When to Seek Treatment for Your Neck Ache

Your neck is amazingly flexible, able to bend forward, backward, and side to side, all while supporting the weight of your head. Supported by muscles, ligaments, and tendons, the neck is also a common source of pain — both acute pain from injuries and chronic pain that develops over time. In fact, globally, more than 200 million people suffer from neck pain and related symptoms, like stiffness and loss of mobility. 

At Metro Spine PC, our team helps patients manage both acute and chronic neck pain using state-of-the-art therapies for targeted, effective results. If you have neck pain, here’s when it’s time to seek medical treatment.

Why neck pain happens

Because the neck is so complex, injuries can happen in many ways and for many reasons. Even when you can identify the trigger that causes pain, like a car accident or fall, you can’t identify the precise underlying cause of painful symptoms without a medical evaluation.

Some accidents may cause fractures or tiny cracks that lead to pain, or they might damage the spongy discs between your spine bones. Other injuries, like whiplash, can tear nerves or cause other types of soft tissue damage that require specific types of treatment.

Often, neck pain is related to overuse or repetitive use injuries. Spending time hunched over a phone or computer screen is such a common cause of neck pain, it has its own nickname: tech neck.

Other times, neck pain is related to a chronic disease, like arthritis or spinal stenosis. Scoliosis or other spine abnormalities can also lead to chronic or recurrent neck pain and stiffness. Tumors and infections are other possible causes. Without a medical evaluation, it’s not only difficult to know why your neck hurts, but it’s also almost impossible to know how to treat it.

Treating neck pain: When to visit our office

Mild neck pain that crops up after a day of strenuous activity or a night spent with your neck bent at an odd angle may clear up with some extra TLC. Resting your neck, using ice and heat packs, and taking over-the-counter pain relievers may be all you need to feel better.

But many types of neck pain aren’t that easy to treat, and in fact, many types of pain can get worse without medical care. These types of neck pain definitely benefit from prompt medical evaluation and care tailored to your needs.

In general, you should call our office and schedule an evaluation if your neck pain lasts longer than three to four days. This type of long-term pain may be associated with arthritis, disc damage, or degenerative conditions that require professional treatment — issues where at-home care simply won’t lead to long-term healing and improvement.

You should also seek treatment for neck pain that:

• Gets worse over time instead of better
• Is accompanied by fever
• Is accompanied by numbness, weakness, or radiating pain in your limbs
• Is accompanied by headaches or stiffness in your neck
• Results in decreased range of motion in your neck
• Is associated with problems with balance of limb coordination

And of course, it’s imperative to seek treatment for any neck pain that occurs following a fall or other accident, even if your pain seems mild.

Medical treatment for neck pain

Our team offers therapies based on the most effective, advanced techniques for truly custom care and lasting results. We may recommend:

• Physical therapy to support normal neck function
• Corticosteroid injections to relieve inflammation
• Epidural and facet joint injections to relieve pain and inflammation
• Nerve block injections
• Prolotherapy and platelet-rich plasma injections to stimulate natural healing
• Radiofrequency ablation to deaden nerve endings responsible for pain
• Neuromodulation using a tiny implantable, pain-modifying device

Often, these techniques are accompanied by physical therapy to promote circulation, speed healing, and restore normal movement and function in your neck. In addition to in-person sessions, physical therapy also teaches you how to perform neck exercises at home and modify your routine to help prevent neck pain in the future.

Bottom line: Don’t ignore neck pain

Your neck is part of your spine and by delaying care for neck problems, you can wind up with far more serious problems in the future. Because there’s no way to know for sure what’s causing your symptoms, it’s always a good idea to have a medical evaluation, so we can ensure your neck is protected from further damage.

To learn what’s causing your neck symptoms and how we can help, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Metro Spine PC in Oxon Hill and Clinton, Maryland, or Washington, DC, today.