Cervical Pain
`Back breaking Work’ or `Cervical Pain’ are two phrases which are very commonly used in English and Hindi respectively. Forget about breaking, even slight pain in the back or neck can make your life hell. The phrase `Show some spine’ neatly sums up the importance of spine in making us different from all the other animals on this planet.
The rat race amongst the corporate executives which keeps them glued to their computers is giving rise to cases of cervical or neck pain. Slowly the pain starts radiating towards the shoulders and arms. For some people along with the neck pain the arms get numb and weak. Imagine a life where your arms are not capable of lifting your loved ones or hugging your friends. Hell would not be very different. So why reach this stage. So many people keep complaining that `they have cervical’. Come on, everybody has cervical but not everyone has cervical region pain which generally presents in the for of neck pain.
At the first signs of neck pain, you must consult a spine specialist to get the problem diagnosed correctly. Early treatment for any problem in the spinal region will be simple and cost effective. If you let the disease grow by ignoring it or tolerating the pain then the treatment would be more invasive and will cost you more money.
The spine is made of bones called vertebrae which are separated by a soft cushion called disc. Any problem with the vertebrae or the disc can impinge on the nerves and cause sharp tingling pain. If the pain in the neck region starts radiating to the shoulders and the arms then it is most likely a case of nerve compression by a bulge in the vertebrae or the disc. Sometimes due to a jerk while bending, the disc betweeen two vertebrae can pop out and start pressing the surrounding nerves. This also causes pain in the back. The spine is divided into three parts – Cervical (Neck region), Thoracic (Middle Back) and Lumbar (Lower Back).
Treatment Options
When you first land up in the OPD of spine specialist Dr Sudeep Jain, you would get a thorough physical examination by the doctor. Most of the cases of neck pain can be correctly diagnosed by clinical evaluation. Some cases would require investigations like X-Rays or MRI Scan. The MRI of Cervical Spine is the best investigation and gold standard for diagnosing all the problems in the neck region specially nerve compression and neck pain. There could be other problems in the cervical region like a tumour. All things become amply clear in an MRI Scan. Cervical region diseases including cervical or neck pain can also cause chronic intermittant headache.
Most of the cases of the neck pain in the early stage are treated conservatively through pain killers and anti-inflamatory medications combined with physiotherapy. Long term relief from cervical pain or neck pain can be achieved only through the strengthening of the para spinal muscles. What to talk about the couch potatoes, as even the gym goers tend to ignore the back muscles. Exercises for chest and abdominals should be matched by exercises for the back, set by set. Cycling and Swimming are also great for strong back muscles. Pickup that broom and start cleaning all the ceilings and fans in your house. This would be a great workout for the muscles which surround the Cervical Spine.
Most of the problems in the cervical region are caused either due to poor posture or due to osteoarthritis. Bones with low bone mineral density start getting deformed and cause indentation on the nerve roots which results in pain. Dr. Sudeep Jain performs cervical spine surgery through a tiny incision in the back to correct the deformity in the spinal bones or the discs. The advantages of such a surgery is that the hospital stay is reduced to just one day and the recovery is much faster. The patient is back to work within a week of the surgery. The surgical scar is so small that it is almost invisible post surgery when the person is topless.
Cost of Treatment
The cost of any treatment is quite less if the treatment is done at the early stage of the disease. So if you experience a sharp neck pain in cervical region or headache or pain radiating into the arms, immediately book an appointment with Dr. Sudeep Jain who is considered as one of the top spine specialist in India. The clinic is located at Naraina Vihar. The cost of consultation is Rs. 1500. Other costs associated with the treatment of Neck Pain could be in the form of diagnostic tests like X-Rays which would cost in the range of Rs. 600-900. If MRI of the Cervical Spine is required it would cost another Rs. 6000 – 7000. Normally no other tests are required for the diagnosis of the cause of cervical pain.
The cost associated with the treatment of cervical pain is mostly in the form of physiotherapy sessions. Most of the patients would typically require 6-8 sessions of physiotherapy to start on the path of recovery. The cost for 6-8 physio sessions would be Rs. 3000 – 4000 depending upon the modalities used for pain relief.
The cost of Endoscopic Cervical Spine surgery would be in the range of Rs. 1.5 – 2.0 lacs. If you have a corporate insurance then this surgery is covered from day one. However if you have an individual policy then most of the insurance companies would pay for the surgery if the policy is more than 2 years old.
Chronic neck or cervical pain can take the zing out of your life and therefore the cost of treatment is nothing when compared with the degradation in the quality of life which neck pain can cause. Do not let neck or cervical pain take control of your life. Do regular exercise to strengthen your neck and shoulder muscles and always have the spine to face the challenges of this world.
