My Spine - Cervical
What do you need to know?
Understanding your condition is paramount for successful treatment. It is
important to ask your specialist as many questions as you can.
When you have asked all your questions and have made sure that you under-
stand the answers, you should write them down and then do thorough
research. Talking to other patients is rarely helpful, as they would most like-
ly have a different cause for their neck pain and misinformation is much more
dangerous than no information. Other patients will also frequently have pre-
conceptions and misconceptions about the nature of neck pain as well as its
treatment.
The internet is a good source of information, as are information leaflets and
books written by professionals. It is important to go back to your specialist
following your research and clarify anything that you are still not sure about.
The (vicious) cycle of pain
The effects of acute pain are many and varied. Acute pain can cause enor-
mous amounts of stress and anxiety in patients. The factor of the unknown,
the reduced ability to deal with everyday life, anger, uncertainty and fear
combine in a heady cocktail that can spell disaster. Certain types of personal-
ity traits and also certain perceptions or misconceptions add fuel to the fire.
Think for instance of the anxious type of person who has seen a family mem-
ber have a bad experience with spinal pain, perhaps compounded by unsuc-
cessful treatment or surgery.
The enormous amount of stress that the pain, the associated fear and anxiety
and burdens of everyday life can place on a person are usually detrimental to
a normal sleeping pattern. If you add the physical effects of pain, a vicious
cycle develops.
48