Cervical spine pain is generally nothing to worry about, but it can definitely be something that needs medical attention. The first thing you need to establish is if this is an issue that is going to require medical attention or not. If you are having fever, chills, inability to move, and extreme pain, then you definitely should go to the emergency room to fix this problem. However, if it the cervical spine pain that is just this nagging discomfort, then we have a few solutions for you, and a few reasons why have cervical spine pain.
The reasons for cervical spine pain:
If you have been feeling some pain worsened in a particular spot such as when you recline your head back or pain when you twist your head left to right, then you probably have one of the most common cervical pain symptoms. Other symptoms can be muscle tightness, decreased range of motion, sharp pain in a particular spot, and random ticks of pain.
There are a few causes for that and most of them can be due to the anatomy of the neck area. Our cervical spine is the weakest part of the spine and it causes the most problems. It has to stand erect, stay flexible, and be resilient at the same time. Therefore, a lot of problems can arise even from just sleeping in the wrong position. Here are some of the reasons why you have cervical spine pain:
Muscle overload/strain:
Our neck muscles are usually not as developed to sustain a lot of damage such as in long periods of time while you sleep in the wrong position or if you suffer a sudden strike to the neck. This can be done while you are sleeping, grinding your teeth, or sitting in the wrong position.
Injuries:
If you do a lot of sports, then you probably have injured your neck. It is not a serious problem, but it can be if you have extreme symptoms. These injuries often happen with high impact sports such as wrestling, boxing, football, judo, MMA, and any sport where your neck is exposed.
Nerve pinch:
Your nerves can actually pinch against the bone or around the connective tissue. It can lead to a lot of problems such as numbness in your arm or the inability to move your arm. Thankfully, this is often an easy cause to fix. This can happen for any reason such as sudden movements, high impact sports, or just doing everyday regular activities.
Bad joints:
Your joints will wear out with age, this is an issue a lot of older people have where they experience a lack of lubrication in their neck and surrounding structure. You can’t really do anything about this aside from preventing this issue from happening by strengthening the neck.
Diseases:
Neck pain can be caused by diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis, or cancer. Unfortunately, these are persistent symptoms where you have to treat the cause instead of going for the pain.
How to deal with cervical spine pain:
There are times when you know you are going to have neck pain for a while such as injuries, strains, or in the cases of arthritis. So you should find ways you deal with the pain while you work on getting rid of the source. The path to getting rid of the cervical spine pain is not easy and it requires to adjust a lot of your habits such as sleeping on your stomach, not using a good pillow, slouching, and not protecting your neck from potential hazards.
Hot and cold treatment:
The hot and cold treatment is perfect for any kind of neck pain because it helps release the blood but also promotes recovery in the targeted area. You can grab some ice in a plastic bag and a hot rag, apply the ice for a few minutes, and then the hot rag for another few minutes. You can take breaks reheating the rag again. This works pretty well for people who have consistent acute pain.
Stretching:
There are a few times when all you need is a good stretch in your neck to release any nerve pinch in that area. You might benefit from stretching because it loosens the tissue and helps promote flexion.
Massage:
Massages are also a great way to deal with cervical spine pain and they work the same way stretching does. They stretch and elongate the tissue around to promote recovery.
Give it some time:
When you don’t know where this neck pain is coming from, it’s best to give it some time to see what happens from there. If the pain is persistent and it gets worse, then you should seek a professional, if it decreases, then you know it was just another strain.
Medication:
You can always take some medication such as ibuprofen which decreases the inflammation in the area. The only problem with this method is that you should not develop any dependence on medication because it can have some adverse effects where inflammation is actually needed.
Steroid injections:
This might be a needed option for people who have unbearable neck pain but for no apparent reason. It’s usually a corticosteroid medication near the nerve roots of the neck and into the facet joints in the bones of the neck. It can also be used in the muscles in your neck to help with the pain.
How to prevent it from cervical spine pain:
You don’t have to just sit and wait for it to happen, you can take measures against cervical spine pain by preventing it from happening. The first thing you can do is protect your neck in the same as an injury. If you play sports, then you should protect your neck and wear gear if necessary.
Another great method is to use a cervical pillow just as in the cervical cloud’s. It can be used for both back and side sleepers and it provides great support. It protects your neck and prevents you from rolling or twisting while you sleep which is where most of the injuries happen.
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