Pain in the neck

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 to look from the side you have to turn your whole body. The culprit of disorders, as a rule, is the spine: injuries, hernias, scoliosis lead to the fact that a person experiences pain in the back and neck. The discomfort prompts him to heal himself. But if the pain radiating to the neck does not go away after home treatment, the next step is to see a doctor.

Neck pain in adults

Neck pain in women

Neck pain during pregnancy

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

How to deal with this nuisance? A special maternity bandage will help keep your back in the correct position. To strengthen the muscles of the back and neck, it is useful to do swimming and yoga (of course, with the permission of an obstetrician-gynecologist). You should sleep in a comfortable position, on a hard mattress and a low pillow. But the most important thing is to consult a doctor, since any self-medication can negatively affect the condition of the mother and the unborn baby.

Neck pain in young mothers

Back and neck pain are common in young mothers. The question is complicated by the fact that a woman during breastfeeding cannot use many drugs, because harmful substances get into the milk. How can you help yourself and prevent neck pain from interfering with baby's joy?

Watch your posture. While carrying a child, the center of gravity shifted with an increase in the abdomen - one had to lean back to maintain balance and the shoulders were tense all the time.
Do not overwork physically, try to distribute the load evenly on your back. Various transport devices can help with this. They distribute the weight of the child on both shoulders and prevent fatigue of the back and neck.
Childcare articles should be adjusted according to their height so that they do not remain in an awkward position for a long time.
It is very important to be in a comfortable position while breastfeeding, especially at night.

Neck pain in men

Neck pain, as a rule, does not differ by gender - it can appear in both men and women. And yet there are a few differences in anatomy: the male neck is decorated with a pronounced Adam's apple - a thickening of the thyroid cartilage, the plates of which are located at an angle to each other.

Pain in the Adam's apple in men can indicate a fairly serious disease:

Thyroiditis is inflammation of the thyroid gland. With thyroiditis, patients worry about pain in the neck when rolling over, pain in the Adam's apple, above and below, swelling in the neck.
Cancer of the thyroid cartilage - its danger lies in the fact that the onset of the disease can be similar to a cold: a sore throat when swallowing, it is difficult to turn the neck and even breathe.
Thyroid cartilage phlegmon is an extensive suppuration of the cartilage and soft tissues of the neck, which is life-threatening. Patients complain of chills and high fever, pain when swallowing, loss of voice, difficulty breathing.
Cartilage tuberculosis occurs, as a rule, with existing pulmonary tuberculosis and is its complication.
Kadik may be ill with osteochondrosis. The 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

Pain radiating to the neck, in the elderly, may indicate the development of diseases:

Cancer of the apex of the lung (cancer with Pancost and Horner syndrome). The pain of the patient in this case is associated with the growth of the tumor in the nerve endings of the shoulder girdle and neck.
Tumors of the neck, salivary glands.
Coronary disease. The pain can spread from the chest to the neck and arms, causing symptoms similar to osteochondrosis.
Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disorder 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).
Subluxation of the cervical vertebra as a complication of rheumatoid arthritis.
The most common causes of neck and neck 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 in children occurs for the same reasons as in adults:

Trauma
Osteochondrosis
Stress and anxiety
Tumors
Diseases of other organs causing distant pain

Perhaps the most specific "childish" cause of neck pain is stiff neck, when the child's head is turned sharply to the side. Torticollis is dangerous because it causes curvature of the cervical spine and disrupts the formation of the facial skeleton.

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

Congenital - it can happen in the womb if the fetus is not positioned correctly, but most often it happens during childbirth, when the baby turns his head to the side and injures the muscles of the neck.
Dermatogenic - when the neck is twisted from scars left by trauma or burns.
Reflex - it happens with injuries, otitis media, diseases of the salivary gland.
Neurogenic - due to muscle spasms after polio or encephalitis.
Spastic - due to excessive tension of the cervical muscles.
Traumatic - associated with a fracture of the spine.

Torticollis (except dermatogens and neurogens) is usually seen in newborns, or manifests in the first few months. The greatest risk of its occurrence occurs when:

The fetus in natural childbirth is presented by breech.
The location of the fetus in the mother's abdomen is such that the wall of the uterus presses against the neck.
Childbirth is difficult and the baby's mastoid muscle is damaged (with scar formation).
It becomes necessary to use forceps and a vacuum cleaner for difficult jobs.
The mastoid muscle is inflamed during intrauterine development, as a result of which the muscle tissue has been replaced by fibrous tissue in the area of inflammation.
The mastoid muscle is pathologically enlarged and shortened.
With a cesarean.

How to treat torticollis?

The conservative method is done with the help of a course of massage and physiotherapy, special orthopedic styling of the baby's head, wearing an orthopedic collar and gymnastic exercises.
Operation - carried out if conservative methods did not give results. During the operation, the surgeon lengthens the sternocleidomastoid muscle and straightens the position of the child's head.

Different types of neck pain

Acute neck pain

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

Trauma (fracture, blow, contusion).
Violation of nerve endings - this is the case with osteochondrosis, herniated intervertebral discs, compression of the spinal canal.

Treatment for pain depends on the cause and includes:

Prescribe pain relievers.
Muscle relaxants and antispasmodics to relieve muscle spasms.
Immobilization (immobilization) of the cervical spine.
Exercise therapy and physiotherapy.

Severe neck pain

Severe neck pain is always unpleasant. I would like to quickly understand why it hurts and recover. What are the causes of severe pain?

Exacerbation of osteochondrosis, when an unsuccessful movement, rotation or concussion of the body causes displacement of the vertebrae, damage to an existing hernia, compression of the spinal nerves.
Cervical radiculitis (inflammation and pinching of the spinal roots).
Cervicago - "lumbago" (acute and severe muscle spasm).
Severe back and neck pain can occur after an injury.

Neck pain with osteochondrosis

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

Neck pain on the left

Neck pain on the left is a possible symptom of problems not only in the cervical spine, but also outside. What can a person have if their neck hurts on the left?

Heart disease (heart attack, coronary artery disease, angina pectoris).
Cancer of the upper left lung.
Injuries.
Metastases of tumors from other organs to the lymph nodes on the left side of the neck.
Infectious inflammation of the lymph nodes (due to tonsillitis, ARVI, tonsillitis).

Neck pain on the right

Pain in the neck on the right is an alarming symptom, but most often it is explained banally: a person has osteochondrosis with all its consequences. These consequences include compression of nerves, muscle spasms, intervertebral protrusion and hernia, vascular disorders.

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

Biliary colic radiating to the neck and shoulder.
Cancer of the right apical lung with tumor invasion in the nerves above.
Bruises, injuries, fractures of the collarbone and vertebrae.
Tumors of the cervical spine (metastases from other organs).
If the pain is concentrated on the right front side of the neck, it can also indicate heart problems (heart attack, coronary artery disease).
Inflammation of the lymph nodes due to ARVI and sore throat.

Neck and shoulder pain

Neck and shoulder pain are a classic sign of cervical osteochondrosis and the complications that accompany it (damage to the hernia, nerves, trunk of the spinal cord). In addition, simultaneous pain in the neck and shoulders is a symptom of such diseases:

Gallstone during an exacerbation, with biliary colic.
Heart disease.
Osteoarthritis of the shoulder.
Cervical plexitis is inflammation of the large nerve nodes in the spinal nerves.
Periarthritis of the shoulder and scapula - inflammation of the shoulder tendons and capsules of the shoulder joints.
Myositis.
Arthritis.

Neck and back pain

Usually neck and lower back pain is a sign of generalized osteochondrosis, which has invaded the entire spine. After all, it doesn't happen that the posture in one part of the spine is good and bad in the other. With osteochondrosis, neck pain is mild when the disease is in remission, and strong, painful if it has worsened. The exacerbation begins with a sharp pain in the neck and back with an unsuccessful bend, movement, impact. It can be removed with the help of medications prescribed by the doctor, rest, mild heat on the affected area, exercise therapy, and physical therapy.

Pain in the neck and back of the neck

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 poses a threat to human life. The causative agents of meningitis - bacteria and viruses - invade the brain and spinal cord and cause their membranes to become inflamed.

Numbness, pain in the neck and back of the head, stiffness of the occipital muscles, inability to simultaneously pull the head towards the chest, bend the leg at the knee - all meningeal symptoms that immediately alert the doctor. Treatment of a dangerous disease is carried out in a hospital,

In addition to meningitis and osteochondrosis, pain in the neck and back of the head can be injury, occipital nerve neuralgia, hypertension, and muscle tension.

Causes and symptoms of neck pain

Trauma

The cause of neck pain sometimes becomes an injury, due to which the cervical vertebrae are displaced or broken, the spinal nerves are damaged. Injury can occur as a result of accidents, falls, injuries, improper diving or sudden movement. Symptoms of a neck injury include:

Incorrect curvature of the neck, inability to turn the head, tension in the muscles of the chest and neck indicate a fracture of the lower vertebrae.
Pain in the crown and the back of the head is an indicator that the 1st cervical vertebra is damaged.
Swelling and "bruising" can be the result of a neck injury.
Pain in the neck when turning the head, in the shoulders, in the upper chest, aching headache is a symptom of whiplash, which occurs due to the alternation of strong bending and d'' neck extension (this can happen when the vehicle is suddenly braked).

Tumors

An extremely dangerous cause of neck pain is a malignant tumor. How can that be?

Neck pain as a symptom of a tumor in the upper part of the lung. It germinates nerve bundles and blood vessels, which causes severe pain. A person may be embarrassed by neck pain on the left or right, depending on the location of the tumor.
A symptom of neck pain sometimes indicates the development of lymphoma - cancer of the lymph nodes. Since many lymph nodes are concentrated on the neck, they grow with the progression of the disease and it is difficult not to notice it. Other prominent signs of lymphoma are excessive sweating, a seemingly unreasonable fever, and weight loss.
Salivary gland cancer is a tumor that affects the salivary glands behind the ears, on the side of the neck, and in the palate. At an early stage it is painless, only sometimes you can notice seals in the affected glands.
A tumor of the larynx grows in its walls, visually represents a tuberous neoplasm. It is difficult to notice them during a routine examination, therefore, cancer is unfortunately diagnosed at a late stage, when other manifestations become apparent: sensation of a foreign body in the throat, hoarseness and nasal voice, difficulty in breathing. the nose. A tumor of the larynx is also dangerous because it is prone to the early onset of metastases, which significantly worsens the patient's prognosis for recovery.
Thyroid cancer manifests as nodules, pain in the front of the neck, and changes in the voice.
In cancer of the cartilage of the thyroid gland, patients complain of difficulty swallowing and moving food in the larynx, a feeling of a foreign body or lump in the throat.

Pain reflected in diseases of other organs

Pain radiating to the neck does not always indicate that the problem is with the neck itself. Sometimes it hurts due to poor health of other organs and then the pain is called reflective. What diseases can cause it?

Cardiac (ischemic heart disease, heart attack, angina pectoris) - they are accompanied by attacks, when the pain radiates to the shoulders, neck, sometimes to the arm.
Pain in the neck on the right, under the right scapula and in the right shoulder occurs during an attack of biliary colic with stones in the gallbladder.
Diseases of the esophagus (reflux, erosion, ulcer).
Oncological diseases (lymphoma, tumor metastases) are the cause of human suffering when the neoplasm affects the nerve endings. So, cancer of the apex of the lung, when the tumor grows upwards, causes pain in the neck and shoulders. Intracranial tumors, oncological diseases of the head also cause pain in the cervical spine.
Abscess and phlegmon of the head.
Bleeding in the subarachnoid space between the brain and its delicate tissues.

Psychological causes of neck pain

Symptoms of neck pain often appear in conjunction with muscle spasm. Spasm is not just due to stress, injury or injury - the cause can be stress, nervous shock, and fatigue. Why is this happening?

The point is that the body perceives stress as a threat to its well-being, and this makes it mobilize. There is a release of stress hormones into the bloodstream, the heart rate increases, and digestion, on the contrary, slows down. Muscle tone increases in response to hormonal changes. As soon as the alarming situation is experienced, the body goes into normal mode. But if the emotional stress takes a chronic form, the muscle spasm becomes constant, and against its background diseases of the spine develop (osteochondrosis, hernia, disc protrusion).

Sedentary lifestyle, frequent computer work

Pain in the muscles of the neck is often due to a person having poor posture, and the cause of poor posture can be weakness of the muscle corset. As a rule, this happens in people who are far from physical education, lead a sedentary lifestyle, and work a lot at the computer. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the workplace is often not organized properly and the person sits hunched or uncomfortably leaned forward. As a result, the pain radiating to the neck becomes a constant companion, the usual muscle spasm is formed, degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs begin, osteochondrosis develops. And even with osteochondrosis, neck pain becomes a constant companion: periods of pain relief are replaced by exacerbations, and only competent treatment, a change in lifestyle from sedentary to mobile, posture control, strengthening the muscles of the neck and back can break this cycle. .

Diagnosis of neck pain

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

First of all, you need to collect an anamnesis:
Life history. It is necessary to find out whether there were injuries to the neck and shoulder girdle in the past, from what diseases the person was sick and which of them became chronic, whether there was a cold andrecent hypothermia. For example, having cholecystitis may explain painful sensations in the neck - with biliary colic, the pain sometimes radiates just to this area. At the same time, the cause of neck pain on the left can be: a tumor in the upper part of the left lung, muscle inflammation and compression of the spinal roots on the left.
History of the disease - how and how it started, which doctor the patient saw, what tests and treatments were prescribed for him, how this influenced the course of the disease (whether it is improving or getting worse).
A visual examination will help make a 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, looks for visible damage and trauma.
If it is suspected that neck and shoulder pain is the result of diseases of other organs, the patient should be referred to a specialized specialist - oncologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, etc.
In other cases, the radiological diagnosis will help to clarify the diagnosis: CT, CT, X-ray.
Sometimes electroneuromyography (ENMG), an electrophysiological study, is a useful diagnostic procedure, which determines the condition of muscles and the peripheral nervous system.

Treatment of neck pain

Medical treatment

Medical treatment for neck pain, whether due to cancer or to problems in other organs, is aimed at addressing the underlying disease identified. If it is diseases of the spine and muscle tension, the following drugs may be prescribed:

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. NSAIDs are available as tablets, injections, and gels and ointments. In the acute stage, both can be prescribed (at intervals of several hours). So, if you can only turn your head away from neck pain with tears, injections and ointments will come to the rescue.
Muscle relaxants are drugs that reduce the tone of skeletal muscles.
Antispasmodics - drugs to relieve spasm of smooth muscles.
B vitamins are needed to improve metabolic processes and the synthesis of neurotransmitters.
If blood circulation is impaired due to compression of blood vessels and muscles, vasodilator drugs are prescribed.

Massage

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

Improves blood circulation in the affected area
Relieves muscle spasms, relaxes, helps relieve tension and fatigue
Eliminates puffiness and inflammation
Improves cerebral blood supply
Restores the ability of the joints to move

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy treatment for neck pain begins at the same time as medication, when acute symptoms subside or remission occurs. During the period of acute course of the disease, only manipulations with an analgesic effect can be prescribed. Physiotherapy gives a good effect, as the effect is aimed specifically at the diseased area. What steps are possible?

Electrophoresis with various drugs. Under the influence of alternating current, drugs penetrate deep into the tissues.
Phototherapy (laser therapy) - exposure to light beams with a fixed wavelength on the affected area of the body.
Magnetotherapy is a method of treating pain under the neck and in the neck using an alternating or constant magnetic field. The method has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
Ultrasound treatment relieves neck pain and inflammation.
Stress reliever therapy is a stretch of the spine caused by a person's weight on a special slanted rib mattress. This type of physiotherapy normalizes muscle tone, relieves tension.
The Shock Wave Therapy (SWT) method is based on the action of low frequency acoustic waves that the human ear cannot hear. Treatment with shock wave therapy allows you to reduce or eliminate pain, 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 range from traditional gymnastics to an individual set of exercises, developed taking into account the diagnosis and the patient's condition.

Surgical intervention

Surgical treatment of neck pain is prescribed when conservative treatment has not given the desired result:

Pain does not go away with medication
There are signs of compression of the spinal cord and roots
Pronounced and increased weakness of the muscles of the hands

Most often, operations for the removal of herniated discs are carried out simultaneously with the fusion and immobilization of adjacent vertebrae. To remove compression of the spinal cord, a laminectomy is used - removal of part of the vertebral arch, followed by the removal of osteophytes and hernias.

After surgery and proper rehabilitation, the symptoms of neck pain cease to bother the patient.

Prevent neck pain

a healthy lifestyle for the prevention of neck pain

With neck pain, turning your head, tilting it, or lying down comfortably becomes a big problem. And if it hurts a lot, then life stops pleasing at all. You can avoid neck problems with prevention. What do we have to do?

Choose a comfortable sleeping position, a sufficiently firm mattress, and a low pillow that your shoulders will not fall on.
Watch your own posture: don't slouch or sit hunched over.
Do at least simple exercises to regularly strengthen the muscles in your neck. Stretching and yoga are helpful.
If you have a sedentary lifestyle, take breaks every hour and a half to walk, stretch, and stretch.
Protect yourself from physical injury: do not turn your neck sharply, avoid shock and traumatic sports loads.
Get rid of the habit of talking on the phone by pressing down on it with your ear and shoulder.
Avoid nervous shock, stress and worry. Negative emotions and anxiety can cause stiffness, fatigue, and muscle cramps.
It is undesirable to load one of the two shoulders, since the deformation of the spine causes neck pain on the right or on the left.
Avoid colds and drafts that can cause myositis (inflammation of the muscles in the neck).
Drink lots of decaffeinated liquids. Adequate water allows you to efficiently transport the substances and electrolytes that your muscles need.
Eat foods that contain calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. A deficiency in these substances can cause muscle spasms and neck pain.

Severe neck pain can seriously ruin your life, especially if it happened at the wrong time - for example, on a long-awaited vacation. Therefore, during the first "calls", one should not ignore alarming signals from the body, but undergo an examination and get a doctor's recommendation. It is useful to think about prevention: moderate exercise, sleep and work in a comfortable position, good nutrition and good weight distribution while carrying will help maintain neck health.