Also known medically as cervical pain, neck pain is a common condition that many people go through regularly in their lives. Although not as common as back pain, people experiencing neck pain can have real issues that hinder them from doing daily activities. Whether it’s difficulty turning the neck, or feeling a dull tenderness right above the spine, neck pain is a common condition that can mostly be remedied from home.

More than 60% of people experience neck pain at some point in their lives. Typically, it occurs when a serious accident or sudden injury has been suffered, like a car accident. Fortunately, only 10% of these cases end up becoming chronic neck pain issues or in need of surgical assistance. Otherwise, the occasional sore neck and other neck pain symptoms are regularly experienced through life, with most not needing serious treatment.

Back and neck pain are sometimes even linked together. As both areas rely on the spinal cord to sense nerves and provide structural support, pain in one area could easily lead to symptoms in the other. Spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the spine, can create enough compression on the spinal nerves to the point where neck pains can be sensed.

Neck Pain Conditions

There are few conditions directly tied to neck pain. More often than not, there are more conditions that lead to severe neck pain rather than form them. In any case, the most common neck pain conditions typically result in a ruptured disc and similar conditions.

Ruptured discs are a common condition of the lower back that can occasionally occur around the cervical area, or the neck. A ruptured disc is when the outer layer of an intervertebral disc is torn and the inner shock-absorbing substance begins to leak. This may cause compression on the nerves and create pain.

Other names for a ruptured disc include a slipped disc, cervical slipped disc, and herniated disc.

Treating Neck Pain

In most cases, neck pain symptoms can be remedied through medication, physical therapy, or alternative treatments. Acupuncture has been a frequently used treatment on neck pain, as it targets specific pressure points to relieve pain.

For chronic neck pain that cause shooting pain up and down the body, numbing of arms and hands, or a shift in bladder patterns will need to be inspected by a certified physician before treatment is undergone. In very rare cases, chronic neck pain leads to needing surgery.

To verify your symptoms and obtain a conclusive answer to your neck pain worries, schedule an appointment with your physician, particularly if the pain doesn’t go away after a few weeks. An imaging test may be taken, but otherwise, a full-body check up should be able to determine neck pain conditions effectively.