Neck pain on the left side generally results from a minor cause, such as muscle strain due to awkward sleeping positions. In some cases, causes may be more serious, like cancer or rheumatoid arthritis. The neck area comprises cervical spinal cord, major blood vessels, muscles supplying throughout the body. It is mostly due to associated injuries, which enhance the risk of concussions in internal organs. Many individuals experience short term neck pain because of several everyday movements and activities. However, neck pain is also considered among the most common chronic pain disorders. But you should be consulted by a doctor on time.
What Causes Neck Pain on the Left Side?
Neck pain left side comprises of several moderate to severe reasons such as follows:
- Muscle Strain
If you spend excess of your time while leaning forward on a desk or computer, using a phone while holding it on your right ear and shoulder, and stressing out the connected neck muscles, it may end up on the left side of your neck.
Most stress on muscles can be successfully managed at home following techniques like rest, compression, ice, and elevation (RICE).
- Pinched Nerve
A pinched nerve also known as cervical radiculopathy may lead to pain when a neck nerve gets irritated or compressed due to out branches of the spinal cord. If this occurs on the left side, it causes numbness and discomfort around the left shoulder.
- Whiplash
Forceful thrusting movements in back and forth direction can result in painful head and neck concussions called whiplash. It may be an outcome of road accidents, sports like football injuries and rapid falls. Whiplash causes pain on either left side of the neck, muscle stiffness, and head pain that constrains your range of mobility.
- Cervical Radiculopathy
If you have irritation in nerve fibers towards the left side or compression it can lead to considerable cause. This situation is referred to as the pinched nerve occurring due to herniated disc, inflammation or bone spurs. Such discomfort can radiate towards the neck or upper extremities. You also observe numbness as a consequence of nerve compression.
- Fibromyalgia
The reason leading to fibromyalgia is unknown, and impacts every individual differently. It may develop pain in the neck or all over the body while difficult to be treated.
Diagnosing left-side Neck Pain
When you visit a doctor related to neck pain left side, they’ll ask to perform a physical examination. They’ll identify the range of motion along with locations of tenderness, numbness, inflammation, weakness, and particular areas leading to painful sensations.
The doctors ask about medical history and explain any other issues that may be observed.
Screening tests suggested by neck pain doctor in Dallas are as follows:
- X-rays
- Computerized tomography scans
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Treating Neck Pain on the Left Side
Mostly the treatment options vary according to severity of the pain along with associated diagnosis. Mild to severe neck pain is possible to manage these at-home options:
- A warm bath or hot shower
- Neck exercises to relieve the muscle tension
- A neck massage to support associated muscles
- Hot press or cold compresses
- Prescription free anti-inflammatory medications
- Gentle stretches to enhance neck flexibility.
- Following a good posture while standing, walking or sitting.
Your neck pain doctor in Dallas may suggest physical therapy according to the sources of your pain. The doctor can help you to adopt a better posture and activities through several movements to relieve the discomfort.
If your neck pain is not improving the doctor may recommend corticosteroid injectable to decrease the pain and swelling in the neck. If the pain happens from broken bones or complex compressed nerves, surgical procedures y may be the best option. Minor bone fractures get improved with the help of a neck collar.
Medical Treatment and Therapies for Neck and Shoulder Pain
Depending on possible reasons for your pain, different medical treatments may be applied. Among the general causes are:
- Injections: Corticosteroid injectables are recommended in some cases to decrease inflammation as a result of stenosis, disc hernia and thoracic syndrome.
- Physical therapy (PT): physical therapy can manage the pain from spinal stenosis, strains, hernia, whiplash concussions, and thoracic outlet disorders. Common PT treatments consist of massage, stretching, strengthening, and pain-relaxing modalities.
- Acupuncture: This techniques is available to improve the pain from stenosis in some individuals
However, over the counter medications and massage techniques may be applied in case of minor neck issues.
Summary
Many different issues can lead to neck and shoulder discomfort around the left area of the body. This pain may range from simple diagnoses such as neck strain to severe concerns such as heart attack. Noticing any corresponding indications can allow you to diagnose the reasons for your pain. Application of guidelines by pain management in Dallas can provide a wide range of management options, like physical therapy, pain relieving injectable, medical agents, and even surgery.