Back & Neck Pain

 

You can easily develop back and neck pain by pulling muscles, tendons, or ligaments. Your neck is vulnerable to whiplash injuries, while your lower back is more likely to suffer the strain of heavy lifting or twisting. Many patients end up with back or neck pain after overuse or a traumatic injury. Spine conditions due to degenerative changes also contribute to chronic back and neck pain. Some of the most common conditions include: Slipped disc Disc herniation Osteoarthritis Bone spurs Spinal stenosis Compression fractures Degenerative disc disease All the conditions in this list can cause pain when they compress spinal nerves, a condition called radiculopathy.

 

Each person experiences their back and neck pain a little differently. Your pain may be constant, occasional, or triggered by specific movement. When your pain is caused by a pinched nerve, you may also develop tingling, numbness, or shooting pain along the nerve as it travels down an arm or leg. A nerve problem in your neck can also cause headaches or dizziness.

 

Neck pain sometimes requires temporary immobilization, but in most cases, it’s important to engage in physical therapy or supervised exercises to strengthen muscles in your back and neck, maintain movement, and reduce inflammation. Steroid injections can also help relieve the pain by significantly reducing inflammation. If you’re still in pain after several months of conservative treatment, it may be time to talk about spine surgery. Dr. Verma thoroughly reviews your condition and medical history, talks with you about the underlying problem and the results of your imaging, then explains your nonsurgical and surgical options. If there are other nonsurgical treatments you’d like to pursue, or if you want to get a second opinion, Dr. Verma refers you to the best local health professionals. If you decide to have surgery, you can depend on Dr. Verma’s skill, his dedication to using evidence-based medicine, and his expertise in today’s technology to produce safe and accurate results. The type of surgery you might need depends on the cause of your back or neck pain. Dr. Verma frequently performs procedures such as a discectomy, decompressive surgery, disc replacement, and bone fusions, to name a few of the possible surgeries. If you need help with back or neck pain, call Verma Spine or schedule an appointment online.