The Most Common Treatments for Neck Pain

There’s a reason the common expression “a pain in the neck” became so popular. Nearly everyone is familiar with actual neck pain, so they understand that when something is metaphorically a pain in the neck, it can range from a nuisance to a life-altering chronic problem.

If you have neck pain, you may have been encouraged to try one of the most common treatments for neck pain listed below. However, most of these aren’t usually effective for chronic pain without exposing you to dangerous side effects or risks. Fortunately, there are innovative alternatives for treating ongoing neck pain, so you have lots of options should you like to rid yourself of your physical pain in the neck.

If your neck pain comes from a one-time accident or from overdoing it occasionally, rest can bring things back to normal. But for many people, sitting or lying down all day isn’t feasible, as they must work or take care of family.

Your doctor may recommend immobilization with a soft collar. Unlike true immobilization performed by EMTs after an accident that necessitates hospital transport, a soft collar doesn’t really immobilize your neck. It does provide biofeedback, though, reminding you to move carefully and limit your range of motion while you heal.

Heat can provide relief for stiff muscles, and ice is helpful in reducing swelling. You may be instructed to use one or both to relieve neck pain. If you don’t have an electric heating pad, a hot shower or hot water bottle can offer warmth.

Does your chronic neck pain come from stress and tension? In that case, a massage may be helpful. But unless you address the source of your stress, you will have to pay for regular massage sessions for continued pain relief.

Sometimes neck pain can be diminished or eliminated by going to a chiropractor. Spinal adjustments, as well as electric stimulation and motorized massage devices used there, can be very effective. However, you must make sure that your chiropractor is well trained and experienced and that they don’t cause more harm to the area, which is possible.

The ancient Chinese healing technique of acupuncture can be fantastic for neck pain, using tiny needles inserted along specific lines on the body (meridians) to stop discomfort. Like massage, though, you have to make frequent regular appointments if you have chronic neck pain, which may or may not be covered by insurance.

Physical therapy can assist with improving strength and range of motion. It can also teach you proper ways to perform certain movements so you don’t hurt your neck in the future. You may be given exercises to do for a few weeks or lifetime stretches, depending on the cause of your neck pain.

There are many positions or types of movement that can result in neck pain, such as:

• Having your computer at the wrong height or your chair at the wrong angle
• Sitting in a chair or truck seat that doesn’t provide adequate support
• Repeatedly reaching for a computer mouse, keyboard, or piece of factory equipment that is too far away or at an awkward angle
• Hunching over a laptop or mobile phone for hours
• Holding a landline phone between your ear and shoulder
• Playing the violin or viola
• Picking up a toddler, groceries, or landscaping supplies multiple times per day
• Swinging a golf club or tennis racket incorrectly
• Playing one-sided sports like baseball, hockey, or fencing
• Practicing certain sports skills over and over again, like a swimming stroke or gymnastics tumbling pass
• Participating in high-impact sports like football or rugby
• Sleeping without sufficient neck support or falling asleep on the sofa in a cramped position

Changing these causes of neck pain can eventually eliminate it, as well as associated problems like carpal tunnel syndrome and elbow pain. Sometimes a physical therapist can help. Other times, you may need the input of an occupational therapist or coach to teach you better form or demonstrate a more neutral neck position. You may need to invest in a better office chair or pillow for your bed too.

Steroid shots can quell neck pain for weeks at a time, but they come with a price. You can have pain or infection at the injection site, and long-term, they aren’t recommended as a safe solution any longer.

For short-term or emergency use, nonprescription medications, like naproxen or ibuprofen (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs), are quite commonly used for neck pain. But even when used just once or twice, they carry the risk of increased blood pressure and greater likelihood of a cardiovascular event. Just because they’re readily available at the drugstore doesn’t necessarily make these drugs safe.

Prescription drugs can be even more harmful. Most come with an array of side effects, including sedation that makes them impossible to use if you need to work, drive, or take care of young kids. Opioid painkillers also can become addictive, hence doctors’ reluctance to prescribe them now.

Surgical intervention may be recommended as a last resort for chronic neck pain. However, this is one of the riskiest treatments and doesn’t guarantee relief. Surgery has many hazards, including:

• Reactions to anesthesia
• Nerve damage
• Incision site infection
• Scarring
• Post-operative complications, like pulmonary embolism