Millions of people struggle with neck pain each year. Whether you have chronic pain or suffered a recent injury, many options are available for neck pain management. But how do you know what will work best for you? When you visit a doctor about neck pain, it will help to provide more details about your experience. Talk to your doctor about when you first noticed the neck pain, what it feels like, and if you have noticed any ways to help ease the pain, even if only temporarily. Then your doctor will be able to diagnose the cause of your neck pain and develop a pain management plan that works best for you.
Common Causes of Neck Pain
There are many reasons why you may be experiencing neck pain. Your neck helps to hold your head up and allows you to move your head all around. You could have neck pain in your cervical spine, which is the top portion of your spine that connects your nervous system and your brain. You could also have neck pain in the muscles and tendons that support your cervical spine and provide you with range of motion. A car accident injury, sports accident, or a slip and fall accident can cause neck pain. Poor posture can also cause neck pain. General wear and tear on the body can also cause neck pain.
Diagnosing the Cause of Your Neck Pain
In order to diagnose the cause of your neck pain, your doctor will want to perform a physical examination of the area. This can help your doctor identify any potential areas of concern, like misalignments in the cervical spine. Your doctor may also want to run diagnostic imaging tests like X-rays or CT scans if you were in an accident and are now experiencing neck pain. These types of scans provide your doctor with more detailed information about how your musculoskeletal system was impacted by the accident. Once you have a diagnosis, your doctor will then use that information to develop a pain management plan to address your neck pain and its root cause.
Top 5 Tips for Dealing with Neck Pain
- Apply Ice and Heat
Stiff, sore muscles in your neck can cause you pain and discomfort. You may experience stiffness and soreness as you heal from a sudden accident or if you were sitting in one place for too long. You can also develop sore, stiff muscles in your neck if you sleep in an uncomfortable posture. Whatever is causing your discomfort, you can try applying ice to the area, which provides a temporary numbing sensation and helps to relieve inflammation. Then apply heat, which can help soothe aching muscles and help your neck muscles relax. - Medication
Pain medications can help with temporarily managing your pain, though it does not address the root cause. However, you may try anti-inflammatory pain medications if you have swelling or inflammation in your neck after an accident. You can also talk to your doctor about other drug-free options for pain management. - Therapeutic Massage
Therapeutic massage can help ease the pain and stiffness of sore neck muscles. Manual therapy like massage can also promote healing in the area by reducing inflammation and encouraging healthy blood flow. Improving circulation will bring oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to your neck to help with neck pain. - Chiropractic Adjustments
Chiropractic adjustments can also help provide pain management for your neck. The vertebrae in your spine can become misaligned and end up disrupting healthy functioning in your body. Chiropractic adjustments restore misalignments that may be causing you pain and discomfort. - Physical Therapy
Physical therapy can help offer pain management for a variety of causes of your neck pain. Whether you are recovering from an accident or dealing with chronic pain, a physical therapist can teach you stretches and exercises that help you regain strength, stability, and range of motion in your neck.
In many cases, a combination of these treatment options will provide you with the best outcome for pain management and dealing with neck pain. Visit us to learn more about how our doctors at The Accident Doctors can help you with neck pain.
