Neck & Back Pain
What is Neck pain?
Neck pain is common. Poor posture that causes from leaning over a computer or hunching over a bench strains neck muscles leaving it to ache. Osteoarthritis also is a common cause of neck pain.
Seeking medical care for neck pain where there is an element of numbness or loss of strength in the arms or hands that shoots into a shoulder or down an arm is important.
Causes of neck pain include
- Being overweight puts undue stress on the spine and weak abdominal muscles that causes weakness and induces pain.
- Stress makes you clench the muscles that move your neck without realizing it, potentially leading to a stiff, sore neck.
- Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain, swelling of the joints, and bone spurs. This can result in neck pain.
- Poor Posture
- Osteoporosis weakens bones and can lead to small fractures.
- Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes muscle pain throughout the body, especially in the neck and shoulder.
- Age related spondylosis, or osteoarthritis of the neck. This can narrow the space between the vertebrae.
- Spinal stenosis causes pressure on the spinal cord or the nerve roots as it exits the vertebrae.
Symptoms
- Pain that is worsened by holding the head in one place for long periods.
- Muscle tightness and spasms
- Decreased ability to move the head
- Headache
- Is severe
- Persists for several days
- Spreads to the arms or legs
- Comes with headache, numbness, weakness or tingling
- Pain when palpated. Neck pain may increase if your cervical spine is palpated
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Treatment for neck pain
Treatment for neck pain depends on its cause. Apart from history and physical exam, actual cause needs to be determined by doing the following
- Blood test
- X-ray
- CT scan
- MRI scan
- Electromyography: Basis health of your muscles and bones.
- Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
Mild to moderate neck pain can be treated with pain relievers and self care. It is suggested to consult before undergoing any treatment. Physiotherapy helps overcome neck pain where you can learn and practice on correct posture, alignment and neck strengthening exercises.
Serious conditions would need surgical treatment with strong medications on nerve roots and spinal joints to relieve neck pain. Surgical options would be evaluated based on your condition and diagnosis.
What is lower Back Pain?
The lumbar region or the lower back pain, is the area of the back that starts below the ribcage. Almost everyone has low back pain at some point in life. Often it gets better on its own. When it doesn't, you will have to seek medical help for further medical treatment options.
Causes of lower back pain
Injuries, conditions and diseases can cause lower back pain. The common causes are:
- Strains and sprains caused injury to muscle, ligament or tendons
- Fractures by accidents or other ailments
- Disks which bulge or wear and tear cause back problems
- Spinal structural problems (Stenosis)
- Other spinal conditions like tumors, arthritis or spondylolisthesis
Symptoms of Low Back Pain
Symptoms tend to come slowly and progressively worse when caused by repetitive motions or stress-inducing positions. Pain may develop after certain activities or at the end of a long day, and may feel like a constant ache.
Sometimes low back pain can signal a serious underlying medical condition. Seek immediate medical attention when you experience:
- Dull ache to a stabbing or shooting sensation
- The pain may make it hard to move or stand up straight
- Pain during sports or heavy lifting items
- Pain that travels to the buttocks, legs, and feet
- Pain that is worse after prolonged sitting
- Loss of bladder and bowel control
- Recent weight loss not due to lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise
- Fever and chills
- Severe, unrelenting pain in the abdomen
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Diagnosis & Treatment
Diagnosis
- X-ray
- MRI or CT scans
- Blood tests
Treatment & Surgical options for lower back pain
Most back pain gets better within a month of home treatment, especially for people younger than age 60. However, for many, the pain lasts several months. Medications depend on the type of back pain. They might include:
- Pain relievers
- Muscle relaxants
Surgery to create more space within the spine is sometimes helpful for people who have increasing muscle weakness or back pain that goes down a leg. These problems can be related to herniated disks or conditions that narrow the space of the spine.
What is Upper Back Pain?
When the upper back hurts, it is mostly likely due to an injury that has resulted in muscular irritation or joint dysfunction. Region below the cervical spine (neck) and above the low back (lumbar spine) is termed as upper back.
Causes of Upper Back Pain
- Poor posture: A sedentary lifestyle or routinely sitting for long periods with poor posture can cause structural changes in the back and neck.
- Improper lifting technique: Lifting a heavy object without keeping the spine aligned can put undue stress on the upper back.
- Accident or collision Trauma from a vehicular accident, a fall from height, or sports collision can cause upper back pain by injuring spinal bones, discs, muscles, ligaments, nerves, and/or other soft tissues.
- Thoracic herniated disc: The herniated discs in the thoracic spine are not uncommon, it is rare for one to cause pain or other symptoms.
- Compression fractures: Most commonly caused by osteoporosis in older adults, a vertebral bone can weaken and not be able to fully support the weight above it.
- Arthritis: Different types of arthritis can occur in or spread to the thoracic spine.
- Severe spinal deformity: A spinal deformity progressively that can cause painful muscle spasms and even stress discs and joints.
Symptoms
A spinal deformity progressively that can cause painful muscle spasms and even stress discs and joints.
- Pain
- Tightness
- Stiffness
- Tenderness to touch
- Headache
- Pain in the lower back
- Pain down the legs
- Incontinence (bowel and/or bladder leakage)
- Numbness or weakness in your legs
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Diagnosis & Treatments
Diagnosis
- Bone density test
- MRI or CT scans
- Nerve studies: Nerves send out electrical signals to which muscles respond.
Treatment and Surgery Options for upper back pain
Needing upper back surgery is rare; however, based on the diagnosis, it can be judged if surgery would be required. Mild to moderate upper back pain can be treated with pain relievers and self care. It is suggested to consult before undergoing any treatment.
Physiotherapy helps overcome upper back pain where you can learn and practice on correct posture, alignment and back strengthening exercises.
Serious conditions would need surgical treatment with strong medications. Surgical options would be evaluated based on your condition and diagnosis.
- Vertebroplasty: To repair compression fractures due to osteoporosis, a glue-like bone cement will be injected to treat the area.
- Spinal laminectomy: If detected with spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal), bony walls of the vertebrae will be removed to ease pressure.
- Microdiscectomy: When a disc bulges and presses on a nerve – minimally invasive removal of a disc will be performed to ease the pressure on the back.