Any pain relating to the spinal cord ranks high in the list of illnesses humans fear. Sometimes you may not have a choice and but to look for ways of handling pains when a doctor tells you to start working on exercises for neck pain. And is you are lucky enough to live in Canada, you can always opt for physiotherapy Scarborough. Not all spinal related illnesses are severe if you already know where the pain is coming from.
Red Flags for Serious Causes of Neck Pain
Neck pains can be associated with many other ailments that include cancer, structural problem, infections, autoimmune diseases when one of the veins in swollen or even a spinal cord injury. The typical symptom in all these scenarios is the unmissable neck pain.
- Avoid unnecessary worry unless you feel, the neck pain satisfies any of the following red flags.
- The pain has been there for more than six weeks
- The pain is severe and does not show any sign of reducing and gets worse by the day
- A light tap on the spine triggers some pain
It is obvious not to wait to see a specialist or to monitor the pain as you look for the best exercises for neck pain; when something hits the spine or the neck, enough force to unsettle you.
The kind of work and societal pressure we find ourselves in can lead to other red flags such as:
- A severe headache that comes and disappears as fast sometimes mostly referred to as the thunderclap
- Pain caused by stressing situations that led to a tear in the artery, which may be a high risk of having a stroke.
- Abusing steroids or drugs all red flags and serious factors that can cause neck pain
- Check your family history for illnesses such as autoimmune disease especially if the pains become commonplace early in life.
What about the Sharp and Shooting Pain
Before you go to the nearest physiotherapist to recommend the best exercises for neck pain, note that sharp neck pain is not on the red flag list. Medical experts say that some of these sharp pains are normal if there is no other accompanying problem. They indicate a minor irritation in the spinal cord.
Neck pains associated with infections or the red flags will not be sharp but will put you down with continuous throbbing pain. The sharp pains are false alarms that your brain passes as information that it is doing its job protecting the spine.
What about a Stiff Neck
Most stiffness around the neck is caused by minor problems such as muscular pain, which leads to losing your comfort. The easiest way to regain comfort is to start exercises for neck pain. You should be worried if your neck stiffness has been for a long time, and it includes other symptoms as well.
Some neck pains can be unpleasant; therefore, the best approach is to identify the red flags and consult your physician. You never know it could a case of being unfit, and the only remedy is to engage in exercises for neck pain.