Health

Most neck pain responds well to home care. If neck pain persists, your doctor may recommend other treatments.

Self-care for neck pain
Self-care measures you can try at home to relieve neck pain include:

• Over-the-counter pain relievers. Try over-the-counter pain relievers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), naproxen sodium (Aleve) and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).
• Alternate heat and cold. Reduce inflammation by applying cold, such as an ice pack or ice wrapped in a towel, for up to 20 minutes several times a day. Alternate the cold treatment with heat. Try taking a warm shower or using a heating pad on the low setting. Heat can help relax sore muscles, but it sometimes aggravates inflammation, so use it with caution.
• Rest. Lie down from time to time during the day to give your neck a rest from holding up your head. Avoid prolonged rest, since too much inactivity can cause increased stiffness in your neck muscles.
• Gentle stretching. Gently move your neck to one side and hold it for 30 seconds. Stretch your neck in as many directions as your pain allows. This may help alleviate some of the pain.
• Over-the-counter pain creams. Creams and gels made to relieve muscle and joint pain may provide some temporary relief from neck pain. Look for products with ingredients such as menthol and camphor.

Treatment for persistent neck pain
For pain that doesn't get better with simple home-care measures, your doctor may recommend one or more treatments, such as:

• Neck exercises and stretching. Your doctor may recommend that you work with a physical therapist to learn neck exercises and stretches. A physical therapist can guide you through these exercises and stretches, so that you can do them on your own at home. Exercises may improve pain by restoring muscle function and increasing the strength and endurance of your neck muscles.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Electrodes placed on your skin near the painful areas deliver tiny electrical impulses that may relieve pain.
• Injections of medication. Injections of medications into your neck may help relieve pain. Your doctor may inject corticosteroid medications near the nerve roots, near the small neck joints or into the muscles in your neck to help with pain. Numbing medications, such as lidocaine, also can be injected to numb your neck pain.
• Pain medications. Your doctor may prescribe stronger pain medicine than what you can get over-the-counter. Opioid analgesics are sometimes used briefly to treat acute neck pain. Muscle relaxants, tramadol (Ultram) or tricyclic antidepressant medications used for pain also may be prescribed.
• Traction. Traction uses weights and pulleys to gently stretch your neck and keep it immobilized. This therapy, under supervision of a medical professional and physical therapist, may provide relatively fast relief of some neck pain, especially pain related to nerve root irritation. Relief may last for hours or even days.
• Short-term immobilization. A soft collar that supports your neck may help relieve pain by taking pressure off the structures in your neck.
• Surgery. Surgery is rarely needed for neck pain. However, it may be an option for relieving nerve root or spinal cord compression.

2008-02-16

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