Neck pain is a common food. While pain may simply be an indicator that you’ve overused your neck muscles, it can also be an indication of a much more serious problem. If your pain involves shooting pains that spread down your arms, an inability to touch your chin to your chest, or numbness in your hands or arms may be more serious and should be evaluated by a doctor.
Some of the pain may be the result of overuse of the neck muscles. If you work in front of a computer all day with poor posture, you may have neck pain. If you continue to tense those same muscles day after day, the tension can lead to chronic pain.
As part of the aging process, the joints in the neck can wear out and cause pain. These wear and tear injuries can lead to the formation of osteoarthritis in the neck. Osteoarthritis can cause stiffness and pain when you need to move your head.
Spinal problems can cause there to be less room for nerves to branch out from the spinal cord. These problems can lead to a pinched nerve that causes a lot of pain. Examples of problems that can cause nerve impingement include compressed discs, bone spurs, or discs that have hardened.
Neck pain can be attributed to accidental injury. One of the most common is whiplash caused by a car accident. Whiplash puts pressure on the muscles as they try to hold the head in place when the vehicle is hit. This type of injury usually affects the soft tissues of the neck.
Rheumatoid arthritis can cause neck pain. In fact, the third most common place for rheumatoid arthritis pain is the neck. People with rheumatoid arthritis may have long-term pain.
Spinal meningitis causes the lining of the brain and spinal cord to become inflamed. Stiffness along with pain is often one of the first indicators of this disease. Spinal meningitis is a serious disease and is infectious.
In some rare cases, the pain can be caused by cancerous tumors. Cancer usually doesn’t start in your neck area, but can travel here from another part of your body. Such tumors may require surgery or other treatment.
Treatment for your pain depends on a correct diagnosis. Doctors use tests that include X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. Also, the doctor may want to do a lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis.
Doctors treat your pain with medicine and therapy. Some of the medications used include steroid injections. Therapy includes temporary immobilization of your neck, traction, or special exercises to help relieve pain.
If you’re experiencing neck pain that doesn’t seem to get better, you’ll need to make an appointment with your doctor. He can assess the source of the pain and recommend a treatment plan. With the right help, you may not have to suffer from neck pain forever.