I have a severe form of neck osteoarthritis. I often wake up at night from the pain when I move. The physiotherapist says that doing exercises yourself is the best way to keep the neck flexible. I do, but it’s getting more painful. At my last visit to the doctor, his advice was to take paracetamol before going to sleep. I asked him if there are any specialists in this field, or if there are other therapeutic treatments. According to my doctor there are none. Do you know more about this phenomenon?
Husband (73)
Joris Bartstra, journalist with medical diploma
Osteoarthritis is a process that you cannot actually stop. Seriously damaged large joints (knees and hips) can be replaced, but the situation is different with the neck. It consists of seven vertebrae with many complicated joints in between. Many muscles are attached to it and all kinds of nerves run between the vertebrae and the muscles. It can go wrong in many places, causing pain. There is no such thing as replacing something, so the most important treatment consists of exercises to keep the neck mobile. Those should be done several times a day so that it becomes a routine.
Very occasionally surgery is performed, but often it is necessary to screw a part of the neck with a plate. The condition must be really serious for this to be an improvement. You could ask for an assessment of your condition at a reputable orthopedic center, such as the St. Maartenskliniek in Nijmegen.
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