Many conditions, lifestyle choices, medicines, and diseases interfere
with your ability to heal or fight infection. You may be at risk for a more
serious problem from your symptoms if you have any of the following. Be sure to
tell your health professional.
Conditions
- A problem or condition that has been present
since birth (congenital defect)
- Previous
injury
- Previous surgery to neck area
Lifestyle choices
- Alcohol abuse or withdrawal
- Drug abuse or
withdrawal
- Smoking or other tobacco use
- Sports activities, such
as:
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Contact sports,
such as football
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Trapshooting or
skeet
- Weight lifting
- Wrestling
Medicines
- Blood-thinning medicines, such as warfarin,
heparin, and aspirin
- Corticosteroids, such as prednisone
- Medicines to prevent organ transplant rejection
- Medicines used to treat cancer
(chemotherapy)
- Radiation therapy
Diseases
- Ankylosing
spondylitis
- Arthritis
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Down
syndrome
- Hemophilia
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
infection
- Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
(ITP)
- Inherited bone disease
- Kidney
disease
- Lupus
- Malnutrition or an eating disorder such
as anorexia nervosa or bulimia
- Multiple
sclerosis
- Osteomyelitis
- Osteoporosis
- Scoliosis
or curvature of the spine
