Cervical pain

Cervical pain refers to the discomfort that a person feels in any of the structures of the neck, such as muscles, nerves, vertebrae, joints, and intervertebral discs.

The patient may experience numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arm or hand when the pain is related to compression of the nerves. Additionally, they may experience pain in the arms, head, or back.

The pain may be due to injuries to the soft tissue, muscles, ligaments, discs, nerves, vertebrae and joints, and pain and difficulty moving the neck, headaches and dizziness are among the most common symptoms.

The diagnosis includes an analysis of the clinical history of the patient’s symptoms, a clinical examination of posture, cervical mobility and painful areas, and an evaluation of the function of nerves and muscles in the arms and legs.

It also includes plain radiographs, to observe the vertebrae, but a more detailed assessment demands the resource of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, electromyography.

Treatment does not include surgery. Instead, physiotherapeutic treatment is used to promote muscle relaxation and improve neck mobility, and local therapies that provide heat.

Other treatment options are showers with water at the highest pressure and temperature tolerated by the patient, the application of dry heat using an electric pad and, in addition to drugs, certain therapeutic practices such as proper posture and cervical traction.