All experienced severe neck pain. This does not need to have an accident or abnormalities in the structure of the vertebrae. Improper organization of the workplace, sedentary lifestyle, intense physical activity - all this can lead to severe pain. With age, the manifestations of osteochondrosis can become complicated, and diseases of the internal organs only add problems.
Acute neck pains 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), the chest, or even the shoulders. Such 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 pains can last 5-10 days, but then disappear. If the duration of the pain is more than 10 days, they have a sharp, painful or pulling character, they significantly reduce the quality of life; you should seek treatment.
Since many lymphatic vessels, great 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, the pharynx, the beginning of the esophagus, the larynx, and the 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 immediately consult a doctor to find out the causes and prevent a number of serious problems.
Doctors will examine the condition of the spine and brain, take X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs, and check the degree of tension in the muscles of the 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 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 prone to a chronic course with exacerbations. Frequent severe pain can result in temporary or even permanent disability.
These factors determine the importance of seeking prompt medical attention. 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.
Furthermore, self-medication often leads to the need for surgery and causes disability in adults.
Only a doctor can competently devise a therapy regimen, including pain relief.
Types of neck pain
Distinguish between neck pain (cervicalgia) and cervical lumbago (cervicago). Cervical pain are:
- superficial somatic: associated with skin damage;
- deep somatic - due to damage to the cervical muscles and vertebrae;
- visceral - scattered, arising from infections or diseases of the internal organs.
Cervical pain that affects neighboring areas is 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 occipital region and spread to the head.
Cervical pain of all kinds 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 sharp pain sensation that is localized in the cervical spine and does not allow you to turn your head.
If the discomfort is due to neuropathic causes, they can be central (with damage to the spine) or peripheral (damage to the peripheral nerves).
Causes of neck pain
Conventionally, the causes of neck pain can be divided into two groups: due to diseases of the spine or due to other factors. The former are formed against the background of intervertebral hernias, osteoarthritis, joint dysfunction and subluxation of the vertebrae (whiplash). 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 more common causes of neck pain include:
- Myofascial syndrome.It occurs against the background of prolonged excessive tension of the neck muscles, sprains, hypothermia. They tend to cause short-term pain sensations of moderate intensity, in which the mobility of the head is usually limited and the muscles spasm. When pressed, pain and induration is felt. Often the pain caused by myofascial syndrome goes away on its own in 4-5 days.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease is a degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the spine, which occurs as a result of the deformation and destruction of the intervertebral discs. As a result of the loss of elasticity, compression and destruction of the discs, the facet joints become overloaded, osteoarthritis occurs, and the nerve roots are pinched. This leads to the fact that the whole neck hurts a lot. With age, a decrease in the hydrophilicity of cartilage leads to a decrease in the distance between the vertebrae and damage to the intervertebral joints.
- Facet joint dysfunction.Damage to the structure of the intervertebral joints is one of the most common reasons why the entire neck hurts. Cartilage becomes thinner on joint surfaces. This causes the appearance of bone growths - osteophytes. They narrow the lumen of the orifices between the vertebrae and cause compression of the nerve endings. As a rule, this is accompanied by a dull (gradually increasing, low intensity) pain in the neck region, intensifying in the morning after sleeping in an uncomfortable position: on a high pillow, lying on your stomach. During movement, the pain may increase, but at rest it weakens. In this case, the pain may radiate to the back of the head, ear, temples, and shoulders.
- Herniated and bulging discs.As a result of compression of the intervertebral discs, which have lost their elasticity, bulges occur - bulges in the spinal canal with the subsequent formation of a hernia. This leads to compression of the spinal cord, which alters the sensitivity of the hands: numbness, burning sensation, weakness, accompanied by pain. The shots (irregular on one side only) are intensified by stooping, turning the head or pulling back. Therefore, a person has to instinctively tilt his head forward and to the sides opposite to the location of the pain.
- Cervical myelopathy. . . Prolonged compression of the hernia interrupts blood circulation in the spinal cord. Therefore, not only the whole neck hurts a lot. But the violation is accompanied by pain that radiates to the area between the shoulder blades and to the shoulder. They get worse with movement and don't go away even after taking pain relievers. The characteristic signs of neck pain with cervical myelopathy are goose bumps, numbness of the arms and legs, and fine motor disorders. Sometimes dizziness may occur, memory deteriorates, gait changes.
- Whiplash injuries.They arise as a result of a strong bending of the neck backwards or forwards, followed by a setback in the opposite direction. Such injuries often occur during an accident, but even an ordinary fall on your back can lead to them. Trauma occurs as a result of stretching and damage to the muscles, ligaments of the intervertebral discs, 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 are very sore, migraines occur, muscle spasms. Concomitant symptoms include blurred vision, increased fatigue, and frequent bouts of headaches.
Also, neck pain may be due to muscle tonic syndrome. It is a condition that causes prolonged spasms of various muscle groups in the head, chest, and neck. Compression of neuromuscular triggers causes jerks, sometimes very severe pain. In particular, the 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 first and second ribs. This syndrome is characterized by neck pain and stiffness, which appear most often in the morning. In such cases, the head is usually tilted forward and slightly toward the tight muscle. Painful sensations can be mild, painful, but sometimes acute, intensifying at night, with deep breaths, while tilting the 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 part of the chest.
However, the causes of pain are not just diseases of the spine. First of all, it is necessary to exclude infectious pathologies, in particular, nonspecific or tuberculous spondylitis, epidural abscesses. Metastatic lesions of the vertebrae can 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 light pressure on the spinous processes causes local pain attacks.
Risk factors that cause pain include flat feet, curved posture, and strenuous exercise. Cervicalgia can occur against the background of constant overexertion, vibration, prolonged immobile position of the body (for example, with fractures).
Also, pain can occur as a result of wearing tight and uncomfortable clothing, malnutrition, and diseases of the internal organs. Taking these factors into account, we obtain a wide variety of clinical cases in which neck pain is formed.
Neck hurts: who to contact and what to do
If your neck hurts, traditional medicine offers pharmacological treatment with drugs of different spectrum of action. They are designed to combat pain, relieve infectious or inflammatory processes and eliminate unpleasant symptoms. Surgery is done only in very serious cases.
Pharmacological 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 painkillers - drugs from other groups are prescribed as concomitant drugs that enhance the effect of pain relief, relieve inflammation and swelling.
The downside of drug treatment is a large number of side effects and temporary pain relief. Also, such treatment is aimed only at eliminating the symptoms, but is by no means directed at 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, you don't need a specialist, but a whole team that carefully examines, makes the correct diagnosis and prescribes therapy.
An integrated approach is applied, based on a combination of the following non-pharmacological methods:
- Physiotherapy.Neck muscles are very difficult to train, therefore, when choosing exercises, experts focus on the mobility of the thoracic region, shoulder girdle, and even distribution of loads on the spine. Exercise therapy practitioners select the optimal set of exercises aimed at shaping posture and eliminating neck pain.
- Kinesitherapy.Clinics use kinesiotherapy systems. The installation allows you to deeply exercise the muscles of the cervical spine. With the help of closed chain exercises, neuromuscular problems of the skeleton 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 of the source of pain and treats the underlying disease. For this, palpation and manual manipulation techniques are used in muscles, joints, nerves, connective tissue, vessels and capillaries of the neck. Osteopathic medicine methods accelerate recovery, increase the effectiveness of therapeutic, prophylactic or rehabilitative measures.
- Manual therapy.Effectively relieve neck tension. Specialists gently affect the biologically active points, eliminate subluxations, displacements, perform manipulations aimed at relaxing the neck muscles and stretching the spine.
Competent selection and the correct combination of therapy methods help to eliminate neck pain and eliminate discomfort. An integrated approach includes the joint and well-coordinated work of different specialists: rehabilitologists, neurologists, traumatologists, orthopedists, psychologists. They all pursue the common goal of relieving the patient's pain. An individual approach is important for everyone, a combination of osteopathic and physiotherapeutic procedures and even working on the deep mental reasons for the fact that the whole neck hurts a lot.