Possible Causes of Neck Pain: Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention Tactics

What is Neck Pain (Cervicalgia)?
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Neck pain, also known as cervicalgia, is basically a pain in or around the neck beneath your head. Your neck is also known as your cervical spine (C1 to C7). Neck pain may range from mild to severe and is a common symptom of many different injuries and medical conditions. Neck pain is very common, mostly acute, and lasts only for a few days or weeks. Sometimes, it can be chronic and interferes with your daily activities.

In this blog, we’ll cover the potential causes of neck pain, its symptoms, possible causes, diagnosis and treatment. Thankfully, most causes of neck pain aren’t serious and can be treated conservatively via medicines, exercises, postural correction and stress management.
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What are the Symptoms of Neck Pain?
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Some common symptoms of neck pain are:

Stiff neck: You may feel stiffness or a truck neck if you are suffering from neck pain. This results in decreased range of motion of the neck. 
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Pain while moving: In many cases, neck pain is aggravated by movements like twisting, which results in spine extension (either from side to side or up and down).
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Radiating pain or numbness: If your neck pain is because of pinched nerves, then you may feel tingling, numbness, and weakness in your arms and hands. You can also feel this type of pain in your trunk, shoulder and head. 
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Pain when palpated: During physical examination, your pain may aggravate when the doctor palpates your cervical spine.
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Sharp pain: You may feel sharp or stabbing pain localised to the neck area. 
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Headache: Neck pain can lead to headache, also known as cervicogenic headache.
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Worsening pain while holding the same position: Your pain may worsen while holding the same position for a long period of time, for example, while driving, studying, or using a laptop. 
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What are the Possible Causes of Neck Pain?
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Neck pain can occur because of many causes, including:

Muscle Strain: Muscle strain and tension can lead to neck pain. This usually occurs due to poor posture, working at a desk for long periods without changing your position, jerking your neck while exercising, or even sleeping with your neck in a bad position.
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Injury: Trauma and other injuries can also result in injuries to the muscles, ligaments, disk, vertebral joints, & nerve roots in the spinal cord and can lead to neck pain. Our neck is very sensitive to injury, especially in falls, car accidents and sports. 
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If cervical vertebrae are fractured, the spinal cord can also be damaged here, leading to paralysis below that part of the spine in severe cases.
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Mental stress: Stress can also lead to neck pain, as many individuals who are suffering from stress tighten their neck, and they don’t even realise that they do it until their neck starts hurting. 
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Ageing: Wear and tear with ageing can lead to degeneration and deterioration of the spine, leading to pain. There are many degenerative conditions, such as osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis. Also, stress and repeated movement can lead to spine weakness, which can cause herniated discs or pinched nerves.
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Growth: This will include tumours, cysts, and bone spurs, which can put pressure on your spine and lead to neck pain.
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Other Condition: Other conditions which can lead to neck pain are rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, meningitis, cancer, or any congenital abnormality. 
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How is Neck Pain Diagnosed?
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Usually, neck pain is easily diagnosed by medical history and physical examination. 
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Medical History: Your healthcare expert may ask you some questions, like if you had any past injuries that may have caused a whiplash or herniated disk. They may ask you about your profession or other activities that cause strain on your neck muscles. They will also ask about your pain, like what is its severity, when it started, where it's located, and how long it has been there.
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Physical Examination: Your healthcare provider may assess your range of motion and your neck’s alignment. They will palpate that area to check tenderness and signs of strain.
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Imaging Test: If physical examination and medical history are not enough to diagnose the root cause, then your examiner will go through a series of imaging tests to evaluate your neck pain. Your examiner can opt for any of the following options:
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• X-ray: An X-ray can detect the presence of cervical dis-alignment, fractures, slip disk, and arthritis. 
• CT scan: It can detect bone spurs and signs of bone deterioration.
• MRI: It can detect problems with your nerves, spinal cord, bone marrow, and soft tissues. It can show signs of inflammation, slipped discs, and masses that can lead to neck pain, like a tumour or cyst.
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In some rare cases, your doctor can also ask for some additional tests, like:
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• Electromyography (EMG): It is used to detect if the neck pain is because of pinched nerves. Fine needles are lodged into the skin to measure the speed of nerve conduction. It is used to check whether the nerves are working properly or not.
• Lab tests: These tests are utilised to check causes of neck pain other than musculoskeletal pain, such as infection or cancer. Tests may include urine analysis, blood tests, and markers of inflammation.
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How is Neck Pain Managed / Treated?
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Physiotherapy
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Physiotherapy plays an important role in treating neck pain by providing a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying causes and promotes long-term pain relief. Some of the key strategies are:
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1. Heat and cold therapy: Applying heat or cold packs to the painful area can reduce pain and inflammation.
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2. Manual therapy: This will include some techniques like
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• Soft tissue mobilisation: Physiotherapists will use techniques like massage and myofascial release to treat muscle tension and trigger points.
• Joint mobilisation: Gentle manipulation (a bit risky) on neck joints to enhance mobility and reduce pain.
• Dry needling: In this technique, the therapist inserts some needles into the trigger points to reduce pain and improve muscle function.
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3. Electrotherapy: This will include the use of electrotherapy to reduce neck pain. This will include modalities like Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or ultrasound. This will use electrical current or sound waves to treat the affected area by reducing pain, improving blood circulation, and relaxing muscles.
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4. Exercise therapy: This will include a combination of stretching, strengthening and postural correction exercises for neck pain. Some of them are:

• Chin tucks
• Shoulder rolls
• Shoulder blade squeeze
• Isometric exercise for neck pain
• Upper trapezius stretch
• Levator scapulae stretch
• Prone cobra stretch
• Thoracic extension
• Neck forward to side tilt
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Hold each exercise for 10 sec and 5-10 reps of each; gradually increase the reps and sets.
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Medications
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Use of (NSAIDs) Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, like ibuprofen or naproxen sodium. Use medicines only as directed by your healthcare provider. 
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Surgery and Other Procedures
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1. Steroid injection: Your doctor may inject steroid medication near the nerve root or into the muscle of the neck. Lidocaine is a numbing medication used to relieve pain. 
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2. Surgery: In severe cases, surgery is required to alleviate nerve root or spinal cord compression.
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How can I Prevent Neck Pain?
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Some preventive keys to avoid neck pain are:

• Take Breaks: Don’t overuse your neck muscles; take breaks in between. 
• Maintain a good posture: Maintain a good posture while sitting, standing, and sleeping. Avoid slouching. 
• Manage stress: Do yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises to avoid stress.
• Ergonomic setup: Ergonomically design your workspace to reduce stress on your neck.
• Strengthen your neck muscles: Weak muscles can lead to neck-related problems, so do regular neck stretching and strengthening exercises.
• Avoid excessive weight gain: Excessive weight can put a strain on your neck muscles, so avoid it.
• Use a supportive pillow: Try to provide adequate support to your neck while you are sleeping.
  Avoid/quit smoking: Smoking can damage your bone’s structure and slow healing, so avoid it. 
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Conclusion

Neck pain is very common these days because of our lifestyle, but it can be managed by understanding the symptoms, causes, and treatment alternatives available. You can even take proactive steps to manage your neck ache and enhance your quality of life. At Granimals, we provide a comprehensive program for neck pain via online physiotherapy. You can book your consultation with us today to learn more about it.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Q1. When to see a doctor if I am suffering from neck pain?

Ans. You should see a doctor if:

• The pain is persistent or severe
• You experience numbness or tingling sensations in your arms or hands
• You are having difficulty in moving your neck
• You experience weakness in your arms and hands.
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Q2. How to ease neck pain at home?

Ans. If you have minor neck pain or stiffness, then follow the steps below:

• Apply ice for the first few days and then apply a hot compress or take a hot shower
• Take pain relievers
• Take a few days off from sports or any other activities which can aggravate the pain
• Slowly do neck stretches from side to side or up and down.
• Practise good posture
• Provide proper support to your neck while sleeping.