NECK PAIN

Chronic Neck Pain

A bad night’s sleep, a long work day at your desk, or an injury could explain some occasional neck pain. In most cases, the symptoms are temporary and you get relief after a few hours or days. If your symptoms last longer than that, it’s time to talk to a specialist, trained to treat neck pain conditions, to make sure something serious isn’t going on.

What is Chronic Neck Pain

Neck pain is considered “chronic” if it lasts for longer than 12 weeks. Your pain could be a symptom of a variety of issues ranging from poor posture to severe nerve compression or arthritis. If you have a condition causing neck pain, it is not uncommon to have other symptoms like a headache, or pain radiating through one or both of your arms.
Conditions That Cause Neck Pain
Cervical Radiculopathy

Cervical Radiculopathy is the medical term to describe what happens when a patient has an issue with the nerves in their neck. They could be damaged, compressed or irritated. Cervical Radiculopathy can commonly be caused by a herniated disc. A spinal disc exists between each of the spine’s vertebrae and acts as a shock absorber. Sometimes, the jelly-like inside of the disc will bulge out of place, and put pressure on your nerves, causing pain. Injury, damaged cartilage or diabetic neuropathy are also causes of cervical radiculopathy.

Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease

As we age, our bodies wear and tear over time. This is also common for the spine. A degenerating disc happens as the disc eventually loses fluid and starts to break down. This can cause compression on the nerve roots around the disc.

Cervical Facet Joint Syndrome

Cervical facet joint syndrome happens when a facet joint in the neck is worn or irritated. Repetitive motion, arthritis or trauma. Facet Joints help provide stability to the neck. If the joints have too much stress on them, because of other spinal injuries or other factors, it can cause the discs to degenerate faster.

WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS?

A proper diagnosis usually requires some imaging scans, like X-Rays, Ct-Scans or an MRI. Sometimes other diagnostics will also be used. Once we know what condition is causing the pain, there is a list of things we can try to help manage the pain.

If your neck pain is causing problems for you in your everyday life, it’s important to seek medical help. AVALA Pain is ready and able to help you combat these symptoms and get you back to enjoying your quality of life!