Chronic Neck Pain: Diagnosis and Treatment
Neck pain is the most common problem experienced by a majority of adults at any time in life. About 50% of US population have been reported with chronic neck pain. The prevalence of technology in our life is the leading contributor to chronic neck pain. Hunching on mobile and laptop for hours result in poor posture and neck pain.
Most often, neck pain is not of major concern and can be treated with lifestyle modifications. But there might be underlying serious health issues causing neck pain. When should you worry about neck pain? What is the best treatment for chronic neck pain? In this guide, you will get expert treatment for a pain-free life. So, read the whole post.
What are Neck Pain Symptoms?
Simply, neck pain is the pain around the spine area extending to the arms or shoulders. Acute pain lasts from a few days to about six weeks. It just needs lifestyle modification and pain relief medications. But chronic pain lasts longer than three months and up to years and needs proper treatment.
You might observe the following pain symptoms:
- Sharp, stabbing, or radiant pain
- Pain while moving, twisting, or bending head
- Numbness in arms
- Weakness in arms or legs
- Troubling pain shooting to arms
- Headache, dizziness, or tingling in fingers
- Inability to move neck
What are the Causes of Chronic Neck Pain?
Chronic neck pain can affect any person at any age. The following are the potential causes of neck pain.
Injury
Auto accidents cause whiplash injuries initiating neck pain. Muscles, ligaments, or vertebral damage can also cause neck pain.
Muscles Strains
Muscle strains are the most common cause of neck pain among adults. Spending too much time on electronic devices and reading for hours triggers muscle strains and neck pain. Poor posture and being overweight also cause muscle strains.
Certain Diseases
With age, different conditions cause the degeneration of muscles and joints. Like, osteoarthritis affects the bones and joints, causing pain. Spinal stenosis is also a leading cause of neck pain. Spinal stenosis affects the spaces in your spine and narrows them.
Nerve Compressions
Nerve compressions refer to the pinching of the spinal nerves from the spine. It can cause neck pain, aching, and shoulder or back pain. A herniated disk can also contribute to neck pain because it causes the disk to come off its position.
Stress
Trauma and mental stress can cause neck pain. Mostly, stress and depression result in muscle stiffness and tightness. Continued stress and stiff muscles lead to neck pain.
Other Conditions
Continuous lifting like heavy bags on shoulders and sleeping in the wrong position can lead to neck pain. Tumors, cysts, or health conditions like bone spurs, meningitis, or cancer also cause neck pain.
Diagnosis of Chronic Neck Pain
If you are having neck pain for over six months, it’s time to contact a healthcare provider. As stated above, chronic neck pain may be due to underlying health conditions. The doctor will make a thorough examination from physical to blood tests and determine the neck pain causes.
These tests and examinations can locate neck pain.
- Medical history
- Physical exam
- X-rays
- CT Scan
- MRI
- Electrodiagnostic tests
- Imaging tests
- Lab tests
Treatment of Neck Pain
Troublesome signs of neck pain disturb normal movement, balance, and coordination of the body. Most often, simple lifestyle changes can improve neck pain. If you don’t have any medical history, follow these simple tips for a pain-free life.
Maintain Good Posture
Keeping the head and neck in the right position eliminates your maximum discomfort. Whether standing, walking or sitting, ensure your neck is straight. Don’t bend over the electronic device, keep them straight to your head.
Avoid Sitting for a Long Time
If you are working on an electronic device, take frequent breaks. Move, walk or stretch your body and neck for at least 5 minutes.
Avoid Heavy Lifting:
Don’t carry heavy bags on your shoulder to prevent muscle strains.
Sleep in the Right Position
Sleep in the right position, either side or back, using a small pillow over your neck. Or keep a pillow under your thighs to flatten neck muscles to reduce pain.
Pain Medications
NSAIDs like Ibuprofen and Naproxen are the preliminary treatment for chronic neck pain to reduce inflammation and relax muscles.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy helps strengthen muscles and reduce neck pain.
Surgery
Neck pain is treatable with no surgery most of the time. Medications, physical therapy, and adjusting lifestyle are the key to managing neck pain. If all these measures don’t work, surgery might be the option in case vertebrae are moved out of the spine.
Call Med Pro Medical for Non-Surgical Chronic Neck Pain Treatment
Worried about chronic neck pain? Can’t perform actively in your life? Don’t worry, call the med pro expert doctors and professionals to treat your problem! Several years of experience and successful pain management of different patients make us confident, we’ll be able to help you. Our trained doctors will analyze and determine the root cause of your neck pain. Based on your condition, the following treatments can help you live an active life without pain.
- Radiofrequency ablation-radiofrequency waves soothing nerves causing pain
- Spinal cord stimulation system-electric stimulator blocks the nerves to reduce neck pain
Contact us and let our expert doctors treat your chronic neck pain.