Neck Pain

Pain in the neck is a common problem which comes from various disorders or diseases of any structure in the neck. It is also termed as cervical pain and is often accompanied by stiffness or difficulty in moving the neck.

Causes:

Couple of things can trigger neck pain such as minor injuries, improper posture, stress and leaning into your computer or hunching over your workbench for prolonged period.

One feels pain in neck at some time or other. In some cases one can make a precise diagnosis, as the problem could be due to slipped disc, osteoporosis, scoliosis and rarely, structural damage due to tumours or infections. Many times people involved in road accidents get whiplash injury, which occur when the head is jerked forward and back, stretching the soft tissues of the neck beyond their limits. This type of injury may result in severe pain and takes long duration to improve.

Signs and symptoms

# Stiffness in the neck

# Pain in the neck area

# Muscles gets sore, tense and feels hard to the touch

# You may also feel numbness, tingling or weakness in your arms or legs.

# One can feel pain in the shoulder or between the shoulder blades.

Danger Signals

. Neck pain is accompanied by severe pain in the back.

. Gets fever along with neck pain

. If a rash develops and doesn’t go away when you press it with a finger

. If you are not able to bend the neck forward due to pain.

. Sudden change in the bowel habits.

. After head injury or neck trauma must visit doctor.

. If one feels pain radiating to shoulder, through shoulder blades or down your arm, or numbness or tingling in your fingers, then such condition may indicate nerve irritation and it may prolong for 3 to 6 months.

Treatment

The treatment can be started after diagnosing the real cause. Treatment options include:

* Adequate rest

* Application of ice or heat

* Traction

* Soft collar

* Physical therapy (ultrasound, massage, manipulation)

* Local injections of cortisone or anesthetics

* Topical anesthetic creams

* Muscle relaxants

* Analgesics

* Neck surgery.