Stiff and Painful Neck

Having a stiff and painful neck does not always indicate that something is severely amiss in the body. In fact, most of the time, the condition is mild enough not to require any medical treatment. According to the number of cases which come up, women seems to be affected more, as compared to men. Some people may have acute episodes of this condition, when it flares up suddenly out of the blue. While, some may be struggling with it for a long time; the chronic form. What you would read in the following article would be some quick and to-the-point notes on what are the possible causes of this problem, in what form it occur, and what can be done to deal with it. So keep reading...

What Could Cause Stiffness and Pain in Neck?

As mentioned, in most cases, the condition turns out to be mild. In such cases, it is more likely that the causes include overuse of the neck muscles, such as, in driving or reading for long hours, sleeping in an awkward position, and repeated use of neck muscles. Factors such as these, usually, can give you a painful, stiff neck. About the chronic form, the most common offenders are underlying medical conditions like rheumatoid arthritis meningitis, trauma, herniated disks, and bone spurs (causing pressure on the nerves). Certain abnormalities in the structure of the bones or joints may also contribute to the stiffness and pain. Some cases also come up wherein, cancer from other parts of the body spread to the spine and causes pain. Such cases are rare though. And not to forget aging, the most natural cause of all.

Accompanying Symptoms

Paying heed to the symptoms that accompany pain and that stiff feeling, is an important diagnostic tool to trace the problem area in the neck.

• The person may at first feel the pain to originate from the neck, and later radiating down to the shoulders or the arms.
• The affected muscles may become hard, sore or tender to touch.
• The underlying condition that is causing the stiffness and pain, may also weaken the shoulders and arms, decreasing their mobility.
• The stiffness may be so severe that it may prevent the patient from touching the area from his chin to his chest.
• The arms and fingers may experience a pins and needle sensation in them.

What Can Be Done?

As I have mentioned, fortunately in most cases, the condition isn't a repercussion of something serious, and can be easily managed with simple self-care measures. You can make use of hot or cold compresses. Heat helps in relieving sore muscles, while cold reduces inflammation. Resting your neck is a good idea, but excess rest may aggravate the stiffness. So maintain a balance between rest and keeping your neck active. Listen to your pain and try moving your neck gently in all directions. Concentrate on areas where it does not pain. OTC drugs are sometimes good enough to relieve pain.

Now if you see that your neck is still stiff and the pain tends to persist, then visiting a doctor would be a good choice. This becomes more important if you are already suffering from some kind of underlying medical condition. The doctor may prescribe stronger pain killers, and injections can also be administered depending upon the severity.

Treatment may also involve working with a physical therapist for learning neck exercises and stretches. It helps the muscles to relax and heal soon. Traction is also a therapy wherein experts help to stretch your neck muscles. This technique provides relatively faster results. In rare cases, surgery is opted to manage stiffness and pain in the neck.