Neck and Shoulder Pain
Neck and shoulder pain is mostly associated with everyday life stress resulting in the malfacial trapezius muscles around the cervical spine. Other causes could be cervical disherniation, degenerative disk disease, and cervical and upper thoracic facet arthritis.
Symptoms of Neck and Shoulder Pain
Most of the patients experience spasmodic tightness around the neck muscles. Patient may have a limited range of movement in the cervical spine. Some patients have a hard time driving because they cannot look right or left over their shoulders.
The cervical disk herniation will result in painful malfacial spasms accompanied by numbness and tingling, and shooting pain in the upper extremities. The referred pain from disk herniation may radiate under the shoulder blades.
Neck and Shoulder Pain: Diagnosis
Neck and shoulder pain is diagnosed by evaluating a patient’s history, physical examination, and x-ray tests and MRI scan maybe needed in selected patients with cervical disk herniation.
Neck and Shoulder Pain Treatment
Conservative treatment for neck and shoulder pain includes local heat, traction, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, local malfacial trigger point injections, or cervical facet joint injections.
If the patient is diagnosed with disk herniation that does not respond to conservative treatment, patient may require cervical epidural steroid injections.