Although it has many causes, an evident reason hidden in our lifestyle is our screen time, such as excessive use of electronic gadgets. The way lockdown has limited our entire life on devices like laptops, mobiles & computers. It seems that now it has become a significant part of our life because offices & institutions are promoting work from home culture. Its results are working in the same posture in front of the laptop or computer for a long time, & problems like neck pain arise. Unfortunately, even the children are not waiting to mold themselves in the culture.
It needs timely treatment but tolerating or ignoring it can create the problem of cervical pain, which gradually makes the whole body diseased. Neck pain should refer to as a cervical problem. When we feel pain in the cervical spine attached to the neck & passing through it, it is called cervical pain. This often happens due to broken bones & there are many reasons behind this, such as growing age, injury to the neck, keeping the neck in an uncomfortable position for a long time, etc.
Some symptoms also clearly indicate that you are struggling with cervical pain. Know the causes & symptoms get it treated immediately & experience a pain-free life. To begin with, its symptoms, we can easily co-relate with it & ponder for the treatment accordingly.
According to the Mayo Clinic, neck pain is not a grave issue, but if we wouldn't be able to stop at the correct time, it can lead to some problems such as numbness or loss of strength in the arms or hands or if we have shooting pain into the shoulder or down the arm.
Some common signs & symptoms are:
Stiff Neck
Sometimes, we feel pain or difficulty when we turn our heads to the left & right sides; it could be a stiff neck symptom. Tolerating it means producing headache, neck pain, shoulder pain & arm pain.
A stiff neck can cause muscular strains or soft tissues sprains. The lavatory scapulae muscle has located on the side & back of the neck & when they get injured cause a stiff neck which is very common in people. This muscle joins the cervical spine of the neck with the shoulders & the lavatory muscle can strain due to the following reasons:
- Sleeping in an inflexible position for a long time.
- fall or sudden pressure on the neck that pushes the head to the side, such as sports injuries
- Activity in which the head has to rotate constantly from right to left, such as swimming.
- Night & day looking at the laptop or computer screen in the same posture or watching downward at the mobile phone.
- Feeling extreme anxiety & stress.
- Keeping the neck in an abnormal position for a long time. Such as holding the phone with the support of the shoulder to the ear. So that, one can be done work & talk together.
These are some of the symptoms that one can feel in everyday activities. That's why it says that stiff pain is familiar & often happens in most people.
But it includes some uncommon symptoms as well. Periodically, neck stiffness can also be a reaction to the cervical spine, which assists in hold-up & moving the neck & also securities the spinal cord. There are other factors of cervical spine disorders that cause pain or tightness in the neck muscles, such as:
- Cervical Herniated disk: This is a frequent cause of neck pain in adults. Talking about its seriousness, it ranges from mild to severe, even if it doesn't leave us till lifetime. In the cervical spine, the protective outer portion of the disc disassembles & the inner part circulates, causing compression and inflammation in nearby tissues.
- Cervical degenerative disc disease: Its victims are more women than men. Its first symptoms are there is a lot of pain when moving the neck & head, especially in those who do desk jobs or those who have to work long hours with their heads bowed. This also causes stiffness in the bones of the spine & which starts having pain in the neck, which causes cervical degenerative disc diseases.
- Cervical osteoarthritis: Osteoarthritis is a common form of arthritis that afflicts the whole world. Cervical osteoarthritis is extremely painful & this most common form of arthritis can affect anyone & problems like chronic pain & headaches also arise due to this.
Sharp Pain
This pain usually occurs in the lower part of the neck & feels like it is stabbing or stinging.
General Soreness
When pain or discomfort feels in the broader area or region of the neck is general soreness.
Radicular Pain
Radicular pain emits from the nerve to the neck & from the shoulder to the arms & there is a lot of burning & searing feeling in this nerve pain.
Cervical Radiculopathy
There is a total of 8 pairs of cervical nerve roots in the cervical spine, each numbered C1 to C8. Damages to these roots can lead to changes in neurological function, such as numbness, altered reflexes, & weakness, and these changes can feel not only on the neck but also on the shoulder, arms, hands & fingers. In such situations, not only pain but tingling & burning can also feel.
Trouble with Gripping or Lifting Objects
This problem arises when we feel numbness or weakness in the hands & fingers.
Headaches
Sometimes, the pain becomes unbearable & reaches the muscles & nerves which attach to the head. Some examples are tension headache, cervicogenic headache, and occipital neuralgia.
Initial symptoms of Neck Pain are:
- Increases the pain over time: Neck pain worsts as the day progresses, which means it is mild in the morning & puts us in a miserable condition till night & similarly, with growing age, neck pain turns from tolerable to intolerable.
- Previous neck injury: Suppose someone has injured his neck in an accident that hurts intermittently.
- Late reaction after injury: If there is a neck injury due to an accident or a slip, pain arising from it may not happen immediately but later.
- Sudden pain: Sometimes, suddenly, you feel pain or stiffness in the neck.
These are some of the symptoms that we can feel during our involvement in any physical activity. Neck pain is never permanent still; it goes on & on & can remove with exercise & stretching. It is also worth noting that coughing or sneezing also causes the problem of neck pain.
Causes of Neck Pain
Neck pain is also known as cervicalgia, in which one can feel stiff in the neck. In general, we can get rid of this by resting or exercising still, it can hurt for a long time. Nowadays, people have become familiar with neck pain with different causes, but arduous to find the exact reasons.
Even so, studies & research have proven some of its creations & these are:
Muscles Strains
Most common cause of neck pain is muscles strains, also marked as pulling muscles. When you suddenly move or wake up in the morning with neck pain, it may be because of muscle strains as you sleep all night in an awkward position. Although this is not a grave issue, stretch or neck exercises can help with such pain.
Age
Physical pain is habitual with growing age. With old age, people struggle with the problem of joint pain & cervical is also one of these problems. The reason for joint pain is that with time the bones become weak due to a lack of calcium. But there are a few things like if the neck exercises are done regularly from the beginning, in the future, no one will have to bear the pain of cervical pain & pills are also effective & available in the market related to cervical pain.
Poor Posture
Main cause of neck pain is the wrong posture of the neck. People strongly believe that sitting or keeping the neck in an incorrect position can bear cervical pain. We should consult a physiotherapist. They suggest exercises according to our body requirements. This is a safe way to get rid of neck pain.
Pinched Nerve
When there is pressure in the tissues around the nerve, the pinched nerve happens. Whenever you feel neck pain, remember that your neck has been affected due to the disturbance in your back. Pinched nerves in your back can cause pain in different places. Although this problem lasts only for a few days, if it does not end soon, then you should visit a doctor.
Injury
Neck injury can be many types, such as a condition such as getting into an accident, falling over, or carrying heavy goods on the neck, where bone or cervical vertebrae damage the neck. In such a situation, we feel irritation in the neck. But this pain doesn't need to perceive immediately even later, it has side effects.
Repetitive Motion
There are certain activities in our everyday life in which doing something; one has to move the head continuously, like swimming or dancing. If you feel pain during repeated head movements, immediately stop that activity & give rest to the neck; otherwise, it can become a matter of concern later on.
Serious Illness
It will be surprising for you, but some grave illnesses like cancer also become the causes of neck pain. But there is no need to be afraid because such cases are rare & other than this, the reason for the tightness in the neck can consider tension & anxiety. These are some causes that can lead to neck pain & very important to start treatment immediately after knowing the symptoms.
When to See a Doctor?
These days many diseases are taken home in our body which wasn't in the categories of diseases earlier. But now, trouble has stood in front of us. Its treatment is in time otherwise we will have to bear the brunt of it. Physical problems like neck pain are so painful that the beholder can't understand & the sufferer can't express his pain.
Although neck pain is not such a severe problem that it can't be rid of, however, there are some situations where the need for a doctor is seen. But sometimes, neck pain gradually turns from mild to the server with time. If the neck pain is due to an injury, immediately consult a doctor if neck pain:
- Is severe
- Persists for several days without relief
- Spreads down arms or legs
- Is accompanied by headache, numbness, weakness, or tingling
Diagnosis of Neck Pain
Sometimes, neck pain emerges as a fatal disease, but it reaches this extent because we don't recognize its seriousness at the right time.
That's why it is necessary to treat neck pain at the right time. Some methods help to know if there is neck pain or not:
- X-Ray: X-ray is the easiest way to diagnose neck pain. This also makes it easier for the doctor as the exact location of the pain is also known.
- C.T. Scan: Diagnosis of neck pain can also be possible through C.T. Scan. Through this, monitor the inner parts of the neck.
- M.R.I.: Doctors also use the help of M.R.I. to analyze neck pain.
- E.M.G.: E.M.G., also known as electromyography, is an option. When pain is related to nerves, E.M.G. is needed.
- Blood Test: A blood test is beneficial for the information of internal inflammation.
As soon as neck pain is detected, we start looking for a solution. The less time we spend on its prevention, the fewer troubles we will face. Therefore, it is better to treat neck pain on time which is like this:
- Neck exercises: There is no need to tell us how important it is. When we feel pain in the neck, neck exercises can be beneficial. Not only for the neck but any joint pain, doctors recommend doing exercises. For this, we must have complete information about workout & to know how to do it, or its side effects are also possible. We can go with videos of professional trainers who have enough knowledge of joint pain & neck.
- Therapy: Physiotherapists may also hire to relieve neck pain. They suggest exercises & give different therapies, which end the pain & the problem from the root.
- Medicines: Many times doctors may prescribe us a medicine, whose central purpose is to stop the neck pain from spreading to different parts of the body.
- Steroid Injection: Injection uses to provide immediate relief from pain & it has been given only in the area of pain.
- Surgery: By the way, the above-suggested options are enough to get rid of neck pain, yet even if they do not get relief, then ultimately surgery remains the only solution that proves effective.
By the way, the medical department has the treatment of every disease; where it advises to take many types of medicines which can also become a risk of having side effects, which can lead to other sleekness & sometimes not affordable. In such situations, home remedies are also healthy and give positives results. Home remedies include:
- Correct sleeping posture: Who doesn't like sleeping on a soft & padded pillow & we never know when it turns from comforting to harmful & the risk of cervical pain can increase with it. That's why a hard headrest may be friendly for sleeping & we should make it a habit to sleep by keeping our heads on the ground or using a pillow that bends the back up to 15 degrees at most & avoid sleeping on your stomach, but sleeping on your back or side gives relief from pain.
- Hot & cold compress: Compressing with a cold & hot cloth or other substance to the place of neck pain also relieves neck pain.
- Massage: There are many benefits of massages & they are effective in pain & improve blood circulation & massage with warm oil gives instant relief.
- Drink lots of water: Between the joints of the spine bones are discs & joints, most of which make up water. If there is insufficient water in the body, & their efficiency will also decrease, so drink as much water as you can.
- Stay away from stress: As we know that one of the causes of neck pain is stress. In 60% of cases found that the stress & anxiety of personal life causes neck pain. So work on ways to stay away from stress.
- Stretching exercise: Stretching has also been considered fruitful in neck pain. Stretching exercises open up the muscles of the body & give relief from cervical pain.
Healthy Habits
As soon as cervical pain is diagnosed, maintain a distance from unhealthy habits & give exceptional preferences to the good ones, such as:
- Avoid lifting heavy objects.
- Do yoga every day & round the neck.
- Walk 3 to 4 km every day before sunrise.
- Don't work in the same posture continuously; take a break & walk.
- If you are a homemaker, don't sleep too long & take a break-even while doing household chores.
- Sit & mop the floor.
But the notable fact is that it will prove to be effective only in the initial pain, but if the pain is intolerable immediately, contact the doctor.
The Bottom Line
The neck pain is not a concerning matter for those who have not had it but for those who suffer from it may be difficult to pass even a moment. This problem is related to bones that's why we can feel pain in the arms, shoulder & head also. It can affect anyone like kids, youth & adults. Somehow we are responsible for its causes, the way we sit, work, sleep, etc., is so messy that neck pain is inevitable, there may be some other factors, but all are related to our lifestyle.
Through new inventions & technology, we can detect neck pain & get rid of it with the correct treatment in time. When the time comes for neck pain treatment; fortunately, we have two options, to take the help of a doctor or trust home remedies for a better cure; we should follow some healthy habits too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the self-treatment of neck pain?
Along with medical treatment, self-treatment can include neck pain:
- Yoga: There are many such asanas in yoga; that are much more effective than any medicines for neck pain, such as Sang asana, Matasyasana, Sesbandhuasana, etc.
- Exercise: Exercise can give a smile to your face if you are searching for an alternative to yoga & for this, it is beneficial to move the neck from right to left, rotate round & tilt forward & backward.
- Hot oil massage: The massage of hot oil on the painful area will give a lot of relief. It opens up the muscles by eliminating tightness.
- Hot or cold compress: Hot or cold compress is also a solution to neck pain. For this, hot or cold water can use & water bags are available on the market.
Can neck pain be a sign of cancer?
No way, neck pain is no sign of cancer at all. However, during this period, many difficulties may have to face due to which many negative thoughts come to mind. Despite this, neck pain has nothing to do with cancer.
