Treatment Options to Help You Obtain Instant Relief From Chronic Neck Pain

A herniated cervical disc may cause persistent pain and stiffness in your neck. If not attended to, this pain can worsen and affect your ability to move or turn your neck, which can be quite distressing. Fortunately, if you are struggling with cervical disc disease in Roswell, Apex Spine and Neurosurgery offers a wide range of treatment options that guarantee relief from chronic neck pain.

How can a cervical disc disease affect your quality of life?

Cervical disc disease has been proven to be one of the causes of chronic neck pain. This condition occurs as a result of continuous strain and stress exerted onto your neck for several years. This strain gradually affects your intervertebral discs. The discs are made up of a soft, jelly-like, cushioning material that’s encased in a protective shell. These discs are likely to disintegrate over time. These intervertebral discs’ main function is to shield your vertebrae from damage, aid you in turning and moving, and supporting your spine. As you age, the liquid content found in your discs tends to reduce, making them lose their flexibility and become drier. This disorder is known as degenerative disc disease and is common among people in the middle-aged population. The affected discs are prone to herniation, causing an abnormal protrusion of the discs’ central part.

What symptoms should you look for that detect cervical disc disease?

During the early stages of the condition, you may experience few symptoms, but you are likely to experience stiffness in your neck as the condition progresses. You may occasionally find it difficult to move your neck without pain. The situation worsens when your intervertebral discs start protruding, compressing the nerves located in your spinal canal. The compression of nerves in your neck is referred to as cervical radiculopathy and is responsible for most cervical disc disease symptoms. The most noticeable symptom is the radiating pain from your shoulders along your arm and occasionally down to your hand. You are also likely to experience numbness or a pricking sensation along your arm.

What are the available treatments for cervical disc disease?

At the beginning of your treatment, the highly skilled team at Apex Spine and Neurosurgery will give you anti-inflammatory drugs to minimize inflammation meant to ease your pain and reduce the other symptoms’ intensity. Along with the anti-inflammatory drugs, the team will also require you to undergo physical therapy. This treatment is effective for most patients, but some cases may require epidural steroid injections and nerve blocks to obtain relief. There are rare cases where surgery may be the only option. The team will remove the affected disc through a surgical procedure known as a discectomy. The team might either fuse the vertebrae connected by the damaged disc or conduct an artificial disc replacement.

Do not let that stiff neck negatively affect your days when there are effective treatments that exist. For more information on the treatments suitable for you, book an appointment online or via a call with your Apex Spine and Neurosurgery specialist.

Paul Petersen