When is Neck Pain Serious?

Your neck hurts. It’s been bothering for some time. One of the first questions or thoughts in your head “is my neck pain serious?”

So when should you be concerned about your neck pain? There are many things that can cause neck pain, some are serious, and some aren’t.  Here are 6 questions to ask yourself to determine whether or not your neck pain is serious.

6 Questions to Ask

1. Is your pain new? I’m not talking about stiffness that you wake up in the morning, but is it different and new something you’ve never experienced before?
2. Did your pain come on quickly and suddenly?
3. Is your pain worsening, progressing, has it been there for a long period of time without any periods of relief? An example of this might be pain that you experienced at night that prevents you from sleeping.
4. Is your pain associated with neck stiffness, particularly when you look down. Does it feel like something shoots down into your middle back?
5. Are there other symptoms associated with your neck pain? Things like fever, chills, unexplained weight loss – not due to dieting, sudden onset of dizziness or loss of balance, and other signs and symptoms such as numbness in the face, difficulty concentrating, slurred speech – seek medical attention immediately if you have any of these.
6. Did your neck pain occur from trauma – a fall from a ladder, a fall down the stairs, blunt trauma in a sports injury where you’ve had a blow to your neck?

While this is not a complete list, It will give you some indication If your neck pain is serious.

When Not to Worry

Two things not to worry about – whether you have right or left neck pain. The side of your pain does not indicate whether your pain is serious or not.

As well, if you turn your head or stretch your neck and you feel or hear a click, unless it is associated with pain, is not something to worry about.

How To Help Neck Pain at Home

One of the first things to try is temperature therapy to help loosen muscles or reduce inflammation. Click here to know whether heat or cold is best for you.

As well, daily neck stretches can help you with your neck pain. Watch this below for a simple daily neck stretching routine:

Finally, if your neck pain persists you should seek out a chiropractic evaluation.

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