Introduction

Neck Pain Introduction

Over many years, our necks are subjected to repeated stress and minor injury. These injuries may not cause pain at the time of injury. However, repeated injuries add up, and can eventually result in degeneration of the cervical spine, causing neck pain. Most neck pain is due to degenerative changes that occur in the neck. The overall condition of the cervical spine usually determines how fast you recover from an injury, and whether your neck pain will become a chronic problem.

For chronic neck pain, there may not be a quick fix or complete cure. You will need to work with your health care team to try to improve the problem causing pain and to slow down the degenerative process. The physician's role in the treatment of neck pain is to find the main causes that need treatment right away. He or she will also try to keep your neck pain from becoming a chronic condition by teaching you how to slow down the degenerative process and prevent further injury.

The purpose of this information is to help you understand:

The causes of neck pain
The normal anatomy of the spine and neck
The signs and symptoms of degenerative changes in the neck
The treatments available to you now and later
What you can expect from those treatments
What you can expect long-term if you have a problem with neck pain

In order to understand your symptoms and treatment choices, you must start with some understanding of the general anatomy of your spine and neck. This includes becoming familiar with the various parts that make up the neck. You should have a general understanding of the function of these parts, that is, how they work together. The more you know, the more you will be able to talk with your doctors and health care team in words that will help them better understand your specific problem. It will also help you understand what they are telling you about your particular problem.

The purpose of this information is to help you understand your neck pain problem, so you can make the decisions that will best help you to prevent injury, make the best treatment choices, and speed up the healing process.