Neck pain is a symptom that modern people experience very often, regardless of age and gender. The most common reason is working for a long time at the computer. And in general, a sedentary lifestyle greatly aggravates this problem. But this disease cannot be kept waiting, because the neck is an important part of the body. It consists of seven vertebrae and contains many arteries, muscles, nerves, organs and glands.
The pain can 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 analyze them in more detail in our review, and we will also consider methods of treatment and prevention of overload in the cervical area.
The nature of the pain
Sometimes the neck hurts so much that it is difficult to understand in which direction the lesion 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 malfunctions in the functioning of the body.
- Chronic - continues for a long time, decreasing and increasing again.
- Visceral - the cause is damage to an internal organ.
- Superficial - usually these are small lesions on the skin.
- Deep is the inflammation in the tissues.
- Central – associated with problems in the nervous system.
- Neuropathic - a disorder of the peripheral nerves, but the pain points are not affected.
It's a dull ache
Often the crushing pain of pain is the body's reaction to extremely heavy physical activity. You can feel it the next day after your workout. Under stress, lactic acid accumulates in the muscles. It gives signals to nerve receptors, this process causes a feeling of painful pain. When you put stress on your upper body, not only does your neck hurt, but so do your back and shoulders. But there are also other reasons:
- rachiocampsis;
- myalgia;
- inflammatory process in muscles.
Acute pain
Painful sharp shooting attacks significantly complicate any movement. Living with these symptoms is very difficult, so get testing and treatment right away. It can be:
- osteochondrosis;
- vertebral displacement;
- neuralgia;
- intervertebral hernia.
Why and what does it hurt?
Pay attention to which side of the neck hurts, if there is discomfort when turning, perhaps lumbago radiates to the head or back. Every detail is important before starting treatment.
Only on one side
If the pain is localized only on one side, then there may be several factors:
- Hypothermia - a draft or walking without a scarf in the cold season can cause discomfort.
- Muscle spasms – Working hard at a workout or lifting heavy weights can cause your muscles to overwork. Remember if you have been carrying heavy bags in the following days - maybe this is the reason.
- Uncomfortable bed - over time, the mattress can sag and the pillow can become uneven. And simply an unnatural position during sleep can lead to 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 interrupted. The result is a sharp pain on one side of the neck.
- Tendonitis 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 develop with advanced sore throat. Purulent processes spread to nearby tissues, resulting in the formation of an abscess.
All these cases are not rare and the pain goes away in a few days. It is not necessary to go to the doctor. But there are also more serious situations when the neck hurts on one side - this is an injury caused by a strong turn of the head. This condition is also often observed in the pathogenesis if the patient has a serious infectious disease, for example, tuberculosis.
BACK
The cervical region consists of vertebrae and is the most mobile part, at the same time the most vulnerable part of the spine. Therefore, if the back of the neck hurts, there may be several factors of a different nature.
- Osteochondrosis - in this case, the neck hurts mainly in the back. Spinal discs become brittle and deformed. Therefore: the appearance of cervicalgia - a disease from the field of neurology. In this case, the patient experiences piercing pain and throbbing. Hands and back of head go numb.
- Spinal stenosis is a spinal disease that is often located in the upper part of the spine, so it can be the reason why the back of the neck hurts. The disease progresses due to the narrowing of the spinal canal and may be accompanied by numbness of the limbs.
In the back of my head
The neck and the back of the head are in direct proximity, so often these two parts of the body share diseases with each other. Pain in the back of the head can occur due to:
- Sprains. The neck muscles are attached to the back of the head, so any damage will cause a headache in the back. This area of the body will react especially strongly during movements with a large amplitude, such as jumping or fast walking.
- Problems with the spine. As we have already shown above, the neck consists of vertebrae and the back of the head is closest to the first. Therefore, often when there are violations on the back
headache in the back of the head.
It causes headaches
The cause of headaches that arise due to pathology in the neck can be stagnation of blood flow in the ridge.
- Sedentary lifestyle – at work you sit still in front of the computer for several hours, and when you return home do the same in a relaxed atmosphere. Many people live like this now. Therefore, neck pain radiating to the head is not unusual. At the same time, a feeling of weakness and apathy appears. At risk: drivers, office workers, programmers, operators.
- Sudden movements - a strong turn of the neck leads to a pinched nerve, which pierces and can radiate to the head.
- Stress. The psychogenic factor also plays a role in the appearance of the disease. Constant nervousness and emotional overload cause tension in the neck muscles and neuralgia.
Growing bump
The increase in tissue, accompanied by high body temperature, indicates that inflammatory processes are taking place in the body. The lumps hurt a lot, you can't touch them and the body is weak. A swollen lump in the neck is a sign of a serious illness.
- Infectious diseases - the flu or a 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 - neoplasm processes in the lymphatic system lead to physically visible growth.
- A weakened body - the immune system gives alarm signals.
Neck and shoulder pain
Pain in the neck and shoulder girdle, combined with the growth of a lump, is a lifelong companion for people who are constantly engaged in heavy 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 sharp. However, this factor negatively affects the neck and shoulders. You can get rid of the unpleasant sensations by changing your type of activity to something easier for the body. A lump can be a sign of:
- Fibrolipoma, lipoma or atheroma - the formation can grow from the size of a large wen to a visible lump. The growth process is reflected in the neighboring parts of the body.
- Tumor - to perform an accurate analysis, you need to contact an oncologist.
What should be done?
If the pain does not go away within a few days, then you should go to the hospital. Doctors will do an examination and for a complete picture you may need to undergo additional examinations:
- Tomogram.
- Cardiogram.
- Ultrasonography.
- Blood analysis.
- X-Ray.
After performing a series of examinations, the doctor will make a conclusion and prescribe the necessary procedures. In the treatment of the cervical area, it helps:
- Therapeutic gymnastics - a health complex will help normalize the processes occurring in the cervical region, as well as in the body as a whole.
- Massage – performed only by manual therapy specialists; self-massage can be done only after training with massage therapists.
- Drug treatment - antibiotics and sedatives will help eliminate pain as a symptom and deal with the cause of the disease if it is infectious in nature. In other cases, tablets are selected strictly individually.
- A course of injections - active substances in injections have better bioavailability, which means that relief will come much earlier than from taking pills.
- Acupuncture is a type of oriental therapy in which the impact on certain points of the body can significantly improve the condition of the body. It is better to do it in combination with a classic massage.
- Electrical stimulation is the use of pulsating current, which helps dilate blood vessels and tones the body.
- Treatment with leeches - these worms are able to 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 become stronger and your back more flexible. Perform all exercises 5-10 times.
- Sit up straight in your chair. Slowly and clearly turn your face to the right, then to the left.
- Lower your chin and reach the top of your head towards the ceiling. Tilt your head back and feel the stretch in the front of your neck.
- The back remains straight, tilt the head parallel to the floor. Take your chin with your right hand, turn your face to the right, feeling how the side of your neck stretches. Do the same with the left hand on the left.
- In a standing position, straighten up, raise your shoulders and leave your arms along the body. Hold for 10 seconds, relax.
Folk remedies in the fight for neck health
Taking your grandmother's remedies to maintain your health will only improve your treatment results. Especially in combination with other methods. Note the recipes:
- Chicory infusion. Pour a glass of boiling water over a spoonful of herbs and leave for two hours. Strain and drink in small sips throughout the day.
- Compress with mint. Put the mint leaves in a glass of water and leave it for a few hours. Wet a cloth in the mixture and apply it to the injured area.
- Mumiyo ointment. Mix honey, red pepper and mummy and boil in a water bath for 30 minutes. 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 minced lard to a glass of warm milk. Take one 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.