Pain Management Specialists & Private Medical Practice in San Diego, La Mesa and Chula Vista, California
Neck pain is quite literally that – a pain in the neck. A very common form of pain that most people experience at some point in their lives, neck pain can be caused from a variety of factors, can last for any amount of time, and can lead to additional uncomfortable symptoms in other parts of the body. If you’re dealing with neck pain and don’t know where to turn, the California Pain Consultants team in the Escondido, El Centro, La Mesa, San Diego, Chula Vista areas is here to help. Our expert team of pain management specialists is able to accurately diagnose and treat all forms of neck pain, with a goal to get all patients living pain free as quickly as possible.
What is Neck Pain and What Does it Feel Like?
Neck pain, also known as cervicalgia, is pain that is felt in or around the spine beneath the head. Top to bottom, the spine is made up of the cervical, thoracic, lumbar and pelvic regions, so neck pain refers to pain in the cervical part of the back. Issues in this cervical region of the back are believed to be the most common cause of neck pain.
While neck pain is more common in women, people of all ages and genders could experience some form of neck pain in their life, with a range of symptoms. Age also increases the chances of experiencing neck pain. Neck pain can seriously interfere with a person’s daily activities and overall quality of life.
Neck pain can be axial, meaning that it is mostly felt in the neck, or radicular, which is pain that radiates to other parts of the body such as the arms and shoulders. Pain can be considered acute, lasting days to several weeks, or can be chronic, lasting months or even up to a year. It has also been found that once neck pain occurs, the chances of experiencing neck pain again in the future increase.
While neck pain varies from person to person, most people describe neck pain as:
Why Does Neck Pain Happen?
The anatomy of the cervical spine is the main reason why neck pain is so common. The cervical spine has many important functions (as one could imagine!) that help to provide support for the head, give the head and neck the ability to move and protect the spinal cord emerging from the brain.
Structurally, the cervical spine consists not only of seven vertebrae, but also muscles, ligaments, joints, and nerves. Separating each individual vertebrae are discs that cushion the space and minimize impact on the cervical spinal, helping to absorb shock.
The top two cervical vertebrae, the atlas and the axis, are responsible for the majority of the head’s range of rotational motion. They also support the head, connect the head to the spine, and help with balance and coordination for the rest of the body.
Ligaments also help to give the cervical spine strength and mobility, and there are many muscles in the neck area that help with movement as well. There are also spinal nerves that exit the spine in the cervical area, which supply the structures of the neck, muscles and upper extremities with nerves.
Together, this complex system provides for the head’s ability to move and rotate, helping the body to balance, providing coordination, as well as helping to support the neck altogether. Due to the fact that the neck is the most flexible portion of the spine, it is the most vulnerable to injury, overuse and wear and tear. Any damage or injury can lead to soreness, inflammation, pain, and stiffness in not only the neck but also the shoulders and upper back.
What Causes Neck Pain?
There are many different causes of both acute and chronic neck pain. This is why it’s so important to seek help from a pain management specialist who is trained at both properly diagnosing and treating the root cause of pain. Most often causes of pain include:
Is Neck Pain an Emergency?
While most neck pain is not serious and can improve with conservative treatments, including pain medicine, exercise and stress management, there are some instances where neck pain can be a reason to seek immediate medical attention. These include:
If you experience any of the above conditions, call your pain management specialist or medical provider right away. This could be the sign of a more serious condition that needs to be treated as soon as possible.
How Can I Treat My Neck Pain?
The best way to treat your neck pain is to seek help from a pain management specialist and get a thorough and proper diagnosis. The California Pain Consultants team will perform a complete examination and utilize X-ray, MRI, and CT scan options to find the cause of the pain which will help to determine the best course of treatment. There have been great advancements in pain management in recent years, especially with minimally invasive options. Most patients have found long-term relief by using a combination of treatments, such as steroid injections and physical therapy, for example.
Possible therapy and minimally-invasive treatment options include:
It’s important to note that neck pain can be caused by both medical factors as well as emotional stressors. So in addition to focusing on the physical event that you believe might be the main cause of your neck pain, it’s also important to focus on your psyche. Depression, anxiety and stress all help to make chronic pain syndromes worse, and it’s often a vicious cycle where the patient is in pain, is upset and depressed about the pain and lack of sleep, missing work, etc., the pain gets worse, the depression gets worse, and so on. Your pain management specialist is trained to treat the entire patient, and not just the muscle spasm or broken bone, so it’s important to find a pain management specialist you trust and who is an expert in the field.
There is no reason anyone needs to suffer through chronic neck pain. The best way to treat neck pain in the cervical area of your back is to seek help from the California Pain Consultants team in the Escondido, El Centro, La Mesa, San Diego, and Chula Vista areas. Our team of dedicated medical professionals has all the state-of-the-art tools and advanced treatment methods available to treat your specific cause of pain. If you have more questions and would like treatment options explained in more detail, please make an appointment today.
Your comprehensive treatment plan will help you eliminate neck pain and get you back into a healthy life.
Imagine if chronic pain wasn’t holding you back every day. We believe you should be treated the way we would treat our own mom or dad which is how we have treated our patients for the past 15 years.
Just follow this simple plan:
Request your
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Consult with your personal expert mental health team and develop a plan.
Find the relief and dignity you have been searching for.
You can defeat chronic pain.
We can help.
It’s wrong to miss out on the best parts of life because of chronic pain. You don’t have to put up with feeling older than you are. We can help you regain your vibrant life again.
At California Pain Consultants, we know that you want to get back to living a pain-free life. To do that you need a pain management team you can trust. The problem is there are so many pain clinics that do not listen to you and treat you like a statistic which makes you feel frustrated.
We understand your pain and suffering. We believe you should be treated the way we would treat our own mom or dad which is how we have treated our patients for the past 15 years.
So, request an appointment today. And in the meantime, watch this patient success story. So, you can stop struggling with pain and instead get back to living your life again.
If you suffer from chronic pain, contact us today. We can help you get back on your feet with your personal comprehensive treatment plan.