What causes neck pain?
Your neck is vulnerable to injuries whether during sports activities or over the course of the day. For example, poor posture and bending your head to use electronics frequently cause neck strains.
Whiplash injuries pull and tear muscles and ligaments in your neck. Severe whiplash can also damage the vertebrae and pinch the nerves.
As you get older, degenerative changes occur that cause painful neck conditions, such as:
- Herniated disc
- Slipped disc
- Osteoarthritis
- Thickened ligaments
- Degenerative disc disease
- Bone spurs
- Spinal stenosis
These conditions cause neck pain and other symptoms when they pinch the spinal nerves.
What symptoms accompany neck pain?
The problem that caused your neck pain often leads to a stiff neck and minor-to-severe headaches. When you have a pinched nerve, you may experience symptoms that travel along the nerve.
Nerve-related symptoms include pain, tingling, or numbness that goes down your arm and into your hands. A severely damaged nerve may also cause muscle weakness. You may notice that you have a weak grip or poor coordination.
How is neck pain treated?
The treatment you receive depends on the cause of your pain, beginning with the most conservative therapies that are appropriate for the underlying condition.
You may need to wear a neck brace to immobilize and support your neck while it heals or follow an exercise routine to stretch and relax the muscles.
Many people also need physical therapy to promote healing and restore strength and mobility. Physical therapy includes a variety of modalities, such as structured exercise, massage, and posture training.
Neck pain treatment may also include anti-inflammatory or muscle-relaxing medications. Your provider may also recommend treatments like steroid injections and trigger point injections.
When you still have symptoms despite conservative treatments, the team at Mid Atlantic Orthopedic Associates, LLP, talks with you about surgery to repair the problem.
They have extensive experience performing many types of spine surgery, including:
- Discectomy
- Microdiscectomy
- Cervical fusion
- Disc replacement
- Cervical laminectomy
These procedures remove damaged discs, replace the disc, fuse the vertebrae, and decompress pinched nerves.
