All felt severe pain in the neck. It is not necessary for there to be an accident or anomalies in the structure of the vertebrae. Inadequate workplace organization, sedentary lifestyle, intense physical activity - all these can lead to severe pain. With age, the manifestations of osteochondrosis can be complicated, and diseases of Organs internal organs only increase the problems.
Sharp neck pain may occur suddenly, for example, with a sudden turn or tilt of the head. It may radiate to the head (especially the back of the neck), chest or even shoulders. These phenomena are often the result of a cervical lumbago (cervicago) or acute muscle spasms. We stand in a draft, lift a heavy one - severe neck pain can last for 5 to 10 days, but then it goes away. If the pain lasts more than 10 days, they have an acute, painful or pulling character, significantly reducing the quality of life - you should seek treatment.
<1_img_blockxx>Since many lymphatic vessels, large veins, and arteries pass through the cervical region, any problems there must be treated with care. The musculoskeletal cavity of the neck contains the thyroid gland, the pharynx, the beginning of the esophagus, the larynx, and the upper part of the trachea. The neck muscles participate in the movement of the head, shoulders and even the jaws. Therefore, if you experience neck pain, immediately consult a doctor to find out the causes and prevent a number of serious problems.
Doctors will examine the condition of your spine and brain, take X-rays, CT or MRI scans, check the degree of tension in the muscles of your neck, shoulders and upper back. Establishing the cause of the pain may result in the need for no cervical spine treatment. You must also be prepared for exercise to become a part of your daily life.
Severe pain in the cervical spine is a very important and practically significant problem in neurology. Its importance is determined by the following factors:
- Neck pain with osteochondrosis are the most common pathologies caused by non-infection.
- painful sensations in the neck are subject to a chronic course with exacerbations. Intense and frequent pain can result in temporary or even permanent disability.
These factors determine the importance of seeking medical care in a timely manner. If you experience any discomfort or pain, you should immediately consult a specialist. Self-treatment in these cases is unacceptable as it can cause serious complications.
Furthermore, self-medication often leads to the need for surgery and causes disability in adults.
Only a physician can competently establish a regimen of therapy, including pain relief.
Types of Neck Pain
Distinguish between cervical pain (cervicalgia) and cervical lumbago (cervicago). Neck pains are:
- superficial somatic - associated with skin damage;
- deep somatic - due to damage to the cervical muscles and vertebrae;
- visceral - dispersed, due to infections or diseases of internal organs.
Neck pains that affect neighboring areas are divided into two types:
- cervicobrachialgia - cervicobrachial syndrome with pain radiating from the neck to the shoulders;
- Cervicocranialgia - Pain sensations start directly in the cervical or occipital region and spread to the head.
Neck pain of all types can be acute or chronic. The acute phase lasts about 10 days, but without proper treatment it can become chronic. Chronic pain is considered to last for more than three months.
Cervicago is always a sensation of sharp pain located in the cervical spine that does not allow you to turn your head.
If the discomfort is due to neuropathic reasons, they can be central (with spinal cord damage) or peripheral (peripheral nerve damage).
Causes of Neck Pain
Conventionally, the causes of neck pain can be divided into two groups - due to spinal diseases or due to other factors. The former are formed in the context of intervertebral hernias, osteoarthritis, joint dysfunction, as well as vertebral subluxation (whiplash). The consequences of these injuries can be felt throughout life. The second group includes neck pain caused by infectious and endocrine diseases, tumor processes, rheumatism.
Some of the most common causes of sore throats include:
- Myofascial syndrome.It occurs in the context of excessive and prolonged tension in the neck muscles, sprains, hypothermia. They usually cause short-lived painful sensations of moderate intensity, in which head mobility is often limited and muscles spasm. When pressed, pain and stiffness are felt. Pain caused by myofascial syndrome often disappears spontaneously within 4-5 days.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease is a degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the spine that occurs as a result of deformation and destruction of the intervertebral discs. As a result of loss of elasticity, compression, and destruction of the discs, facet joints become overloaded, arthrosis occurs, and nerve roots are pinched. This leads to the fact that the whole neck hurts a lot. With age, a decrease in the hydrophilicity of the cartilage leads to a decrease in the distance between the vertebrae and damage to the intervertebral joints.
- Joint dysfunction.Damage to the structure of the intervertebral joints is one of the most common reasons for pain throughout the neck. Cartilage thins out on joint surfaces. This causes the appearance of bone growths - osteophytes. They narrow the lumen of the holes between the vertebrae, causing the nerve endings to be compressed. As a rule, this is accompanied by dull pain (gradually increasing, of low intensity) in the neck region, which intensifies in the morning after sleeping in an uncomfortable position - on a high pillow, lying face down. During movement, the pain may increase, but at rest, it weakens. In this case, pain radiating to the back of the head, ear, temples, shoulders is possible.
- Discs with hernia and bulge.As a result of the compression of the intervertebral discs, which have lost their elasticity, protrusions occur - protrusions in the medullary canal with the subsequent formation of a hernia. This leads to compression of the spinal cord, which disturbs the sensitivity of the hands - numbness, a burning sensation, weakness, accompanied by pain. Shooting (unilateral irregularity) intensifies when bending, turning the head or throwing backwards. Therefore, the person must instinctively tilt the head forward and to the sides opposite the location of the pain.
- Cervical myelopathy. . . Prolonged compression of the hernia disrupts blood flow to the spinal cord. Because of that, not only the whole neck hurts a lot. But the rape is accompanied by pain that radiates to the area between the shoulder blades and the shoulder. They get worse during movement and don't go away even after taking painkillers. The characteristic signs of neck pain with cervical myelopathy are chills, numbness in the arms and legs, and fine motor disturbances. Sometimes dizziness is possible, memory deteriorates, gait changes.
- Whip Injuries.They arise as a result of a sharp bend of the neck backwards or forwards, followed by a retreat in the opposite direction. These injuries often occur during an accident, but even a common fall on your back can cause them. Trauma occurs as a result of stretching and damage to muscles, intervertebral disc ligaments, and cervical vertebrae. The most serious cases are accompanied by dislocations and fractures. The consequence of an injury can be that the whole neck and shoulders become very painful, migraines, muscle spasms occur. Concomitant symptoms include blurred vision, increased fatigue and frequent attacks of headaches.
Also, neck pain can be caused by tonic muscle syndrome. It is a condition that causes prolonged spasm of various muscle groups in the head, chest, and neck. Compression of neuromuscular triggers leads to traction, sometimes very intense pain. In particular, scalene muscle syndrome is a complex of symptoms accompanied by a violation of the innervation and blood circulation of the scalene muscles of the neck, ranging from the cervical vertebrae to the 1st and 2nd ribs. This syndrome is characterized by neck pain and stiffness, which usually appear in the morning. The head in these cases is usually tilted forward and slightly towards the tight muscle. Painful sensations can be mild, painful, but sometimes sharp, intensifying at night with deep breaths as you tilt your head to the healthy side. Sometimes it is possible to radiate pain in the shoulders, in the axillary and interscapular regions, as well as in the anterior region of the chest.
<2_img_blockxx>However, the causes of pain are not just spinal disorders. First, it is necessary to exclude infectious pathologies, in particular nonspecific or tuberculous spondylitis, epidural abscesses. Metastatic damage to the vertebrae may also be accompanied by persistent pain, which does not subside but worsens at rest. They are characterized by an increase in body temperature, general weakness and sweating. Even slight pressure on the spinous processes causes local pain attacks.
Risk factors that cause pain include flat feet, bending posture, and strenuous exercise. Neck pain can occur in a context of constant overexertion, vibration, prolonged immobile body position (eg with fractures).
In addition, pain can occur as a result of wearing tight and uncomfortable clothing, malnutrition, and internal organ disease. Taking these factors into account, we have a wide variety of clinical cases in which neck pain is formed.
Neck pain: who to contact and what to do
If the neck hurts, traditional medicine offers drug treatment with drugs of different spectrums of action. They are designed to combat pain, relieve infectious or inflammatory processes, and eliminate unpleasant symptoms. Surgery is only performed in very severe cases.
Drug treatment is based on the administration of local anesthetics, analgesics (NSAIDs), hormonal drugs (glucocorticoids), muscle relaxants (drugs to relieve muscle tension), antioxidants and, if necessary, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Treatment is based on analgesics - medications from other groups are prescribed as concomitant medications that increase the pain-relieving effect, relieve inflammation and swelling.
<3_img_blockxx>The downside of drug treatment is a large number of side effects and temporary pain relief. Furthermore, this treatment is aimed only at eliminating the symptoms, but by no means addressing the root cause of the pain.
Who should be entrusted with such an important part of the body - the neck? In the case of severe pain, a specialist is not needed, but a whole team that examines carefully, makes the correct diagnosis and prescribes therapy.
An integrated approach is applied, based on a combination of the following non-drug methods:
- Physiotherapy.The neck muscles are very difficult to train, so when it comes to choosing exercises, experts focus on mobility in the thoracic region, shoulder girdle, as well as evenly distributing loads across the spine. Physical therapists select the ideal set of exercises designed to shape posture and eliminate neck pain.
- Kinesiotherapy.Clinics use kinesiotherapy systems. Installation allows you to work deeply the muscles of the cervical spine. With the help of closed-chain exercises, skeletal neuromuscular problems can be effectively managed and departmental functionality can be increased.
- Osteopathy.Osteopathic correction of the neck is safe and painless, being indicated for adults and children, pregnant women and professional athletes. Unlike other therapeutic methods, osteopathic medicine not only eliminates the pain syndrome, it relieves the patient of the source of pain, treats the underlying disease. For this, palpation techniques and manual manipulation are used in the muscles, joints, nerves, connective tissue, vessels and capillaries of the neck. The methods of osteopathic medicine accelerate recovery, increase the effectiveness of therapeutic, prophylactic or rehabilitation measures.
- Manual therapy.It effectively relieves neck tension. Specialists gently affect biologically active points, eliminate subluxations, dislocations, perform manipulations designed to relax the neck muscles, lengthen the spine.
Competent selection and the right mix of therapy methods help to eliminate neck pain and get rid of discomfort. An integrated approach includes the well-coordinated joint work of different specialists - rehabilitators, neurologists, traumatologists, orthopedists, psychologists. They all follow the common goal of pain relief for the patient. It's important to have an individual approach for everyone, a combination of osteopathic and physiotherapy procedures and even work on the deep mental reasons why the whole neck hurts so much.