The most common cause of neck pain can be cervical disc disease. It is generally caused by the abnormality of the disc that is the cushion present between the vertebrae. The disc can get damaged because of arthritis or any unknown cause. When damaged, it usually leads to inflammation or spasm of the muscles leading to neck pain. There are a number of pain medications, traction exercises, and physical therapy for minimizing the neck pain. However, these home based remedies help in relieving pain along with a speedy recovery:

*  Take it easy: If you have a busy and hectic life, then take it easy. Living with cervical disc diseases can lead to an increase in the neck pain; thus cutting down on activities helps. A comfortable position should be observed while resting. If need be then a pillow can be placed under the neck.

*   Apply Cold/Heat Pack: There is always a confusion regarding whether a cold or a hot pack is to be used. The recommendation is to use ice or cold pack for the first 24 to 48 hours of the injury, so that the swelling subsides. This should then be followed by hot fermentation in order to improve the muscle stiffness and also loosen them. But in case of a cervical disc disease neither cold nor heat penetrates the tissue to relieve inflammation, so it is best to use the one which feels better. Whichever, pack is chosen it should only be used for 20 minutes and then left for 40 minutes. Take care and do not use ice or heat directly against the skin. 

*  Stretch: Stretching exercises should be done in order to improve the flexibility and relieve pain in the neck. Exercises can be performed after warming up of the muscles by a warm towel or bath. Here are a few simple stretches for cervical disc disease that you can do at home:

* Move the neck: As per the study by the American Medical Association, women who had neck pain got relief when they did exercises using light weight and resistance bands. This increased their endurance and strength of the neck muscles. Also, 30 minutes of exercise in the form of biking, walking, swimming, and biking is recommended to improve the blood flow.

*  Maintain the posture of the neck: A bad posture can cause a neck pain. Every time while standing, sitting, walking, lifting the posture should be kept in mind. The head and neck should be kept straight and the back should be supported in order to avoid neck pains.

Neck Pain and How To Deal With It

What does neck and shoulder pain indicate?

The stabbing pain that you experience around the neck and shoulder region should never be ignored as they may indicate health problems that require medical attention. There are certain points that you need to keep in mind the if you experience prolonged pain in these areas of the body.

1. Neck injury? your neck and shoulder pain should be seen as a warning sign that you need to take a look at the neck injury you may have sustained during a rear-end automobile accident. More specifically, whiplash injuries that happen when the head experiences a sudden backward and forward jerk, straining the tissues of the neck. 

2. Pain in these areas of the body could indicate abnormalities in the vertebrae of your neck such as herniated disc, causing added pressure on the nerves of the spinal cord.

3. Your neck and shoulder pain complaint may also point towards muscle strains. Lifestyle factors like working long hours in front of laptops or desktops leave you with no time and zero energy to exercise, resulting in serious neck and shoulder pains.

4. Your neck and shoulder pain may also indicate the problem of cervical spondylosis. This is a degenerative disc disease, which is characterised by severe pain that originates from the neck and radiates till the shoulders.

5. Even heart problems, such as a heart attack can cause pain in the shoulder and the neck. When this happens, the condition is known as referred pain.

6. Adopting an improper body posture during lifting of heavy materials can induce pain in your body parts, with neck and shoulders being the most vulnerable areas.

7. You may be suffering from a condition known as rotator cuff injury in which the group of ligaments and muscles that support the shoulder get injured during lifting or playing any sport.

To avoid aggravating the pain from becoming more severe, you shouldn't ignore any ache that arises from these areas.

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Related Tip: 6 Effective Ways to Keep Away Body Pains, esp. When Temperatures Dip

What Does Neck and Shoulder Pain Indicate?

Neck cancer refers to the formation of cancer cells in the throat or neck region of your body. Neck cancer is commonly seen in people above sixty years of age. But people above forty can also have the chances of getting neck cancer. Though the symptoms of neck cancer can vary from one person to the other, 

Some of the common symptoms are stated as follows:

 Neck cancer affects the voice box, so a change in your voice can be noticed.
 Weight loss is also a symptom for neck cancer.
 A person suffering from neck cancer can also suffer from dysphagia or difficulty in swallowing.
 Sore throat in some cases can be considered as a symptom of neck cancer
 Bleeding from mouth or through your nose is also a common symptom for neck cancer.
 Ear pain in some cases is a symptom of neck cancer.
 Coughing persistently is also regarded as a symptom of neck cancer.
 Sometimes a lump in the neck is also noticed and it is usually painless.
 Some people also encounter breathing problem.
 In some cases a swelling of the neck, jaw or eyes can also be noticed.

Neck cancer involves certain risk factors too. Neck cancer can be treated in many ways. The following are few treatments available for neck cancer:

 Surgery: your doctor can conduct a surgery for removing the tumors from your neck region. The doctor may decide to do either a microsurgery or laser treatment or endoscopy.
 Chemotherapy: if the tumor spreads to other regions or is large in size, then your doctor may recommend chemotherapy. 
 Radiation: it is used to destroy the malignant cells. It is usually conducted after removing the tumor.

These three are the common treatments followed by doctors. Your doctor may also take help of other treatments like administering drugs to control the growth of cancer cells. But, sometimes treatments fail to work if the process of metastasis starts. So you should not ignore it, as soon as you encounter any of the symptoms stated above, visiting an oncologist is highly recommended.


Neck Cancer Symptoms and Treatment

The neck and shoulder have a huge range of movement and thus they are more prone to injury. The ball and socket joint at the upper arm is the shoulder and both the neck and the shoulder are made up of soft tissues, muscles and ligaments. 

Reasons behind pain Injured rotator cuffs: 

Rotator cuffs are the tendons supporting the shoulder. If they are injured it might lead to a chronic loss of the range of movement. This is more commonly known as a frozen shoulder. 

Dislocation: Dislocated disc of the neck or shoulder due to an accident would cause severe pain in the affected area. 
Fractures: Fractured collarbone or the upper arm bone may result in chronic pain. 
Tendonitis: This occurs due to the over usage of the arms or neck or strains due to over exertion like in sports. 
An unstable shoulder joint: If there is instability in the ball and socket joint of the upper arm, chances of having a chronic pain is high. Others: Degenerative arthritis, herniated disc, and even heart attacks can be the other possible causes of chronic neck and shoulder pain. 
When to go to the doctor? 

When the patient experiences a pain due to a severe blow or injury, the neck pain radiates down the legs and arms, a feeling of numbness and tingling sensation, or has a stiff neck with fever or vomiting, it is essential to seek the advice of a Doctor. 

Diagnosis for shoulder and neck pain X-ray: 

The main form of diagnosing a pain is an x-ray. It helps to reveal diseases from arthritis, tumour, slipped disc, narrowing spinal cord, fractures and spinal cord instability. 

MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging or simply the MRI reveals the detail of nerve-related issues along with the problems in the ligaments and tendons. 
CT scan: There may be instances when the injuries are difficult to be diagnosed. And, in the case of a fracture, a CT Scan is advised for more details. It is also an alternative to MRI. 
ECG: An Electrocardiogram is a way of diagnosis if shoulder and neck pain continues along with chest pain or shortness of breath. If there is a risk of an individual having a heart attack, then an ECG is recommended. 
Electro Diagnosis: Electromyography referred to as EMG and Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) are used to diagnose pain in the arm, neck, shoulder followed by a numb feeling on the affected areas. 
Treatment for chronic shoulder and neck pain 
A simple sprain on the neck and shoulder would demand a rest for a few days along with pain medication. If the pain is due to muscle spasms application of dry or moist heat may provide relief. In the case of a swelling due to injuries, a cold ice pack 4 to 8 times a day will provide immense relief. Patients might be advised a cast or sling for the shoulder pain. The soft tissues in the neck and shoulder can be treated with pain relievers taken for a few days. Muscle relaxants are also prescribed depending on the severity of the pain. Local corticosteroid injections are helpful for shoulder arthritis. Platelet rich plasma injection is another modern treatment for arthritis or tendinopathy. In some situation, radio frequency procedures are very helpful. Exercises are very effective for both neck and shoulder pain movement. Surgery might be an option if nerve roots are affected.

Chronic Shoulder & Neck Pain - Ways It Can Be Diagnosed!

Neck pain is a common medical condition, which can be easily treated if proper care and medications are taken. It usually occurs due to strained neck muscles, often caused bad posture, though there might be other causes as well. Rarely, neck pain can be a symptom of a more serious problem as the condition is relatively mild in nature. The symptoms of a neck pain are very obvious which refers to any kind of discomfort in moving your neck on a daily basis. Along with this you might also have headache, stiffness of the head and muscle tightness. Some of the most common causative factors of neck pain are listed below.

Muscle strains
A muscle strain generally happens when you exert too much pressure on your neck continuously for long periods. It also happens when you have your neck fixed in the same position for long hours of the day. Muscle strains in the neck may occur when you keep your neck bent in the wrong way while doing activities like reading a book, looking at your mobile phone or working over your laptop for extended hours.

Worn joints
Just like all the other bodily joints, the neck joint also tends to wither and degrade with age. This phenomena is known as the wear and tear of the joints. The bones of the neck joint tend to wither with time, thereby making your joint frail and exposing it to various pains and medical conditions.

Nerve compression
Nerve compression is a medical symptom whereby, there is excessive pressure put on one particular nerve in the body. Herniated discs or bone spurs in the vertebrae of your neck can press on the nerves branching out from the spinal cord, hence causing a long lasting neck pain. Damage caused from a nerve compression may be minor or severe depending on the pressure applied. It may cause temporary or long lasting problems depending on the degree of damage caused. The earlier you get a diagnosis and treatment for nerve compression, more quickly you will find relief.

Whiplash
Neck related injuries are common phases of pain and discomfort caused due to an external damage to the neck as a result of a tragic sports related or vehicular accident. A neck injury is also known as a whiplash and it refers to an injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. Whiplash mostly occurs during accidents, physical abuse or other trauma.

4 Common Causes of Neck Pain

The problem of morning back and neck pain may be due to the position of sleeping or it may be related to inflammatory arthritis which can be familial. Morning back pain is largely related to wrong sleeping posture and less commonly due to arthritic conditions like Ankylosing Spondylitis or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Whatever be the cause- this condition requires attention by an Orthopedic doctor as it may worsen in due course of time and should not be taken lightly. 

Some common factors causing this are: 

Mattress: Too soft or too hard a mattress might induce back ache after sleep. For people with waist and hips of equal proportion, a firmer mattress would do well. For those with narrower waist than their hips, a flexible and softer mattress that can move with the pelvic weight would be a perfect choice. Refrain from using old hardened mattresses. 
Pillow: The pillow you use must be able to render support to your neck naturally. Instead of using excessively firm or soft pillow, try substituting it with memory foam pillows, refillable water pillows or cervical support pillows. 
Posture: Not changing your position while sleeping or sleeping on the belly exerts strain on the back muscles, causing pain. On the other hand, sleeping on the back or on the sides causes comparatively less strain on the spine. 
Other causes such as strenuous workouts or physical activities or sitting at a stretch during the day might cause pain while sleeping or after getting up from bed. 
Remedies for Morning Back Pain: 

Fortunately, there are some home remedies to cure the morning back pain. 

Switching your mattress is a more expensive remedy for back pain, but may often be the ultimate cure. Most people sleep the best on medium-firm mattresses. Be sure to try out the mattress before you buy it. 
For occasional back pain after sleeping, apply heat to your back to relax your muscles before you go to bed and when you get up in the morning. 
Massage your back with pain relieving creams and apply heat on it with a heating pad for quick relief. 
Specific spinal stretching exercises and Planks (a type of exercise) can greatly help in easing back pain, if done on a regular basis. 
It is always recommended to CONSULT an Orthopaedic doctor if you suffer from morning back pain.

Morning Back Pain And Neck Pain

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