Everyone had severe neck pain. In doing so, it is not necessary to have an accident or have anomalies in the structure of the vertebrae. Improper organization of the workplace, lack of exercise, intense physical activity - all of these can lead to severe pain. With age, the manifestations of osteochondrosis can be complicated, and diseases of the internal organs only cause problems.
Sharp neck pain can occur suddenly, for example, when the head is turned or tilted sharply. It can radiate into the head (mainly the back of the head), chest, or even shoulders. Such phenomena are often the result of lumbago (cervicago) or acute muscle spasms. We stood on a train, lifting a heavy one - severe neck pain can last for 5-10 days, but then it disappears. If the pain lasts longer than 10 days, it is sharp, sore or aching in character, significantly reduces the quality of life - you should seek treatment.
Since there are many lymph vessels, large veins, and arteries running through the neck area, any problems within it must be carefully treated. The musculoskeletal cavity of the neck contains the thyroid, throat, 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 jaw. Therefore, if you have neck pain, see a doctor right away to find out the causes and prevent a number of serious problems.
Doctors examine the condition of your spine and brain, do X-rays, CT or MRI, check the degree of tension in the neck, shoulder and upper back muscles. Establishing the cause of the pain may mean that there is no need for treatment in the cervical spine at all. You should 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. Their importance is determined by the following factors:
- Neck pain with osteochondrosis is the most common pathology caused by non-infection.
- painful sensations in the neck tend to have a chronic course with exacerbations. Frequent severe pain can cause temporary or even permanent disability.
These factors determine the importance of getting medical attention in a timely manner. If you experience any discomfort or pain, you should immediately consult a specialist. 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 doctor can competently draw up a regimen of therapy, including pain relief.
Types of Neck Pain
Differentiate between cervical pain (cervicalgia) and cervical lumbago (cervicago). Cervicalgia are:
- superficial somatic - associated with skin damage;
- deep somatic - due to damage to the muscles of the neck and vertebrae;
- visceral - scattered, due to infections or diseases of the internal organs.
Cervicalgia, affecting adjacent areas, is divided into two types:
- cervicobrachialgia - cervicobrachial syndrome with pain radiating from the neck to the shoulders;
- cervicocranialgia - sensations of pain start right in the neck or back of the head and spread to the head.
All types of cervicalgia can be acute or chronic. The acute phase lasts about 10 days, but can become chronic without appropriate treatment. Chronic pain is believed to last longer than three months.
Cervicago is always an acute pain sensation that is localized in the cervical spine and does not allow you to turn your head.
If the symptoms are neuropathic, they can be central (with damage to the spine) or peripheral (damage to peripheral nerves).
Causes of Neck Pain
Traditionally, 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, functional disorders of the joints, as well as subluxation of the vertebrae (whiplash). The consequences of these injuries can be felt for a lifetime. The second group includes neck pain caused by infectious and endocrine diseases, tumor processes, rheumatism.
The most common causes of neck pain include:
- Myofascial Syndrome.It occurs against a background of persistent excessive tension in the muscles of the neck, sprains and hypothermia. They usually cause short-term painful sensations of moderate intensity, in which the mobility of the head is often restricted and the muscles cramped. Pain and induration can be felt when pressing. Often times, pain caused by myofascial syndrome will go away on its own within 4-5 days.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The disease is a degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the spine, which occurs due to the deformation and destruction of the intervertebral discs. Loss of elasticity, compression and destruction of the intervertebral discs overload the facet joints, causing osteoarthritis and pinching the nerve roots. This causes the whole neck to hurt 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.
- Facet joint dysfunction.Damage to the structure of the intervertebral joints is one of the most common reasons that the entire neck is sore. The cartilage becomes thinner on the articular surfaces. This causes the appearance of bone growth - osteophytes. They narrow the lumen of the holes between the vertebrae, compressing the nerve endings. This is usually accompanied by a dull pain (gradually increasing, of low intensity) in the neck area, which increases in the morning after sleeping in an uncomfortable position - lying on a high pillow on the stomach. The pain may increase as you move, but decrease when you are at rest. In this case, pain radiating to the back of the head, ear, temples and shoulders is possible.
- Herniated disc and herniated disc.Compression of the intervertebral discs, which have lost their elasticity, leads to protrusions - protrusions into the spinal canal with subsequent hernia. This leads to compression of the spinal cord, which disrupts the sensitivity of the hands - numbness, burning, weakness, accompanied by pain. The shooting (irregularly one-sided) intensifies when bending, turning the head or throwing back. Therefore, a person must instinctively tilt their head forward and to the sides opposite to the pain localization.
- Cervical myelopathy. . . Prolonged compression of the hernia disrupts blood circulation in the spinal cord. Because of this, not only does the whole neck hurt a lot. However, the injury is accompanied by pain that radiates into the area between the shoulder blades and into the shoulder. They get worse with exercise and do not go away even after taking pain relievers. The characteristic signs of neck pain in cervical myelopathy are goose bumps, numbness in arms and legs, and fine motor disorders. Sometimes dizziness is possible, memory deteriorates, gait changes.
- Whiplash Injuries.They are created by a sharp bend of the neck back or forth, followed by a recoil in the opposite direction. Such injuries often occur in an accident, but even an ordinary fall on the back can provoke them. Trauma results from stretching and damaging muscles, ligaments of intervertebral discs, and cervical vertebrae. The most severe cases are accompanied by dislocations and fractures. The consequence of an injury can be that the entire neck and shoulders are very painful, migraines occur, muscle cramps occur. Concomitant symptoms are blurred vision, increased tiredness and frequent headaches.
In addition, neck pain can be caused by muscle tone syndrome. It is a condition that causes prolonged spasms of multiple muscle groups in the head, chest, and neck. The compression of neuromuscular triggers leads to pulling, sometimes very severe pain. In particular, the syndrome of the scalene muscle is a complex of symptoms that is accompanied by a violation of the innervation and blood supply to the scalene muscles of the neck, which extends from the cervical vertebrae to the 1st and 2nd ribs. This syndrome is characterized by a sore throat and stiffness, most common in the morning. In such cases, the head is usually tilted forward and slightly towards the tensed muscle. Painful sensations can be light, painful, but sometimes sharp, and intensify at night with deep breaths while tilting the head to the sound side. Sometimes it is possible to radiate pain into the shoulders, axillary and interscapular regions, and the anterior chest.
However, the causes of pain are not just related to diseases of the spine. First of all, it is necessary to exclude infectious pathologies, especially nonspecific or tuberculous spondylitis, epidural abscesses. Metastases to the vertebrae can also be accompanied by persistent pain that 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 local attacks of pain.
Risk factors that cause pain include flat feet, curvature of posture, and strenuous exercise. Cervicalgia can occur against the background of constant overexertion, vibration, prolonged motionless posture (for example, with fractures).
In addition, pain from wearing tight and uncomfortable clothing, malnutrition and diseases of the internal organs can occur. Taking these factors into account, we get a large number of clinical cases in which cervicalgia is formed.
Neck pain: who to contact and what to do
If the neck hurts, conventional medicine offers drug treatment with drugs with different effects. They are supposed to fight pain, alleviate infectious or inflammatory processes and eliminate unpleasant symptoms. Surgery is only performed in very severe cases.
The drug treatment is based on the administration of local anesthetics, analgesics (NSAIDs), hormone preparations (glucocorticoids), muscle relaxants (drugs to relieve muscle tension), antioxidants and, if necessary, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Treatment is based on pain relievers - drugs from other groups are prescribed as concomitant drugs that increase the effects of pain relief, relieve inflammation and swelling.
The disadvantage of drug treatment is a multitude of side effects and temporary pain relief. In addition, such treatment is only aimed at eliminating the symptoms, not the cause of the pain.
Who should be entrusted with such an important department for the body - the neck? In the case of severe pain, you don't need a specialist, but a whole team to carefully examine, make the correct diagnosis and prescribe therapy.
An integrated approach is used based on a combination of the following non-drug methods:
- Physical therapy.The neck muscles are very difficult to train, so experts focus on the mobility of the chest region, shoulder girdle and even load distribution on the spine when choosing the exercises. Exercise therapy doctors select the optimal exercises aimed at shaping posture and relieving neck pain.
- Kinesitherapy.The clinics use kinesitherapy systems. The installation allows you to deeply train the muscles of the cervical spine. With the help of closed exercise chains, neuromuscular problems of the skeleton can be treated effectively and the functionality of the department can be increased.
- Osteopathy.The osteopathic neck correction is safe and painless, it is suitable for adults and children, pregnant women and professional athletes. In contrast to other therapeutic methods, osteopathic medicine not only eliminates the pain syndrome, but also relieves the patient of the source of pain, treats the underlying disease. For this purpose, palpation and manual manipulation techniques are used on muscles, joints, nerves, connective tissue, vessels and capillaries of the neck. Methods of osteopathic medicine accelerate recovery, increase the effectiveness of therapeutic, prophylactic or rehabilitative measures.
- Manual therapy.It effectively relieves tension in the neck. Specialists gently act on biologically active points, eliminate subluxations, displacements, perform manipulations to relax the muscles of the neck and stretch the spine.
Competent choice and the right combination of therapy methods will help get rid of neck pain and get rid of discomfort. An integrated approach involves the joint, well-coordinated work of various specialists - rehabilitationologists, neurologists, traumatologists, orthopedists, psychologists. They all share the common goal of pain relief for the patient. It is important to have an individual approach to everyone, a combination of osteopathic and physiotherapeutic procedures and even work on the deep, emotional reasons that the whole neck is very painful.