What is neck pain?

Neck pain, also known as cervicalgia, is a pain that radiates around the spine beneath your head. The neck is also called the cervical spine, and there may be multiple reasons behind the different types of neck pain. The person may experience axial neck pain that is felt mostly in the neck, radicular neck pain that affects other areas like shoulders and arms, acute pain that may last from a day to a few weeks, or chronic pain that lasts longer than three months. Analyzing the symptoms and causes helps the doctors provide appropriate neck pain treatment to the patients.

When neck pain persists for weeks, it affects daily activities and quality of life. Usually, if the causes are not serious, neck pain can be treated using conservative methods, such as essential medicines, dedicated exercises for neck pain, stress management, etc.

Possible Causes for Neck Pain

The following are a few typical reasons for neck pain:

• Aging: With aging, parts of the cervical spine start to deteriorate or degenerate, resulting in pain. It leads to conditions like osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis.
• Injury: Neck injury or trauma, like damaged muscles, ligaments, disks, or vertebral joints, may lead to neck pain.
• Physical Strain: Overusing the neck muscles during repetitive or strenuous activities, like continuously viewing the laptop for a long time, poor posture, or inappropriately lifting heavy weights, may lead to stiffness and neck pain.
• Mental Stress: Stress can also lead to neck pain. When agitated, many people stress neck muscles and keep doing it until the neck starts hurting.

Self-Care and Neck Pain Treatment

The key to recovering from your neck pain is to avoid the activities causing pain and get the treatment on time from the doctor. Mostly, following a simple self-care routine helps relieve neck pain within a few weeks. Here are some tips:

1.   Go Easy On Yourself

If you think you have put enough pressure on your neck, go easy on yourself. Reduce the pressure and restrict activities for a few days that are causing pain and discomfort.

2.   Apply Ice, Then Heat

If you are going for ice and heat therapy, remember the rule: “Apply ice for 48 hours and then heat.” Ice and heat therapy helps comfort muscles and ligament strain.

3.   Consider Over-the-Counter Medicines

As inflammation increases, it acts as a protective response to the body, protecting it from irritation or injury. Taking over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen, aspirin, or ketoprofen helps reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Always read the instructions or consult a doctor before taking any medicine.

4.   Explore Massage Therapy

Gentle massaging on the neck and back can help relax the stretched ligaments and ligaments, alleviating pain and discomfort.

5.   Stay Active: Keep Moving

Restricting physical activities that are causing pain is essential, but after consulting your healthcare provider, keep trying simple exercises to keep moving your muscles and joints.

When Is it Time to Consult a Doctor?

If your neck pain is severe enough to interfere with your work and daily activities, schedule a consultation with one of the top spine specialists at reputable hospitals like ANSSI Wellness, and get the best non-surgical neck pain treatment.