Types of Neck Pain and Treatment Options

Neck pain is very common and generally, nothing to worry about as it can be brought on by things such as poor posture and stress. Roughly 1 in 3 people are estimated to be affected each year with some kind of neck pain, neck strain, or sore neck.

Your neck is continually working hard at moving your head in all directions.  Whether you are working at a computer, driving, looking up at the sky, or whatever else, your neck hardly rests. While your neck is usually not noticed in action, you cannot ignore it when it is in pain.

The basic types of neck pain are:

Axial Pain: This is mainly felt in the spinal section of the neck, causing neck strain and sometimes extends to the shoulders.

Radicular Pain: This kind of neck pain is generally due to irritated nerves. One example is if one of the spinal discs in the neck region has changed and is pushing the nerve. The pain shoots typically along the nerves.

There are multiple reasons why we may experience neck pain. A few of them are listed below:

• Feeble and overworked neck muscles can cause neck or shoulder pain and stiffness, and sometimes headaches too.
• Normal deterioration of the cervical spine over the years can make it difficult to move your neck but rarely causes neck pain alone.
• A whiplash injury suffered during an accident can cause minor muscle and connective tissue injuries, painfully tense muscles, and trouble moving your head for a few days.
• Neck pain can also occur if the vertebral canal is too constricted, or if the tissue in the spinal disc gets enlarged or leaks and puts pressure on the root of the nerve.
• Inflammatory conditions of the spine, jaw joint issues, or severe headaches can sometimes cause neck pain too.

There are many non-surgical treatments available for neck pain relief, such as:

• Medications are generally used to temporarily manage sleep disturbance, pain, swelling, and muscle spasms.
• A Cervical Collar is often used to support and restrict movement while healing an injured neck.
• A Cervical Pillow is suggested for individuals with night neck pain issues.
• Physical Therapy may be recommended by the doctor to avoid further injury to your sore neck.

Only a few individuals may need surgery for neck pain. No single type of surgery works for every neck pain issue, though. If your doctor believes that surgery will improve your neck pain, he will suggest the kind of surgery he thinks is best for you.

There are a few home remedies one can try for neck pain relief such as:

• Apply heat or ice to the neck area that is sore.
• Take pain relievers like ibuprofen, which are available at any grocery or drug store.
• Do exercises with a slow range of motion as they help to stretch the muscles in the neck.
• Try to sleep without a pillow or with a special pillow on a firm mattress.
• Keep moving, but prevent sudden jolts or doing things that may cause neck pain. This leads to calming your symptoms and reducing inflammation.

Once you understand what is causing your neck pain, you can decide the best way to avoid injury. Take the best possible therapy and speed up your healing process. Peak Performance Chiropractic is very familiar with neck pain and would love to see if we can help bring you the relief you need. Give us a call at 817-225-4082 to book an appointment.