Head and neck cancer treatment may involve surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, and can take a substantial toll on your body. Many patients may experience post-treatment neck pain, stiffness or pressure as a side effect of therapy. Discover below why you might have neck discomfort. And find a few helpful strategies to alleviate it.
Causes of Post-treatment Neck Pain
Radiation Induced Neck Discomfort
Head and neck cancer patients often experience neck stiffness and tightness, as well as pain or spasms, after radiation to the neck. When the tissues of the neck are radiated, fibrosis typically occurs. Fibrosis is when connective tissue replaces normal tissue in the process of healing. Occasionally, radiation therapy can cause limited mobility in the neck region. About 10% of head and neck cancer patients feel this side effect. Neck stiffness should gradually decrease after you finish therapy.
Surgery Induced Neck Discomfort
After neck surgery, such as a cervical lymph node dissection, you may experience some numbness in your neck, particularly around the surgical scar. This is normal, and should improve with time. If there was any nerve injury during your operation, you may experience additional numbness, which may be permanent.
Neck stiffness and pressure can also be a side effect of surgery due to lymphedema. When your doctor removes lymph nodes from the neck, normal lymphatic fluid drainage is disrupted. This could cause a build up of lymph fluid in the surrounding tissues, which can lead to neck swelling and stiffness, as well as a reduced range of motion.
Ways to Ease Post-treatment Neck Pain
Physical Therapy
There are stretches and exercises that can help reduce tension and neck pain. When these exercises are used regularly, you can build strength and improve your neck’s range of motion. You can talk to your physical therapist about specific routines.
Massage
Firmly massaging areas of healed scar tissue with oil or cream can help relieve skin tightness and tension. Additionally, massaging can serve as manual lymphatic drainage, which can help reduce symptoms of lymphedema. Gentle massages in your cervical region can help drain lymphatic fluid more effectively.
Medication
If you notice persistent swelling in your neck, changes in speech and swallowing, or persistent pain, contact your doctor and seek professional medical care. Your doctor may prescribe pain medication if necessary.
Conclusion
It’s important to know how your neck pain came about. Radiation induced discomfort can last for months or years after treatment has ended. Surgery-induced neck pain is generally short term, but it can still make life difficult if not properly managed.
If your chronic neck pain persists despite physical therapy, medication, massage and other treatments then ask your doctor for advice. They may suggest an MRI scan to rule out any lasting neurological damage that could have occurred during surgery or cancer treatment. We hope this article helped provide insight into how to alleviate these types of symptoms!
Learn About Other Side Effects
Do you have other side effects associated with cancer treatment? Side effects like xerostomia, trismus, mucositis or lymphedema can seriously impact a person’s quality of life.
