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Can Cervical Neck Problems Cause Lower Back Pain

How Is Spinal Cord Compression Treated

Cervical Radiculopathy | âPinchedâ? Nerve in Neck Rehab (Education | Exercises | Surgery | Myths)

The medical team involved in treating your spinal cord compression may include arthritis specialists, bone surgeons, nerve specialists, and physical therapists. Treatment depends on the cause and your symptoms. It may involve medicines, physical therapy, injections, and surgery. Except in cases of emergency, such as cauda equina syndrome or a broken back, surgery is usually the last resort.

  • Medicines may include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that relieve pain and swelling and steroid injections that reduce swelling.
  • In more acute spinal cord compression, high-dose steroids are used to save nerve cells until other treatment can be given.
  • Radiation therapy may be used to shrink tumors that are compressing the spinal cord.
  • Physical therapy may include exercises to strengthen your back, abdominal, and leg muscles. You may learn how to do activities more safely. Braces to support your back or a cervical collar may also be helpful.
  • Surgical treatments include removing bone spurs and widening the space between vertebrae. Other procedures may be done to ease pressure on the spine or fix fractured vertebrae. The back may also be stabilized by fusing some of the vertebrae together.
  • Some other treatments that may be helpful for some people are acupuncture and chiropractic care.

What Causes Spinal Cord Compression

One of the most common causes of spinal cord compression is the gradual wear and tear on the bones of the spine. This is known as osteoarthritis. People who develop spinal cord compression from this are usually older than 50.

Other conditions that may cause spinal cord compression can develop more quickly, even very suddenly. These can occur at any age:

  • Abnormal spine alignment

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Cervical Spinal Stenosis :

  • Cervical spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal column or foramen due to bone spurs or disc protrusion. It is sometimes referred to as a pinched nerve.
  • Central stenosis can pinch the spinal cord, and foraminal stenosis can pinch the nerve roots that exit through the foramen.
  • This pinching can cause back, shoulder, and arm pain. It can also cause numbness and weakness in the arms and hands.

Our staff can help you determine if your neck or arm pain is serious.

How Is Neck Pain Diagnosed

34 best images about Spinal Decompression

Doctors diagnose neck pain with a physical exam and medical history. Your doctor will feel and move your neck to locate pain and find motion problems. Doctors also check your muscle strength and reflexes. Your doctor will ask about previous neck injuries that might have caused whiplash or a herniated disc. Your doctor may ask about work or other activities that could affect your neck.

To diagnose the cause of the pain, your doctor may use imaging tests such as X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography . These tests can show damage and other issues in the bones and surrounding tissues in your neck.

Other tests that your doctor may order include: electromyography, nerve conduction studies, myelogram and/or nerve root block. These tests look more closely at the discs in the spine, the spine itself, check the function of nerves and muscle response and source of the pain.

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Herniated Disc Neck Symptoms

There are a number of herniated disc neck symptoms that can occur. The most common symptom is pain in the neck and/or shoulder. This pain can be mild to severe and is often worse with movement. Other symptoms can include numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arm and/or hand. In some cases, the symptoms may be severe enough to cause problems with daily activities.

There are numerous types of pain associated with cervical herniation, as well as no symptoms at all. An ache in the neck, arm, or hand can be electric-like pain, as well as a pain that spreads to these same areas. There could also be numbness or weakness in the arm or hand. When the nucleus pulposus, which contains inflammatory proteins, leaks from the disc and onto a nearby nerve root, a herniated disc is usually the source of the most pain. It is less common for a herniate disc to leak into the spinal cord.

How Does The Shoulder Work

Your shoulders each have two joints, making them the most flexible parts of your body.

The main shoulder joint the glenohumeral is a ball-and-socket joint. Its called this because the top of the upper arm bone the humerus is shaped like a ball. This ball fits into the shoulder blade bone, which acts as the socket, giving your shoulder a wide range of movement.

But, the shoulder socket is very small, compared to other ball-and-socket joints, such as the hip. Its held together and controlled by a covering of muscles, which are secured to the bones by strong cords called tendons.

These muscles and tendons form a capsule around the joint and support its movements, but can make it more likely to dislocate than other joints.

Inside the capsule is the synovium, which produces fluid that lubricates the joint and keeps the cartilage healthy. The cartilage helps protect your bones from any impact and sits between the bones of your shoulder joints to stop them rubbing together.

Above the main shoulder joint theres a smaller joint where the top of the shoulder blade the acromion meets the collar bone.

This is known as the acromioclavicular joint. It helps the larger joint below to move through its full range, particularly when youre raising your arm, lifting or throwing.

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Tips To Relieve Headaches From Neck Pain

After youve figured out the cause of your neck pain and headaches, there are things you can do at home to help ease the pain and start to feel better. Heres how to relieve headaches caused by neck pain:

1. Improve Workplace Ergonomics

Adjusting how you work is good for preventing headaches caused by pain in the neck. How you sit at work can put strain and pressure on your neck. If possible, adjust the height of your monitor so you are looking directly at it rather than up or down.

If you sit, choose a chair that is the appropriate height for you. Your feet should rest flat on the floor when you sit, and your knees should be a few inches from the edge of the chair. If you have to look down at paperwork while on the job, consider getting a stand to hold the documents at eye level so you arent constantly bending your neck.

2. Improve Your Posture

Your posture has a significant effect on how your neck feels. If you regularly slouch, you put a lot of extra weight on the head and neck, leading to pain and discomfort.

The first step toward improving your posture is becoming aware of it. When you stand, notice the angle of your back, neck and shoulders. Try to stand up as tall and straight as possible. That means pulling in your stomach and pushing your shoulders back slightly. Your head should be level as if you are balancing a book on it.

3. Improve Your Sleep

7. Try Heat and Cold

What Are Possible Complications Of Neck And Back Pain

How to Ease Neck Pain at Home

Complications of back and neck pain may include:

  • Loss of productivity. Back pain is the most common reason for disability in working adults.
  • Nerve damage. If your back pain is from a herniated disk, pressure on the spinal nerves may cause a variety of problems, such as weakness, numbness, or severe shooting pain that travels from the back to the leg.
  • Depression. Back or neck pain can disrupt all aspects of life. This includes work, physical exercise, social activities, and sleep. The anxiety and stress caused by the change in movement and pain can lead to depression.
  • Weight gain. Loss of movement and inability to exercise can lead to weight gain and the loss of muscle strength.

It is a good idea to see a healthcare provider if you have numbness or tingling, or if your pain is severe and does not get better with medicine and rest. If you have trouble urinating, weakness, pain, or numbness in your legs, fever, or unintentional weight loss, call your healthcare provider right away.

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What Does A Herniated Disc Feel Like In Lower Back

tingling sensations A herniation in the lower back, which affects nerves serving the affected area, frequently results in numbness or tingling in the affected area. What are the main stages of disc herniation?

Ct Scan May Be Best Option For Severe Back Pain

Sharp or burning pain is the most common term for it.

Key Points About Back And Neck Pain

  • Back and neck problems range from minor aches to severe, disabling pain.
  • Often, the reason for your pain can’t be found.
  • See a healthcare provider if you have numbness or tingling, severe pain that does not improve with medicine and rest, trouble urinating, weakness, pain, or numbness in your legs, fever, unintentional weight loss, or pain after a fall.
  • Often, back and neck pain will improve over time. See your healthcare provider if your pain is not decreasing.
  • Use prevention strategies to keep yourself healthy and injury-free.
  • For severe, disabling, or chronic back pain, consider an individualized rehabilitation program.

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What Happens If This Pain In Your Neck Goes Untreated

In many cases, cervical radiculopathy does go away on its own. This can be done with at-home treatment or over-the-counter medication. However, if your neck pain is persistent for a few weeks, you will need to see a neck doctor.

If cervical radiculopathy goes untreated, it can cause serious health problems like disc degeneration or peripheral neuropathy. However, a professional will be able to relieve pain from the area to get back to your daily activities.

Common Causes Of Chronic Back Pain

Cervical Kyphosis

Underlying changes in the spines anatomy and mechanics are usually the cause of chronic low back pain.

The most common source of chronic back pain is a lumbar spinal disca sturdy, fibrous structure that acts as a ligament between vertebrae. A spinal disc can cause pain from:

  • Lumbar disc herniation. A herniated disc occurs when the soft, gel-like interior of a disc bulges or leaks outward, irritating nearby muscles, joints, or nerve roots. A herniated disc typically causes sharp, stabbing pain down the backs of the legs , which is usually more pronounced than low back pain.
  • Lumbar degenerative disc disease. Wear-and-tear on the spinal discs that causes chronic low back pain is called lumbar degenerative disc disease. This condition typically causes chronic, low-level low back pain that intermittently flares up for a few days or weeks before returning to normal.

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Do I Need Surgery For My Neck And Shoulder Pain

Conditions that require surgery in chronic or severe cases include:

  • Bursa injury, e.g a bursa tear
  • Rotator cuff tear to re-form or re-attach the tendon
  • Radiculopathy: surgical opening of the intervertebral foramen to reduce nerve pressure
  • Cervical Disc herniation: discectomy, or in advanced degenerative cases, cervical fusion.

Severe spinal problems may require surgical fusion

Persistent And Unremitting Back Pain

Unremitting pain typically raises the same fear in patients and care-givers a concern for cancer. Back pain is the presenting symptom in most patients with cancer that has moved into the spine. Patients who already know they have a cancerous condition should alert their doctors to order specific imaging studies without delay.

Patients with spinal cancer usually experience a different kind of pain from that in common back and neck injuries. Ordinary back pain is usually related to activity, relieved by rest and is often associated with a recognized lifting or physical injury. It may seem to linger forever, but in reality, it typically begins to get better after about four to six weeks of rest.

Instead of getting better with rest, pain caused by a spinal tumor is persistent, progressively getting more intense over time, and is not relieved by rest. Pain may actually feel worse at night, and feel a bit better when you are up and around. Thoracic back pain may be associated with belt-like burning pain around the torso, and lower back pain may be accompanied by symptoms of pain or weakness in the legs similar to what we see in a disc herniation.

Since the most common cause of a spinal cancer is a metastasis from cancers of the lungs, breasts, prostate, kidneys, colon and thyroid, these organs should be thoroughly checked by your doctor when cancer is suspected.

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What Happens If The Pain Doesnt Go Away

It has been recommended that people suffering from cervical radiculopathy for more than a few days should seek medical attention.

A neck doctor is the right person to help you figure out what is causing this pain and how to relieve it quickly. The doctor may want you to receive an MRI or CT scan so that they can have a better look at the neck muscles, nerve root, spinal canal, and the affected nerve. The doctor may complete three courses of treatment depending on the condition of your nerve roots.

What Causes Back And Neck Pain

Low Back Pain: Lumbar Laminectomy Surgery

Even with today’s technology, the exact cause of back and neck pain is difficult to determine. In most cases, back and neck pain may have many different causes, including any of the following:

  • Overuse, strenuous activity, or improper use, such as repetitive or heavy lifting

  • Trauma, injury, or fractures

  • Degeneration of vertebrae, often caused by stresses on the muscles and ligaments that support your spine, or the effects of aging

  • Abnormal growth, such as a tumor or bone spur

  • Obesity, which places increased weight on your spine, and pressure on your discs

  • Poor muscle tone

  • Joint problems, such as arthritis

  • Protruding or herniated disk and pinched nerve

  • Osteoporosis and compression fractures

  • Congenital abnormalities of your vertebrae and bones

  • Abdominal problems, such as an aortic aneurysm

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Cat Scan Cervical Stenosis

Myelography

Myelography is used to evaluate an area of the spine called the subarachnoidspace. Myelography is used to find herniated discs, injury to the spinal nerveroots, or tumors. During this test, a special dye, which can be seen on theX-ray, is injected into the spinal sac. Because the dye weighs more than spinalfluid, the movement of the dye can be watched as the table is tilted up anddown. By watching the movement of the dye, the doctor can see the outline ofthe subarachnoid space. If the shape of the spinal sac looks abnormal, or indented,this may mean there is pressure on the nerves of the spine. A herniated discmay cause this pressure.

Posture And Sleeping Position

Holding your neck in an awkward position for a prolonged time can lead to strains in the muscles and tendons of your neck and shoulders.

Some of the postures and activities that commonly contribute to neck and shoulder pain are:

  • sleeping on too high a pillow or a stack of pillows
  • grinding or clenching your teeth at night
  • sitting at a computer or over a phone with your neck strained forward or tilted up
  • suddenly jerking your neck during exercise

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What Are The Complications Of Neck And Back Pain

  • Loss or productivity: Back pain is the most common reason for disability in working adults.

  • Nerve damage: If your back pain is from a herniated disc, pressure on the spinal nerves may cause a variety of problems, such as weakness, numbness, or severe shooting pain that travels from the back to the leg.

  • Depression: Back or neck pain can disrupt all aspects of a persons life: work, physical exercise, social activities, and sleep. The anxiety and stress caused by the change in mobility and pain can lead to depression.

  • Weight gain: Loss of mobility and inability to exercise can lead to weight gain and the loss of muscle strength.

It is a good idea to see a health care provider if you have numbness or tingling, or if your pain is severe and does not improve with medication and rest. If you have difficulty urinating, weakness, pain, or numbness in your legs, fever, or unintentional weight loss, you should call your health care provider right away.

How Autoimmune Conditions Affect The Spine

Back Pain: Causes &  Treatment

An autoimmune condition occurs when your bodys immune system mistakes your natural body for an invader. When this happens, the immune system begins to attack the body usually a specific organ with fighter cells. What often results is the destruction of healthy cells, which causes problems for your bodily systems.

While some autoimmune diseases target organs like the pancreas, others can affect the joints or your entire body. Thus, some conditions can affect the back and neck and lead to pain. Additionally, one of the results of an immune system attack is inflammation. When the immune system causes total-body inflammation, joint pain may increase.

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