Cervicalgia, or neck pain, is considered one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. A person can develop sudden or gradual neck pain for a wide range of reasons, and treatment varies by patient depending on their unique pain points.
It is estimated that up to 1 in 2 adults will experience neck pain at some point in their lives.
Cervicalgia is described as persistent pain around, or spreading away from, the spine below the head. The symptoms it causes can be described in many different ways.
Neck pain is most often reported as aching, shooting, dull, or sharp, meaning that each person’s pain can feel different. Additionally, searching through the endless over-the-counter and at-home remedies can be frustrating when you see no results.
Thankfully, there are experts who can help.
At Optimum Health Rehabilitation Center, we focus on understanding the unique needs of each patient to craft a personalized neck pain treatment for them.
Carrying the burden of neck pain quickly becomes exhausting, but our pain relief specialists can help lift some of that weight off of your neck and shoulders.
Take control of your health with the resources available from our local team of professionals. To speak with a trusted member of our team, contact us online or call (770)887-9443.
Professional Neck Pain Treatment
If you are experiencing ongoing neck pain, it is more than likely that some part of your cervical spine is feeling pressure, inflammation, or atypical amounts of stress. There are many treatment options available, but the best course of action isn’t always so easily identifiable.
Many people go years searching for the best way to ease their pain, which is why having a relief specialist can make all the difference.
Most commonly, neck pain sufferers are offered a variety of pills or steroid injections to soothe the pain.
While pills may work temporarily, these painkillers rarely offer long-term results because they only treat the symptoms of the problem. They may also come with possible long-term consequences, including possible kidney damage.
In order to correct neck pain permanently, you must identify and counter the root of the pain instead of focusing on numbing the symptoms.
You can meet with a chiropractic specialist from Optimum Health that will help you understand how to target the root of your pain instead of just the symptoms.
Chiropractic treatment for neck pain typically involves manual adjustments to the spine that proactively reverse painful symptoms of misalignment. You may also be introduced to massage therapy and electrical pulsing techniques to aid your pain.
At Optimum Health, our comprehensive services include things like trigger point injections and regenerative therapy. These methods help the body through the natural healing process for a more efficient — and effective — outcome.
Home Treatment for Neck Pain
While treating neck pain at home is likely to only bring temporary relief, using certain at-home care techniques to supplement professional care can dramatically affect the rate of progress.
The following tips are designed to be integrated into a routine as ways to naturally promote healing within the body:
- Hot and/or cold compresses: Using a warm compress will increase the speed of blood flow, relaxing tight muscles. For short-term pain like an injury such as a strained muscle, a cold compress will slow down blood flow to decrease swelling.
- Stress reduction techniques: Stress takes a bigger toll on your body than a person may realize, as increased cortisol levels can affect many internal systems. Stress-related to being in pain alone can create an even worse effect on your body. Yoga, meditation, or other personalized stress reduction techniques have been known to be useful when trying to reduce aches and pain.
- Add anti-inflammatory foods to your diet: The antioxidants in dark leafy greens like kale and spinach, paired with the fatty acids and anti-inflammatory properties of nuts like walnuts and Brazil nuts, are recommended for neck pain.
What Causes Neck Pain?
There is no single cause for neck pain, just as there is no universal treatment. Some people may experience centralized pain, whereas others might have pain that is referred to areas like the arms and shoulders.
Pain in the cervical spine will look different for everyone, but understanding the cause of the problem is the first step to effectively reversing it. Some of the most common causes of neck pain include:
- Injury: Neck injuries are extremely common because the sensitive structure of the neck is typically unprotected and at risk in many normal activities, like driving and sports. Neck injuries can also be considered more serious because of how it supports the head and spinal cord.
- Muscle Strain: When you continuously repeat a motion or engage in strenuous activities for long periods of time, you may strain your muscles. Sports, working out, and labor-intensive jobs are common instances that can result in muscle strain. It is imperative that before a person plans on overworking their muscles, they warm up. On the same note, ‘cool down’ or post-workout stretches can be just as productive in preventing aches and muscle tears.
- Poor Posture: Habitual poor posture can put excessive stress on your neck. Unchecked posture issues allow secondary conditions to develop and worsen, resulting in symptoms like muscle spasms or myofascial pain — tender knots that cause muscle pain and other potential issues, like headaches.
- Nerve Compression: Cervical radiculopathy, more commonly known as a pinched nerve, can occur when a nerve in the neck is compressed, irritated, or inflamed. This is described as a sharp, shooting pain and can oftentimes be difficult to ignore.
- Disc Degeneration: Pain related to “wear and tear” in the neck stems from a breakdown in the structure of intervertebral discs. Degenerative disc disease is diagnosed when symptoms like neck pain start to present themselves. Untreated disc degeneration can lead to the narrowing of the spine, which may threaten the spinal cord.
Health Conditions: Conditions like arthritis can make neck pain difficult to bear. Cervical spondylosis, or arthritis in the neck, affects more than 85% of people over 60. This common condition is a prime culprit of neck pain in older adults and is generally caused by everyday stress on our bones, muscles, and joints.
Preventing Pain in the Neck
Aside from cases involving injury, neck pain is typically the result of degeneration or strain. Thankfully, there are lifestyle habits you can incorporate into your daily routine to strengthen the quality of your neck health.
Oftentimes, neck pain can be genetically passed on, but even if you are predisposed, following prevention tips can be beneficial for the functioning quality of your bones, muscles, ligaments, and joints:
- Maintain good posture: If you make it a habit to sit and stand up straight, you can ultimately avoid compression and pinched nerves, which could lead to serious long-term issues like degenerative disc disease. Avoid slouching, hovering, and hugging your shoulders inwards.
- Practice an active lifestyle: Living a sedentary lifestyle of sitting or lying down for the majority of your day can do more harm in the long term than many people realize. The excessive pressure put on the neck and spine while in these positions for long periods of time can ultimately make it difficult to relax in the future. Staying active and making an effort to move throughout your day can help your muscles keep strong.
- If you smoke, quit: One of the ways that smoking harms your body is that it restricts blood flow. This actually speeds up disc degeneration by cutting off adequate blood flow to the intervertebral cushions. By smoking, you can age your cervical spine years faster than on average.
- Avoid heavy weight on your shoulders: Carrying excessive weight on your shoulders can strain the muscles in your neck and shoulders, causing worsening pain the longer it continues. Backpacks, purses, and any other object you carry on your shoulders can cause damage to your cervical spine if supported repeatedly or for long periods of time.
- Stretch your upper back muscles daily: A quick stretch when you wake up and fall asleep can be a productive habit that sets you up for healthy muscles and joints every day. Practicing good stretching habits at a young age can make those movements less painful when a person is older, protecting their neck and back from chronic pain.
Find Relief From Your Neck Pain at Optimum Health
The pain relief specialists at Optimum Health in Cumming are standing by to help you. When you work with our rehabilitation facility, we’ll personalize an action plan that targets, relieves, and prevents neck pain.
Our staff is committed to providing aid for each patient that we see, pursuing strategies to promote their long-term wellness. To get in touch with a trusted member of our team and schedule a consultation for your neck pain, contact us online or call (770)887-9443.