Neck pain

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Over time, your neck is subjected to repeated stress and minor injuries. We can give you the care you need.

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Orthopedics | About spine surgery | Diagnosis | Treatment | Recovery and rehabilitation

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Most neck pain is due to damage that happens over time.

The overall health of your cervical spine (the neck area) usually determines how quickly you'll heal from an injury or if you'll have a long-term problem.

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Causes of neck pain

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Some vertebrae (bones) in the back are cushioned by soft discs that help the spine move. Degenerative disc disease is usually a combination of problems in the spine. The problems often start with a damaged disc, but over time they will affect the entire spine and cause pain.

As you age, your discs lose some of their water content and how well they absorb shocks or movement. As your discs wear down, they can collapse. This can change how your bones fit together, which can cause pressure.

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A stiff neck is usually the cause of muscle strain. Sometimes a stiff neck is caused by a muscle spasm or when a muscle tightens and you can't stop it. Muscle spasms can be caused when part of the neck is injured. A spasm is the body's way of telling you to stop moving.

Some vertebrae in the back and neck are cushioned by soft discs that help the spine and neck move. If the soft tissues in the neck get injured, such as discs, this can also cause muscle strain and neck pain.

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Mechanical pain means pain that's made worse by using our neck more. It seems like the pain is coming from the spine and the parts of the spine that help us move our head around as well as up and down.

A long-term neck ache may be the result of degenerative disc disease and arthritis of the spine. When you use your neck to turn your head, it can cause swelling in that part of the spine, leading to muscle spasms and pain.

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When a nerve root leaves the spinal cord and cervical spine, it travels down the arm. Along the way, each nerve supplies feeling to the shoulder, arm and hand for movement. If a nerve is irritated or pinched, it won't work properly.

A pinched nerve can show up as weakness in the muscles, numbness in the skin or pain. When this happens, it's called cervical radiculopathy. This problem is caused by herniated discs, degeneration and bone spurs.

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Some vertebrae in the neck and back are cushioned by soft discs that help the spine move. A herniated disc means it's damaged or ruptured in some way. When this happens, the disc can move out of its normal space and push on the spinal canal.

A herniated disc can cause pain, numbness and weakness along the nerve. Chemicals released from the injured disc can irritate the nerve root and add to the pain.

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A bone spur is abnormal growth of bone. Usually neck bone spurs happen inside the neural foramen or where the nerves leave the neck to go to the arm.

If neck bone spurs get large enough, they can rub on the nerve root and irritate it. If this happens, it can cause pain down the arm, numbness and weakness in the muscles.

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Bone spurs at the late stages of spinal degeneration can cause spinal stenosis. This can cause the spinal canal to become smaller, which can lead to numbness, tingling or pain in the arms, hands and legs.

Spinal stenosis is sometimes called cervical myelopathy. It can affect the whole spinal cord, including the arms and legs.

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Treatments for neck pain

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We always try to find the least invasive treatment plan or the one that requires either no surgery or the simplest surgery possible. Most people don't need surgery.

If your quality of life continues to be affected after nonsurgical treatment, surgery may be the best choice. Our surgeon is an expert in handling even the most challenging cases.

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Make an appointment with us if you're having neck pain so it doesn't become a chronic problem. We can help you find the cause of your neck pain, slow the degenerative process and help stop further injury.

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