Neck pain

2 August 2021

The symptoms of neck pain are familiar to everyone: it pulls the muscles, it is impossible to tilt and turn your head, and when viewed from the side, the whole body has to be turned. The culprit for troubles is usually the spine: violations, hernia, scoliosis lead to the fact that a person feels pain in the back and neck. The uncomfortable feeling leads to self-healing. But if the pain radiating to the neck does not go away after home therapy, the next step is to see a doctor.

Neck pain in adults

Neck pain in women

Neck pain during pregnancy

Back and neck pain is often a concern for expectant mothers. The explanation is simple - as the weight and proportions of the body change, posture changes, and the load on the spine increases.

How to deal with this inconvenience? A special maternity bandage will help keep your back in the right position. It is useful to swim and do yoga to strengthen 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 hard mattress and low pillow. But the most important thing is to see a doctor, as any self-medication can negatively affect the condition of the mother and the unborn baby.

Neck pain in young mothers

Back and neck pain is common among young mothers. The situation is complicated by the fact that a breastfeeding woman cannot use many medications because harmful substances get into the milk. How can you help yourself and prevent pain in the neck area from interfering with your baby’s joy?

Pay attention to your posture. During childbirth, the center of gravity shifted as the abdomen grew — he had to lean back to maintain balance and his shoulders were constantly tense.
Do not overload it physically, try to distribute the load on your back properly. Various media can help with this. They distribute the child’s weight on both shoulders and prevent back and neck fatigue.
Baby care items should be adjusted to their height so that they do not stand in an awkward position for a long time.
When breastfeeding, it is very important to be in a comfortable position, especially at night.

Neck pain in men

Neck pain usually does not differ by gender - it can occur in both men and women. And yet there are differences in anatomy: the man’s neck is adorned with a pronounced Adam-apple — a thickening of the thyroid cartilage, whose plates are at an angle to each other.

Pain in Adam's apple may indicate a rather serious illness in men:

Thyroiditis is an inflammation of the thyroid gland. In case of thyroid inflammation, patients are worried about neck pain when turning, Adam’s apple pain, above and below, swelling of the neck.
The danger of thyroid cancer is that the onset of the disease may be similar to the common cold: sore throat when swallowing, difficulty turning your neck, and even breathing.
Thyroid cartilage phlegmon is an extensive drain of cervical cartilage and soft tissues that is life-threatening. Patients complain of chills and high fever, swallowing pain, loss of voice, difficulty breathing.
Cartilage tuberculosis usually occurs in pre-existing lung tuberculosis and is a complication thereof.
Kadik may be ill due to osteochondrosis. Violation leads to pain when swallowing, sneezing, coughing.
Fractures, bruises, and compression of cartilage can lead to displacement, swelling of the neck, and suffocation.

Neck pain in the elderly

Neck pain can indicate the development of diseases in the elderly:

Peak lung cancer (cancer with Pancost and Horner syndrome). The patient's pain in this case is associated with tumor growth at the nerve endings in the shoulder girdle and neck.
Tumors of the neck, salivary glands.
Coronary heart disease. The pain can spread from the chest to the neck and arms, causing symptoms similar to osteochondrosis.
Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disease characterized by stiffness and pain in the muscles of the shoulder girdle and hips.
Spinal metastases in various oncological diseases (it’s no secret that the likelihood of developing cancer increases with age).
Cervical vertebra subluxation as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis.
The most common causes of cervical and cervical 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 occurs in children for the same reasons as in adults:

Injury
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 child's head turns sharply to the side. Torticollis is dangerous because it leads to curvature of the cervical spine and interferes with the formation of the skeleton of the face.

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

Congenital - can occur in the womb if the fetus is not properly positioned, but most often occurs during childbirth, when the baby turns its head sideways and injures the neck muscles.
Dermatogenic - when the neck is twisted from wounds or burns.
Reflex injuries, otitis media, diseases of the salivary glands.
Neurogenic - due to muscle cramps after polio or encephalitis.
Spastic - due to excessive tension in the neck muscles.
Traumatic - involves fracture of the spine.

Torticollis (excluding dermatogenic and neurogenic) is usually observed in neonates or manifests in the first months. Your highest risk occurs if:

The fetus is in the supine position during natural childbirth.
The location of the fetus in the mother's abdomen is such that the wall of the uterus is pressed against the neck.
Childbirth is difficult and the baby’s pectoral muscle is damaged (with a scar).
It becomes necessary to use tweezers and vacuum for heavy work.
Mastoid muscle became inflamed during intrauterine development, as a result of which the muscle tissue in the area of inflammation was replaced by fibrous tissue.
The mastoid muscle is abnormally hypertrophic and shortened.
By cesarean section.

How to cure torticollis?

The conservative method is done through a massage and physiotherapy course, special orthopedic shaping of the baby’s head, wearing an orthopedic collar, and gymnastic exercises.
Action - Perform when conservative methods have failed. During the surgery, the surgeon lengthens the sternum muscle and straightens the position of the child’s head.

Different types of neck pain

Sharp neck pain

Why is there sharp pain in the neck? There are two reasons for this:

Trauma (fracture, blow, bruising).
Violation of nerve endings - this is the case with osteochondrosis, disc herniation, intervertebral discs, spinal cord compression.

Pain management depends on the cause and includes:

Prescribing painkillers.
Muscle relaxants and antispasmodics to relieve muscle cramps.
Immobilization (immobilization) of the cervical spine.
Practical therapy and physiotherapy.

Severe neck pain

Severe neck pain is always uncomfortable. I want to quickly figure out why it hurts and recover. What are the causes of severe pain?

Exacerbation of osteochondrosis, when the body fails to move, rotate, or concussion, causes the vertebrae to move, damage the existing hernia, and compress the nerves in the spinal cord.
Cervical radiculitis (inflammation and stinging of the roots of the spine).
Cervicago - "lumbago" (sharp severe muscle cramps).
Severe back and neck pain can occur after an injury.

Neck pain in osteochondrosis

Neck pain in osteochondrosis is very severe and gives the patient many unpleasant minutes. As a result of muscle spasm or displacement of the vertebrae relative to each other, the arteries supplying the brain can be pinched or twisted. In the most severe cases, this can lead to a condition similar to a stroke, when a person is dizzy, everything floats in front of his eyes, and sometimes speech and vision are lost.

Neck pain on the left side

Left neck pain is a possible symptom of problems not only in the cervical spine but also outside. What can a person do if he has neck pain on his left side?

Heart disease (heart attack, coronary heart 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 on the right side

Right neck pain is an alarming symptom, but is most often explained banally: a person suffers from osteochondrosis with all the consequences. Such consequences include nerve entrapment, muscle cramps, intervertebral protrusion and hernia, and vascular disorders.

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

Bile colic radiating to the neck and shoulders.
Right apical lung cancer with tumor invasion of the above nerves.
Bruises, injuries, collarbone and vertebral fractures.
Tumors of the cervical spine (metastases of other organs).
If the pain is concentrated in the front right side of the neck, it may also indicate heart problems (heart attack, coronary heart 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 complications (hernia, nerves, spinal cord strain). In addition, simultaneous neck and shoulder pain is a symptom of such diseases:

Gallstone disease during exacerbation with gallbladder colic.
Heart disease.
Shoulder arthrosis.
Cervical plexitis is an inflammation of the large nerve nodes in the spinal nerves.
Shoulder and scapula periarthritis - inflammation of the capsules of the shoulder tendons and shoulder joints.
Myositis.
Arthritis.

Neck and back pain

Pain in the neck and lower back is usually a sign of widespread osteochondrosis that has penetrated the entire spine. After all, posture does not happen to be good in one part of the spine and bad in the other. In osteochondrosis, the neck pain is mild when the disease is in remission and strong, painful when it gets worse. Exacerbation begins with sharp pain in the neck and back, with unsuccessful twists, movements, and blows. It can be removed with medication prescribed by a doctor, rest, mild warmth in the affected area, with the help of exercise therapy and physiotherapy.

Neck and neck pain

Pain in the neck and back of the head is most often a symptom of banal cervical osteochondrosis - a dangerous disease but not fatal. But sometimes it indicates meningitis and this disease is a danger to human life. The pathogens of meningitis - bacteria and viruses - penetrate the brain and spinal cord and cause inflammation in the membranes.

Numbness, pain in the neck and back of the head, stiffness of the occipital muscles, inability to pull the head to the chest at the same time, bending the leg to the knee - all symptoms of meninges that immediately alert the doctor. The dangerous disease is treated in a hospital,

In addition to meningitis and osteochondrosis, pain in the neck and back of the head can include injuries, cervical neuralgia, high blood pressure, and muscle tension.

Causes and symptoms of neck pain

Injury

The cause of neck pain sometimes becomes an injury, causing the cervical vertebrae to move or break, and the spinal nerves to be damaged. Accidents, falls, injuries, poor dives, or sudden movements can cause injury. Symptoms of a neck injury include:

Improper neck flexion, inability to muscle tension in the head, chest, and neck indicate fractures of the lower vertebrae.
Pain in the crown and back of the head indicates that the 1st cervical vertebra is damaged.
Swelling and "bruising" can be the result of a neck injury.
Neck pain when turning the head, shoulders, upper chest, aching headache is a symptom of a whiplash injury that occurs due to alternating sharp bending and stretching of the neck (this can occur when the vehicle is suddenly braked).

Neoplasms

Neck pain is an extremely dangerous cause of malignancy. How can it be?

Neck pain as a symptom of a tumor in the upper part of the lungs. It sprouts nerve bundles and blood vessels, causing severe pain. The person may be disturbed by left or right neck pain, depending on the location of the tumor.
A 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 as the disease progresses and are difficult not to notice. Other prominent signs of lymphoma are excessive sweating, seemingly unreasonable fever, and weight loss.
Salivary gland cancer is a tumor that affects the salivary glands behind the ear, on the side of the neck and in the palate. In the early stages it is painless, you can only occasionally notice the seals in the affected glands.
The laryngeal tumor grows into its walls, visually representing a tuberous tumor. They are difficult to spot on routine examination, so the cancer is unfortunately diagnosed at a late stage when other manifestations become apparent: foreign body sensation in the throat, hoarseness and depth of nose in the voice, difficulty breathing in the nose. Lung cancer is also dangerous because it tends to cause early metastasis, which greatly impairs the patient's prognosis for recovery.
Thyroid cancer is associated with nodular nodules, pain in the front of the neck, and changes in tone.
In cartilage of the thyroid gland, patients complain that it is difficult to swallow and move food in the larynx, a foreign body sensation or a lump in the throat.

Reflective pain in diseases of other organs

Pain radiating 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 they cause?

Heart (ischemic heart disease, heart attack, angina pectoris) - they are accompanied by seizures when the pain radiates to the shoulders, neck, sometimes arms.
Pain in the neck on the right side, under the right shoulder blade, and in the right shoulder occurs when the gallbladder attacks, with stones in the gallbladder.
Diseases of the esophagus (reflux, erosion, ulcer).
Oncological diseases (lymphoma, tumor metastases) cause human suffering when the neoplasm affects nerve endings. So lung apex cancer, when the tumor grows upwards, leads to pain in the neck and shoulders. Intracranial tumors and head oncological diseases also cause pain in the cervical spine.
Phlegmon of abscesses and head.
Bleeding into the subarachnoid space between the brain and its delicate tissues.

Psychological causes of neck pain

Symptoms of neck pain often come with muscle cramps. Seizures are not just caused by stress, injury, or injury - they can be caused by stress, nerve shock, and fatigue. Why is this happening?

The fact is that the body perceives stress as a threat to its well-being and it mobilizes it. Stress hormones are released into the bloodstream, heart rate rises, and digestion, on the contrary, slows down. Muscle tone increases with hormonal changes. As soon as you experience the alarm situation, the body switches to normal mode. But when emotional stress takes a chronic form, the muscle spasm becomes permanent, and in the background of this, diseases of the spine develop (osteochondrosis, hernia, plaque outburst).

Sitting lifestyle, frequent computer work

Neck muscle pain is often due to the fact that a person has impaired posture, and the impaired posture can be caused by muscle weakness. This usually occurs in people who are away from physical education, have a sedentary lifestyle and work a lot on the computer. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that the workplace is often poorly organized and the person sits hunched over or bends uncomfortably. As a result, the pain radiating to the neck becomes a constant companion, normal muscle cramps develop, degenerative changes begin in the intervertebral discs, and osteochondrosis develops. And even in osteochondrosis, neck pain becomes a constant companion: the period of pain relief is replaced by exacerbations, and only competent treatment, lifestyle changes from sedentary to mobile movement, posture control, strengthening neck and back muscles can interrupt this cycle. .

Diagnosis of neck pain

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

First, you need to gather a medical history:
History of life. It should be ascertained whether there have been injuries to the neck and shoulder girdle in the past, what diseases the person has suffered from and which of them have become chronic, whether there has been a recent cold and hypothermia. For example, the fact of gallbladder inflammation can explain the painful feelings in the neck - in the case of bile colic, the pain sometimes radiates only to that area. However, left neck pain can be caused by: a tumor in the upper left lung, muscle inflammation, and compression of the left spinal roots.
History of the disease - how and how it started, which doctor the patient went to, what examination and treatment they were prescribed, how it affected the course of the disease (improved or worsened).
Visual inspection helps make the diagnosis - the doctor palpates the lymph nodes and muscles, checks the mobility of the head and neck, assesses the condition and color of the skin, and looks for visible injuries and traumas.
If neck and shoulder pain is suspected to be a consequence of diseases of other organs, the patient should be referred to a specialist - oncologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, etc.
In other cases, radiology helps to clarify the diagnosis: MSCT, CT, X-ray.
Sometimes electron neuromyography (ENMG), an electrophysiological examination, 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 occurs due to cancer or other organ problems, is intended to treat the identified underlying disease. If the problem is in diseases of the spine and muscle tension, the following medications can be prescribed:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. NSAIDs are available in the form of tablets, injections, and gels and ointments. In the acute stage, both can be prescribed (at intervals of several hours). So if you can just turn your head away from neck pain with tears, injections and ointments will help.
Muscle relaxants are medications that reduce skeletal muscle tone.
Anticonvulsants - medications to relieve smooth muscle cramps.
Vitamins B are needed to improve metabolic processes and the synthesis of neurotransmitters.
If blood circulation is damaged due to compression of blood vessels and muscles, vasodilators are prescribed.

Massage

Massage to treat pain in the neck and lower back is used when the acute symptoms of the disease have disappeared. The beneficial effects of massage are that:

Improves blood circulation in the affected area
Relieves muscle cramps, relaxes, helps relieve tension and fatigue
Removes swelling and inflammation
Improves the blood supply to the brain
Restores the mobility of the joints

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy for neck pain begins at the same time as medication when acute symptoms are relieved or remission occurs. During the acute course of the disease, only manipulations that have an analgesic effect can be prescribed. Physiotherapy has a good effect because the effect is specifically targeted to the patient area. What procedures are possible?

Electrophoresis with different drugs. As a result of the alternating current, the drugs penetrate deep into the tissues.
Phototherapy (laser therapy) - exposure to fixed wavelengths of light in the affected area of the body.
Magnetotherapy is a method of treating neck and neck pain using an alternating or permanent magnetic field. The method has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
Ultrasound treatment relieves neck pain and inflammation.
Detensor therapy is the stretching of the spine due to a person’s weight on a special mattress with sloping ribs. This type of physiotherapy normalizes muscle tone, relieves tension.
The method of shock wave therapy (SWT) is based on low-frequency acoustic waves that the human ear cannot hear. Treatment with shock wave therapy allows you to reduce or eliminate pain and improve blood flow in the area of exposure to the device.
Vibration therapy - exposure to mechanical vibrations using vibrating massagers.
Exercise therapy (physiotherapy exercises) - the complex can vary from traditional gymnastics to a series of individual exercises that have been developed taking into account the patient's diagnosis and condition.

Surgical intervention

Surgical treatment of neck pain is prescribed if conservative therapy has not produced the desired results:

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

Most often, operations to remove the disc herniation are performed simultaneously with fusion and immobilization of adjacent vertebrae. Laminectomy is used to prevent spinal cord compression - removal of part of the vertebral arch and then removal of osteophytes and hernias.

After surgery and proper rehabilitation, the symptoms of neck pain do not bother the patient.

Prevention of neck pain

With neck pain, turning your head, tilting, or lying comfortably becomes a big problem. And if it hurts a lot, life will stop liking at all. You can avoid neck problems by preventing it. What do we have to do?

Choose a comfortable sleeping position, a mattress with adequate strength, and a low pillow that your shoulders don’t fall over.
Observe your own posture: do not bend over, do not sit bent over.
Perform at least simple exercises to strengthen your neck muscles regularly. Stretching and yoga are helpful.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, take breaks every hour and a half to walk, stretch and stretch.
Protect from physical injury: do not turn your neck sharply, avoid bumps and traumatic sports loads.
Get rid of the habit of talking on the phone with your ears and shoulders pressed.
Avoid nervous shocks, stress and worries. Negative emotions and anxiety can cause stiffness, fatigue, and muscle cramps.
It is not desirable to strain one of the two shoulders as spinal distortion causes neck pain on the right or left side.
Avoid colds and drafts that can cause myositis (inflammation of the neck muscles).
Drink plenty of decaffeinated fluids. Adequate water allows for efficient delivery of materials and electrolytes needed by the muscles.
Eat foods that contain calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Lack of these substances can cause muscle cramps and neck pain.

Severe neck pain can severely ruin your life, especially if it happened at the wrong time - for example, during a long-awaited vacation. Therefore, during the first "calls", the body's alarm signals should not be ignored, but the doctor's recommendation should be examined and sought. It is not advisable to remember prevention: moderate exercise, sleep and working in a comfortable position, proper nutrition and weight distribution during carrying will help maintain neck health.