Your neck doesn’t just house your windpipe and food tube (trachea and esophagus), it also keeps your head up and mobile through the upper section of the spinal column and the four major muscle groups that support head and neck movement.
Neck pain is a common complaint that people struggle with for many reasons, and can be a symptom of other issues. But what does it mean if you’re only dealing with pain on either the left or right side of your neck? Is it because of things you do around the house, or are you suffering due to work-related activities?
Regardless of why you’re dealing with the pain, if you live in the Sugar Land, Texas, area, Dr. Irfan Lalani and our team at Irfan Lalani, MD, PA, can help you find relief.
Also known as cervicalgia, neck pain can last for a few days or years, depending on the cause. The pain can appear with stabbing or burning sensations, stiffness that can also affect your upper back and shoulders, limited mobility, numbness, and tingling.
Common factors that contribute to neck pain include:
When you experience neck pain that persists beyond a few days or doesn’t respond to basic at-home care measures, it’s time to make an appointment with Dr. Lalani.
Many of the issues listed above can lead to pain in specific parts of the neck, but here’s how your job can lead to or worsen neck pain:
This is a problem that affects your entire spinal column, and slouching or other forms of bad posture can cause pain in the neck, shoulders, and down the spine. If you’re working at a place where you tend to hold your head or back in a fixed position for long periods of time, it can impact pain in your neck on one or both sides.
When we stress, we tend to tighten our muscles without realizing we’re doing it, which can also cause this neck pain. And for many people, work is a significant source of stress.
Aging is a common reason for this, but certainly not the only one. Inflammation of the nerves in your neck, pinched nerves, cervical fractures, and disc degeneration can cause neck pain that radiates to one side. A physical job that stresses your shoulders and neck could lead to this type of “repetitive stress” issue.
To manage neck pain and promote lasting relief, we may recommend:
Pain can affect any part of your neck, and if you think your job may be contributing to the problem, we can help. For a neck pain evaluation that can put you on the road to long-lasting relief, schedule a visit at Irfan Lalani MD, PA, in Sugar Land, Texas, today.
