Severe Neck Pain

Neck pain is a common occurrence and most adults have experienced it at least once. It may arise as an isolated symptom or may be a subset of other musculoskeletal problems. Sometimes, you may get one-sided neck pain, at other times the pain is not just confined to the neck area only, but extends to the shoulders, arms and lower part of the back as well. When the pain is mild to moderate, you often tend to ignore it. You assume that it will be fine after some time. However, when there is severe pain in the neck, then it makes your life miserable. This is an indication that something is seriously wrong.

Causes

Severe neck pain that starts all of a sudden is mostly related to some injuries. On the other hand, if the pain lingers for quite some time and it intensifies over a period of time, then it could be a symptom of some underlying health problem. Some of the most commonly found causes that can trigger a severe pain in neck are discussed below:

Traumatic Injury: Your neck can get injured badly when there is a sudden jarring motion of the head in backward and forward direction. It happens due to a motor vehicle accident, falling from bike or horse or contact sports activities such as football. Poor posture or incorrect use of equipment during exercising can injure the neck muscles and cause severe pain.

Muscle Strain: Many times, we do not even realize that we are overusing our neck. As a result, the muscles become fatigued and get strained. Swimmers often face the problem of severely strained muscles in neck as they often position the neck awkwardly in order to keep the head out of water while swimming. Those who sit in front of computer for long hours every day or have the habit of reading in bed often develop severe neck pain because of this reason.

Compressed Nerve: A series of nerves branch out from the cervical spine. If these nerves get pinched by a slipped disk or bone spur, then an excruciating pain is experienced in the neck which often radiates to other parts of the body like the arms and the hands. A slipped disk in neck occurs when a cartilage of the spine gets ruptured and its gel-like content bulges out of the position and exerts pressure on the nearby nerve. On the other hand, bone spur is a bony growth which is formed due to degeneration of the bones caused by arthritis. When it grows in size, it protrudes out and presses the nerve.

Meningitis: This is a serious infectious disease where inflammation occurs in the lining of the brain and spinal cord and it gives rise to severe pain which is accompanied by high fever. It is one of the most common causes of severe neck pain in children. Here, the pain and stiffness of neck can be so severe that the patient is unable to touch the chin on the chest.

Other Causes: The neck joint often gets affected by rheumatoid arthritis. This is an inflammatory disease and is characterized by pain and swelling in the neck, fatigue, weakness, etc. Osteoarthritis may also develop in the neck where the cartilage gets worn out with age resulting in pain and stiffness in the neck. An intense neck pain can be a symptom of a thyroid problem. The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck near the esophagus. If its size is increased due to underactive thyroid, then it exerts pressure on nerves, veins, blood vessels in the region and which in turn causes pain in the neck. In some rare cases, this kind of pain can be a symptom of growth of cancerous tumor in the cervical spine.

Treatment

You should not try to treat severe neck pain at home and consult a doctor. They will conduct physical examination and laboratory tests like X-rays, CT scan and MRI to ascertain the cause. The symptoms and your lifestyle is also taken into account for proper diagnosis of the problem.

To reduce pain and inflammation of the neck, you will be advised to avoid any such task that can increase the pain. Pain killers and muscle relaxants are given for controlling the pain. If it is a case of an arthritic pain or compressed nerve, then cortisone shots are administered at the nerve roots for pain relief.

If required, doctors may recommend use of soft neck collar in order to provide adequate support to the neck and reduce some pressure from it. Physical therapy brings about marked improvement in this condition. Physical therapists suggest some neck stretching exercises that can add strength and flexibility to the neck muscles and improve the range of motion of the neck. They may also give traction for gentle stretching of the neck.

If the neck pain is a symptom of meningitis, then it has to be treated with suitable antibiotics. Thyroid patients are often given thyroid replacement hormones to restore the normal level of thyroid hormone in the body. As a result, the size of thyroid gland will also decrease. In case a patient is diagnosed with cancer in the neck region, he/she has to undergo a cancer treatment.

Cancer is just one of the rare possible causes of severe neck pain. Therefore anyone and everyone who is experiencing a severe pain in neck for quite some time should not go for self medication and immediately consult a doctor for proper diagnosis.