ᲙNear pain

2 August 2021

The symptoms of neck pain are familiar to everyone: it attracts muscles, it is impossible to close and turn the head, and to look sideways, it is necessary to turn the whole body. The culprit of troubles is usually the spine: disorders, hernia, scoliosis lead to the fact that the person experiences pain in the back and neck. Discomfort makes him self-medicate. But if the radiating pain in the neck does not go away after home therapy, the next step is to visit a doctor.

Neck pain in adults

Neck pain in women

Neck pain during pregnancy

Back and neck pain often bothers expectant mothers. The explanation is simple - with changes in body weight and proportions, posture changes, the load on the spine increases.

How do we deal with this trouble? A special maternity bandage will help keep your spine in proper condition. Swimming and yoga are useful for strengthening the muscles of the back and neck (with the permission of an obstetrician-gynecologist, of course). You need to sleep in a comfortable position, on a firm mattress and a low pillow. But the most important thing is to consult a doctor, because any self-medication can negatively affect the condition of the mother and the unborn child.

Neck pain in young mothers

Back and neck pain are common in young mothers. Complicating matters is the fact that a woman can not use many medications during breastfeeding because harmful substances get into the milk. How can we help ourselves and avoid pain in the neck in the joy of a child?

Keep track of your posture. While carrying the baby, the center of gravity shifted with the abdomen rising - you had to bend backwards to keep your balance, with your shoulders always tense.
Do not overload physically, try to distribute the load correctly on the back. Different carrying devices can help you with this. They distribute the baby weight on both shoulders and prevent back and neck fatigue.
Baby care items should be adjusted according to their height so that they do not stand in an uncomfortable position for long.
It is very important to be in a comfortable position while breastfeeding, especially at night.

Neck pain in men

Neck pain usually does not vary by gender - it can occur in both men and women. And yet there are some differences in anatomy: the male neck is adorned with a pronounced Adam's apple - a thickening of the thyroid cartilage, the plates of which are arranged at right angles to each other.

Adam's apple pain in men can indicate a rather serious illness:

Thyroiditis is an inflammation of the thyroid gland. With thyroiditis, patients are concerned about pain in the neck, pain in the Adam's apple, above and below it, swelling of the neck.
Thyroid cancer - its danger lies in the fact that the onset of the disease can be similar to the usual cold: sore throat when swallowing, difficulty turning the neck and even breathing.
Thyroid phlegmon is a extensive removal of the neck cartilage and soft tissues, which is life-threatening. Patients complain of chills and high fever, pain when swallowing, loss of voice, difficulty breathing.
Cartilaginous tuberculosis usually occurs with existing pulmonary tuberculosis and is its complication.
Cadiz can get sick due to osteochondrosis. The disorder causes pain when swallowing, wheezing, coughing.
Fractures, bruises, and cartilage compression can cause displacement, swelling of the neck, and suffocation.

Neck pain in the elderly

Neck pain in older people may indicate the development of the disease:

Lung peak cancer (cancer with Pancostas and Horner syndrome). The patient's pain in this case is related to the growth of a tumor in the nerve endings of the shoulder girdle and neck.
Neck tumors, salivary glands.
Coronary heart disease. The pain can spread from the chest to the neck and arms, causing symptoms similar to osteochondrosis.
Rheumatic polymyalgia is an inflammatory disease characterized by stiffness and pain in the muscles of the shoulder girdle and thigh.
Spinal metastases in various oncological diseases (it is no secret that the probability of getting cancer increases with age).
Cervical spine subluxation as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis.
The most common causes of neck and neck pain in the elderly are osteoarthritis and osteochondrosis of the spine, rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic inflammation of the connective tissue.

Neck pain in children

Severe neck pain in children occurs for the same reasons as in adults:

Trauma
Osteochondrosis
Stress and anxiety
Tumors
Diseases of other organs that cause distant pain

Perhaps the most specific "childish" cause of neck pain is torticollis when the baby’s head is sharply tilted to the side. Torticollis is dangerous because it causes the cervical spine to curve and disrupts the formation of the facial skeleton.

Contrary to popular belief, the disease occurs not only during childbirth. Depending on how torticollis appeared, the following types are distinguished:

Congenital - This can happen in the womb if the fetus is not properly positioned, but most often it occurs during childbirth, when the baby turns to the side and damages the neck muscles.
Dermatogenic - When the neck is twisted from scars left over from an injury or burn.
Reflex - this occurs with injuries, otitis media, diseases of the salivary glands.
Neurogenic - due to muscle spasm after poliomyelitis or encephalitis.
Spastic - due to excessive tension of the cervical muscles.
Traumatic - Associated with a vertebral fracture.

Torticoll (with dermatogenic and neurogenic exceptions) is usually observed in newborns, or is manifested in the first months. The greatest risk of its occurrence arises when:

The fetus during natural childbirth is the presentation of the break.
The location of the fetus in the mother's abdomen is such that the wall of the uterus attaches to the neck.
Childbirth is difficult and the baby’s mastoid muscle is damaged (scarring).
For hard work it becomes necessary to use tweezers and a vacuum.
The mastoid muscle is inflamed during intrauterine development, resulting in the replacement of muscle tissue with fibrous tissue in the area of inflammation.
The mastoid muscle is pathologically hypertrophic and shortened.
By caesarean section.

How can you cure torticollis?

Conservative method with the help of a course of massage and physiotherapy, a special orthopedic style for the baby's head, orthopedic collar and gymnastic exercises.
Surgery - Performed if conservative methods do not work. During the operation, the surgeon extends the sternocleidomastoid muscle and corrects the position of the baby's head.

Different types of neck pain

Acute neck pain

Why is there severe pain in the neck? There are two reasons:

Trauma (fracture, blow, contusion).
Disorders of the nerve endings - this is in case of osteochondrosis, hernia of the intervertebral discs, compression of the spinal canal.

Pain treatment depends on the cause and includes:

Prescribing pain medications.
Muscle relaxants and antispasmodics to relieve muscle spasms.
Cervical spine immobilization (immobilization).
Exercise therapy and physiotherapy.

Severe neck pain

Severe neck pain is always a nuisance. I want to find out quickly why it hurts and I recovered. What are the causes of severe pain?

Exacerbation of osteochondrosis when unsuccessful movement, rotation or concussion of the body causes the spine to move, disrupting an existing hernia, compressing the spinal nerves.
Cervical sciatica (inflammation and swelling of the spinal roots).
Cervicago - "lumbago" (acute muscle spasm).
Severe back and neck pain can occur after an injury.

Neck pain with osteochondrosis

Neck pain with osteochondrosis is very strong and gives the patient many unpleasant minutes. As a result of muscle spasm or movement of the spine relative to each other, the arteries supplying the brain may constrict or twist. In the most severe cases, this can lead to a condition similar to a previous stroke, when a person is dizzy, everything floats in front of him, sometimes speech and vision are lost.

Neck pain on the left

Neck pain on the left side is a possible symptom of the problem not only in the cervical spine but also outside it. What can a person have if he has neck pain on the left?

Heart disease (heart attack, coronary artery disease, angina pectoris).
Upper left lung cancer.
Injuries.
Tumor metastases from other organs to the nodes on the left side of the neck.
Infectious inflammation of the lymph nodes (due to tonsillitis, ARVI, tonsillitis).

Neck pain to the right

Neck pain on the right side is an alarming symptom, but is most often banally explained: a person has osteochondrosis with all the subsequent consequences. Such consequences include nerve compression, muscle spasm, intervertebral disc herniation and hernia, vascular disorders.

But there are other causes of neck pain on the right:

Biliary colic that radiates to the neck and shoulders.
Right apical cancer of the lung with a tumor invading the nerves above.
Bruises, injuries, clavicle and spinal fractures.
Tumors of the cervix (metastases from other organs).
If the pain is concentrated on the right side of the front of the neck, it may also indicate heart problems (heart attack, coronary artery disease).
Inflammation of the lymph nodes due to ARVI and sore throat.

Neck and shoulder pain

Neck and shoulder pain is a classic sign of cervical osteochondrosis and its accompanying complications (disorder of the hernia, nerves, spinal cord stem). In addition, simultaneous pain in the neck and shoulders is a symptom of such diseases:

Gallbladder disease during exacerbation, with biliary colic.
Diseases of the heart.
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder.
Cervical plexitis is an inflammation of the large nerve nodes in the spinal nerves.
Shoulder and shoulder periarthritis - inflammation of the shoulder tendons and capsules of the shoulder joints.
Myositis.
Arthritis.

Neck and back pain

Neck and lower back pain is usually a sign of large-scale osteochondrosis that has invaded the entire spinal column. After all, it does not happen that posture is good in one part of the spine and bad in the other. With osteochondrosis, neck pain is mild when the disease is in remission and strong, painful if it is exacerbated. Exacerbation begins with sharp pain in the neck and back with unsuccessful rotation, movement, impact. It can be removed with the help of medication prescribed by a doctor, rest, light heat on the affected side, exercise therapy and physiotherapy.

Neck and lumbar pain

The neck and back of the neck are most often a symptom of banal cervical osteochondrosis - a dangerous disease, but not fatal. But sometimes it indicates meningitis and this disease is life threatening. The agents that cause meningitis - bacteria and viruses - enter the brain and spinal cord and cause inflammation of their membranes.

Numbness, pain in the neck and back of the head, stiffness of the occipital muscles, inability to pull at the same time with the chest, bending of the knee - these are all meningeal symptoms that will immediately alert the doctor. Treatment of a dangerous disease is carried out in a hospital,

In addition to meningitis and osteochondrosis, neck and back pain can be caused by injuries, occipital nerve neuralgia, hypertension, and muscle tension.

Causes and symptoms of neck pain

Trauma

The cause of neck pain is sometimes an injury that causes the cervical spine to move or break, leaving the spinal nerves damaged. Injury can occur as a result of accidents, falls, injuries, poor diving or sudden movement. Symptoms of a neck injury include:

Improper bending of the neck, reversal of tension in the muscles of the head, chest, and neck indicate a lower spinal fracture.
Pain in the crown and back of the head is an indication that the first cervical spine is damaged.
Swelling and "bruising" can be the result of a neck injury.
Pain in the neck when turning the head, in the shoulders, in the upper part of the chest.

Neoplasms

An extremely dangerous cause of neck pain is a malignant neoplasm. How can that be?

Neck pain as a symptom of a tumor in the upper part of the lung. It invades nerve bundles and blood vessels, causing severe pain. A person may suffer from neck pain on the left or right side, depending on the location of the tumor.
The symptom of neck pain sometimes indicates the development of lymphoma - cancer of the lymph nodes. Because many lymph nodes are concentrated in the neck, they grow with the progression of the disease and are difficult to detect. Other important signs of lymphoma include excessive sweating, a seemingly unexplained fever, and weight loss.
Salivary gland cancer is a tumor that affects the salivary glands behind the ears, next to the neck, and in the mouth of the sac. In the early stages it is painless, you will only occasionally notice rings in the affected glands.
A laryngeal tumor grows in its walls, visually representing a tuberculous neoplasm. They are difficult to detect during a routine examination, so cancer is unfortunately diagnosed at a late stage when other manifestations become apparent: foreign body sensation in the throat, hoarseness in the voice and nose, difficulty breathing in the nose. A laryngeal tumor is also dangerous because it is prone to the early appearance of metastases, which significantly worsens the prognosis of the patient’s recovery.
Thyroid cancer is manifested by nodular nodules, pain in the front of the neck, and voice changes.
In thyroid cartilage, patients complain of difficulty swallowing and moving food from the larynx, a foreign body sensation, or a sore throat.

Reflected pain in diseases of other organs

The pain that radiates to the neck does not always indicate that the problem is in the neck itself. Sometimes it hurts due to the poor health of other organs, and then the pain is called reflection. What diseases can it cause?

Heart (ischemic heart disease, heart attack, angina) - They are accompanied by attacks when the pain radiates to the shoulders, neck, sometimes the arm.
Pain in the neck on the right, under the right shoulder and in the right shoulder occurs during an attack of gallstones with stones in the gallbladder.
Esophageal diseases (reflux, erosion, ulcer).
Oncological diseases (lymphoma, tumor metastases) are the cause of human suffering when the neoplasm damages the nerve endings. So, lung cancer, when the tumor grows upwards, causes pain in the neck and shoulders. Intracranial tumors, oncological diseases of the head also cause pain in the cervical spine.
Abscess and phlegmon in the head.
Bleeding in the subarachnoid space between the brain and its delicate tissues.

Psychological causes of neck pain

Symptoms of neck pain often manifest with muscle spasm. A spasm is not just a result of stress, injury or injury - it can be caused by stress, nervous shock and fatigue. ᲠWhy is this happening?

The fact is that the body perceives stress as a threat to its well-being and this forces it to mobilize. There is a release of stress hormones into the bloodstream, heart rate increases and digestion, on the contrary, slows down. Muscle tone increases in response to hormonal changes. As soon as they experience an alarming situation, the body goes back to normal. But if the emotional stress takes a chronic form, the muscle spasm becomes permanent and against its background develops spinal diseases (osteochondrosis, hernia, disc bulging).

Sedentary lifestyle, frequent work with the computer

Pain in the neck muscles often occurs due to a person having impaired posture, while the cause of impaired posture may be muscle corset weakness. Typically, this occurs in people who are far removed from physical education, lead a sedentary lifestyle, and work a lot at the computer. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the workplace is often not properly organized and the person sits bent or awkwardly bent. As a result, radiating pain in the neck becomes a constant companion, the usual muscle spasm is formed, degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs begin, osteochondrosis develops. Even in osteochondrosis, neck pain becomes a constant companion: periods of pain relief alternate with exacerbations and only competent treatment, lifestyle changes from sitting to movement, posture control, strengthening the neck and spinal muscles can disrupt this cycle. .

Diagnosis for neck pain

How to determine the causes of neck pain and make a diagnosis?

First of all, you need to collect a history:
History of life. It is necessary to find out whether there have been neck and shoulder girdle injuries in the past, what diseases a person has had and which of them have become chronic, whether there have been recent colds and hypothermia. For example, the fact of cholecystitis can explain the painful sensations in the neck - with biliary colic, the pain sometimes radiates only to this area. At the same time, the cause of neck pain on the left can be: a tumor in the upper part of the left lung, inflammation of the muscles and compression of the spinal roots on the left.
History of the disease - how and how it started, which doctor the patient referred to, what examination and treatment was prescribed for him, how it affected the course of the disease (improved or worsened).
Visual examination will help make a diagnosis - the doctor will palpate the lymph nodes and muscles, check the mobility of the head and neck, assess the condition and color of the skin, look for visible damage and trauma.
If there is a suspicion that neck and shoulder pain is the result of diseases of other organs, the patient should consult a specialized specialist - oncologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, etc.
In other cases, radiation diagnostics will help to clarify the diagnosis: MSCT, CT, X-ray.
Sometimes electroneuromyography (ENMG), an electrophysiological study, is a useful diagnostic procedure that determines the condition of muscles and the peripheral nervous system.

Treatment of neck pain

Drug treatment

Medical treatment for neck pain, if it is caused by cancer or other organ problems, is aimed at dealing with the underlying underlying disease. In the case of diseases of the spine and muscle tension, then the following medications may be prescribed:

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are available in the form of tablets, injections and gels and ointments. In the acute stage both can be appointed (at intervals of several hours). So if you can get rid of neck pain with just tears, injections and ointments will come to the rescue.
Muscle relaxants are medications that reduce skeletal muscle tone.
Antispasmodics - Medications to relieve smooth muscle spasms.
B vitamins are needed to improve metabolic processes and improve the synthesis of neurotransmitters.
If blood circulation is impaired due to contraction of blood vessels and muscles, vasodilators are prescribed.

ᲛMassage

Massage is used to treat neck and lumbar pain when the acute symptoms of the disease subside. The beneficial effect of massage is that:

Improves blood flow to the affected side
Relieves muscle spasms, soothes, helps relieve tension and fatigue
Relieves swelling and inflammation
Improves cerebral blood supply
Restores the ability to move joints

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy treatment for neck pain begins with medication when the acute symptoms subside or remission occurs. During the acute course of the disease can be prescribed only those manipulations that have analgesic action. Physiotherapy gives a good effect because the effect is directed specifically at the diseased area. What procedures are possible?

Electrophoresis with various medications. Under the influence of alternating current, the drug penetrates deep into the tissues.
Phototherapy (laser therapy) - the effect of light rays on a affected part of the body along a fixed wavelength.
Magnetotherapy is a method of treating pain under the neck and using an alternating or permanent magnetic field on the neck. The method has anti-inflammatory and analgesic action.
Ultrasound treatment relieves neck pain and inflammation.
Dysentery therapy is the stretching of the spine due to the weight of the mouth with the ribs tilted on a special mattress. This type of physiotherapy normalizes muscle tone, relieves tension.
The Shock Wave Therapy (SWT) method is based on the action of low-frequency acoustic waves that the human ear cannot hear. Treatment with shock wave therapy allows you to reduce or eliminate pain, improve blood circulation to the affected area of the device.
Vibration Therapy - Exposure to mechanical vibrations using vibrating massagers.
Exercise Therapy (Physiotherapy Exercises) - The complex can vary from traditional gymnastics to a set of individual exercises, depending on the patient's diagnosis and condition.

surgery

Surgical treatment of neck pain is prescribed when conservative therapy has not produced the desired result:

The pain does not go away with medication
There are signs of compression of the spinal cord and roots
Pronounced and increased weakness in the muscles of the hands

Most often, disc herniation surgeries are performed simultaneously with fusion and immobilization of the surrounding spine. Laminectomy is used to eliminate spinal cord compression - the removal of part of the arch of the spine, followed by the removal of osteophytes and hernias.

Symptoms of neck pain resolve after surgery and proper rehabilitation.

Prevention of neck pain

With neck pain, turning your head, tilting or lying down comfortably becomes a big problem. And if it hurts too much, then life altogether ceases to be a pleasure. Prevention can prevent neck problems. What should we do?

Choose a comfortable sleeping position, a mattress with enough firmness and a low pillow on which your shoulders will not fall.
Keep an eye on your posture: Do not strain, do not sit in a hug.
Regularly perform at least simple exercises to strengthen the neck muscles. Stretching and yoga are beneficial.
If you are a sedentary lifestyle, take a break every hour and a half to walk, stretch, and stretch.
Protect yourself from physical injuries: Do not bend your neck sharply, avoid blows and sports injuries.
Get rid of the habit of talking on the phone by pressing with your ears and shoulders.
Avoid nervous shock, stress and anxiety. Negative emotions and anxiety can lead to stiffness, fatigue, and muscle cramps.
It is undesirable to load one on two sides, as distortion of the spine causes neck pain to the right or left.
Avoid colds and discharge, which can lead to myositis (inflammation of the neck muscles).
Drink plenty of caffeinated liquids. Adequate water allows you to effectively transfer the substances and electrolytes that your muscles need.
Eat foods that contain calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Deficiency of these substances can lead to muscle spasm and neck pain.

Acute neck pain can seriously ruin your life, especially if it happened at the wrong time - for example, during a long-awaited vacation. Therefore, at the first "calls" you should not ignore the alarm signals of the body, but rather pass the examination and get a doctor's recommendation. .