What’s causing this pain in my neck?
Neck pain is usually temporary and will pass. However, acute, instant neck pain or increasing chronic pain, especially if it is radiating out to your arms and shoulders, could call for our surgical expertise at Texas Neurosurgery.
Here are some possibilities for your neck pain.
- Injury — The neck is vulnerable because it isn’t protected like the remainder of the spine. Car crashes and high-impact sports contact obviously can damage the cervical vertebrae. But if you have osteoporosis, where your bones are becoming more brittle, even a strong sneeze can crack a neck vertebra.
- Posture — Allowing your head to slump forward not only makes you look older, but it also places pressure on the discs of the cervical spine (the seven vertebrae that make up the neck). This can lead to disc wear and chronic neck pain.
- Job — Jobs that involve heavy lifting, or lifting with twisting have higher incidences of neck injury and pain.
- Smoking — Cigarette smoking speeds the degeneration of the intervertebral discs, which leads to neck pain.
What is the range of symptoms for neck pain?
We’ve all had stiff necks in the morning after sleeping in the wrong position. We’ve all twisted our head wrong and felt that instant shock of pain at the top of the cervical spine. Neck pain can be just like pain across the body. But there are times when you need to take it seriously and not wait for it to simply run its course:
- Tingling, numbness, or weakness that radiates into the shoulders, arms, or fingers
- Trouble gripping or lifting objects
- Problems with walking, balance, or coordination
- Loss of bladder control or bowel control
These are symptoms of nerve pain and possible damage. You could have a disc pressing on a nerve root in your cervical spine. This is when the team at Texas Neurosurgery could be your best resource. Call us at (214) 823-2052 to make an appointment.
