Neck pain

Typically, it begins with burning or dull pain radiating from the neck to the shoulders, upper limbs and fingers. The pain may become heavier during the night. It may cause dystonia (holding the neck in an unnatural position). The causes include cervical disc herniation (rupture in the spine in the neck), spondylarthrosis (wear-and-tear of the small spinal joints), headache, circulatory failure, cervical rib (neck rib), past trauma, or tumor. There are several treatment options, but it is essential to identify the cause.

Disc herniation

Disc herniation may develop at any part of the spinal column, but it most commonly affects the border between two regions. The segments of the vertebral column are made up of two adjacent vertebral bodies and the intervertebral disc between them. The intervertebral disc has a tough, fibrous outer layer and a gel-like center. If the intervertebral disc is flattened, its outer layer bulges and exerts pressure on the spinal cord behind it or on the spinal nerve at the point where it exits. Patients frequently complain of burning, gnawing pain radiating to the extremities. An MRI scan or sometimes a CT scan should be performed to establish the diagnosis. Depending on the result of the imaging study, conservative therapy or, in advanced cases, surgical treatment is recommended.

Scoliosis

Scolioses can appear as one-plane (two-dimensional) or in multiplane (three-dimensional) deformities. One-plane deformities refer to the decrease or increase in the anatomical curvatures. Multiplane deformities have a more complex nature. Besides the increase or decrease in the anatomical curvatures, rotational deformity may also be present in scoliosis. The most frequent cause is weak musculature of the back; thus, it can be properly corrected by appropriate physical exercises. Structural abnormalities may be helped by wearing scoliosis braces, or a surgical intervention to improve posture is recommended.

Lower back pain

Lower back pain can be localized or it may radiate to other parts of the body. The causes of lower back pain can be wearing and tearing of the small joints of the vertebrae, muscle related pain, vertebral compression fracture, disc herniation, discomfort or stabbing pain originating in abdominal processes, or inflammation. It is essential to clarify the cause of the pain, and then to treat it accordingly.