Will Chronic Neck Pain Resolve on Its Own?

There’s no healer as extraordinary and versatile as your own body, though there are limits to the repairs it can accomplish without assistance. Chronic pain is sometimes persistent or attached to degenerative conditions, so it won’t always resolve on its own. 

Treating chronic neck pain is just one of our areas of focus at Westside Pain Specialists. When your neck pain lasts longer than three months without signs of improvement, consider visiting Dr. James Nassiri and his team to seek a lasting solution. 

Causes of chronic neck pain

Neck pain is a common and frequent condition suffered by many. Usually, it’s a short-term, temporary issue caused by overuse, poor posture, or damage to the soft tissues that support your head. 

When you endure constant or recurring neck pain longer than about three months, pain that gets worse or shows no sign of improvement, it qualifies as a chronic pain episode. Common causes of chronic neck pain include: 

• Arthritis: most commonly osteoarthritis, but other forms of the disease can affect the neck too
• Chronic neck inflammation: while muscle strain is usually acute, it can sometimes last for long periods, particularly because of reinjury before you reach full recovery
• Herniated disc: the cushioning discs between bones of the cervical spine can sometimes rupture, compressing nerve roots

Many factors can contribute to these conditions, including poor workplace ergonomics, frequent viewing of smartphones and other digital devices, or physically demanding exercise, hobbies, or occupations. 

Will chronic neck pain resolve on its own?

Usually, when your body successfully repairs injuries, you’ll feel progressively better, though the time frame varies widely depending on the type of injury and various other factors surrounding your life. 

Chronic pain that shows no sign of improvement typically needs some sort of intervention. At the most basic level, this may mean rest and avoiding the activities that cause or aggravate symptoms. 

Some causes of neck pain could be beyond the scope of natural healing. Medical intervention may be necessary. Techniques such as corticosteroid injections reduce persistent inflammation and, in extreme cases, surgery may be necessary to fix damaged tissue, though this is usually a last-resort approach. 

In the case of chronic pain caused by degenerative conditions like osteoarthritis, a multifaceted approach that includes pain management and lifestyle change is often effective at reducing the intensity of chronic neck pain while minimizing your dependency on pain-killing medications. 

Contact us at Westside Pain Specialists to schedule a consultation. We’ll evaluate your current condition and help you develop an effective treatment plan to limit the impact of pain on your daily life. Call our nearest office today to book your appointment.