Are you experiencing neck pain? Neck pain can be caused by a variety of conditions. Mechanical pain is caused be trauma to the supporting structure, such as a sport-related injury or auto accident. Depending on the diagnosis and severity of the trauma, different treatment options may be prescribed.
Neck pain can also be caused by your body’s natural degenerative process. Spine Center of Texas has listed the most common causes of neck pain related to aging:
Cervical Spondylosis, also referred to as neck arthritis – Cervical spondylosis occurs when a damaged disc becomes brittle and cracked, leading to the tearing of its annulus, or outer coating. This annular tear results in headaches, neck pain, arm pain, numbness, and loss of neck motion. Repetitive or acute trauma causes cervical spondylosis and is worsened by disc aging. Treating Cervical Spondylosis with medication early on can make a big difference, but end-stage cervical spondylosis requires surgery. Artificial disc replacement and stem cell injection therapies are some of the more advanced procedures prescribed for this condition.- Cervical Herniated Disc – A herniated disc is a disc that moves away from its normal position, causing its outer protective coating to tear or weaken. Numbness, tingling, arm weakness, and shoulder pain may be felt if nerve is damage by a disc that extrudes too far. Artificial discs and disc fusion may be performed to fix the problem. A disc fusion removes the damaged disc with the use of plates and screws, while an artificial cervical disc allows neck movement by replacing the damaged disc. At Spine Center of Texas, we have top orthopedic surgeons who can remove or replace damaged cervical discs in order to allow normal neck movement.
- Cervical Foraminal Stenosis – The neck contains nerves that travel from the brain through the spinal cord. Sometimes, these nerve roots become narrowed or clogged. The nerve will be pinched when the small opening closes. This condition is refered to as Cervical Foraminal Stenosis and can cause shoulder pain, arm pain, hand numbness, and tingling. Artifical disc replacement may be prescribed for patients with arthritis at the level of foraminal stenosis. For patients without arthritis, laminectomy or foraminotomy can be performed to release the pinched nerve.
