For many people, neck pain is a temporary condition that disappears with time. Others need medical diagnosis and proper treatment to relieve their symptoms. It may result from soft-tissue abnormalities in the muscles, ligaments, and nerves as well as in bones and joints of the spine. The most common causes of neck pain are injury or prolonged wear and tear. In rare cases, infection or tumors may cause neck pain.
Degenerative diseases that cause pain include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis usually occurs in older people as a result of wear of the joints between the bones in the neck. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause destruction of the joints of the neck. Both of these major types of arthritis can cause stiffness and pain.
Cervical disc degeneration also can cause neck pain. The disc acts as a shock absorber between the bones in the neck. In cervical disc degeneration, which typically happens over the age of 40), the normal gelatin-like center of the disc degenerates and the space between the vertebrae narrows.
Auto accidents, contact sports, and falls may cause neck injury. A “rear end” automobile collision may cause hyperextension, or backward motion of the neck beyond normal limits, or hyperflexion, forward motion of the neck beyond normal limits.
Search our interactive pain management library for more conditions that cause neck pain.
Contact the Baton Rouge pain management specialists at The Spine Diagnostic & Pain Treatment Center if your neck pain is:
- Severe
- Continuous and persistent
- Accompanied by pain radiating down the arms
- Accompanied by headaches, numbness, tingling, or weakness
Learn more about treatments for neck pain.
Doctors at The Spine Diagnostic & Pain Treatment Center are fellowship-trained, double board-certified anesthesiologists and pain management specialists who offer a variety of effective pain treatments, including interventional spine procedures and therapeutic injections that can help reduce your neck pain or eliminate it entirely.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call now: (225) 769-5554.