All about neck pain

Symptoms of neck pain

Cervical pain, also known as cervicalgia, manifests itself in different ways depending on its origin and severity. Among the most most frequent symptoms include:

  • Pain or stiffness in the back of the neck
  • Pain radiating to shoulders, back or arms
  • Associated cephaleas (headaches)
  • Dizziness or feeling of instability
  • Loss of strength or sensation in arms and hands
  • Difficulty moving the neck or holding it in certain positions

In some cases, neck pain can become chronic, significantly affecting the quality of life of those who suffer from it.

How does neck pain occur?

Neck pain can have multiple causes. The most common are:

  • Muscle tension due to bad posture, stress or overloading
  • Degeneration of cervical discs due to aging (cervical osteoarthritis)
  • Herniated discs in the cervical region
  • Trauma such as whiplash following an accident
  • Inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
  • Structural alterations congenital or acquired

Sedentary lifestyle, excessive use of screens and inadequate ergonomics also contribute to the increase in cases of neck pain in the population.

How neck pain is diagnosed

At MIVI Salud we perform a complete medical assessment to arrive at an accurate diagnosis of the origin of the cervical pain. This includes:

  • Detailed medical history
  • Musculoskeletal physical examination
  • Imaging tests such as X-rays, MRI, or CT scans
  • Electromyography (EMG) if nerve damage is suspected

An accurate diagnosis is key to apply the most appropriate and personalized treatment.

Types of neck pain

Cervicogenic Headache (Headache with cervical origin)

The cervicogenic headache is a pain that manifests itself in the cranial region whose source of origin is in the cervical region. It is overall one of the most common causes of head pain after migraine and tension headache. It manifests itself most frequently unilaterally, usually as a pain in the back of the head (occiput), on the sides of the head (temporal) and whose origin/source is in the degenerative or traumatic deterioration (due to an accident) of the joints that join the cervical vertebrae (facet joints) of the upper segments of the cervical region (from C1 to C3).Occasionally the pain is accompanied by nausea and photoaudiophobia (sensation of discomfort to noises and light).

For more information on cervicogenic headache click here.

Radicular Pain

The radicular painalso commonly called sciatica (when it affects the legs) can also manifest itself in the upper limbs (arms). This pain, as in the legs, when it manifests itself in the arms, it manifests itself as a tingling, numbness or electric sensation that affects different areas. This pain can cause significant discomfort in the sufferer and may also be accompanied by alterations in motor skills. Determining the origin of the problem and where it is located is essential in order to apply the most appropriate treatment.

For more information about radicular pain click here.

Myofascial myofascial syndrome of the cervical-dorsal region

The myofascial syndrome of the cervical-dorsal region is a picture of muscle pain sustained over time caused by persistent contracture of a muscle or muscle group. This is the most frequent cause of cervical and dorsal pain. This contracture is characterized by presenting as a tense, palpable band in the muscle (the contracture), which presents increased consistency and which when pressed produces pain in the area of the contracture or in the path of the muscle.

For more information on myofascial syndrome of the cervical-dorsal region click here.

Cervical Facet Syndrome

The facet joints are small joints that stabilize and reinforce the spine in all its segments. They perform fundamental functions for the cervical region since, together with the intervertebral disc, they stabilize and cushion the loads produced by movement, in addition to allowing rotation and flexion-extension movements of the neck. When a disc wears out, the distance between the vertebrae decreases in such a way that these joints contact each other, becoming inflamed and triggering pain. If the alteration is not corrected, the joints will continue to wear out, producing what is known as cervical facet syndrome. cervical facet syndrome.

For more information about Cervical Facet Syndrome click here.

How to treat neck pain

The treatment of this pathology will depend to a large extent on the patient’s condition, age and symptoms. Some of the possible treatments are outlined below:

  • Drugs for pain relief
  • Interventional treatments: when pain control is not sufficient with drugs, interventional treatments will be applied to alleviate pain. Treatments of great help such as:
    • Radiofrequency to deactivate pain-causing nerves
    • Advanced minimally invasive techniques
    • Image-guided infiltrations (facet blocks, radicular blocks, etc.)
  • Physiotherapy: we have a team of physiotherapists specialized in cervical pathology who apply advanced techniques with a functional and personalized approach. The most effective treatments include:
    • Manual therapyjoint mobilization, myofascial release and neuromuscular techniques to reduce stiffness and improve range of motion.
    • Dry needlingTreatment of myofascial trigger points responsible for radiating pain.
    • Electrotherapy and tecartherapytechnologies that accelerate recovery through deep tissue stimulation.
    • Therapeutic exercisespecific cervical strengthening, stabilization and motor control exercises adapted to each patient.
    • Global Postural Re-Education (GPR)Comprehensive treatment to correct muscular imbalances and prevent relapses.
    • Neuromuscular bandaging (kinesiotaping) to relieve muscle tension and improve circulation.

Cure your cervical pain at Mivi Salud

At MIVI Salud we have a team of pain specialists with extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of neck pain. We combine cutting-edge medical technology with a human and personalized approach to help you to regain your wellbeing and get back to living without pain..

Do you live with neck pain? We can help you.

Book your first medical assessment and start your path to improvement.

Here begins your life without pain

Our customers say

Muy contenta con la atención recibida. Son grandes profesionales y el trato es excelente. El personal de recepción es muy amable y siempre te hace sentir bienvenido. ¡Totalmente recomendable!
Inma Robles
2 days ago
Estoy altamente satisfecha con el trato recibido, revolución de mi problema al 100%. Amabilidad, profesionalidad y eficiencia .. qué mas se puede pedir. Muy recomendable. Muchas gracias por vuestra ayuda 😊
david R.W
6 days ago
Hola buenos día quería compartir mi experiencia después de dos semanas de hospitales con infiltraciones y hincharme a medicación para tumbar a un caballo menos mal que tomé la decisión de visitar ala unida del dolor 1 que todo felicitar Dr Jorge orduña Valls un profesional y con mucha paciencia me lo explicó todo muy bien y supo en todo momento donde estaba el problema y felicitar a todo su equipo médico y Camila y rocio que en todo momento me ayudaron a toda la gestión y se preocuparon por todo muchas gracias
Estem molt contents, personal molt agradable i molt eficients.
Araceli Nieto
7 days ago
Todo perfecto
Tombus Akdeniz
1 week ago
Javier Carmona
1 week ago
Esto si es una unidad del dolor con un gran médico al frente y un gran equipo atención diez y lo más importante escucha al paciente, empatía,amable, recomendable 100% seguimos
Vull agrair molt l’atenció rebuda al Centre MIVI i, especialment, al Dr. Francisco Duca, que m’ha tractat l’esquena. Em van fer una infiltració i una rizòlisi, i en tot moment em vaig sentir molt ben atesa, escoltada i acompanyada. Tant el doctor com tot l’equip han estat molt pendents de mi, amb un tracte proper, humà i molt amable, cosa que s’agraeix molt quan passes per un procés així. El Dr. Duca m’ha transmès confiança i professionalitat, explicant-me les coses amb claredat i cuidant tots els detalls. Recomano molt el Centre MIVI pel tracte rebut, per l’amabilitat de tot l’equip i per la qualitat de l’atenció.
Y T
2 weeks ago
Quiero expresar mi más sincero agradecimiento al equipo de la Unidad del Dolor MIVI Tenerife (Quirón). Son grandes profesionales y, sobre todo, personas cercanas, atentas y muy humanas. Después de dos años con un dolor insoportable y de recorrer muchísimos médicos sin encontrar una solución, llegué a ellos. Este doctor ha sido el primero que después de este tiempo de dolor ,realmente me escuchó y encontró el tratamiento que me devolvió la calidad de vida. Además, las enfermeras son increíbles. Siempre están pendientes de ti, te llaman para saber cómo te encuentras y gestionan las citas con una eficacia excepcional. Gracias de corazón por vuestra profesionalidad, cercanía y dedicación. Os recomendaré siempre. Yuraima Gutiérrez

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