Arthritis in the neck is caused by various arthritic conditions, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and many more. The most common form is called neck osteoarthritis, also known as cervical arthritis. Such condition is often seen as a simple pain in the neck, but as with all arthritic conditions, if this is left unchecked it will only complicate things further, degenerating your health over time.
Arthritis in the neck can also be hereditary. There are certain genes that place an individual at risk of developing neck arthritis. People who are forty years old and above are also more prone to suffer from this condition, as age naturally diminishes the body’s natural abilities to heal itself. Neck injuries can also precede the development of neck arthritis.
Arthritis in the Neck Symptoms
The most obvious signs of arthritis in the neck are the pain and stiffness around the area. Standing actually worsens those signs, as opposed to the idea of lying down. Then the gravity force eases the spinal pressure. Sleeping is also known to aggravate the symptoms; relaxed muscles are not in a position to add support to your spine while sleeping. In other cases, patients have to deal with certain neurological failures like:
– Weakness
– Numbness
– Tingling
Those can be followed by severe pains from the arms down into the hands. Headache is also another uncomfortable symptom, which is usually experienced at the back parts of the head. You probably have neck arthritis, if you suffer from neck pain and severe shoulder pain because these are the parts of the body that arthritis neck goal commonly. Although the pains are concentrated in and around these areas, it is not impossible that you will suffer episodes of headaches as well Read: How Neck Inflammation Causing Headaches?
Patients suffering from advanced stages of the disease will also encounter dizziness and loss of balance due to the decrease of blood supply into the brain.
Apart from this unbearable pain, it is also common for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to experience some level of stiffness in the neck as well. This stiffness is characterized by the person’s inability to bend or turn the neck and head from side to side.
Arthritis in the Neck Diagnosis
Physical tests are needed to evaluate the nerve or spinal cord compression. Strength tests are among them; by gripping the physician’s finger, discrepancies on the strength projected in between the patients’ hands will be evaluated. Another is the two-point discrimination test, which evaluates touch sensations in the extremities. Patients will also be asked to walk in straight paths so that physicians can determine any anomalies present. X-ray scans aids physicians in assessing the vertebra structure through any bony overgrowth formation or degeneration present in the problem areas.
Arthritis in the Neck Treatment
Treatment for arthritis in the neck depends entirely on the austerity of the symptoms present and its underlying causes. Neck arthritis usually responds well to physical exercises. In your case, try to get some advice from your physician first regarding the types of exercise that you can perform regularly.
Neck arthritis exercises can help improve the fitness and coordination of your neck muscles using muscles that usually overworked. The purpose of doing exercises is to reduce your pain level, improve and / or restore the neck muscle strength and correct postural strain. While sitting or standing, in order to achieve maximum benefits of your neck arthritis exercises, you must have proper shape. The correct posture form involves having your ear directly over your shoulder. Move your garden down to the chest to get this fit before starting a training program. Retaining this actual shape will reduce your chances of injuring yourself. Here a list of 10 stretches to relieve a Tight Sore Neck
The primary treatment for arthritis of the neck is to restrict the movements of the neck. To do this, a cervical collar may be used. In some cases, that a collar is not enough to do the job. These devices become necessary to treat the disease. Wearing a collarbone especially during nighttime is great for the extra neck support and relief from inflammation since your muscles are not able to support the spinal structures because they need to relax.
You can also get hold of an anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritis diet that can do wonders in dealing with the symptoms that you are suffering. Heat massages and ice treatment are usually simple remedies for simple cases of arthritis in the neck. Other options can include trigger point injections (doctors will inject anesthetics into a rather painful muscular band within the neck) or the radio frequency neurotomy for more serious and chronic neck pain.
But if simple treatment is not enough, it may be necessary to perform surgery. Usually, surgery becomes an option for patients who complain of severe and unbearable pain.
