Is Your Pillow Causing Your Neck Pain?

waking up with neck pain pillows for reliefMany people suffer from neck pain on a daily basis, often waking up with pain that then throws off the whole day. Simultaneous neck and shoulder pain can make it difficult to engage in normal everyday activities, including self-care, childcare, and work. Instead of throwing money at drugs that mask the pain, there may be a simple solution to neck pain, you just have to sleep on it. Yes, neck pain relief could be as simple as getting a better pillow. Read more

How Cervical Fusion Could Help Relieve Your Neck Pain

Cervical FusionCervical fusion is a form of surgery that removes a damaged intervertebral disc in the neck, replaces it with a supportive cage or implant, and permanently fuses the adjacent vertebrae. This procedure halts some movement within a motion segment, usually with the goal of increasing stability and relieving neck pain.

The exact cause of pain in the cervical spine can be tricky to pinpoint, largely because the spine is so complex and has many components – vertebrae, facet joints, intervertebral discs, ligaments, tendons, and muscles – all of which must work properly together to ensure optimal functioning. That said, when one or more of these components is damaged, degenerates, or for some other reason begins to function improperly, pain can often result. Read more

Recovering from Cervical Spinal Fusion – Ways to Make Your Rehabilitation Less Arduous

Cervical Spinal Fusion Cervical spinal fusion is a surgery that involves removal of a bulging or herniated disc in the neck (cervical spine), placement of a supportive cage/implant and bone graft material to replace the disc, and the fusing of adjacent vertebrae with plates, rods, and screws. To ensure success of this surgery, the recovery process can be just as important as the procedure itself, so it’s helpful to know how you can make your rehabilitation process less arduous and restore your spine to optimum health. Read more

Minimally Invasive Neck Surgery – Understanding its Advantages over Open Spine Surgery

Neck SurgeryJust the thought of undergoing neck surgery for a degenerative spine condition like a herniated disc is enough to make anyone a little squeamish. That’s probably because most people envision the traditional form of surgery, where at least one large incision is made in the neck or throat to access the cervical spine, and muscles and other soft tissues are dissected and pulled apart to reveal the cervical vertebrae.

This open spine approach used to be the only option for patients requiring surgery to address some form of neck pain caused by a degenerative cervical spine condition. Thanks to enormous advancements in science and surgical techniques in the past few decades, some patients are now able to undergo a far less invasive form of neck surgery that offers a number of advantages over the traditional form. Read more

Carotid Artery Dissection, Neck Pain, and Horner’s Syndrome

carotid artery dissection and neck pain and horner's syndromeThe majority of acute onset neck pain is due to muscle tension but in some cases left-sided neck pain, right-sided neck pain, or neck pain that presents with Horner’s syndrome are the result of carotid artery dissection or carotidynia. It appears that carotid artery dissection, whilst once thought fairly rare, is actually a risk for many people, young or old, active or inactive. Indeed, activities such as running, golf, and contact sports can all lead to acute trauma to the carotid artery and neck pain, and for some patients this can be fatal. In today’s blog post we take a look at a case of Horner’s syndrome as a result of carotid artery dissection. Read more

Ankylosing Spondylitis Pain Relief Using Exercise Balls

exercise ball ankylosing spondylitis for neck pain treatmentUsing an exercise ball to help improve muscle strength provides relief from ankylosing spondylitis according to a recent study. The results of this trial offer hope of effective conservative therapy for those with back and neck pain from the condition and may help reduce reliance on pain medications as well as delay the need for neck surgery. Read more