Our work life has changed significantly over the past few years. We spend more time sitting in front of the computer and executing office tasks. This leads to unusual sitting postures and hence some people get pain in the spine or the neck area. Maintaining the right posture is necessary for your spine and neck to function properly. People sometimes crane their neck while looking down on the phone for longer durations and this not only causes muscle strain but also severe neck pain.

If you or anyone you know is experiencing extreme pains in the neck, then here are a few things you should know.

What is neck pain?
The human neck is made of vertebrae that connect your skull to the upper torso and the cervical discs absorb shocks between the bones. When there is an injury, inflammation or abnormality in the parts of the neck or its supporting system, a person experiences intense neck pain. Mostly neck pains are not very serious and the pain can be rectified within a few days. But in some cases, neck pain can gradually worsen and a doctor’s attention is required. If your neck pain is severe and persists for weeks, then you should consult a doctor.

What are the different causes of neck pain?

• Muscle strain: The neck muscle can be strained for reasons like poor posture, working for a prolonged period of time in a particular position, sleeping with the neck in a bad position, jerking the neck suddenly during exercise etc.
• Injury: During incidents such as car accidents or sports the neck muscles can get severely strained and hence cause neck pain.
• Heart Attack: Severe neck pain can be a symptom of a heart attack. It can occur along with other symptoms like shortness of breath, sweating nausea etc.
• Meningitis: Inflammation of the tissue that connects the brain and spinal cord can cause meningitis and cause a stiff neck leading to pain.
• Other conditions like Fibromyalgia, Osteoporosis, Rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain and swelling in the neck.

What are the treatment options for neck pain?

The doctor will perform a physical exam and understand your complete medical history. Make sure that you don’t hide any details from your doctor if you are experiencing neck pain. Once the reason for the neck pain is diagnosed, then the treatment is decided. Few tests that the doctor may recommend are:

• Blood tests
• CT scans
• MRI scans
• Electromyography
• Lumbar puncture

Based on these test results the treatment can include:

• Heat and ice therapy
• Stretching, exercise, and physical therapy
• Muscle relaxants
• Neck collar
• Traction
• Antibiotics
• Pain medication
• Corticosteroid injections
• Acupuncture
• Massage or chiropractic treatment

Make sure that you see licensed doctors and professionals for the above treatments.

What are some of the tips for preventing neck pain?
You can follow below tips to prevent severe neck pain:

• Keep yourself hydrated: The discs between the vertebrae of the spine need water to maintain disc height and spinal alignment. Drinking water keeps the spine hydrated reducing the pressure.
• Use your phone carefully: Don’t strain your neck by looking down on the phone for long durations. Try to use hands-free or Bluetooth devices and take frequent breaks to stretch the neck.
• Use a neck-support chair: Maintain good posture while working and make sure that your neck is supported to reduce unwanted pain in the neck.
• Use firm pillows to get proper support while sleeping. Consult with your doctor about choosing the right pillow for sleeping.
• Do constant neck exercises and consult a physician if necessary.
• Get a neck massage for your neck.

What kinds of doctors are qualified to treat severe neck pain?

You can show your neck pain problem to a general physician or an orthopedic. In certain cases, consultation from neurosurgeons, neurologists, chiropractors, ENT specialists etc. is required depending on the diagnosis. Other professionals who can treat neck pain are physical therapists, acupuncturists, massage therapists etc.

The approval of a licensed medical practitioner is a must before you go ahead and avail any of the above treatments.