Neck pain can be due to injury or degeneration of the spinal discs, facet joints, ligaments, muscles and occasionally compressed nerves.
Most acute neck pain will settle with pain killers (analgesic medication), activity modification and treatment through a therapist.
More severe or resistant neck pain may respond to local facet joint blocks or ablations (heating the sensory nerves supplying the joints).
Surgery for neck pain (fusion/decompression/disc replacement) is often reserved for structural neck instability or for the combination of neck pain and nerve compression symptoms.
