Neck pain is a symptom that modern people experience very frequently, regardless of age and gender. The most common reason is working for a long time in front of the computer. And in general, a sedentary lifestyle greatly aggravates this problem. But this disease cannot be left aside, because the neck is an important part of the body. It consists of seven vertebrae and contains many arteries, muscles, nerves, organs and glands.
Pain may occur due to a seasonal cold or a more serious illness, injury, or sprain. There are other factors that can affect whether your neck and head hurt. We will discuss them in more detail in our review and also consider methods to treat and prevent congestion in the cervical collar area.
nature of pain
Sometimes the neck hurts so much that it is difficult to understand in which direction the injury is located. However, analyze your condition and try to determine the nature and location of the pain. This will help you decide what to do next. There are different types of neck pain:
- Acute: indicates dysfunctions in the functioning of the body.
- Chronic: continues for a long time, decreases and grows again.
- Visceral: the cause is damage to an internal organ.
- Superficial: these are usually minor skin lesions.
- The inflammation of the tissues is profound.
- Central – associated with problems in the nervous system.
- Neuropathic: disorder of the peripheral nerves, but the painful points are not affected.
It's a dull pain
Often, squeezing pain is the body's reaction to unusually intense physical activity. You can feel it the next day after training. In stressful situations, lactic acid accumulates in the muscles. It sends signals to nerve receptors, this process causes a sensation of pain. By putting pressure on your upper body, not only does your neck hurt, but your back and shoulders also hurt. But there are other reasons:
- rachiocampsis;
- myalgia;
- Inflammatory process in the muscles.
Acute pain
Attacks of sharp, painful stabbing significantly complicate any movement. Living with these symptoms is very difficult, so start testing and treatment right away. Could be:
- osteochondrosis;
- vertebral displacement;
- neuralgia;
- intervertebral hernia.
Why and from what does it hurt?
Pay attention to which side of the neck it hurts, if there is discomfort when turning, perhaps the lumbago radiates to the head or back. Every detail is important before starting treatment.
Only on one side
If the pain is located only on one side, it may be due to several factors:
- Hypothermia - a draft or walking without a scarf in the cold season can cause discomfort.
- Muscle spasms: Working hard in a workout or carrying heavy weights could cause your muscles to work too hard. Remember that if you carried heavy bags in the next few days, perhaps this is the reason.
- Uncomfortable bed: Over time, the mattress can sag and the pillow may become uneven. And simply an unnatural posture during sleep can cause increased pain in the neck area. Maybe you need to change something in your sleeping area.
- Cervical radiculitis is a consequence of the development of osteochondrosis. With this disease, the activity of the spinal nerves is disturbed. The result is sharp pain on one side of the neck.
- Tendon inflammation is an acute process that occurs in the shoulder joints and can cause pain on the right or left side.
- A retropharyngeal abscess is a complication that can form with an advanced sore throat. Purulent processes spread to nearby tissues, as a result of which an abscess forms.
All of these cases are not uncommon and the pain disappears within days. It is not necessary to go to the doctor. But there are also more serious situations in which your neck hurts on one side: this is an injury caused by a strong turn of the head. This condition is also often observed in pathogenesis if the patient has a serious infectious disease, for example, tuberculosis.
Behind
The cervical region is made up of vertebrae and is the most mobile and at the same time the most vulnerable part of the spine. Therefore, if the back of the neck hurts, it may be due to several different factors.
- Osteochondrosis - in this case, the neck hurts mainly in the back. The spinal discs become brittle and deformed. Hence: the appearance of cervicalgia, a disease in the field of neurology. In this case, the patient experiences stabbing, stabbing pain. The hands and neck go numb.
- Spinal stenosis is a spinal disease that is usually located in the upper part of the spine, so it may be the reason why the back of your neck hurts. The disease progresses due to narrowing of the spinal cord canal and may be accompanied by numbness of the extremities.
In the back of my head
The neck and the back of the head are very close, so these two parts of the body often share ailments with each other. Pain in the back of the head can occur due to:
- Sprains. The neck muscles are adjacent to the back of the head, so any damage will cause a back headache. This area of the body will react especially strongly during large movements, such as jumping or walking quickly.
- Problems with the spine. As we have already indicated previously, the neck is made up of vertebrae and the back of the head is the closest to the first. Therefore, often when there is a violation on the ridge.
headache in the back of the head.
Causes headache
The cause of headaches that arise due to pathology in the neck may be stagnation of blood flow in the ridge.
- Sedentary lifestyle: at work you sit motionless in front of the computer for several hours and, when you get home, you do the same in a relaxed environment. Many people live like this now. Therefore, neck pain that radiates to the head is not uncommon. At the same time, a feeling of weakness and apathy appears. At risk: drivers, office workers, programmers, operators.
- Sudden movements: a strong twist of the neck causes a pinched nerve, which perforates and can radiate to the head.
- Stress. The psychogenic factor also influences the appearance of the disease. Constant nervousness and emotional overload cause tension in the neck muscles and neuralgia.
rising blow
Tissue proliferation, accompanied by elevated body temperature, indicates that inflammatory processes are occurring in the body. The lumps hurt a lot, they cannot be touched and the body is weakened. A swollen lump in the neck is a sign of a serious illness.
- Infectious diseases: The flu or sore throat can cause a lump to appear. Pain is a sign of purulent inflammation. One of the main symptoms: it hurts the patient to swallow.
- Oncology: Neoplastic processes in the lymphatic system cause physically noticeable growths.
- A weakened body: the immune system gives alarm signals.
Pain in the neck and shoulders.
Pain in the neck and shoulder girdle, combined with the growth of a lump, is an eternal companion for people who constantly do hard physical work. The main problem here, as in the previous case, is the growing lump. Only without high temperature. The formation causes pain when touched, but not so acute. However, this factor negatively affects the neck and shoulders. You can get rid of unpleasant sensations by changing your type of activity to something easier on the body. A lump may be a sign of:
- Fibrolipomas, lipomas or atheromas - the formation can grow from the size of a large wen to a noticeable hump. The growth process is reflected in neighboring parts of the body.
- Tumor: to carry out an accurate analysis it is necessary to contact an oncologist.
To do?
If the pain does not go away within a few days, you need to go to the hospital. Doctors will perform an examination, and to get a complete picture, you may need to undergo additional tests:
- Tomography.
- Cardiogram.
- Ultrasonography.
- Blood test.
- Bone scan.
After passing a series of examinations, the doctor will draw a conclusion and prescribe the necessary procedures. In the treatment of the cervical collar area it helps:
- Therapeutic gymnastics - a health complex will help to normalize the processes taking place in the cervical region, as well as in the body as a whole.
- Massage: performed only by manual therapy specialists; Self-massage can only be performed after having trained with masseuses.
- Pharmacological treatment: antibiotics and analgesics will help eliminate pain as a symptom and cope with the cause of the disease if it is infectious in nature. In other cases, the pills are selected strictly individually.
- A course of injections: The active substances in injections have better bioavailability, which means that relief will come much sooner than when taking pills.
- Acupuncture is a type of oriental therapy in which by influencing certain points on the body you can significantly improve the state of the body. It is best to do it in combination with a classic massage.
- Electrical stimulation is the use of pulsed current, which helps dilate blood vessels and tone the body.
- Treatment with leeches - these worms can saturate a person's blood with useful components. Among them, hirudin is an anticoagulant, a substance that helps improve blood circulation and hematopoiesis.
Gymnastics for every day.
Therapeutic exercises will become an effective preventive measure. Just 10 minutes of exercise in the morning and your neck muscles will strengthen and your back will become more flexible. Perform all exercises 5 to 10 times.
- Sit up straight in your chair. Turn your face slowly and clearly to the right and then to the left.
- Lower your chin and reach the top of your head toward the ceiling. Tilt your head back and feel the front of your neck stretch.
- The back remains straight, tilt the head parallel to the floor. Grasp your chin with your right hand, turn your face to the right, feeling the side of your neck stretch. Do the same with your left hand towards the left.
- In a standing position, straighten, raise your shoulders and leave your arms along your body. Freeze for 10 seconds, relax.
Folk remedies in the fight for neck health
Taking your grandmother's remedies to maintain her health will only improve the results of her treatment. Especially in combination with other methods. Take note of the recipes:
- Chicory infusion. Pour a glass of boiling water over a tablespoon of herbs and leave for two hours. Strain and drink in small sips throughout the day.
- Mint compress. Pour the mint leaves into a glass of water and leave for several hours. Soak a cloth in the mixture and apply it to the sore spot.
- Mumiyo ointment. Mix honey, red pepper and mumiyo and simmer in a water bath for 30 minutes. Let cool and apply as an ointment.
- Echinacea. Take the medicine three times a day to strengthen your immune system.
- Add 100 g of honey and the same amount of chopped lard to a glass of warm milk. Take a tablespoon with meals.
The methods described here will help only in mild forms of the disease. And prevention will protect you from them in the future. If the disease causes acute discomfort, do not self-medicate, consult a doctor as soon as possible.