When dealing with pain it is important to understand that being knowledgeable can help you combat it. When dealing with neck pain, knowing the structure of the area can help you and your doctors pinpoint the areas that need help. In addition, knowing what can cause neck pain helps you understand what you have done to cause your pain and how to keep it from happening again. Having the information on different types of treatments for neck pain can give you options on how to take care of any discomfort. Understanding all this information can help you make the best decisions when it comes to your health.
Structure of the Neck
When looking at the neck it is important to realize that it is a set of bones stacked one on top of the other. With nerves, ligaments, tendons, muscles and blood vessels wrapped around the bones to allow for movement. The neck gives you a ninety degree view of the world. It can be surprisingly easy to damage this very significant part of the body. When looking at neck pain you have to realize that the neck has many different moving parts that all move as one. When one of those parts, in the neck, is pulled or damaged it can affect other areas of the neck as well.
Causes of Neck Pain
All the distinctive pieces of the neck can receive damage from a number of different sources. Often neck pain comes from injury, where someone has overextended a muscle or tendon in their neck. Alternatively, there could have been some sort of accident, like a car accident, to cause the neck to be severely injured. There are also diseases, such as arthritis, that can cause neck pain. Neck pain injuries can involve ligaments, tendons or muscles, and only in severe cases can the actual bone be damaged. Most neck pain can be massaged out; pain often comes from tightness in the muscles. However, in some cases, the more severe neck pain needs to have different kinds of treatment.
Treatment Options for Neck Pain
Often the best way to manage neck pain is with pain medication. Taking different kinds of medications can help numb the discomfort that comes with neck pain. These medications can be taken in pill form, or they can be delivered through a shot to the affected area. The medicine cannot only numb the pain, but can reduce inflammation that causes the pain. Other options include physical therapy, steroid injections, and cervical devices to reduce stress on your spine. These all can give you the respite that you need to have a better quality of life dealing with neck pain.
