Everyone experienced severe neck pain. It is not necessary for this to have an accident or have an anomaly in the structure of the vertebrae. Improper workplace organization, sedentary lifestyle, strenuous physical activity - all this can lead to severe pain. With age, the manifestations of osteochondrosis can be complicated, and diseases of the internal organs only add to the problems.
Sharp neck pain can occur suddenly, for example, with a sharp turn or tilt of the head. It can radiate to the head (mainly the back of the head), chest or even the shoulders. Such phenomena are often the result of a cervical lumbago (cervicago) or acute muscle spasms. We stood on a draft, raised a heavy one - severe neck pain can last 5-10 days, but then they disappear. If the duration of pain is more than 10 days, they have a sharp, painful or attractive character, significantly reduce the quality of life - you should seek treatment.
Since many lymph vessels, large veins, and arteries pass through the cervical region, any problems in it must be treated with care. The musculoskeletal cavity of the neck contains the thyroid gland, pharynx, the beginning of the esophagus, larynx, and the upper part of the trachea. The neck muscles participate in the movement of the head, shoulders and even the jaw. Therefore, if you have neck pain, you should immediately consult a doctor to find the causes and prevent a number of serious problems.
Doctors will examine the condition of your spine and brain, do X-rays, CT or MRI, check the degree of tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulders and upper back. Determining the cause of the pain may result in the need for no treatment at all in the cervical spine. You also need to be prepared for exercise to become part of your daily life.
Severe pain in the cervical spine is a very important and practically important 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 prone to a chronic course with exacerbations. Frequent intense pain can result in temporary or even permanent disability.
These factors determine the importance of timely medical care research. If you experience any discomfort or pain, you should visit a specialist immediately. Self-treatment in such cases is unacceptable, as it can cause serious complications.
In addition, self-medication often leads to the need for surgery and causes disability in adults.
Only a physician can design a competent therapy regimen, including pain relief.
Types of neck pain
Distinguish between cervical pain (cervicalgia) and cervical lumbago (cervicago). Cervical pain is:
- superficial somatic - associated with skin damage;
- deep somatic - due to damage to the muscles of the cervix and vertebrae;
- visceral - diffuse, resulting from infections or diseases of the internal organs.
Cervicalgias 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 region or the occipital region and spread to the head.
Cervicalgias 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 more than three months.
Cervicago is always an acute sensation of pain localized in the back of the cervix and does not allow you to turn your head.
If the concern is due to neuropathic reasons, they can be central (with spinal cord injury) or peripheral (peripheral nerve damage).
Causes of neck pain
Conventionally, the causes of neck pain can be divided into two groups - coming from back diseases or due to other factors. The former are formed against the background of intervertebral hernias, osteoarthritis, joint dysfunction, and vertebral subluxation (severe shock). The consequences of these injuries can be felt throughout life. The second group includes neck pain caused by infectious and endocrine disorders, tumor processes, rheumatism.
Some of the most common causes of neck pain include:
- Myofasial syndrome.Occurs against the background of prolonged excessive tension of the neck muscles, sprains, hypothermia. Usually they cause short-term painful sensations of moderate intensity, in which the mobility of the head is often limited and the muscles suffer. When pressed, bitterness and induration are felt. Often, the pain caused by myofascial syndrome disappears on its own within 4-5 days.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease is a degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the spine, which occurs as a result of deformation and destruction of intervertebral discs. As a result of loss of elasticity, compression and destruction of the discs, the cheek joints are overloaded, osteoarthritis occurs and the nerve roots are numb. This leads to the fact that the whole neck hurts a lot. With age, a decrease in cartilage hydrophilicity leads to a decrease in the distance between the vertebrae and damage to the intervertebral joints.
- External node dysfunction.Damage to the structure of the intervertebral joints is one of the most common causes of sore neck pain. Cartilage becomes thinner on articular surfaces. This causes the appearance of bone growths - osteophytes. They narrow the lumen of the holes between the vertebrae, causing the nerve endings to compress. As a rule, this is accompanied by a dull pain (gradually increasing, with low intensity) in the neck region, which intensifies in the morning after sleeping in an uncomfortable position - on a high pillow, lying on the abdomen. 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.
- Herniated and protruding discs.As a result of compression of the intervertebral discs, which have lost their elasticity, extensions occur - extensions in the spinal canal with the subsequent formation of a hernia. This leads to compression of the spinal cord, which disturbs the sensitivity of the hands - numbness, burning sensation, weakness, accompanied by pain. The shooting (irregular one-sided) intensifies when you bend over, turn your head, or throw back. Therefore, a person should tilt their head instinctively forward and to the opposite sides with the localization of the pain.
- Cervical myelopathy. . . Prolonged compression of the hernia disrupts blood circulation to the spinal cord. Because of this, not only does the whole neck hurt a lot. But the violation is accompanied by pain radiating to the area between the shoulder blades and the shoulder blade. They worsen during movement and do not disappear even after taking pain medication. Characteristic signs of neck pain with cervical myelopathy are goose bites, numbness of the hands and feet, and fine motor disorders. Sometimes dizziness is possible, memory deteriorates, gait changes.
- Whiplash injuries.They arise as a result of a sharp bend of the neck backwards or forwards, followed by a pull in the opposite direction. Such injuries often occur during an accident, but even a common fall on the back can provoke them. Trauma occurs as a result of stretching and damage to muscles, ligaments of the intervertebral discs, and cervical vertebrae. The most severe cases are associated with dislocations and fractures. The consequence of an injury can be that the whole neck and shoulders are very injured, migraines occur, muscle spasms. Accompanying symptoms include blurred vision, increased fatigue, and frequent attacks of headaches.
In addition, neck pain can be caused by muscular-tonic syndrome. It is a condition that causes prolonged spasm of certain muscle groups in the head, chest and neck. Compression of neuromuscular triggers leads to traction pain, sometimes very severe. In particular, scale muscle syndrome is a complex of symptoms, accompanied by a violation of the innervation and blood circulation of the neck muscle muscles, which run from the cervical vertebrae to ribs 1 and 2. This syndrome is characterized bypain and stiffness of the cervix, which most often appear in the morning. The head in such cases is usually tilted forward and slightly towards the tense muscle. Painful sensations may be mild, painful, but sometimes sharp, intensifying at night, with deep breathing, while tilting the head to the healthy side. Sometimes it is possible to radiate pain in the shoulders, axillary and intercapsular regions, as well as in the front chest.
However, the causes of pain are not just back diseases. First of all, it is necessary to exclude infectious pathologies, in particular, nonspecific spondylitis or tuberculosis, epidural abscesses. Metastatic vertebral damage can also be associated with persistent pain, which does not subside but worsens at rest. They are characterized by an increase in body temperature, general weakness and sweating. Even a slight pressure on the spinous processes causes attacks of local pain.
Risk factors that cause pain include flat feet, posture bending, and strenuous exercise. Cervicalgia can occur against the background of constant overload, tremors, prolonged immobile position of the body (for example, with fractures).
In addition, pain can occur as a result of wearing tight and uncomfortable clothes, malnutrition and diseases of internal organs. Considering these factors, we have a wide variety of clinical cases in which cervical pain is formed.
Neck hurts: who to contact and what to do
If the neck hurts, traditional medicine offers drug treatment with drugs of different spectrum of action. They are created to fight pain, relieve infectious or inflammatory processes, and eliminate unpleasant symptoms. Surgery is performed only in very severe cases.
Medication treatment is based on the administration of local anesthetics, analgesics (NSAIDs), hormonal medications (glucocorticoids), muscle relaxants (medications to relieve muscle tension), antioxidants, and, if necessary, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Treatment is based on pain relievers - medicines from other groups are described as accompanying medicines that increase the pain relieving effect, relieve inflammation and swelling.
The disadvantage of medication treatment is a large number of side effects and temporary pain relief. In addition, such treatment is intended only to eliminate the symptoms, but in no way addresses the root cause of the pain.
Who should be entrusted with such an important department for the body - the neck? In case of severe pain, not a specialist is needed, but a whole team that carefully examines, makes the correct diagnosis and prescribes therapy.
An integrated approach is implemented, based on a combination of the following non-drug methods:
- Physiotherapy.The neck muscles are very difficult to train, therefore, when choosing exercises, experts focus on the movement of the thoracic region, the shoulder girdle, as well as the even distribution of loads on the back. Exercise therapy practitioners choose the optimal set of exercises aimed at shaping behavior and eliminating neck pain.
- Kinesiotherapy.Clinics use kinesiotherapy systems. The 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 the functionality of the department can be increased.
- Osteopathy.Osteopathic neck correction is safe and painless, it is suitable for adults and children, pregnant women and professional athletes. Unlike other therapeutic methods, osteopathic medicine not only eliminates the pain syndrome, but relieves the patient from the source of pain, treats the underlying disease. For this, manual touch and manipulation techniques are used on muscles, joints, nerves, connective tissue, vessels and neck capillaries. Methods of osteopathic medicine accelerate healing, increase the effectiveness of therapeutic, prophylactic or rehabilitative measures.
- Manual therapy.Effectively relieves tension from the neck. Specialists gently affect the biologically active points, eliminate subluxations, displacements, perform manipulations aimed at relaxing the neck muscles, stretching the back.
Competent selection and proper combination of therapy methods help eliminate neck pain and remove discomfort. An integrated approach involves well-coordinated joint work of different specialists - rehabilitators, neurologists, traumatologists, orthopedists, psychologists. All pursue the common goal of relieving pain for the patient. An individual approach to everyone is important, a combination of osteopathic and physiotherapeutic procedures and even work on the deep, mental reasons for the fact that the whole neck hurts a lot.