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Facet Disease in the Neck

Facet Disease in the Neck

Facet joints are located at the back of the spine

What is Facet Disease in the Neck?

The cervical facet joints are synovial joints in the back of the spine that are contained within a fibrous capsule.  Superior and inferior facet joints interact in order to allow the flexibility of the spine and are, therefore, subject to considerable wear and tear over the years through everyday movement, increasing the likelihood of facet disease in the neck.  Although the facet joints themselves do not contain free nerve endings, they are innervated by mechanoreceptors, of which there are more in the cervical spine compared to the lumbar spine.  Read more

Pinched Nerve in Neck with Headache

When dealing with a pinched nerve in the neck, recover without any invasive treatment is possible, but for some the pain from a pinched nerve in the neck and headache can persist for months or even years. Those who suffer from chronic headaches often do not connect their symptoms to a pinched nerve in the neck and continue to treat the headaches in isolation. Read more

Pinched Nerve in Shoulder

Pinched Nerve Shoulder

Pinched Nerve Shoulder Pain

The neck is a complex place when it comes to nerves, and neck pain can stem from all manner of things, including a pinched nerve in the shoulder. Nerves can become trapped in the shoulder itself, due to the cramped conditions in an area called the brachial plexus. Read more

Brachial Plexus Injury in Babies



baby in hand

A traumatic birth can cause brachial plexus injury in babies and subsequent neck pain and mobility problems.

Brachial plexus injury may occur through trauma or accidents in adulthood but is also a possibility during the birth of your baby. The brachial plexus is a complex of nerves between the neck and shoulder with spinal nerves exiting and dividing, then rejoining and combining throughout the region. Read more

Stiff Neck from the Flu



Stiff Neck Flu

Fever, neck pain and stiffness can be signs of meningitis - or the flu.

When you have a cold or the flu you’ll often find that your whole body aches, sometimes it’s even the first symptom,
before the congestion, cough, or nausea begin. Why does this happen? Why does your neck become stiff and swollen and why does it hurt?

There are a number of reasons why you may end up with a stiff neck that ache during a cold or flu infection. Firstly, your lymph nodes, an important part of your immune system, are likely to become enlarged and your neck is one of the places in the body where there is an abundance of lymph tissue. This swelling can often be felt under your jaw-line and cause both jaw pain itself as well as more widespread neck pain. Read more

Exercises for bulging disc in neck

Warm up before beginning

A common cause of neck pain is the presence of a bulging intervertebral disc in the cervical spine. These discs are made up of a tough, fibrous, outer shell containing a gel-like substance inside that acts to absorb the shocks to the spine that occur on a daily basis. If the discs become damaged and weaken then the shell may not be able to contain the inner material as well as before, causing a bulge which may then lead to a herniation or rupture of the disc and the leaking of the gel from the disc into the surrounding area. Read more

How Stress Causes Neck Pain

Stress Neck Pain

Stress Causing Neck Pain

How Stress Causes Neck Pain

If you suffer from chronic neck pain, particularly alongside headaches, and with no apparent physical cause it may be that your stress level is to blame. Stress in daily life, from pressure at work, school, or home, can cause tension in the neck muscles, which leads to fatigue, cramping, stiffness in the neck, and neck pain. Read more

Preventing Neck Pain During the Holidays

neck pain at christmas

Is a pain-free Christmas all you wish for this year?

Preventing Neck Pain During the Holidays

Christmas and New Year can be very stressful times, with lots of things to do, social activities to attend to, shopping, visiting family, office parties, and many changes to your normal routine that can compromise your nutrition, exercise, and healthy regimes leading to increased risk of neck pain. Throw in the fact you have a chronic condition such as spinal stenosis, cervical arthritis, degenerative joint disease, or a bulging disc, and this all becomes even harder to manage without doing yourself some damage. Below are some top tips for neck pain relief during the holiday season. Read more

Living with Chronic Neck Pain

living with chronic neck pain

Find out your options for getting help when living with chronic neck pain.

Living with Chronic Neck Pain

Sadly, for many, neck pain is not just an acute incident lasting a day or two, but a chronic struggle which can have a serious impact on all aspects of daily life. For those living with chronic neck pain the battle to achieve an accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment plan can seem endless. For some, unfortunately, there are limited options to help with chronic neck pain, which can lead to depression, anxiety, other physical conditions, and adversely affect their career, relationships, and enjoyment of life.

Chronic Neck Pain and Family Life

Ensuring that family and friends fully understand the condition causing chronic neck pain is paramount in order to help the sufferer manage their levels of distress. Initiatives like Spinal Health Month are such an attempt to help those living with chronic neck pain and other spinal issues. By altering the household division of labor a spouse, or other family member, may significantly reduce the strain, and subsequent pain. This is especially true in conditions such as fibromyalgia which can be made substantially worse by fatigue and emotional stress.

Getting Help When Living with Chronic Pain

If family members are struggling to accept the reality of a newly diagnosed disease try taking them to medical appointments as this can help them to be more understanding. Similarly, as many patients tend to underestimate their pain and daily struggles with a chronic condition, having a family member sit in on a medical appointment may allow the physician to gain a clearer view of a patient’s limitations, thereby increasing the offers of assistance and support. Specific help with daily tasks may be available to some patients, such as with shopping, cleaning, and personal hygiene; patients should not be afraid to ask about their eligibility for these types of assistance.


Depression and Chronic Pain

If chronic pain is causing depression then it is important to address this problem as early as possible as depression itself can increase the experience of pain. Constructing a framework of accepted limitations and goals providing motivation for those with chronic pain can help the sufferer regain some independence and joie de vivre. Studies have found that those with chronic neck pain often limit their activities unnecessarily due to anxiety over perceived risks, with a series of psychological consultations allowing the patient to feel freer to enjoy life once more, whilst managing their chronic neck pain. A recent study has also found that mindfulness training can help improve quality of life in Rheumatoid Arthritis, a potential cause of neck pain.

Sometimes a patient will be taking pain medications, such as muscle relaxants, that are also antidepressants; however, the doses taken for analgesia are usually insufficient to help with depression itself. Patients should, therefore, not assume that these drugs are ineffective for their depression and, instead, discuss their options with their physician. It is also worth remembering that a common side-effect of pain medications is actually depression itself, so if symptoms develop after beginning a new form of treatment it is important to talk to the doctor; do not simply cease medication however, as withdrawal can make depression, and other side-effects, much worse. Working with the doctor to come off medications slowly will help to reduce withdrawal symptoms.

Chronic Neck Pain and Work

Chronic pain and the associated issues such as anxiety, disability, and depression can seriously affect a patient’s ability to continue working as before. Specific help with employment, accessed through a doctor, local employment agency, or the employer themselves, can be incredibly helpful in allowing both minor and major changes to be enacted, thereby maintaining a chronic neck pain sufferer’s independence and employability. These changes could be something as simple as an ergonomic assessment of their work set-up and a new office chair, desk, or keyboard to improve posture. Major changes may allow for a patient to undergo retraining in a less physically demanding job so as to remain a part of the workforce where a previous career, such as manual labor, becomes untenable. Patients who feel compelled to give up work as a result of their pain often develop depression and social anxiety due to the change in circumstances and lack of daily interaction, as well as the loss of their financial independence. If these issues are present then it is important to address them quickly and develop an action plan to reduce the likely impact of living with chronic neck pain.

Available Treatments and Help

If the pain is mild then a regime involving yoga, massage, acupressure or acupuncture may be enough to manage the condition, and some may find that an acupressure mat can help alleviate the pain considerably if used daily. Neck stretching exercises formulated with the help of a physical therapist may also be beneficial in reducing the severity and incidence of pain, and help patients stave off further degeneration.

Spinal surgery is not always recommended for chronic neck pain, and long-term medication use may be contraindicated due to possible side-effects making alternative remedies for neck pain an attractive option if the condition is persistent. Discussing available help and treatments with an experienced physician or pain-management specialist can highlight appropriate therapies to aid the patient and improve coping skills. Above all, it is important to remember that there are many others living with chronic neck pain and that support groups, online forums, and medical professionals are available to help.

Laser Therapy for Neck Pain

Laser Therapy for Neck Pain

Laser Therapy for Neck Pain

Low Level Laser Therapy for Neck Pain

Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) has been used for around thirty years to treat both acute and chronic pain. The mechanism behind the use of LLLT is assumed to be the transfer of energy from the near-infrared light wavelength to cells in the deep tissues of the body, such as spinal discs, and the musculoskeletal system. The strengths of the lasers used, and the duration of treatment vary between difference clinics, practitioners, manufacturers, and in research trials, making justification and assessment of the treatment inherently complex.

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