Stretching and Exercise as Cervical Bone Spur Treatment

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Bone spur treatmentCervical bone spur treatment is a means to alleviate or manage symptoms associated with the growth of excess bone along the sides or edges of the vertebrae located within the neck region of the spine. Far more often than not, someone with bone spurs (osteophytes) within the spine never even realizes they are there. That’s because most bone spurs cause nothing more serious than a popping or cracking noise called crepitus, which can be heard occasionally when the head is turned.

Debilitating, chronic symptoms associated with spinal bone spurs can include pain, tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness in the upper extremities. These symptoms are caused by spinal nerve compression.
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Treating Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Through Minimally Invasive Surgery

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thoracic outlet syndromeTwo newly published studies have found that minimally invasive surgery for neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (NTOS) can significantly improve patients’ symptoms. This relatively uncommon condition causes neck pain, paraesthesia in the arms, neck and hands, numbness and weakness in the upper body and is more frequent in young, active and generally healthy patients.

One of the studies found that a fairly recently developed type of surgery is particularly helpful at relieving thoracic outlet syndrome in adolescents when the pinched nerves are being caused by the pectoralis minor tendon. Read more

Neck Pain and Arm Tingling, Rheumatoid Arthritis and B12 Deficiency

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rheumatoid arthritis B12 deficiency and neck pain

Is your neck pain really due to RA or are you vitamin B12 deficient?

Cervical spine degeneration is thought to occur in between 25% and 86% of patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and this can cause a variety of neurological problems including spinal cord compression and even death. Around 7-34% of patients end up requiring neck surgery to decompress the spine and relieve symptoms and one study even found that some 10% of patients dying from RA did so because of fatal cord compression.

Recognizing the symptoms of spinal cord compression can lead to prompt treatment and a more positive prognosis, but what if symptoms of cord compression in the cervical spine are really being caused by an underlying vitamin B12 deficiency? Read more

Thyroid Disease and Neck Pain

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thyroid dysfunction and neck pain causes

It is easy to see how even slight swelling of the thyroid gland could trigger pinched nerve pain.

The link between thyroid dysfunction and neck pain can be quite complex and is more than simply pain caused by the swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck itself. There are myriad bodily processes reliant on proper functioning of the thyroid gland and many patients with muscle cramps and weakness, an increased sensitivity to pain, rheumatic pain and even carpal tunnel syndrome are unaware of the links between their symptoms and their thyroid gland. Read more

Bone Spur Treatments – Do Alternative Therapies Work?

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Bone spur treatmentsIf you are exploring different bone spur treatments to try and relieve neck pain due to cervical osteophytes, there are a wide range of nonsurgical therapies out there that may be able to help. Once you have gotten a diagnosis of bone spurs in your upper spine from your doctor, he or she will likely suggest a course of conservative treatments. These may include prescription or over-the-counter pain medication, hot compresses, cold compresses, physical therapy, or behavior modification, among others.

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Bouncy-House Injuries Rapidly Increasing

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bouncy house injuries

Limiting the number of kids on a bouncy house may help reduce injury risks.

New research published in the journal Pediatrics has revealed that every 46 minutes an American child is injured using a bouncy house. Such injuries, which include neck and head trauma, from seemingly fun and innocuous childhood toys have increased dramatically in the past decade. This danger was highlighted by the American Association of Pediatricians (AAP) who issued a warning earlier this year over the use of trampolines by children because of the risk of serious neck injuries and other accidents. Read more

Surfers and Spinal Cord Injury

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surfer spinal cord injury dangers and neck pain from surfing

Dr Chang recommends avoiding hyperextending the spine by lying in wait for waves when surfing.

At PainNeck.com we have noted before that lifelong surfers may be at increased risk of spine degeneration, bone spur growth and neck pain but a new study reveals that younger surfers are also at risk. Hawaiian physician Cherylee Chang, MD, describes symptoms of acute myelopathy in surfers likely due to ischaemia of the spinal cord. This worrying occurrence was noted in surfers as young as fifteen who felt a pop or crack in their back and rapidly experienced weakness and paralysis. Although the phenomenon is still being investigated it does appear that the risk of so-called ‘surfers’ myelopathy’ may be reduced simply by changing a common novice surfing habit. Read more

Jaw Dislocation and Neck Pain

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jaw dislocation and neck pain

It's not just a punch to the face that can cause jaw dislocation, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and othe conditions can affect the jaw.

Neck and jaw pain are often connected, be it through teeth grinding, bone abnormalities or worn discs in the jaw and subsequent pinched nerves. Sometimes, neck and jaw pain is due to a dislocation of the mandible and, while most such dislocations can be remedied in the emergency department, some are more complicated. Read more

FDA Approves Tofacitinib for Rheumatoid Arthritis

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first oral rheumatoid arthritis medication approved neck pain causes

Xelijanz from Pfizer is the first approved oral medication for RA, but it has some serious side-effects.

A new drug, tofacitinib, is the first oral medication for Rheumatoid arthritis to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Tofacitinib will offer another option for those with moderate to severe active RA that has not responded to methotrexate treatment. Two new studies of the drug appear to show that the oral medication is helpful in quelling the immune system response that causes joint damage in the disease and which can cause neck pain, pinched nerves, cervical spine subluxation and spinal cord compression where severe. Read more

Spinal Bone Spur Treatment – Do Alternative Therapies Work?

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Bone spur treatmentSpinal bone spur treatment can take a variety of forms, from simple stretches to prescription analgesic pain patches. Similar to treating many other common conditions, the mainstream medical community generally agrees on a group of therapies that have been tried, tested, and studied to the point that they are considered safe and effective for patients suffering from spinal bone spur symptoms. Read more