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Is neck pain treatable with surgery?

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Abstract

Introduction

Neck pain is one of the most common complaints in clinical practice and can be caused by a wide variety of conditions. While cervical spine surgery is a well-accepted option for radicular pain and myelopathy, surgery for isolated neck pain is controversial. The identification of the source of pain is challenging and subtle, and misdiagnosis can lead to inappropriate treatment.

Materials and methods and results

We conducted a thorough literature review to discuss and compare different causes of neck pain. We then supplemented the literature with our senior author’s expert analysis of treating cervical spine pathology.

Conclusions

This study provides an in-depth discussion of neck pain and its various presentations, as well as providing insight into treatment strategies and diagnostic pearls that may prevent mistreatment of cervical spine pathology.

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Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GSpine4, IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi—Sant’Ambrogio, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Redaelli

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, San Diego Spine Foundation, San Diego, USA

    Stephen R. Stephan

  3. Department of Neurological Surgery, Weill-Cornell Medical Center, New York, USA

    K. Daniel Riew

  4. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, USA

    K. Daniel Riew

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  1. Andrea Redaelli
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Redaelli, A., Stephan, S.R. & Riew, K.D. Is neck pain treatable with surgery?. Eur Spine J 33, 1137–1147 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-023-08053-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-023-08053-0

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