How Do Neck Injuries Occur?

Neck injuries can involve mild neck pain or more severe pain from sprains and other soft tissue damage. For example, you may get a whiplash injury when you’re hit from behind while driving. The impact of the crash jerks your head backward and then forward, which damages the soft tissues in your neck.

You can also suffer a sports-related neck injury. The trauma from such hits can cause the neck muscles and surrounding tissues to get damaged. Sometimes, it can even affect your upper spine, causing cervical spinal cord injury. Other conditions that can arise from your injury include:

• Myelopathy or a compression injury in your cervical spine
• Radiculopathy or a compressed nerve in your neck
• A herniated disc in your neck
• A slipped, prolapsed or bulging disc
• Pars defect, also known as a stress fracture

To get the best care, you need an accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment. Consult an expert spine specialist like Dr. Branko Skovrlj from spine care center NU-Spine: The Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Institute in Edison, NJ. A renowned neurosurgeon specializing in spine injuries and diseases, Dr. Skovrlj gets you the treatment you need to get back to your active lifestyle.

Are All Neck Injuries Serious?

All neck injuries are serious if the impact from the trauma was strong enough. You may have sustained internal damage to your neck and shoulder area, even if it doesn’t cause you pain right away. It’s even possible for you to have damaged your lower back or mid-back from a neck injury.

Certain co-occurring conditions — such as cancer, meningitis, osteoporosis, spondylosis and other forms of arthritis — also put you at risk. If you feel back pain or lower back pain too, your neurosurgeon is your best bet to find the right diagnosis for your neck injury, which means he can deliver the most appropriate treatment. Some of the spinal conditions you may have at the time of your injury include:

• Cervical stenosis or lumbar stenosis
• Degenerative disc disease in your neck or lower back
• Degenerative joint disease in your cervical spine or in your lumbar spine
• Facet syndrome
• A lower back sprain