Everyone has experienced severe neck pain. In the event of an accident or abnormal vertebral structure, this is not necessary. Improper workplace organization, sedentary lifestyle, strenuous physical activity-all these can cause severe pain. As we age, the manifestations of osteochondrosis will become complicated, and diseases of internal organs will only increase the problem.
Severe neck pain may occur suddenly, for example, if the head turns or tilts sharply. It may radiate to the head (mainly the back of the head), chest and even shoulders. Such phenomena are usually the result of neck and back pain (cervicago) or acute muscle cramps. We stand in a stream of air and lift a heavy one-severe neck pain can last for 5-10 days, but then they disappear. If the pain lasts longer than 10 days, they have sharp, painful, or tugging characteristics that significantly reduce the quality of life-you should seek treatment.
Since many lymphatic vessels, large veins and arteries pass through the neck area, any problems in them must be treated carefully. The musculoskeletal cavity of the neck contains the thyroid gland, the pharynx, the origin 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 chin. Therefore, if you experience neck pain, you should immediately consult a doctor to find out the cause and prevent some serious problems.
The doctor will check the condition of your spine and brain, take X-rays, CT or MRI, and check the tension of the neck, shoulders and upper back muscles. Determining the cause of the pain may result in the need to treat the cervical spine at all. You should also be prepared to make exercise a part of your daily life.
The severe pain of the cervical spine is a very important and practical problem in neurology. Its importance is determined by the following factors:
- Neck pain caused by osteochondrosis is the most common condition not caused by infection.
- The feeling of neck pain can easily become a chronic course and aggravate. Frequent severe pain can cause temporary or even permanent disability.
These factors determine the importance of timely medical treatment. If you feel any discomfort or pain, you should see a specialist immediately. Self-treatment in this situation is unacceptable because it can cause serious complications.
In addition, self-medication often results in the need for surgery and disability in adults.
Only a doctor is competent to formulate treatment plans, including pain relief.
Types of neck pain
Distinguish between neck pain (cervicalgia) and neck and back pain (cervicago). Cervical spondylosis is:
- Superficial body-related to skin damage;
- Deep body-due to damage to cervical muscles and vertebrae;
- Internal organs-scattered, caused by internal organ infections or diseases.
There are two types of neck pain that affects adjacent areas:
- Cervical and Arm Pain-Cervical Arm Syndrome, where the pain radiates from the neck to the shoulder;
- Cervical Pain-Pain starts directly in the neck or occiput and spreads to the head.
All types of cervical pain can be acute or chronic. The acute phase lasts about 10 days, but without proper treatment, it may become a chronic phase. Chronic pain is believed to last more than three months.
Cervicago is always an acute pain in the cervical spine that does not allow you to turn your head.
If the discomfort is caused by a neuropathic cause, it may be central (spine injury) or peripheral (peripheral nerve injury).
Causes of neck pain
Traditionally, the causes of neck pain can be divided into two groups-caused by spinal diseases or caused by other factors. The former is formed in the context of intervertebral hernia, arthropathy, joint dysfunction, and vertebral subluxation (whipping). The consequences of these injuries can be felt in a lifetime. The second group includes neck pain caused by infections and endocrine disorders, tumor processes, and rheumatism.
Some of the most common causes of neck pain include:
- Myofascial syndrome.It occurs under the background of chronic excessive tension, sprains, and hypothermia of the neck muscles. They usually cause short-term pain of moderate intensity, where the mobility of the head is usually restricted and muscle cramps. You will feel soreness and induration when you press. Usually, the pain caused by myofascial syndrome will go away on its own within 4-5 days.
- Cervical osteochondrosis.The disease is a degenerative dystrophic disease of the spine, which occurs due to deformation and destruction of intervertebral discs. Due to the loss of elasticity, compression and destruction of the intervertebral disc, the small joints are overloaded, arthropathy occurs, and the nerve roots are compressed. This caused severe pain throughout the neck. With age, the hydrophilicity of cartilage decreases, resulting in a decrease in the distance between the vertebrae, causing damage to the intervertebral joints.
- Small joint dysfunction.Injury to the intervertebral joint structure is one of the most common causes of pain throughout the neck. The cartilage on the joint surface becomes thinner. This leads to bone growth-the appearance of osteophytes. They narrow the cavities between the vertebrae, causing nerve endings to be compressed. Usually, this is accompanied by dull pain (gradually increasing, low intensity) in the neck area, exacerbated in the morning after sleeping in an uncomfortable position-on a high pillow, lying on your stomach. During exercise, the pain may increase, but at rest, the pain decreases. In this case, the pain may radiate to the back of the head, ears, temples, and shoulders.
- Herniated and herniated intervertebral discs.Due to the compression of the lost elastic disc, a protrusion will appear-the protrusion enters the spinal canal, and then a hernia is formed. This can cause compression of the spinal cord, which can interfere with the sensitivity of the hand-numbness, burning sensation, weakness, and pain. Shooting (irregular side) is aggravated when bending, rotating the head, or throwing backwards. Therefore, a person must instinctively tilt the head forward and to the opposite sides of the pain location.
- Cervical spondylotic myelopathy. . . The long-term compression of the hernia disrupts the blood circulation in the spinal cord. Because of this, not only the whole neck hurts badly. But this violation is accompanied by pain that radiates to the area between the shoulder blades and shoulders. They will get worse during exercise and will not disappear even with painkillers. The characteristic signs of neck pain caused by cervical spondylotic myelopathy are goose bumps, numbness in the arms and legs, and fine movement disorders. Sometimes dizziness, memory loss, and gait changes may occur.
- Whipped wound.They are caused by sharply bending the neck back or forward, and then sitting back in the opposite direction. Such injuries often occur in accidents, but even ordinary back falls can cause them. Trauma occurs due to stretching and injury of muscles, intervertebral disc ligaments and cervical spine. The most severe cases are accompanied by dislocations and fractures. The consequences of the injury may be very sore neck and shoulders, migraines, and muscle cramps. Concomitant symptoms include blurred vision, increased fatigue, and frequent headaches.
In addition, neck pain may be caused by muscle rigidity syndrome. This condition can cause long-term cramps in several muscle groups in the head, chest, and neck. The compression of the neuromuscular trigger leads to a pulling and sometimes very severe pain. In particular, scalene syndrome is a symptom complex that is accompanied by violations of the innervation and blood circulation of the cervical scalene muscles from the cervical vertebrae to the first and second ribs. This syndrome is characterized by neck pain and stiffness, most often in the morning. In this case, the head is usually tilted forward and slightly towards the tense muscles. The painful sensation may be mild, painful, but sometimes sharp, intensified at night, take a deep breath while tilting the head to the healthy side. Sometimes there may be radiating pain in the shoulders, armpits, and interscapular area, as well as the front chest.
However, it's not just spinal diseases that cause pain. First of all, it is necessary to exclude infectious diseases, especially non-specific or tuberculous spondylitis, epidural abscess. Metastatic lesions of the vertebrae may also be accompanied by persistent pain, which does not subside, but gets worse during rest. They are characterized by increased body temperature, general weakness and sweating. Even slight pressure on the spinous processes can cause local pain episodes.
Risk factors for pain include flat feet, postural bending, and strenuous exercise. Neck pain may occur in the context of constant overwork, vibration, and prolonged immobility of the body (for example, fractures).
In addition, pain can also be caused by wearing tight and uncomfortable clothes, malnutrition and internal organ diseases. Taking these factors into consideration, we have obtained various clinical cases of neck pain.
Neck pain: who to contact and what to do
If the neck is painful, traditional medicine will use drugs with different scopes for drug treatment. They are designed to fight pain, relieve infection or inflammatory processes, and eliminate unpleasant symptoms. Surgery is only performed in very severe cases.
Medication is based on local anesthetics, analgesics (NSAID), hormonal drugs (glucocorticoids), muscle relaxants (medicine to relieve muscle tension), antioxidants, and the use of antidepressants and anticonvulsants when necessary. Treatment is based on analgesics-drugs from other groups are prescribed as concomitant drugs that enhance pain relief and reduce inflammation and swelling.
The disadvantages of drug therapy are a large number of side effects and temporary pain relief. In addition, this type of treatment is only aimed at eliminating symptoms, and never at the root cause of pain.
Who should be entrusted to such an important part of the body, the neck? In the case of severe pain, there is no need for an expert, but an entire team that carefully examines, makes the correct diagnosis, and prescribes a treatment plan.
Based on a combination of the following non-pharmaceutical methods, a comprehensive approach is applied:
- physiotherapy.Neck muscles are difficult to train, so when choosing exercises, experts pay attention to the mobility of the thoracic spine, shoulder straps, and the even distribution of spine load. The exercise therapist chooses the best combination of exercises aimed at shaping the posture and eliminating neck pain.
- Exercise therapy.The clinic uses a kinesitherapy system. Installation allows you to deeply exercise the cervical spine muscles. With the help of closed-chain exercises, you can effectively manage skeletal neuromuscular problems and increase department functions.
- Bone disease.Osteopathic cervical spine correction is safe and painless, suitable for adults and children, pregnant women and professional athletes. Unlike other treatments, osteopathy not only eliminates pain syndrome, but also allows patients to get rid of the root cause of pain and treat underlying diseases. To this end, palpation and manual manipulation techniques are used on the muscles, joints, nerves, connective tissue, blood vessels and capillaries of the neck. Osteopathic medicine methods can accelerate recovery and increase the effectiveness of treatment, prevention or rehabilitation measures.
- Manipulative therapy.It effectively relieves neck tension. The expert gently affects the biologically active points, eliminates subluxation, displacement, and performs operations aimed at relaxing the neck muscles and stretching the spine.
The combination of proper choice and correct treatment can help eliminate neck pain and get rid of discomfort. The integrated approach includes the coordinated work of different experts (rehabilitation specialists, neurologists, traumatologists, orthopedic physicians, psychologists). They all follow the common goal of reducing pain for the patient. It is important to take a personalized approach to each person. The combination of osteopathy and physical therapy procedures can even solve the deep psychological causes of the entire neck pain.