Neck pain is often NOT due solely to the neck, but to nearby structures. Brief breakdown:
- Neck bones, the 8 cervical spinal bones, can suffer from arthritis.
- Neck muscles and tendons can occasionally become strained, sprained, or torn. Often this is due to trauma.
- Neck pain can be part of a headache. When this combination occurs it is called 'cervicogenic headache' which translates to 'a headache that starts in the neck.'
- Neck pain is, more frequently than you might think, referred pain or secondary to a shoulder problem. It is sometimes nearly impossible to differentiate these issues.
- Neck pain can be caused by a disk problem pressing on the cervical spinal nerves. This is similar to sciatica, but involves a ruptured disk in the neck, rather than the lower back.
Laser Treatment of Neck Pain
Nearly all types of neck pain respond well to high dose laser therapy. In some cases, high-power laser provides faster, better, and cheaper pain relief than most conventional therapies:- Neck Arthritis is also called cervical spondylosis, cervical osteoarthritis, cervical osteoarthritis. Neck arthritis is almost always caused by osteoarthritis, and this will respond very well to high dose laser therapy. Rarely, rheumatoid arthritis will affect C1 and C2, and RA here is not amenable to laser therapy.
- Neck sprains, strains, and tears of the muscle and tendon are easily treated with high dose laser therapy.
- Cervicogenic headache. will respond very well to laser therapy. The structures in the head which are primarily or secondarily involved in the headache should also be treated..
- Shoulder problems should be laser-treated as appropriate, which will resolve the neck pain.
- Cervical disk or nerve root problems are very unlikely to need surgery. High dose laser therapy should be an early treatment option and may be more effective than other modalities.