Chronic Neck Pain

After one bout of neck pain, you have a 50-50 chance of developing chronic neck pain that often becomes severe and debilitating. Whether your pain just began or you’ve struggled for months, the team at Coast Neurosurgical Associates can help. They offer integrative care, creating a treatment plan that relieves your pain, restores movement, and lets you get back to enjoying life. If you need help with neck pain, call the office in Long Beach, California, or request an appointment online today.

What causes chronic neck pain?

Neck pain is caused by injuries and degenerative diseases. Though most injuries heal within a few months, the pain can last long after the original injury heals, turning into chronic neck pain.

Unlike an acute injury, degenerative diseases don’t usually heal on their own. Instead, they cause long-lasting pain. The degenerative conditions that often cause chronic neck pain include:

• Spinal arthritis
• Herniated discs
• Degenerative disc disease
• Spinal stenosis
• Bone spurs
• Slipped vertebrae
• Cervical radiculopathy (pinched nerve)

Poor posture can also result in chronic neck pain, especially if you frequently strain your neck muscles by spending a lot of time bending your head to look at electronics. 

What symptoms accompany chronic neck pain?

Neck pain makes it hard or impossible to move your neck and head. You may also have headaches, dizziness, or muscle knots (trigger points). Injuries and degenerative conditions often pinch the spinal nerve.

Pinched nerves cause pain and tingling that runs down one or both arms. If more severe nerve damage develops, your arm may turn numb or you may end up with weak muscles. 

How is chronic neck pain treated?

Coast Neurosurgical Associates begin your treatment with conservative care. Your treatment could include gentle stretching exercises, avoiding activities that stress your neck, and taking anti-inflammatory medications.

In some cases, they may suggest wearing a soft cervical collar. The collar stabilizes your neck while it heals, but it’s important to use it for a short time. Wearing a collar too long makes the neck muscles weaken and slows your recovery.

The next step in your treatment may include physical therapy, steroid injections, and pain management, such as nerve blocks and epidural steroid injections.

If your chronic neck pain persists after conservative treatment or your neurological symptoms worsen, Coast Neurosurgical Associates may talk with you about minimally invasive spine surgery. Surgery to repair the underlying cause of your neck pain is often the best way to get the pain relief you need.

Coast Neurosurgical Associates may perform one of several surgical procedures, depending on the cause of your neck pain. They may need to decompress the nerve or remove a damaged disc, bone spur, or thickened ligament. After some procedures, they restore spinal stability with an artificial disc replacement or spinal fusion.

When you need relief from chronic neck pain, don’t wait to call Coast Neurosurgical Associates or book an appointment online today.