Getting a neck pain diagnosis for acute or chronic pain can be a lengthy affair. Find out what to expect, courtesy of painneck.com

1. Neck Pain
Getting a Diagnosis

2. Chronic vs. Acute
● Neck pain that has lasted longer than six
months is classed as chronic.
● Acute neck pain may last just a minute or so
as a muscle cramp occurs, or up to six
months.

3. What Will Your Doctor Ask?
● When the symptoms started
● The severity of the pain and other symptoms
● Where in the neck the pain is
● Other symptoms, such as numbness/tingling
● What aggravates/relieves your symptoms
● The duration of the pain

4. Tests to Expect
You might encounter the following tests during
your neck pain diagnosis:
● X-Ray
● MRI or CT scan
● Bone Scan (particularly if osteoporosis is suspected)
● Myelogram
● Electromyography
● Nerve conduction velocity (NCV)

5. Where to Go Next
You have your diagnosis so what now?
● Remove neck pain triggers
● Medication for pain relief (NSAIDs etc.)
● Physical therapy
● Alternative neck pain treatments
● Epidural steroid injections
And, if these fail to reduce symptoms....

6. The Last Resort
Neck Surgery is the last resort in most cases of
neck pain as it poses higher risks than
conservative treatments such as NSAIDs.
Ask your doctor about your options to treat
both chronic and acute neck pain and find out
more at PainNeck.com