Inflammatory disorders that can cause pain in the neck are
Ankylosing Spondylitis: It can cause back and neck pain. It affects the
spine and sacroiliac joints. It is three times more likely in men than in
women and occurs more commonly between the ages of 20 and 40. Although usually
it effects the low back first it can also effect other joints, tendons,
ligaments and the chest wall. Ankylosing spondylitis tends to run in families
suggesting that genetics plays a role in the development of this disease. A
person is about 10 times more likely to get ankylosing spondylitis if a first
degree relative also has this condition. Ankylosing spondylitis can cause the
joints of the vertebral bodies in the spine and the sacroiliac joints to fuse
together. Persons with ankylosing spondylitis can have difficulty in moving
their neck freely because the vertebral bodies in the cervical spine fuse in a
particular position. The symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis include a back
pain and stiffness over a period of weeks or months. The pain is worse at
night and morning stiffness is relived sometimes after a warm shower or light
exercise. The symptoms of anklyosing spondylitis last for a long time, the
disease is characterized by mild to moderate flare-ups followed by periods of
almost no symptoms. In some cases bone spurs on vertebral bodies and
degenerative changes press along the spine against nerves or the spinal cord
causing numbness, weakness, or pain to develop in the area supplied by those
nerves. In some cases patients are not able to look above the level of the
horizon as their neck has fused or they experience pain from having a hunched
over posture. Ankylosing spondylitis is diagnosed by taking x-rays of the
spine which show the changes along the length of spine where the vertebral
bodies have fused. This appearance on the X-ray is called as bamboo spine,
because of its resemblance to the pattern on a piece of bamboo. Fusions may
not always be seen on the X-ray, particularly early in the disease. Ankylosing
spondylitis can also be diagnosed by a blood test as 90% of people with this
disease have a particular marker present on their blood cells called HLA-B27.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: Is a type of arthritis that affects
about 200,000 children in the United States. JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid
Arthritis) causes pain, swelling and stiff joints in children most commonly
the large joints like the knee. JRA has three subsets: a monoarticular form in
which the disease affects only one joint; a polyarticular form in which means
it affects many joints, and a systemic form in which it affects other organs
in the body besides the joints. The systemic form is also associated with high
fever and rash. The polyarticular and systemic forms commonly affect the
cervical spine. The symptoms of JRA are due to inflammation of the joints
leading to painful, swollen, and stiff joints. later on joint contractures and
joint damage can occur which alters the normal growth of the joint. The
polyarticular and systemic forms of JRA most commonly affect the cervical
spine. Patients complain more of neck stiffness rather than pain. Neck pain is
rare in patients with monoarticular JRA. JRA is suspected when a child has a
sore and swollen joint. Examination of the fluid from the joint and blood
tests are helpful in the diagnosis of JRA as it is characterized by the
presence of particular markers in the blood and characteristic changes in the
fluid in the joint.
The treatment of JRA is to alleviate pain and swelling caused by the
inflammation which can be done by antiinflammatory medications and splinting
the joint or providing the patient with crutches so that a sore joint is not
used as much. JRA most commonly causes cervical spine stiffness leading to
spontaneous fusion of the facet joints. The ligaments between the vertebral
bodies in the cervical spine can be damaged by the inflammation leading to the
fact that the vertebral bodies slide away from their proper alignment. If the
damage is severe, pressure can lead to the spinal cord or nerve roots to cause
weakness, numbness, and pain in the area supplied by these nerves.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid Arthritis causes joints to ache,
throb and deform over a period of time. The upper cervical spine (neck region)
can be damaged by the inflammation. It is three times more common in women
than men and usually occurs between the ages of 20 and 50. Several joints
between the base of the skull and uppermost vertebral bodies in the cervical
spine are very susceptible to damage from rheumatoid arthritis. Symptoms of
rheumatoid arthritis are pain and swelling in the smaller joints of the hands
& feet, aching & stiffness, loss of motion, fatigue and low grade fever. Small
lumps which are also called as rheumatoid nodules also appear on the skin of
the elbow and on the feet and heels although they are usually not painful.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis for more than 10 years have a 60 percent
chance of having some kind of neck involvement. The upper cervical spine
joints between the base of the skull and the uppermost vertebral bodies become
unstable leading to three different deformities in the spine. The most common
cervical spine instability in rheumatoid arthritis is called alantoaxial
instability in which there is in an abnormal amount of motion between the
first and second vertebrae. The second most common abnormality in rheumatoid
arthritis is the superior migration of the odontoid which is due to the
erosion of the joints between the base of the skull and the first and second
vertebrae. In this the tip of the odontoid begins to stick up into the base of
skull which can create pressure on the brain stem leading to problems with
balance, coordination, and walking. The third spinal abnormality in rheumatoid
arthritis is a condition known as subaxial subluxations, which is the process
in which lower vertebrae in the cervical spine begin to slip forward, causing
the neck to develop a hunched over posture. The chances of having abnormal
changes in the spine in neck as a result of rheumatoid arthritis increases
over time. Patients may not notice that rheumatoid arthritis is affecting the
spinal cord because this disease also causes arthritis in the fingers, hands,
and hips at the same time as symptoms in these joints can mask the symptoms of
spinal cord compression from rheumatoid arthritis. Patients complain they have
difficulty in going up and down stairs, fastening buttons, or using the hands
for delicate tasks. Sometimes, these problems are actually caused by
rheumatoid arthritis of the cervical spine. In patients with rheumatoid
arthritis and who have difficulty in using their hands or are feeling unsteady
on their feet may have involvement of their neck.
How do you find out what is causing your Neck Pain? Doctor's diagnose the causes of
neck pain by taking a comprehensive medical history by asking you a series of detailed questions about the
neck pain, your general health, your family history, your health risks, and much more. Based on this they then order a series of tests to further investigate what the think might be the problem, known as their differential diagnosis.
You can store all your Personal Health Information securely online and
access your medical records 24 hours a day 7 days a week from anywhere in the
world using MyNetRecord.com
For sharing and discussing your health concerns with people
around the world use YourHealthForum.com
YourDiagnosis takes a very comprehensive medical history online using easy to understand questions which you can answer by just clicking on the relevant answers. Once completed it provides a comprehensive list of differential diagnoses as well as a detailed Personal Health Summary
which you can take to your physician. You can also use it to store your medical
history and symptoms history that can be used by your physician(s) at a later
date. This would help you as you will not miss providing important information
to the different doctors you visit.
