Most people will suffer from some medical
conditions at a certain period of time in their lives. Neck pain is one of these
common medical conditions and estimated that 2 out of 3 people of the population
suffer from neck pain at least few time in their lives.
Although neck pain is very common, we
should know its causes and they are far many causes attribute to neck pain. From
nervous system issues to muscular issues, this condition can have a wide range
of causes and each of them may need special treatment. Neck pain should be cure
timely if not it can turn into a chronic condition.
The basic knowledge of Neck Pain
Our human vertebral spine is made out of 33
vertebrae, out of which only 7 are part of the neck area. Vertebral forms our
main backbone system.
Each of these vertebrae should be seen as a
bony block and in between each of them you will find the discs which usually
act as “cushions” between the bony structures when they move. In close
proximity, you can find nerves that pass through the vertebrae, which are part
of the central nervous system. As for the structure of the neck, you should
also know that it includes skin, muscles, arteries, certain kinds of glands,
lymph nodes, the esophagus and the trachea. Knowing the parts that constitute
your neck is important because any kind of medical issues that may be related
to them will lead to neck pain in one way or another.
Neck pain can causing other symptoms such
as headache, shoulder pain, facial pain, tingling and tenderness due to the nerves
which pass through the neck, pulsations, swishing sounds in the head,
lightheadedness and the swallowing of the lymph node.
The Main Types of Neck Pain and the Conditions Causing Them
There are two main types of neck pain:
acute and chronic. Although acute neck pain is not a long term condition, it
can be caused by different serious conditions. Chronic neck pain, on the other
hand, can last for extended periods of time and causes by many causes.
Degenerative Disc Disease
One of the most common medical conditions
that cause patients to feel neck pain is degenerative disc disease. The discs
that are found in between the vertebrae are actually cushions that prevent the
vertebrae from being badly impacted due to movement. The degenerative disc
disease affects precisely these parts of the neck and it is most often
associated with getting older.
Besides advancing in age the most commonly
known cause for degenerative disc disease, there may be cases when trauma or
injury can lead to it. Degeneration of the disc can be easily detected with an
MRI scan or X-ray test.
The main symptom of the degenerative disc
disease is feeling the pain of the neck in the area where the discs have worn out.
The surgical treatment applied in the case
of those who suffer from the degenerative disc disease can come in two forms:
stabilization surgery and decompression surgery. For stabilization surgery, two
vertebrae are fused together and this gives the patient’s vertebral spine more
stability. This type of surgery is more frequently done for those who suffer
from the degenerative disc disease located in their lower back or in their neck.
Surgery will only be recommended in certain
severe cases. Responding to medical treatment and non-surgical treatment can
lead to a complete healing of the patient, while surgery may require physical
therapy and an extended period of recovery time.
Spinal Disc Herniation
Commonly known as a “slipped disc”, the
spinal disc herniation can be a very serious medical condition. Spinal disc
herniation affects the outer ring of the vertebrae, which leads to the bulging
out of the soft portion found in the central part of the vertebrae.
Age degeneration, trauma, and injuries
resulted from lifting and straining is the main causes of the spinal disc
herniation. People whose job natures require them to constantly sit, squat and
lifting heavy object are more at risk of developing a spinal disc herniation
than other people.
Spinal disc herniation is the result of a
former existing protrusion in the outer ring of the vertebrae and it is not to
be mistaken with it. The difference between the two conditions is that in the
case of the “protrusion”, the outer parts of the ring are completely intact and
the disc only bulges when it is under pressure.
The symptoms shown by patients with spinal
disc herniation vary according to severances’ of their case and the area in
which the disc has herniated. Feeling extreme pain in the area of the disc is
the first and most important symptom. If the spinal disc herniation has
developed in the neck area, pain will appear in the neck area and it can spread
to the surrounding areas. The difference between the pain felt in the case of a
herniated disc and the pain felt by a muscle spasm is the fact that in the
first case the pain is continuous, rather than intermittent such as in the
second case.
The treatment for spinal disc herniation can
come in non-surgical and in surgical forms. Most of patients with a
spinal disc herniation do respond well to non-surgical treatment within the
first few months of treatment. Thus, in the first phase the doctor will
prescribe the patient anti-inflammatory non-steroidal medication, but this is
to be taken very cautiously because the treatment can be affected by underlying
gastrointestinal toxicity and cardiovascular toxicity as well.
It is important that the patient receives
proper treatment for spinal disc herniation because there may be serious
consequences to just ignore it. Complications of this medical condition include
the caudaequinasyndrome, chronic pain, permanent injury to the nerve and even
worse, paralysis.
Prevention is possible in the case of
spinal disc herniation is to educate people the causes that can lead to such a
condition. The proper position when lifting an heavy object is very important.
Exercising is also important part of preventing the development of this
condition since it can help to strengthen the back.
Whiplash
This is one of the most common conditions
that lead to the development of neck pain and it is sometimes considered to be
even more common than the degenerative disc disease. However frequently
encountered though, this particular medical condition is very often
misunderstood, which in itself leads to inadequate treatment.
Basically, what the medical professionals
may refer to as “whiplash” is nothing else than the pain of the neck that is resulted
out of a rapid acceleration of the back-and-forth head movements. These kind of
injury is quite frequent happen in road accidents. This type of injury appears
when the patient was in a vehicle was impact with another vehicle that was
moving towards it.
In addition to neck pain, there are other
symptoms associated with whiplash such as dizziness, headaches, shoulder pain,
stiffness felt both in the area of the neck.
For the diagnosis of whiplash, it can be
easily done with the help of X-rays. In fact, a person who has been involved in
an accident will have to be tested for serious injuries and if whiplash is
diagnosed, the patient will be informed on his/her condition, on what it means
and on which is the path to recovery.
The treatment applied in the case of those
who suffer from whiplash depends on the symptoms they encounter. Medical
professionals used to believe that isolating the movement in the cervical area with
a soft collar do help. However, it has been proved that not allowing the neck
to move at all can slow down the healing process and that when immobilization
is combined with too much rest; there is a higher risk of developing chronic
conditions such as pain, stiffness, muscle pain, decreased blood flow to the
soft tissue in the injured area.
It is believed that early movement
exercises and physical therapy can be much more effective to the pain of the neck and that they can
help the patient recover faster.
Whiplash can be prevented by avoiding car
accidents wherever possible and by making use of all safety measures. Modern
seat belts and airbags are proven useful in preventing this condition and most
of the cars nowadays are equipped with them.
Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the most commonly
encountered diseases primarily affects the elderly. Arthritis of the bones is
characterized by the inflammation of the joints that link the bones between
themselves. There are many forms of arthritis, but the most common one is
osteoarthritis. While in general the degeneration of the joints is related to
getting older, there are cases when arthritis is related to autoimmune diseases.
The arthritis of the neck bones is called
“cervical spondylosis” and it is estimated that it affects more than 85% of people
who are age of over 60. Cervical spondylosis does not affect the patients into
very bad situations.
Basically, cervical arthritis is linked to
the degeneration of the discs. As we grow older, the amount of liquid between our
vertebrae becomes considerably smaller and decrease. following with this, the
joints are affected and this is how cervical spondylosis develops. If the
cartilage wears away completely, the patient’s body can respond to this by
growing a new bone that will narrow down the space available for the nerves and
this leads to a condition known as "stenosis".
The diagnosis process of the cervical
arthritis started with several questions related to neck pain. Physician most
likely will ask you when the pain started and the period of the pain since it
first happen, what is the occurrence rate of the pain, if the pain is getting worse
or better under certain circumstances and if you have ever been treated for
this pain.
The treatment in the case of the “neck
arthritis” can be both non-surgical and surgical. The non-surgical treatment
will usually include various medications such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants.
The surgical treatment applied in the case
of those who suffer from cervical arthritis is quite uncommon and the doctor
will recommend it only for very serious case.
Pinched nerves
Pinched nerves is a medical condition that
is common to various diseases and it can be one of the causes that lead to
developing neck pain of various degrees of severity. Neck pain that develops
due to pinched nerves commonly link to other medical conditions and diseases.
Pinched nerves conditions can be related to
spinal disc herniation. As mentioned before, disc herniation usually develops
with age due to the fact that the discs wear out. The herniation can appear on
any of the parts of the disc, including the inner part that is close to the
spinal canal. When that happens, the nerve beside the herniated disc can be
pressured and that leads to pain, numbness and weakness.
Another circumstance when a pinched nerve
may be behind the neck pain of a patient is when a bone spur appears. There are
cases when the degeneration of the bone part of the vertebrae trigger odd
reaction in the body: that of growing another bone to support the vertebral
spine. When this happens, the spur can press against the nerves and lead to
pain. Do bear in mind that this kind of pinched nerve is slightly different
than stenosis.
Neck Strain
Straining is probably the most common and
the least serious cause that leads to neck pain. There are many causes that
lead to strain around the neck: sitting in an odd position for an extended
period of time, sleeping in an odd position, driving for a longer period of
time, carrying a heavy object on one side of the body only and working in front
of computer for extended of period without exercise or move around.
Neck strains treatments do not required medicine.
They can be treated with a series of home remedies such as cold and hot packs. When
medication is needed, however, it will most likely be of the over the counter
type such as anti-inflammatory drugs.
Although neck strains are not very serious
and they can resolve without much hassle, they can be truly uncomfortable and
painful. Do bear in mind that in certain cases you should definitely go visit
your doctor about the pain of the neck because there may be other reasons behind it.
Neck Pain Remedies and Exercises
There are a lot of things that you can do
for your neck pain before you visit your doctor. Some of these methods are
generally considered to be “traditional”, while other methods are considered to
be “alternative” (and most of them are influenced by the Asian culture and practices).
Among the traditional neck pain remedies is
applying hot and iced packs on the neck pain area. You can simply use a heating
pad and apply it to the pain of the neck area for 15-20 minutes every 4 hours.
Massages are also helpful. However, it is better
to get massages from a professional personnel. Gently massaging the painful
area can help with pain relief.
Acupuncture is prove to be a very good Chinese
therapy treatment. Acupuncture is helpful in relieving chronic pain. Acupuncture
uses very small needles that are inserted into areas where these are the important
part of nerves to smooth the “qi”.
One of the exercises you can try out for
neck strain is to very gently bend it forwards and backwards. Do these slowly
because otherwise you can hurt your neck muscles become even worsen. Slow neck
retractions, side bends and rotations work the same way and they are usual
exercises you can do at home as well. Another exercise you can try out is
pulling your shoulder blades backwards and stretching the arms forwards after
that. This exercise is especially good if your neck pain is situated on the
lower end of the neck.
Neck Pain Prevention
Although certain medical conditions that
lead to neck pain are not actually avoidable especially arthritis that develops
once the patient getting older, there are also many things you should know to
avoid any kind of pain of the neck and back pain problems.
1. Avoid slouching and try to sit up
straight as much as possible. Although it may seem that slouching is something
that mainly affects the lower and middle back, it can affect your neck as well.
When you sit, make sure you do not bring your head forward, that you keep your
back up straight and that you lower your shoulders. Try not to sit for more
than one hour without any move.
2. If you work at a computer on extensive period of time, remember to adjust the monitor to your
eye-level. This will prevent you from slouching.
3. If your work required you to answer
phone call over long period, do not hold your phone between your shoulder and
your ear. Use headset for the comfort.
4. When you sleep, use a good pillow that
can support your neck. A good quality pillow is extremely important for the
health of your neck and back. Remember that you are sleep for over 6 hours on
the pillow and it happens every night.
5. When you lift heavy objects, make sure
you bend your knees instead bending your entire back. Correct position is very
important in lifting heavy objects. Wrong position can easily lead to back pain
injury.
6. Avoid obesity. Our body weight is
support by our bone system which is emcompass by our nerves and spine.
Overweight can put pressure to bone, spine, nerves and joints.
7. Exercise regularly. Exercise must be
practice at least 3 times a week. Exercise is benefit to our entire body, not
just our neck or back. Every exercise should at least last for 30 minutes.
