There was severe pain in everyone's neck. It is not necessary to have an accident or anomalies in the structure of the spine. Improper workplace organization, sedentary lifestyle, intense physical activity - all this can cause severe pain. With age, the manifestations of osteochondrosis can be complex, and diseases of the internal organs only add to the problem.
Acute neck pain can occur suddenly, for example, with a sharp turn or bending of the head. It can spread to the head (mainly the back of the head), chest or even the shoulders. Such events are often the result of cervical lumbago (cervicago) or acute muscle spasms. We stopped at a draft, lifted a heavy one - severe neck pain can last 5-10 days, but then disappears. If the duration of pain is more than 10 days, they are sharp, painful or painful, significantly reduce the quality of life - you need treatment.
Because many lymphatic vessels, large vessels, and arteries pass through the cervical region, problems inside must be treated carefully. The musculoskeletal cavity of the neck covers the thyroid gland, esophagus, beginning of the esophagus, larynx and upper part of the trachea. The neck muscles are involved in the movement of the head, shoulders and even the jaws. Therefore, if you experience neck pain, you should consult a doctor immediately to find out the causes and prevent a number of serious problems.
Doctors will examine the condition of your spine and brain, take an X-ray, CT or MRI, and check the degree of tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulders and back. Determining the cause of pain in the neck and back may result in no treatment at all. You also need to be prepared for sports to be a part of your daily life.
Severe pain in the cervical spine is a very important and practically significant problem in neurology. Significance is determined by the following factors:
- Neck pain with osteochondrosis is the most common pathology that does not cause infection.
- Painful sensations in the neck are prone to a chronic course with exacerbation. Often, severe pain can lead to temporary or even permanent disability.
These factors determine the importance of timely medical care. If you feel any discomfort or pain, you should consult a specialist immediately. In such cases, self-medication is unacceptable, as it can lead to serious complications.
In addition, self-medication often leads to surgery and disability in adults.
Only a doctor can develop a therapy regimen, including pain relief.
Types of neck pain
Distinguish between cervical pain (cervical) and cervical lumbago (cervical). Cervicalgias are:
- superficial somatic - associated with skin damage;
- deep somatic - due to damage to the cervical muscles and vertebrae;
- internal organ - a disorder caused by infections or diseases of the internal organs.
There are two types of cervical cancer that affect neighboring areas:
- cervicobrachialgia - cervicobrachial syndrome with pain spreading from the neck to the shoulders;
- cervicocranialgia - pain begins and ends directly in the cervical region or occipital region.
All types of cervical can be acute or chronic. The acute phase lasts about 10 days, but can become chronic without proper treatment. Chronic pain is thought to last more than three months.
Cervicago is always a sharp pain localized in the cervical spine and does not allow you to turn your head.
If the concern is due to neuropathic causes, it can be central (with spinal cord injury) or peripheral (with peripheral nerve damage).
Causes of neck pain
Conventionally, the causes of neck pain can be divided into two groups - due to back pain or other factors. The first occurs against the background of intervertebral hernias, osteoarthritis, joint dysfunction, as well as subluxation of the vertebrae (whip). The consequences of these injuries can be felt throughout life. The second group includes infectious and endocrine diseases, tumor processes, neck pain caused by rheumatism.
Some of the most common causes of neck pain are:
- Myofascial syndrome.It occurs against the background of long-term overexertion of the neck muscles, sprains, hypothermia. In general, they cause short-term painful sensations of moderate intensity, often with limited mobility of the head and muscle spasms. Pain and intolerance are felt when pressed. 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 caused by 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 develops and nerve roots are compressed. This causes the whole neck to be very painful. Decreased cartilage hydrophilicity with age leads to a reduction in the distance between the vertebrae and damage to the intervertebral joints.
- Dysfunction of facet joints.Damage to the structure of the intervertebral joints is one of the most common causes of pain in the whole neck. 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 constrict. As a rule, it is accompanied by a dull pain (gradually increasing, low intensity), which intensifies in the morning, lying on a high pillow, lying on your stomach in a restless position in the neck. Pain may increase during exercise, but weakens at rest. In this case, pain in the back of the head, ears, temples, shoulders is possible.
- Herniated and protruding discs.Dislocations occur as a result of compression of intervertebral discs that have lost their elasticity - protrusions into the spinal canal with the subsequent formation of a hernia. This leads to compression of the spinal cord, which impairs the sensitivity of the hands - accompanied by numbness, burning sensation, weakness, pain. Shooting (irregular one-sided) is intensified by bending, turning the head or throwing back. Therefore, a person should instinctively tilt his head forward and to the opposite side of the localization of pain.
- Cervical myelopathy. . . Prolonged compression of the hernia disrupts blood circulation to the spinal cord. For this reason, only the whole neck does not hurt much. However, the violation is accompanied by pain that spreads to the area between the shoulder blades and the shoulder. They worsen during movement and do not pass even after taking painkillers. Typical symptoms of neck pain with cervical myelopathy are gas leaks, numbness of the arms and legs, and mild motor disorders. Sometimes dizziness is possible, memory deteriorates, gait changes.
- Whiplash injuries.It occurs as a result of a sharp bending of the neck back or forward, and then retraction in the opposite direction. Such injuries often occur in an accident, but even a simple fall can provoke them. Trauma occurs as a result of stretching and damage to the muscles, intervertebral discs and cervical vertebrae. The most severe cases are accompanied by dislocations and fractures. The result of the injury can be very painful whole neck and shoulders, migraine, muscle spasm. Concomitant symptoms include blurred vision, increased fatigue, and frequent headache attacks.
In addition, neck pain can be caused by muscle-tonic syndrome. It is a condition that causes long-term spasms of several muscle groups in the head, chest and neck. Compression of neuromuscular triggers sometimes causes severe pain. In particular, scalene muscle syndrome is a symptom complex accompanied by innervation of the cervical scalene muscles from the cervical vertebrae to the 1st and 2nd ribs and circulatory disorders. This syndrome is characterized by cervical pain and stiffness, most often seen in the morning. In such cases, the head is generally bent forward and slightly tense. Painful sensations may be mild, painful, but sometimes sharp, intensify at night, take deep breaths, tilt your head to the healthy side. Sometimes it is possible to spread pain in the shoulders, axillary and intercapular regions, as well as in the anterior chest.
However, the causes of pain are not only spinal diseases. First of all, infectious pathologies, especially non-specific or tuberculous spondylitis, epidural abscesses should be excluded. Metastatic damage to the vertebrae can also be accompanied by persistent pain, which does not decrease, but worsens at rest. They are characterized by an increase in body temperature, general weakness and sweating. Even a small pressure on the spinous processes causes local pain attacks.
Risk factors for pain include straight legs, posture curvature, and strenuous exercise. Cervical persistent overexertion, tremors, and prolonged immobility of the body (eg, fractures) may occur.
In addition, wearing tight and uncomfortable clothes, nutrition and internal organ diseases can cause pain. Given these factors, we obtain many different clinical conditions in which cervicalgia occurs.
Neck pain: who to contact and what to do
If the neck hurts, traditional medicine offers drug treatment with drugs with a different spectrum of effects. Formulated to combat pain, eliminate infectious or inflammatory processes, and relieve unpleasant symptoms. Surgery is performed only in very severe cases.
Drug treatment is based on local anesthesia, analgesics (NSAIDs), hormonal drugs (glucocorticoids), muscle relaxants (drugs to reduce muscle tension), antioxidants and, if necessary, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Treatment is based on painkillers - drugs of other groups are prescribed as side effects that increase the effect of painkillers, eliminate inflammation and swelling.
The disadvantage of drug treatment is the large number of side effects and temporary relief of pain. In addition, such treatment is aimed only at relieving the symptoms, but in no way focuses on the root cause of the pain.
To whom should such an important part of the body be entrusted - the neck? Severe pain does not require a specialist, but a whole team that carefully examines, correctly diagnoses and prescribes therapy.
An integrated approach based on a combination of the following non-drug methods is applied:
- Physiotherapy.It is very difficult to train the neck muscles, so when choosing exercises, experts pay attention to the mobility of the chest, shoulder girdle and even distribution of loads on the spine. Sports therapy doctors choose the optimal set of exercises aimed at the formation of posture and the elimination of neck pain.
- Kinesiotherapy.Clinics use kinesiotherapy systems. The installation allows the cervical spine muscles to work deeply. 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, suitable for adults and children, pregnant women and professional athletes. Unlike other therapeutic methods, osteopathic drugs not only eliminate the pain syndrome, but also relieve the patient from the source of pain and treat the underlying disease. To do this, palpation and manual manipulation methods are used in muscles, joints, nerves, connective tissue, veins and cervical capillaries. Osteopathic medicines accelerate recovery and increase the effectiveness of therapeutic, prophylactic or rehabilitation measures.
- Manual therapy.Effectively relieves neck tensionSpecialists gently affect the biologically active points, eliminate subluxations, displacements, perform manipulations aimed at relaxing the neck muscles and lengthening the spine.
The right combination of competent choices and therapies can help relieve neck pain and anxiety. The integrated approach involves the well-coordinated work of different specialists - rehabilitation specialists, neurologists, traumatologists, orthopedists, psychologists. All follow a common goal of pain relief for the patient. It is important to take an individual approach to everyone, to work on a combination of osteopathic and physiotherapeutic procedures, and even deep, mental causes for the whole neck pain.