The Best Way to Heal Cervical Nerve Damage

Cervical nerve damage is most commonly caused by injury or strain to the nerves in the cervical spine of the neck. Symptoms may include numbness, weakness and pain in the neck, shoulders and arms. Cervical nerve damage has a variety of causes, including herniated discs in the neck area, bone spurs from osteoarthritis, and spinal injury or whiplash. Treatments are available to relieve cervical neck pain.

Medications

• Medications are prescribed to reduce pain and inflammation. Take over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen to reduce pain. Your doctor may prescribe narcotics for severe pain. Narcotic drugs are for short-term use, because of their risk of addiction. Your doctor may prescribe muscle relaxants with methocarbamol for neck spasms. Use muscle relaxants with caution, as they can make you drowsy. Do not drive or participate in risky activities until you know how you react to this medication. Your doctor may recommend corticosteroid injections to reduce pain and inflammation quickly. Injections are normally recommended when conservative treatments fail, and can be given only three times a year because of their severe side effects.

Therapy

• Alleviate pain with a heating pad applied to the neck. Apply heat for 10 to 15 minutes three times a day. Apply ice packs to reduce swelling. Wrap an ice pack or bag of frozen peas in a towel and apply it to your neck for five to 10 minutes.

  See a physical therapist about developing an exercise program to strengthen neck muscles. Strong muscles help support the cervical spine, creating less stress on nerves. Get a medical massage for the neck. Massage therapy loosens tightened neck muscles, allowing better blood flow and loosening muscles that may be compressing nerves. Talk to your doctor or chiropractor about ultrasound treatments. These treatments apply sound waves to the painful area of your neck with a gel and wand from an ultrasound machine. The sound waves break down scar tissue and reduce inflammation.

Surgery

• See your doctor about surgical options if other treatments fail and you remain in severe pain. Several factors influence the decision to have surgery, including your medical history, current physical condition, age and the reason for your cervical damage. Cervical surgery is performed by a skilled surgeon, and recovery may take six to eight weeks.

  Avoid activities that strain the neck, and take frequent breaks from computer or desk work to stretch the neck. Maintain good posture, and exercise at least three days a week for 30 minutes each to provide flexibility and strength to neck muscles.