Ways to manage neck pain
Being in an uncomfortable position for a long time and poor posture can cause neck pain. Neck pain may also occur with diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia, among others.
It may also result from a neck injury, and stress that causes muscle tension may worsen neck pain said Dr. Samir Yacout, a specialist in neurosurgery and spine, Saudi German Hospital, Dubai.
He said the symptoms include: “Problems looking from side to side, driving and reading. Sometimes, pain may prevent sleeping. Neck pain can cause headaches. Neck pain that lasts for months may affect a person’s ability to work.”
Yacout, who is also the Head of Neurosurgery and Spine Center, said diagnosis could be made from a medical history and physical examination. X-rays may also be done. The health care provider may order blood tests to see whether neck pain is due to diseases with similar symptoms.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be done if the health care provider needs a clearer picture of bones, nerves, discs, and other soft tissues. Sometimes, electromyography (EMG), which helps find muscle and nerve problems, may be done if the neck problem may be causing numbness or tingling in the arms because of pressure on nerves.
He said: “Treatment depends on the cause of the pain. If an injury is the cause, the health care provider may suggest using ice on the area. Nonsteroidalanti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help reduce the pain. For especially severe pain, stronger narcotic medicines may be needed for a short time. Muscle spasms may be helped with a muscle relaxant. Physical therapy may reduce pain with deep heat treatments, traction, and exercise.
The expert said a 34-yearold Nigerian woman, who suffered a neck fracture during her vacation in Dubai, was first admitted at another hospital where doctors advised massage and warm compresses and no more physiotherapy sessions, which did not work.
“Then the patient came to our hospital for a second medical opinion. She immediately had X-rays showing a fracture in the second cervical vertebrae which constitutes a danger to the spinal cord where any movement can lead to injury and thus the possibility of quadriplegia,” he said.
He pointed out that during the operation, which lasted about two hours, the head was pulled and the neck was extended as far as possible, which was considered a challenge for the anesthesiologist, and a small incision was done in the right front of the neck to reach the broken cervical vertebra and fix it with a special nail.
Dr. Reem Osman, the hospital’s chief executive director, said that type of fracture is uncommon and that many surgeons had been avoiding it but with new technologies, the experts were able to address it in the hospital.