Though not as common as low back pain, neck pain is a great source of disability among individuals worldwide. Some may have even experienced more neck pain as the Covid-19 pandemic progressed, and many were forced to work from home. Neck pain can often begin gradually and, for some, linger for prolonged periods. In other cases, cervical pain can come on more abruptly as a result of a traumatic injury. Depending on the nature of a person’s symptoms, the process for diagnosing and treating cervical pain can differ. Just like with low back pain, it is important to get imaging when necessary but just as important not to over-utilize these tools.
How Do I Know If I Need Imaging?
Below is a list of signs and symptoms that may warrant imaging of your neck. **Note that if you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed in red below, please do not wait to seek out medical treatment. These are considered a medical emergency, and evaluation/treatment is warranted right-away.
- Involvement in a traumatic event causing injury to the neck
- In these instances, it is important to seek out medical care to determine if imaging is needed to rule out serious pathology. There are protocols in place such as the Canadian C Spine Rules to help providers with making this decision.
- Loss of function in the upper or lower extremities (i.e. significant decrease in strength)
- Changes to bowel or bladder function
- Decreased or altered balance/gait
- Unrelenting pain that is non mechanical.
- In other words, no specific movement or position changes symptoms for better or for worse. Regardless of what you do or how you move, the pain intensity remains the same.
- Continued symptoms after completion of conservative treatment such as physical therapy without improvement
- We really do mean after conservative treatment, not just the length of time someone has symptoms.
Though neck pain, especially when associated with trauma, can be scary, if there are no neurological deficits, risk of instability, or fracture, imaging may not often change the course of treatment for an individual, thereby rendering it unnecessary. As with low back pain, pictures of the neck are just one piece of the puzzle when diagnosing and treating people with cervical spine disorders. It is always important to consider the mechanism of injury, current symptoms, and overall functional level when deciding which methods to use for diagnosing and treating an individual with neck pain. In many cases, even those with numbness or tingling down the arm can benefit from conservative management and may not need imaging.
How Can Physical Therapy Help?
Our team of talented Doctors of Physical Therapy can perform a thorough evaluation to determine if there are any red flags or things that may warrant a trip to your physician. If no red flags are detected, it is safe to proceed with physical therapy. Your therapist will then customize a program that may consist of manual therapy, dry needling, myofascial decompression, and exercise, among other interventions, to help alleviate the symptoms you are experiencing. With neck pain, in particular, your physical therapist may review ergonomics associated with your desk setup or machinery setup for occupational activities. They may make suggestions to improve ergonomics and thus work towards decreasing symptoms.
In many cases, the combination of treatments listed above will get you back to doing what you love! Injuries recover faster the sooner they are treated, so if you have neck pain, don’t delay. Come see us today!
