Sore Stiff Neck Symptoms And Treatment

By Patricia | June 2, 2009
Sore Stiff Neck Treatment

The reason for the sore neck that you have mentioned sounds more like a whiplash injury. A whiplash injury is basically an injury caused to the neck or cervical vertebrae. This is caused due to sudden jerks that the body receives during acceleration or deceleration movements while playing, working or traveling.

A sore or stiff neck caused due to a neck injury, needs the careful examination and evaluation of a health professional. Consulting a doctor can result in faster treatment and healing, rather resorting to speculative therapy involving basic home remedies. Do not use any kinds of heat or cold applications at or around the area, unless you have determined the cause for the pain. It is important to rule out any secondary injuries to other parts of the neck or even the spinal cord. Your doctor may recommend a neck brace to prevent further straining of muscles and for stabilizing the upper body against temperature changes. Patients with neck injuries may notice that the neck muscles start to weaken as their movements start to get restricted.

Your goal at this point in time should be to lessen as much inflammation in the neck and surrounding regions, and to prevent scar tissue from forming while avoiding the occurrence of chronic neck pain due to the injury. The pain and discomfort that you feel could also mean that the connective tissues, sinews, gristles or discs in the area may have experienced some form of trauma. These thick fibrous tissues have a slower rate of healing than the bones and muscles and depending upon the extent of damage, the injury could take 7-9 weeks to be fully functional once again.

Apart from a speculation that you may have muscle or ligament injury, it is also possible that the spinal cord may have experienced trauma or spinal shock. There are various stages of spinal shock. In the first two to three weeks of the injury, patients experience loss of stimulation and motor power right below the area of injury. After a period of time, the nerves tend to partially recover from the loss in sensation, but shortly afterwards the recovered reflexes give way again – and this time completely -- due to degradation of the nerve cells.

Please do not attempt home remedies or natural therapy to resolve the symptoms of pain and discomfort. It may lead to further problems, especially if the neck injury has not been investigated. Although certain home therapeutic measures may provide you temporary relief from the problem, the masking of the symptoms will only exacerbate the already delayed situation. The upper neck region is a delicate area and houses the spinal cord while balancing the brain; it would be prudent not to neglect injuries caused in this area, but get them treated as soon as possible.

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