Neck pain is very crucial as it prevents us from working and staying active in our everyday life. There are many treatment options for relieving the neck pain but none of them proves effective for long term basis. Due to the advancement of lasers, it is concluded that low-level laser therapy works effectively to treat chronic neck pain. So before we dive in to discuss the types of neck pain let’s see what is exactly neck pain?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRJFrNDnPaA

Neck pain is defined as a type of musculoskeletal condition which affects 50%-60% of the population worldwide. Neck pain is a type of dull, aching pain that results in difficulty in motion, swallowing, results in numbness, tenderness, tingling, lightheadedness or dizziness and swelling of lymph nodes. Neck pain is also known as cervical pain. The symptoms of neck pain might also appear as shoulder pain, facial pain, headache or others.

TYPES OF NECK PAIN:

The different forms of neck pain include:

1. Muscle spasm- it appears as a tightening, powerful spasm of the neck muscles. You feel tight or hurt with difficulty in turning the head. You feel stiff neck with painful sensation as soon as you wake up. A muscle spasm occurs due to muscle injury or issues within the spinal disc or surrounding nerves. Muscle spasm can also occur due to emotional stress or even occur without any identifiable cause.
2. Muscle pain- pain in shoulder muscles or sore neck might occur due to physical overexertion or stress. Hard knots develop in the neck over time which is painful on palpation.
3. Facet joint pain- it is a sharp, aching or deep pain within the facet joints which is a part of the vertebrae within the neck. It gets worse when you lean the head over the affected site. The pain can also radiate over the back or shoulders.
4. Headaches can also result in neck pain because it results in pain over the back of the head or upper part of the neck. The pain occurs due to muscle spasm or tension. It is either aching, sharp or dull with tenderness or stiffness.
5. Nerve pain- pinching or irritation of the spinal nerves can result in neck pain. This type of pain is severe, sharp and feels like pins and needles.
6. Bone pain- tenderness or pain of the cervical vertebrae can also result in neck pain. Bone pain associated with neck pain is usually a sign of medical problem health problem which should be immediately treated.
7. Referred pain- this type of pain occurs when there is pain on one side of the body and is referred to the neck. For example, pain occurs in the heart and is felt over the neck. The neck pain can also occur due to the problem in esophagus and others.

CAUSES:

There are many different causes of neck pain which include the following:

Medical conditions which result in neck pain include neck strain, degenerative disc disease, cervical spondylitis, osteoarthritis, poor posture or spinal stenosis. Neck injuries which can cause neck pain include cervical radiculopathy, herniated disc, and whiplash.

Infectious diseases that can cause neck pain include viral infections, tuberculosis, spinal infections such as septic discitis and osteomyelitis or meningitis. Neck pain also occurs due to the involvement of muscles such as polymyalgia rheumatic and fibromyalgia.

Other risk factors that can lead to neck pain include contact sports, horse riding, motor vehicle collisions, and others. Sleeping in an uncomfortable posture can also result in neck pain.

RESEARCH:

Dr. Robert Chow from Brain and Mind Research Institute when present at a University in Australia. He surveyed 16 controlled trials which comprised of 820 people. The two trials were conducted for evaluating the neck pain. A 100-point scale was used to check the pain threshold and treatment results. The patients who received low laser therapy with the focused beam of radiation in visual to the infrared portion of the spectrum over the neck area. 70% of the patients felt reduced pain when compared to the group who received placebo treatment with normal light. Five trials who had chronic neck pain were treated with laser pain therapy. It was found that the pain reduced four times when compared to the people who took placebo treatment. Follow-up trials were performed for 22 weeks and it showed that the pain was relieved after the laser therapy. Low-level laser therapy offers anti-inflammatory effects with tissue repairing property that aids in relieving pain. LLLT is a painless and non-invasive procedure which helps in treating chronic neck pain with minor side effects.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQwmf7p_j0s

HOW BioFlex IS TREATING NECK PAIN?

There are many different modes of treatment for reducing neck pain like medications, surgery, physical therapy, home remedies, and lasers. Out of which lasers are considered the best mode of treatment for reducing the neck pain. Bio flex laser therapy offers a significant effect over the neck pain and aids in reducing the sensation of pain. The photo acceptors are present within the body that absorbs the light emitted from lasers which are placed in direct contact over the neck skin. The absorption of light stimulates the release of intracellular energy with the help of oxidative phosphorylation in the form of electron transport complex.

Musculoskeletal conditions like neck pain can be easily treated with lasers so it is definitely recommended due to lesser side effects.