(732) 640-8203

Neck Injury

How Do Neck Injuries Occur?

Neck injuries can involve mild neck pain or more severe pain from sprains and other soft tissue damage. For example, you may get a whiplash injury when you’re hit from behind while driving. The impact of the crash jerks your head backward and then forward, which damages the soft tissues in your neck.

Other conditions that can arise from your injury include:

  • Myelopathy or a compression injury in your cervical spine
  • Radiculopathy or a compressed nerve in your neck
  • A herniated disc in your neck
  • A slipped, prolapsed or bulging disc
  • Pars defect, also known as a stress fracture

To get the best care, you need an accurate diagnosis and targeted treatment. Consult an expert spine specialist like Dr. Branko Skovrlj from spine care center NU-Spine: The Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Institute in Edison, NJ. A renowned neck injury treatment doctors and diseases, Dr. Skovrlj gets you the treatment you need to get back to your active lifestyle.

Are All Neck Injuries Serious?

All neck injuries are serious if the impact from the trauma was strong enough. You may have sustained internal damage to your neck and shoulder area, even if it doesn’t cause you pain right away. It’s even possible for you to have damaged your lower back or mid-back from a neck injury.

Certain co-occurring conditions — such as cancer, meningitis, osteoporosis, spondylosis and other forms of arthritis — also put you at risk. If you feel back pain or lower back pain too, your neurosurgeon is your best bet to find the right diagnosis for your neck injury, which means he can deliver the most appropriate treatment. Some of the spinal conditions you may have at the time of your injury include:

  • Cervical stenosis or lumbar stenosis
  • Degenerative disc disease in your neck or lower back
  • Degenerative joint disease in your cervical spine or in your lumbar spine
  • Facet syndrome
  • A lower back sprain

What Are the Symptoms for a Neck Injury?

When you first injure your neck, you might not fully comprehend exactly what happened. If the injury is minor, you may just feel a dull aching pain at the back of your neck. If you sustained a sprain, then the pain starts gradually over the course of a day or two. Since neck injuries can be serious, the sooner you find medical help, the faster and easier your treatment will be.

Other symptoms that show up after you’ve fractured or sprained your neck include:

  • Extreme neck pain — and sometimes even back pain
  • Tingling or numbness in your arms and hands — and sometimes in your feet and toes as well
  • Partial or complete loss of control over parts of your body, if the fracture was severe
  • Muscle spasms and extreme upper shoulder pain
  • Headaches in the back of the head
  • Difficulty balancing yourself
  • Clumsiness when walking
  • Increased irritability and dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty sleeping and concentrating on things
  • Blurred vision
  • Ringing in your ears

What Are the Best Neck Injury Treatment Options in New Jersey?

Examining your injured neck is the first step for your spine specialist in Edison, New Jersey. He may discover new bumps, bruising or pain spots. Your range of motion reveals the extent of the injury, as well. Further testing may be required to determine exactly where the injury has occurred. Imaging tests include an MRI, CT scan or x-rays.

For sprains and milder injuries, your neurosurgeon often recommends some non-surgical treatment options, such as:

  • Over-the-counter pain medication
  • Hot or cold packs, used alternately for 20 minutes at a time
  • Physical therapy, especially cervical traction exercises
  • Wearing a foam collar to keep your neck stable while it heals
  • Muscle relaxers, especially during your downtime
  • Steroid injections for severe pain

If your neck injury involves damage to your spine or intervertebral discs, our experience shows that conservative neck injury treatments rarely deliver consistent pain relief over the long term. You may need to undergo a minimally invasive surgical procedure, such as:

  • A cervical disc replacement
  • An endoscopic posterior foraminotomy and/or discectomy
  • A discectomy or microdiscectomy
  • A spinal fusion or one of the advanced types of fusion, including a TLIF or XLIF
  • A laminectomy or minimally invasive laminectomy
  • A corpectomy
Start Your Path to Relief: Contact Us Today!
Spine Center Locations

1. Paramus
37 W Century Road Suite 105A
Paramus, NJ 07652

Get Directions

3. Woodbridge
573 Amboy Ave.
Woodbridge Township,
NJ 07095

Get Directions

5. Toms River
1901 Hooper Ave. #B
Toms River, NJ 08753

Get Directions

2. Jersey City
631 Grand Street, Suite 2-100
Jersey City, NJ 07304

Get Directions

4. Holmdel/Bell Works
101 Crawfords Corner Rd.
Suite 1116-B
Holmdel, NJ 07733

Get Directions

6. Freehold
1000 West Main Street
Suite 201
Freehold, NJ 07728

Get Directions
Locations Map