizing good posture, proper sleep, avoiding heavy lifting, exercising upper back muscles, and seeking medical attention when necessary.
- Conclusion: The conclusion stresses the importance of maintaining good posture, taking breaks from electronic devices, and seeking professional help if experiencing neck pain, ultimately aiming for comfort and well-being.
Neck pain, called cervicalgia, is a stiffness and pain caused by different medical conditions and injuries.
You may be experiencing either radicular (pain that radiates from your back and hip into your legs through the spine) or axial (pain confined to the lower back region) neck discomfort, which radiates into other parts of your body like your arms or shoulders. It may be chronic (lasting more than 3 months) or acute (lasting days to 6 weeks).
Most neck pain isn’t serious and vanishes in a few days. Neck pain usually improves with conservative treatments like stress management, massage, exercise, and painkillers. However, it can prevent you from carrying out your daily activities and reduce your quality of life if it does not receive medical attention.
This article highlights the signs, symptoms, causes, risk factors, diagnosis, management, treatment, and prevention of neck pain.
Symptoms of neck pain: How does it feel like
- Headache
- Weakness
- Decreased ability to move head
- Pins and needles or numbness
- Stiffness in your neck, shoulders, and upper back
- Swollen glands
- Facial pain and dizziness
- Muscle tightness or spasms
Causes of neck pain: Uncovering the common culprits
Neck pain causes include:
- Injuries: Whiplash is caused by rear-end auto collisions, and automobile accidents often result in whiplash injuries. Whiplash happens when the head is quickly thrown backward and forward, and the soft tissues, ligaments, vertebral joints, disks, and nerve roots of the neck are strained, causing neck pain.
- Getting older: Natural wear and tear can lead to the degeneration, or deterioration, of some cervical spine components, which can be painful. Neck discomfort can be brought on by degenerative diseases, including spinal stenosis, which narrows the gaps in your spine, and osteoarthritis, which causes the cartilage in your joints to break down. A herniated disc or pinched nerve can result from the weakening of your spine’s discs over time as a result of stress and repetitive motions.
- Growths: Any unwanted and abnormal growths, masses, tumors, bone spurs (Osteophytes), and cysts can build pressure on your neck, resulting in neck pain.
- Physical strain: Excessive use of the neck muscles during demanding or repetitive tasks can cause discomfort and stiffness. Neck discomfort can be exacerbated by bad posture, weak ab muscles, and a larger body weight, all of which can alter the alignment of your spine. For instance, strained neck muscles from prolonged computer screen viewing are a typical cause of neck pain.
- Mental stress: Neck stiffness and discomfort can result from tensing your neck muscles due to stress. Many people tense these muscles in response to stress or agitation and are unaware of it until their neck begins to pain.
- Other health conditions/diseases: Neck pain is a symptom of many health conditions and diseases, including meningitis (the inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord), rheumatoid arthritis (a chronic disease that causes inflammation around the body and the joints), and cancer.
Risk factors of neck pain
Psychological neck pain risk factors include:
Stress and anxiety
Emotional, cognitive behavior, and psychological stress can result in tension in the neck muscles, causing pain and discomfort.
Long-term stress and anxiety can cause our body to accumulate tension in our shoulders and neck muscles, which can cause pain and discomfort. Our muscles and nerves in the shoulder and neck contract up when we are under stress, which aggravates the pain and suffering.
Poor Posture
The muscles and ligaments in the neck can become strained due to sitting and standing for long periods with incorrect posture.
Sleep problems
Sleep and neck pain problems are bidirectional, as both are responsible for causing the other. Individuals with severe neck discomfort may have more depressive symptoms as a result of decreased sleep quality.
Social support
Loneliness is a significant component of early adulthood, and there is a favorable correlation between neck discomfort and inadequate social support in general and at work. Scientific evidence also shows that seeking social support negatively correlates with neck issues.
Biological neck pain risk factors include:
Muscle Strain
The neck muscles can get strained due to overuse, an uncomfortable sleeping posture, or abrupt movements, which can cause discomfort and stiffness.
Trauma or Injury
Whiplash is a quick jerking motion of the head that can cause injuries to the neck’s soft tissues in accidents like automobile crashes or falls.
Degenerative Disorders
Degenerative disorders like cervical spondylosis (age-related wear and tear of the spinal discs) or osteoarthritis (a degenerative joint condition resulting in pain, inflammation, and stiffness and impacting a person’s ability to move freely) can lead to degeneration of the vertebrae and discs in the neck, causing pain and stiffness.
Herniated Discs
Cervical spine disc bulges or ruptures can strain surrounding nerves and cause discomfort that can extend down the arm.
Medical Conditions
Certain medical conditions, such as fibromyalgia (widespread muscle pain and tenderness), rheumatoid arthritis (inflammation around the body that commonly presents with pain in the joints), or meningitis (inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord), can cause neck pain as a symptom.
Repetitive Strain
The neck muscles can become strained and painful from repetitive neck motions or prolonged postures (such as using a computer for long periods without breaks).
Poor Ergonomics
Poor pillow usage or workstation arrangement might cause tension in the neck muscles and worsen discomfort.
Tumors
Tumors in the cervical spine or adjacent tissues are uncommon, although they can cause neck discomfort if they push on nearby tissues or nerves.
How is chronic neck pain diagnosed?
Neurosurgeons or general practitioners can diagnose a patient based on a patient’s medical history, symptoms, physical examination, and diagnostic studies. Imaging studies may be recommended for patients who cannot respond to medication or physical therapy. These studies/tests may include:
- CT scans (also called CAT scans) are computed tomography scans
- The discography
- MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
- Myelogram
- EMG (Electromyography)
- NCS (Nerve Conduction Studies)
- Selective Nerve Root Block
- X-rays
Treatment of neck pain
The goal of treatment is to reduce your pain and enhance your neck’s range of motion. Most overuse or abrupt force-related neck discomfort resolves in a few weeks, but occasionally, it takes many months. Your doctor will suggest therapies to help you control your symptoms. Among these therapies are the following ones:
Pain medications
Painkillers and muscle relaxants are the most often used first treatments for neck discomfort. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are among them; they help with neck discomfort and swelling. Relaxants aid in the healing of your neck muscles.
Physical therapy
You can learn stretches and exercises from a certified fitness trainer or physical therapist to help strengthen and relieve your neck discomfort.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit
A TENS unit blocks the pain signal that causes discomfort by applying a little electrical current to the skin around your nerves. A healthcare professional should always be consulted before utilizing a TENS unit.
Steroid injections
An injection close to the nerve roots might ease pain and lower inflammation.
Alternative therapies
Your doctor can suggest massage to relax tense muscles that are causing you agony or acupuncture to ease the pain. To correct your spine, you can visit a chiropractor or osteopathic physician.
Surgery
Surgery is not necessary for the majority of neck pain reasons. However, if one or more of your spine’s vertebrae have moved or are pressing on your nerves, you could require surgery.
Management and Prevention of neck pain
There are several ways to manage and prevent neck pain. These include:
- Practice good posture.
- When using electronic items like desktop computers, laptops, etc., do not slouch or bend your neck, which can strain your neck. Try to keep your back straight and aligned with your shoulders while sitting. Also, try to maintain good posture in your car seat while driving and traveling.
- You might need a footstool or a telephone headset to ensure your hips and knees are level. If you spend a lot of time on the phone, it will stop you constantly bending your neck to one side.
- Exercises like yoga and pilates are great for this.
- Wearing a neck support (collar or brace) is not usually a good idea, except when advised to do so by your healthcare professional.
- If you cannot turn your head fully to the left or right, don’t drive until you can. Somewhere safe to park. Adjust your headrest to support the head and neck if you can drive.
- Adjust your sleep position.
- Good posture while sleeping is also very important in preventing strain on your back and neck. Use a pillow to support your head while sleeping on your back so that your head and neck align with the entire body. Make sure you have a supportive, comfortable pillow. Try sleeping with one firm support pillow.
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach, which causes ligaments, muscles, tendons, and joints to compress. When your head is turned to one side while sleeping on your stomach, the weight of your body puts pressure on your neck, causing pain.
- Don’t carry heavy weight on your shoulders.
- Steer clear of slinging bulky items over your shoulder, such as luggage or book bags. Instead, think about utilizing casters for your bags or baggage.
- For the first few days, avoid overhead lifting or repetitive bending and twisting. These activities could make your neck pain worse.
- Exercise your upper back extensor muscles.
- As you age, you commonly experience weak back and lose upper back strength. Your head starts leaning forward in front of your spine, and your shoulders rock. As a result, this uneven alignment and body positioning strains your upper back and neck more.
- Strengthen your upper back extensor muscles with exercises like scapular squeezes, standing push-ups, and Theraband rowing. These exercises help to relieve neck pain.
When should I call my General Practitioner if I have neck pain?
See a doctor if your neck pain prevents you from working or engaging in other everyday activities. Rarely, neck discomfort may indicate a serious medical problem. Seek emergency medical attention if your neck pain:
- Is a result of an accidental injury
- Involves uncontrollable bladder or bowels
- Remains constant whether you’re moving or not
- Includes nausea, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness
- It happens along with fever, chills, or unexpected weight loss
- It occurs when your arms, shoulders, or legs go numb or tingly
- It occurs when your legs get weak or when your arms and legs become uncoordinated
- Doesn’t improve after using over-the-counter drugs
- It doesn’t get better after a week
Conclusion
Your neck’s a hard worker. It may go unnoticed until it starts complaining. When it’s unhappy, it affects your ability to move your head. A human head weighs around 10 pounds. The average neck supports this weight and always has your back to keep your head in line with the rest of your body. Over time, it can become a pain in the neck, especially if you make a habit of craning your neck. Practice good posture and remember how long you stare down at these devices. Don’t forget to take frequent breaks to move and stretch. If you have neck pain, contact a healthcare provider. He or she will recommend medications and treatments to provide you with the desired comfort.
References:
- https://www.uptodate.com/contents/neck-pain-beyond-the-basics/print
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8725362/
- https://www.aans.org/en/Patients/Neurosurgical-Conditions-and-Treatments/Neck-Pain
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