Neck pain: Treatment, symptoms, advice and help

About neck pain

Neck pain, also known as cervical pain may occur due to various conditions. Some may be life-threatening while others may t simply be distressing.

Neck pain: Incidence, age and sex

Neck pain is a common condition with almost about two-thirds of people experiencing neck pain at some point in time. Prevalence is high in the middle-aged group with women suffering more frequently than men.

Signs and symptoms of neck pain: Diagnosis

Neck pain usually presents as a dull ache in the neck which may worsen with movement. Sometimes, there may be associated numbness and tingling sensation in the neck and arms. Other features like tenderness, dizziness or associated swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck may also be seen.

Neck pain is a symptom of some malaise, so a thorough medical examination including past history and present symptoms with respect to location, intensity, duration, and radiation of the pain is required. The suspected diagnosis may be confirmed by different investigations like x-ray, blood tests, CT or MRI scan, or electromyography. In some cases, neck pain may be a symptom of meningitis, which requires immediate medical attention.

Causes and prevention of neck pain

The most common cause of neck pain is injury to the soft tissues of the neck. Sometimes certain underlying illness like a slipped disc, brittle bones, deformed natural curvature of the spine (scoliosis) could also result in neck pain.

Some common presentation of neck pain is associated with poor posture, cognitive problems like anxiety and depression, straining of the neck, occupational injuries, or sport injuries. Mechanical and degenerative factors (often referred to as cervical spondylosis) are more likely to be responsible for longstanding neck pain.

Sometimes, pain in the neck may be referred from some other site and the neck as such may have no problem at all. Cases in point, heart attacks may cause shoulder or neck pain.

Neck pain: Complications

The prognosis of neck pain depends upon the underlying causes in most of the case. Chronic neck pain may persist if any of the causative diagnostic conditions remains untreated.

Neck pain: Treatment

The treatment of neck pain depends on its underlying cause. One should try out alternative modes of treatment before opting for medical treatment like rest to the neck, heat/ice applications, and physical therapy like massage and manipulation and advice on posture and use of supportive pillow.

If there is no improvement, then it is advisable to take proper medical advice and adequate treatment. Many topically applied creams and ointments containing muscle relaxants and/or analgesic and/or anesthetic are available which aid in reducing pain. A vast majority of patients with neck pain will not require surgery, but if all other treatments fail, then surgery may be needed to alleviate pain.