Treatment Options for Chronic Neck Pain

Chronic neck pain can be the result of several conditions, such as a pinched nerve in the neck or a damaged disc in the spine. How neck pain is treated depends on what is causing the pain, and there are many different ways to treat the symptoms and the source of the pain. Neck pain is a common ailment, and the prognosis for any form of treatment is usually very positive for a full recovery.

Exercises

• One of the common ways to treat neck pain are stretching and strengthening exercises. These exercises not only help stretch out the neck and temporarily relieve the pain, but they also allow for long-term relief through strengthening the muscles in the neck and relieving the tension on a pinched nerve. One effective neck pain exercise is to sit in a chair looking forward with your head and neck straight. Slowly nod your chin towards your chest, and when you are as far as you can go then, hold it for a count of ten. Then slowly move your head an inch to the left, back to center and then an inch to the right. This should help to relieve neck pain.

  For specific kinds of neck pain, it will be necessary to get an effective exercise regiment from a certified physical therapist. They will be able to diagnose your condition and give you a series of exercises that should help relieve the pain and start to build up resistance that will eliminate future pain. You may also want to check with a chiropractor, as they may be able to help relieve pain due to pinched nerves and misaligned joints.

Medication

• If the pain is severe, then a doctor may send you to get a cortisone shot. A cortisone shot is an injection of the hormone cortisone directly on the area causing the pain. In many cases this shot is done deep so that the medication can be applied directly to where the pain is originating from.

  Other medications a doctor may prescribe for neck pain would be an ointment to relieve pain that is applied directly to the affected area, medicated pain patches, or muscle relaxants to try and get the tensed muscles that are putting pressure on the nerves to release.

Surgery

• In extreme cases, your doctor may send you to a surgeon for a surgical procedure. In a surgical procedure, the doctor may remove a part of the spinal disc that is protruding out and putting pressure on the nerve, or she may have to remove an excess growth of bone called a bone spur that is putting pressure on the nerve and causing pain.