Constant wear and tear on the bones in your neck creates the perfect storm for arthritis. While it’s a common condition for elderly Americans after years of abusing their neck muscles and bone structure, anyone can wear out the cushions that keep neck bones from rubbing against each other. The repetitive motions you engage in during early adulthood can increase your risks of developing arthritis in the neck earlier rather than later. Learn about the early warning signs of arthritis and begin early intervention to relieve neck pain. Call Redefine Healthcare, your New Jersey pain management center, for a consultation.
I have been under the care Dr. Eric Freeman for nearly 20 years. A consumate professional, a kind caring doctor that listens with a wonderful bedside manner. Most of all an absolute genius at administering pain management treatments.
Throughout your life, your neck works hard to carry your head around. The weight it’s carrying can be compared to a ten-pound bowling ball. You may put additional strain on your neck by hunching over your computer or cell phone for hours at a time. The discs and joints in your neck area called the cervical spine, slowly degenerate as you age. This condition is called cervical spondylosis or arthritis of the neck. You don’t have to be a senior to suffer from this condition either, although it’s more common in people over 60.
Neck arthritis is a widespread condition that can begin as early as age 40. Early intervention and treatment for arthritis in the neck are critical to slow progression and prevent further damage to your discs.
If you’re experiencing pain or stiffness in your neck that isn’t improving, the specialists at Redefine Healthcare can help improve your condition. An accurate diagnosis tells you if you’re developing arthritis or some other debilitating neck disorder causing your neck pain.
You may not have any neck arthritis symptoms when it first begins, or you may experience stiffness and mild to severe pain in your neck from the start of the condition.
Other symptoms you may experience include:
You may find that the pain worsens if you look up or down for extended periods. You can aggravate the discomfort by holding your neck in the same position for a long time. You may do this unconsciously when reading a book, for example, or pouring over your cellphone.
Degenerative changes occur in your spine as you age. Normal wear and tear occurs naturally throughout your life, even if you’re careful to exercise and eat right. Vertebral discs lose water content and height, which causes them to weaken.
Weakened discs allow your facet joints to nudge closer together. Facet joints in the neck are the joints that allow you to turn and move your head and neck freely. When cartilage breaks down in the facet joints, you experience stiffness and reduced range of motion in your neck.
If the cartilage wears off completely, bone rubs on bone. You may end up growing new bone known as bone spurs in the facet joints. Bone spurs create a narrowing of the space that nerve roots pass through, a condition that eventually becomes painful.
The most common risk factor for developing this condition is the aging process.
Other risk factors include:
Any type of repetitive movement involving your neck — or sudden jolts to your neck — can increase your risk of developing arthritis in your neck. An example is a job that involves overhead work or sports such as football and snow skiing.
To diagnose neck arthritis, your New Jersey doctor checks your reflexes, muscle strength, and the range of motion in your neck. You may need an imaging test, such as an x-ray, MRI, CT scan, or myelography. Your specialists in pain care may also order nerve function tests to see if your nerves are sending signals to muscles efficiently.
Neck arthritis treatment aims to relieve pain, prevent permanent damage to the nerves of your spinal cord, and allow you to maintain or resume your usual activities.
Your treatment may include:
Get help for the symptoms of arthritis in the neck as soon as possible. Relief from neck pain allows you to do all the things you love to do so you can live life to the fullest. Contact Redefine Healthcare today to set up a consultation. Choose from four locations in northern New Jersey in Union, Paterson, Edison, or Clifton.
The staff and support team are excellent and as far as I can tell Dr.Freeman has provided Me relief I am only one day out of the procedure but I feel markedly better.
At Redefine Healthcare, our specialists are board-certified, highly educated, and rigorously trained in various fields, including pain management, neurosurgery, orthopedic spine surgery, chiropractic care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychiatry, and podiatry. Many of our doctors have earned the prestigious Castle Connolly Top Doctors recognition from their peers. We prioritize listening to your concerns, identifying the root cause of your pain, and determining the most effective treatment plan to provide quick relief and prevent future conditions. With advanced non-surgical pain rehabilitation, our New Jersey centers in Union, Edison, and Paterson offer top-tier care for severe and chronic pain.
1400 Route 70 East
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Orthopedics • Spine Surgery
50 Mount Prospect Ave, Ste 104
Clifton, NJ 07013-1900
Orthopedics
10 Parsonage Road, Suite 208
Edison, NJ 08837
Chiropractic • Mental Health • Orthopedics • Pain Management • Physical Therapy • Spine Surgery • Surgery Center
1907 Oak Tree Road, Suite 201
Edison, NJ 08820
Orthopedics
3100 Hingston Ave, Suite 104
Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234
Orthopedics • Spine Surgery
143 Anderson Avenue
Fairview, NJ 07022
Pain Management
1000 W Main Street, Suite 201
Freehold, NJ 07728
Pain Management
408 Chris Guapp Drive, Suite 250
Galloway, NJ 08205
Pain Management • Spine Surgery
415 Chris Gaupp Drive
Galloway, NJ 08205
Pain Management
146 NJ-17, Suite 2
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Pain Management • Spine Surgery • Surgery Center
2 University Plaza Drive, Suite 500
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Pain Management
807 N Haddon Avenue, Suite 1
Haddonfield, NJ 08033
Pain Management
2271 Highway 33, Suite 103
Hamilton, NJ 08690
Mental Health • Pain Management • Spine Surgery
Orthopedics • Pain Management • Physical Therapy
3535 Quakerbridge Rd, Suite 200
Hamilton, NJ 08619
Orthopedics • Spine Surgery
3540 JFK Blvd
Jersey City, NJ 07307
Chiropractic • Pain Management • Spine Surgery
Orthopedics • Pain Management • Physical Therapy
1801 New Road
Linwood, NJ 08221
Pain Management
Orthopedics
1 Bay Avenue, 2nd Floor, Suite 1
Montclair, NJ 07042
Pain Management
4000 Church Road
Mount Laurel, NJ 08054
Pain Management • Spine Surgery
15000 Midlantic Drive, Suite 102
Mount Laurel, NJ 08052
Pain Management
266-272 Chestnut Street
Newark, NJ 07105
Orthopedics
157 High St.
Newton, NJ 07860
Pain Management • Spine Surgery
922 Main Street, Suite 201
Paterson, NJ 07503
Chiropractic • Pain Management • Physical Therapy
390 N Broadway, Suite 500
Pennsville, NJ 08070
Pain Management
Orthopedics • Pain Management • Physical Therapy
1814 E 2nd Street
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Orthopedics
102 Heritage Valley Drive, Suite C
Sewell, NJ 08080
Pain Management • Spine Surgery
111 Dean Drive, Suite 1
Tenafly, NJ 07670
Pain Management
860 Route 168, Ste 104
Turnersville, NJ 08012
Orthopedics • Pain Management • Spine Surgery
2500 Morris Avenue, Suite 220
Union, NJ 07083
Mental Health • Pain Management • Spine Surgery
2004 Bayshore Road
Villas, NJ 08251
Pain Management
415 W Landis Ave Suite 101-B
Vineland, NJ 08360
Pain Management • Spine Surgery
2466 Chestnut Avenue, Suite 2
Vineland, NJ 08361
Pain Management
1001 Laurel Oak Road, Suite A2
Voorhees, NJ 08043
Pain Management • Spine Surgery
1985 State Highway 34, Suite 6A
Wall, NJ 07719
Pain Management • Spine Surgery
329 Greentree Road
Sewell, NJ 08080
Pain Management
204 Grove Avenue, Suite G
West Deptford, NJ 08086
Pain Management
445 Pleasant Valley Way
West Orange, NJ 07052
Orthopedics • Pain Management
979 N Black Horse Pike
Williamstown, NJ 08094
Pain Management
Orthopedics • Pain Management • Physical Therapy
70 Hatfield Lane, Suite 201
Goshen, NY 10924
Pain Management • Spine Surgery