Why Does My Neck Hurt? Neck Pain Causes and Treatment
What is neck pain?
Even before we explore neck pain causes and treatments, we need to know what it is. It is simply a pain in your neck at any point in time. It is common and has numerous causes.
The neck has a tough job holding up almost 11 pounds of bones, muscles and ligaments. Bad posture can cause it. But, generally, it doesn’t indicate any severe complications.
What are neck pain symptoms?
As we approach, there are some neck pain symptoms.
- While on a computer, driving or doing other tasks, the pain increases in a specific position
- Muscle tightness/spasms
- Difficulty moving head/neck
- Headache
Symptoms usually depend on the neck pain causes. So if you are looking for more information on neck pain causes and treatment, come over to Germanten Hospital.
What causes neck pain?
There can be various neck pain causes, including medical issues and injuries. Some conditions that may cause neck pain are:
- Muscle strain and tension: One of the most common neck pain causes, it can be the result of activities and behaviours like:
- Poor posture
- Injury
- Neck jerking during exercise
- Wrong position of the neck while sleeping
- Sitting too long in the same position.
- Vulnerable to car accidents, falls, and sports injuries, the neck can have muscles and ligaments forced to move outside the normal range.
The spinal cord may get damaged in case of neck bone fractures. Whiplash is a neck injury resulting from sudden head jerking.
- Heart attack: Neck pain can also indicate a heart attack. There are many other symptoms of a heart attack.
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Jaw/Arm pain
In case of neck pain or other heart attack symptoms, go to the emergency room or dial the emergency number immediately.
- Meningitis: It is the inflammation and pain of the brain and spinal cord surrounding thin tissue. Meningitis patients may experience:
- Stiff neck
- Nausea
- Fever
- Headache
- Sensitivity of light
- Vomiting
A few of the other neck pain causes include:
- Rheumatoid arthritis leads to pain, joint swelling and bone spurs. In the neck area, they can cause neck pain.
- Usually affecting hands/knees, osteoporosis weakens bones and can lead to minor fractures. It also occurs in the neck.
- Fibromyalgia is muscle pain throughout the body, especially in the shoulder and neck region.
Cervical discs can degenerate with ageing. Also called spondylitis or osteoarthritis narrows the space between the vertebrae and adds stress to your joints. In a slipped disc case, a disc protrudes and may add pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Spinal stenosis occurs when the spinal column narrows and pressures the spinal cord or the nerve roots as it exits the vertebrae. That can be from arthritis or other condition-led long-term inflammation.
Rarely neck pain can indicate:
- Congenital abnormalities
- Abscesses
- Spine cancer
- Infections
- Tumours
If you experience any of the above-stated symptoms of neck pain, seek medical care. If you want more information on neck pain causes and treatment, come to Germanten Hospital.
How can you treat neck pain?
Muscle relaxant medications, physical therapy, padded neck collar, or traction, form neck treatment. Cortisone shots or surgery might be needed rarely.
With treatment, neck pain is a few days’ deal. Medicines like ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin can help ease the pain. For the first 2-3 days, put an ice pack on your neck to reduce swelling. Then moist heat can help heal. Exercising at home can help gently stretch neck muscles.
For short-term relief, visit a chiropractor or do a neck massage. But for a permanent neck pain treatment, come over to Germanten Hospitals and get an appointment with our experts today.
How to prevent neck pain?
Here are a few ways you can prevent neck pain:
- Fixing posture can help improve neck pain. Adjusting the chair or desktop can also help. One should also take frequent breaks.
- Carrying heavy bags with shoulder straps is a big no. In the case of a stiff neck, different pillows can help.
- Changes in sleeping postures can also help ligaments and muscles relax.
These were some other ways of neck pain treatment that can help. At Germanten Hospitals, we offer quality neck pain treatment. So if you have any neck pain symptoms, come over to Germanten today!
