Slipped Neck (Straightening) Symptoms and Treatment

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Neck Flattening

Problems that usually originate from the spine and occur in the neck region do not look good aesthetically and may reduce the patient's quality of life. If these ailments are diagnosed during the developmental period, they will be much easier to treat. One of the most common ailments in the neck region is neck flattening. So what is neck straightening? What are the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment methods?

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What is Neck Flattening?

When the neck loses its curvature due to various reasons, this is called neck flattening. In a normal and healthy body, the spine, which extends from the neck to the region, bends at four different points. These folds, located in the neck, waist, back and coccyx region, create an appearance of the letter S. If the folds in question are less or more than normal, various disorders may occur in the spine. The straightening of the neck occurs with the reduction of these curves in the spine.

Causes of Neck Flattening

The lordotic fold in the neck region (cervical region) may occur in the opposite direction due to various health problems, which causes flattening. This condition, called cervical kyphosis, is usually due to diseases that develop in the bones, joints, muscles or ligaments. It is possible to list the factors that may cause the emergence of this situation as follows:

  • Abnormal posture (posture) from the developmental age of the body,
  • Abnormal development of neck vertebrae,
  • Congenital developmental disorders in the spine,
  • Osteoporosis (bone loss) that occurs with aging,
  • Injury of the discs between the vertebrae,
  • Doing jobs that force the neck muscles and ligaments excessively, external physical trauma situations or injuries,
  • Experiencing the cycle of construction and destruction of bones, also called Paget's disease, much faster than normal,
  • Bone tumors or cancers,
  • Muscular dystrophy disease that occurs as a result of deterioration in the structure and development of muscles.

Neck flattening may occur with all of these disorders, as well as exceptional cases where it develops due to other diseases. Among these reasons, the most common is posture disorder. We can list the situations that can cause posture disorder as follows:

  • Working or spending too much time at a desk
  • Carrying heavy backpacks for long periods of time,
  • Using a computer, tablet or mobile phone for a long time,
  • Working in non-ergonomic conditions.

It is of great importance that children in the developmental period are informed and warned about posture so that they do not face a problem such as flattening of the neck.


Symptoms of Neck Flattening

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Neck flattening manifests itself as a cosmetic defect. But this is certainly not the only symptom. Patients may also have serious symptoms that can reduce their quality of life. These symptoms, which are usually mild, may worsen over time. We can list the symptoms that may occur when neck flattening occurs as follows:

  • Weakness in neck muscles
  • Weakness,
  • Restricted neck movements
  • Neck pain,
  • Shortness of breath,
  • Difficulty in swallowing
  • Backache,
  • Headache,
  • Numbness, numbness or tingling in the hands, arms or legs
  • Difficulty looking ahead
  • Difficulty urinating or defecating,
  • The development of paralysis in a particular part of the body.

These symptoms can sometimes be mild, but sometimes they can be severe. Some patients may experience only one of these symptoms, or sometimes all of them.

Neck Flattening Diagnosis

In order to diagnose neck flattening, a physical examination must first be performed. In this process, various questions may be asked by the physician to learn the patient's story. After the physical examination, imaging techniques such as X-ray, MRI or CT can be used to conduct a more detailed examination. There is no definite measure for diagnosing neck curvature.

This situation may differ according to the anatomical structure of the individual. But in general, this diagnosis can be made in cases where the curvature of the neck is less than 20 degrees and more than 40 degrees.

Today, some newly developed devices can also be used for the diagnosis of neck straightening. For example, posture analyzers can be used for spine analysis or gait analyzers can be used to detect spinal problems related to walking. In addition, blood tests may be requested to detect underlying diseases in the patient. If neck flattening is diagnosed as a result of all these analyzes and tests, the necessary treatment methods are determined according to the course and condition of the disease.

Neck Flattening Treatment

In patients who have been diagnosed with neck flattening, physical therapy methods are primarily applied. These physical therapy methods are:

  • Placing orthopedic bands in the neck area,
  • Orthosis (neck brace) use,
  • Neck tractions, neck exercises and massages.

In this process, if patients have pain or problems that affect their daily lives, pain relievers, antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory drugs can be recommended to eliminate these symptoms. These drugs do not permanently eliminate the neck flattening problem, they only help relieve the symptoms. If no result can be achieved with the treatment methods in question, then surgical intervention, which is a permanent and definitive solution, is applied.

In the treatment of neck straightening, the surgical procedure can be performed from the anterior or posterior part of the neck, depending on the condition of the disease. During the procedure, some of the vertebrae may need to be removed, or the vertebrae may need to be fixed with materials such as plates or screws.

Surgical intervention is risky because it is close to blood vessels and nerves that can be life-threatening.

Therefore, performing it by an expert and experienced surgeon will increase the probability of successful outcome of the operation.

It is recommended that patients continue to use orthosis and physical therapy for a while after the surgery is completed.

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Comments

1 Comment to “ Slipped Neck (Straightening) Symptoms and Treatment”

  1. Braden Bills says :Reply
    3 June 2022 at 16:44

    My neck has been hurting a lot lately, and I’m not sure what to do about it. It makes sense that I would want to get a professional to help me out with this. That seems like a good way to ensure that I handle things properly.

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