Neck Pain
The neck is extremely susceptible to trauma and injury, particularly during falls, vehicular accidents and during sports or physical activities. This is when the muscles and ligaments of the neck are involuntarily moved beyond their customary range. When the cervical vertebrae or commonly known as neck bones are cracked or worse broken, there is a big possibility that the spinal cord may also sustain some form of damage. Notably, vehicular accidents that result to the unexpected yanking of the head is often called whiplash.
Whiplash is a regular neck injury. This injury occurs when the neck is yanked in two or event multiple opposite directions in a swift and rough manner. The spine is forced to move beyond its normal range of movement, which can surely result to injured if not fractured vertebrae of the cervical spine. This violent movement damages the reinforcing muscles and ligaments of the neck.
Symptoms
The neck pain is commonly characterized as dull aching. It may be worsened with certain movement of the neck or even turning of the head. Aside from the pain itself, there are also other symptoms associated with it. These include numbness, fullness, tenderness, tingling sensation, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, pulsation, lightheadedness, swishing sound in th e head, and swelling of the lymph node.
In other cases, neck pain may be associated with shoulder pain, facial pain, arm numbness, and headache. This is often the case when there are pinched nerves in the beck.
Causes
Whiplash is a frequently caused by vehicular accidents particularly a rear-end collision. Nevertheless, it can be caused by any activity that results to a quick jerking of the head like bungee jumping or good old fashioned roller coaster ride.
With the popularity of contact sports like mixed martial arts and football, whiplash can be a common injury. However, whiplash can be caused by physical abuse.
Whiplash is a very painful condition. It may begin as stiffness or even pain on the neck after an injury, then becomes more painful several days later. The pain can even radiate if not affect your shoulders, the back and arms. Surely moving your neck can be very challenging if its not all together painful when you bend or twist even the most normal neck movement can be very excoriating. For other people, they also experience one or a combination of the following symptoms like headaches, dizziness, problems with hearing, vision or even memory which later on can become a chronic issue.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. The common treatment options include a combination of home remedies (ice and heat application, rest and traction), physical therapy, anesthetic, pain relief patches, and analgesics. However, if the pain continues, local injections and other advanced treatments may be opted. Diagnosing the particular problem and taking note of the symptoms will help the professional determine the right of treatment for the patient.
AZ Pain and Spine offers pain management and treatment solutions for neck pain. We treat the patient according to his individual needs.
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It is always safer and surer to reach out to the specialist. When it comes to pain, the specialist in the area is no other than AZ Pain and Spine. With our state-of-the-art facilities and technology, our innovative approach, and highly-trained specialists, we can provide safe and efficient pain management solutions to our patients.
Make an appointment with us today to get your neck pain treatment started.