subject: Pain In The Neck [print this page] A tensioned feeling on the neck can be already a chronic neck pain without you even realizing it. Usually poor posture, long hours sitting down while staring at the computer, hunching while sitting, etc. are some of the culprits.
There are different symptoms of neck pain and these include a sharp or dull pain in your neck, stiffness, shoulder pain and back pain.
You can have neck pain because of several reasons. One is muscle strain if you spend a lot of time hunching over while driving or sitting thus causing fatigue on the muscles on the neck. If your neck is overused, constant pain can result later on. Surprisingly, neck strains can also be caused by reading while lying in bed or simply by grinding the teeth.
Second, neck joints can wear and tear as years pass by. There is such thing as neck osteoarthritis. There are also disk disorders. The disks in between the vertebrae can dry up and become stiff. It will narrow the spaces in the spinal column.
Moreover, it can result to herniated disk meaning the cartilage juts out of the tougher cartilage cover. This results to irritating the nerves. Tissues and spurs press on the nerves resulting to pain.
Whiplash causes the neck to over stretch the soft tissues thus resulting to chronic pain.
Go to the doctor
If you feel any of the following signs, it means you should at least have a check-up with your doctor.
Severe pain from an injury
Shooting pain
Loss of strength in your arm or leg, walking with stiff legs or shuffling your feet may be a neurological problem
Change in bladder or bowel habits
Medical tests and other home care techniques to alleviate neck pain and find out whats causing it
X-rays
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Computerized tomography (CT) scans
Electromyography (EMG)
Over-the-counter pain relievers
Alternate heat and cold packs over the neck a couple of times a day
Lie down from time to time
Gentle stretching of the neck from side to side, holding it on both sides for at least 30 seconds each
Over-the-counter pain cream
Neck exercises and stretching
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is electrodes [are] placed on your skin near the painful areas [to] deliver tiny electrical impulses that may relieve [the] pain.
Injections of corticosteroid medications near the nerve roots, near the small neck joints or into the muscles in your neck. Another is injecting licodaine, a numbing medications, in the neck.
Pain medications such as Opioid analgesics and muscle relaxants like tramadol (Ultram) or tricyclic antidepressant medications
Traction is using weights and pulleys to gently stretch your neck and keep it immobilized.
Short-term immobilization using a soft collar that supports your neck
