Neck pain (cervical pain) represents the second most common painful spine condition after low-back pain. The cervical spine is a highly mobile dynamic structure of the body; it supports the head and is the sole region of the spine that has a freedom of movement in multiple directions. This, however, makes it susceptible to pain and injury.

Predisposing or risk factors include: sleeping with the neck at an awkward position, pillow support and comfort; falling or sudden impact to the neck such as sports injuries or road traffic accidents: repetitive movements such as turning the head side to side during an activity, such as swimming; slouching with poor posture while viewing the computer monitor or looking downward at a mobile phone for prolonged periods (sometimes referred to as “text neck”); holding the neck in an abnormal position for a long period, such as cradling a phone between the neck and shoulder; excessive stress or anxiety, which can lead to tension in the neck.

A stiff, spastic or strained neck is typically characterized by soreness and difficulty moving the neck, especially on trying to turn the head sideways. It is often accompanied by occipital headache, interscapular pain, upper chest pain, and may radiate to involve shoulders and arms. The pain can vary in intensity, ranging anywhere from an annoying discomfort to extremely painful, sharp, and limiting. The amount of reduction in neck motion and the pain can affect the individual’s routine daily activities like driving, reading and sleeping.

Causes of neck pain are variable, like lower back pain, successful treatment depends on precise diagnosis of each case’s unique “pain generator”. Any healthy person can have few episodes of neck pain throughout his/her life span due to the array of predisposing or risk factors. In most cases, pain and stiffness go away naturally within a week. If the pain becomes nagging or interferes with your normal, lifestyle or daily activities, you will need to consult.

At ECC we focus on endoscopic and innovative minimally-invasive treatment options for chronic neck pain so that our patients can regain their healthy, pain-free lives as quickly as possible. The goal is to alleviate the pain especially for patients that may have failed other traditional treatment modalities and have not experienced relief from more conservative at-home treatments, physiotherapy or simple bed rest.