Cervical Spine Neck Pain: Causes & Treatment

Pain in your neck is indicative of an issue with muscles or tendons surrounding the cervical spine. The cervical spine refers to the top portion of your spine which supports your head. Neck pain is very common and is often the result of a sprain or a strain, from sleeping in an awkward position, or from a sports injury and/or trauma, such as whiplash from an accident.

Neck pain may also be caused by poor posture, or even from overuse injuries, or positioning your head in an unusual position for long periods of time. For example, hunching over your smartphone to text, play games, watch videos, or send emails for an extended period of time may result in straining muscles around the cervical spine. In other cases, pain in and around the cervical spine may be indicative of a more serious disease, condition, or injury.

Neck pain may be felt as stiffness, general soreness, sharp pain, stabbing pain, radiating pain, numbness, or tingling. It may hurt constantly, or only when you turn your head, or engage in certain activities. Neck pain may also lead to headaches.

Causes of Pain in the Cervical Spine

The good news about neck pain is that in most cases, the pain will resolve itself, will little to no medical intervention necessary. Rest, ice, and/or over-the-counter pain medications will often alleviate short term pain. However, in other cases, pain in the cervical spine will require treatment from a top Los Angeles Spine Surgeon, because it is caused by one of the following:

• Ankylosing Spondylitis-this progressive arthritis can cause painful inflammation and stiffness
• Cervical Foraminal Stenosis-leading to pain from the cervical foramen being narrowed, and pressure being put on nerve roots
• Degenerative Disc Disease-leading to irritation of cervical nerves
• Herniated Disc-pinching or pressing on cervical nerves
• Osteoarthritis/Cervical Spondylosis-resulting in bone-on-bone grinding, and nerve compression
• Spinal Tumor-which grows into the spine, pinching and pressing on nerves
• Spondylolisthesis-caused by vertebra slipping over another vertebra, possibly due to a fracture
• Stenosis with Myelopathy- compression of the spinal cord, resulting in weakness and coordination problems

Treatment for Cervical Spine Conditions

For minor irritation and injuries caused by "sleeping wrong" or for neck pain that isn't debilitating, even if it's disruptive to your life, it's smart to try conservative treatments such as rest, ice, heat, reducing activities that tend to increase pain, and over the counter pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

If your neck pain does not subside with a few weeks, or the pain intensifies, it's important to be seen by a top Los Angeles Spine Surgeon. Dr. K. Rad Payman specializes in the treatment of cervical spine diseases and disorders and will begin working to diagnose the cause of your cervical spine pain, typically beginning with various imaging tests such as an X-ray, CT Scan or MRI. These tests will show the cause of your neck pain, so that appropriate treatment may begin.

Wherever possible, conservative treatments will be considered first. Conservative treatments for pain in the cervical spine may include one or more of the following: physical therapy, pain medication, steroid injections, facet injections, or trigger point injections.

Surgery for Neck Pain

For some men and women in Los Angeles, cervical spine surgery may be required to alleviate neck pain. The goal of neck surgery may include removing damaged discs or bone growths which are irritating nerve roots; to stabilize the cervical spine; or to decompress the spinal cord. The type of surgery you will need, will be based on the specific cause of your neck pain. In general, the common types of cervical spine surgeries performed by Dr. K. Rad Payman include artificial disc replacement, spinal decompression, anterior cervical corpectomy, posterior cervical laminectomy, posterior cervical laminoplasty, and posterior cervical foraminotomy.

The type of cervical spine surgery required will be based on the cause and the location of the nerve pressure. If you require cervical spine surgery to treat your neck pain, top Los Angeles Spine Surgeon, Dr. K. Rad Payman will provide a comprehensive aftercare program to monitor your recovery.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. K. Rad Payman to discuss back, neck, and/or spine pain, please call 818-501-2001 today.