Why Do You Have Cervical Pain?

Nobody likes a pain in the neck, especially when that pain is literal. Cervical pain is a common occurrence among people. At least once a year, one in every three people will experience neck pain. Whether from age, a sports injury, or overworking your muscles, an injury to the neck can cause problems in your daily life.

Cervical Pain: What Causes It?

The cause of neck pain depends on each individual case. There is a wide range of possibilities for neck pain that include, but are not limited to:

• Age: As people age, they may develop degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis or spinal stenosis. Over time, stress and motion can lead to spinal disc degeneration, causing a herniated disc or pinched nerve.

• Injury: Trauma from an accident or sports injury can cause sudden jarring in the neck.

• Stress: When you get stressed, the muscles in your neck can tighten, which contributes to stiffness and pain.

• Physical strain: When doing demanding work or exercise, you may damage your neck.

• Poor posture: Walking or sitting with poor posture can compress your neck and spine with pressure. 

• Poor sleeping positions: If sleeping in an awkward and uncomfortable position, your neck can get positioned wrong, which can lead to pain.

• Overuse motions: Repetitively turning your head, such as when swimming, may lead to overusing the neck’s muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

• Growths: Masses like tumors, cysts, and bone spurs can cause neck pain. However, these instances are rare.

• Tech Neck: Also known as “text neck,” this is neck pain from looking down at technological devices. The stress put on the neck when looking down at the devices causes your neck muscles to work extra with the chance to strain. When looking at devices, the disks in your neck hold more pressure, which makes the discs wear out faster, bulge, or rupture. 

Depending on the reason for your neck pain, you may have additional medical issues such as:

• Muscle strains and sprains

• Pinched nerves

• Fractures and traumatic injuries

• Structural problems

• Improper posture

• Spondylosis

• Infections

• Arthritis

With neck pain, it is important to understand where the pain comes from and the symptoms associated with it. 

Cervical Pain Symptoms 

Though there are many different reasons why someone may experience neck pain, generally, the symptoms are all the same. The following symptoms are an indication you may have sustained a neck injury:

• Persistent ache 

• Stabbing or burning pain

• Sensitivity with pressure applied to the neck

• Neck pain plus headache, numbness, and/or tingling in one or both arms

• Increased tension in the muscles in the neck

• Decreased range of motion

• Muscle spasms

If you have any of these symptoms and feel that you have done something to have injured your neck, treating your symptoms will help you decrease the pain and avoid further injury.

At-Home Treatments

Before making an appointment to see a neck pain doctor, there are some home remedies that may alleviate your cervical pain. With that being said, if you suffered a recent injury to the head or neck and started to feel neck pain, skipping at-home treatment and seeking emergency medical assistance may be advisable. 

At-home treatments include:

• Using heat or ice packs

• Gently stretching or exercising

• Taking over-the-counter medicines, like ibuprofen, to relieve pain and inflammation

• Resting

• Halting physical activity

If these treatments do not work, seeking medical treatment from a neck pain doctor may be the next step. Delaying treatment means risking further damage.

When to See a Neck Specialist

If you tried any of the at-home remedies and your pain still persists, scheduling an appointment to see a neck doctor may be the next step to getting the proper treatment for your pain. Other reasons you may need to visit a doctor include:

• Pain immediately after an accident

• Weakness in legs or loss of coordination in arms or legs

• Experiencing headaches, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting

• Loss of bowel or bladder control

• Having chills, fever, or unexplained weight loss

• Constant pain when resting or moving

• Over-the-counter medications do not help

• Pain does not lessen after one week

Your doctor will give you an evaluation and more than likely require an MRI, X-ray, CT scan, or EMG to determine the source of the pain.

Depending on the results of your evaluation, the doctor may advise nonsurgical treatment methods such as an appointment with a physical therapist, advanced medication, or a steroid injection. 

In some instances, you may need an orthopedic neck specialist to perform surgery. Regardless of the treatment suggested by your doctor, following his or her directions are imperative to making a complete recovery from your cervical pain.

How EmergeOrtho Neck Specialists Can Help

The EmergeOrtho—Triangle Region’s board-certified neck specialists provide expert care to help you reduce pain or undergo surgery so you can return to a functional life. Unless absolutely needed, our specialists will treat each case of cervical pain without surgery. If surgery is needed, our advanced technology allows our surgeons to offer both traditional and minimally invasive procedures that allow patients to recover sooner.

To meet with one of our neck pain doctors, request an appointment, schedule an appointment, or call (919) 220-5255 so you can Emerge Stronger, Healthier, and Better.