Neck pain, everyone experiences more than once in their lives. If there is pain in the back of the neck, in most cases, the cause is the cervical spine. Let's take a closer look at each disease.
myositis
With hypothermia and colds, neck myositis develops - acute inflammation of the muscles. A person begins to experience severe pain in the neck and shoulders and a slight increase in body temperature. When palpating the painful area, the skin above the muscle is edematous, swollen, and hot to the touch. When you try to turn your head to the affected side, you experience severe pain and tension in the neck muscles.
Myositis can manifest in the context of respiratory or viral diseases. Then a sore throat, neck pain, and swollen lymph nodes.
treat
NSAIDs will help stop inflammation quickly and effectively. Various ointments and gels can be used topically. Here, it is necessary to add an important fact about finalgone - you need to apply a thin layer on it and under no circumstances can it be washed off with water.
You can use semi-alcohol and warm compresses - with vodka, diluted alcohol, or cyanide. Folk remedies also help: boil potatoes, rub with honey, and coat with crushed cabbage leaves.
In addition to treating myositis, treat colds - antiviral or antibacterial drugs, vitamins, sprays for the nose and throat. For quick sore throat relief, the spray is helpful - a powerful antibacterial and antifungal agent whose effects can be felt 20-30 minutes after treatment begins.
cervical osteochondrosis
Everyone has heard of the disease, but the cause of its development remains a mystery.
Predisposing factors include injury, prolonged forced positions, microtrauma to muscles and tendons during strenuous physical work, spinal dystrophic processes, old age, and menopause.
Cervical vertebrae are herniated, unstable, hernia, nerve root compression, and vertebral artery blood flow is blocked, resulting in cerebral ischemia.
All symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are divided into:
- reflection;
- compression of nerve roots and blood vessels;
- ridge.
more:
- Reflex symptoms develop with prolonged stimulation of pathological spinal tissue receptors. Nerve impulses from the affected vertebrae enter the spinal cord, causing changes in surrounding muscles and tissues. The muscles on the healthy side take over all functions, creating a morbid exercise stereotype. Muscles on the affected side hold the displaced vertebra in place, preventing it from bending further. But they also have no chance to take a physiological stand. If a person does not see a doctor and a chiropractor at this time, muscle atrophy and degenerative changes in the vertebral tissue develop, resulting in cervical osteochondrosis. In the future, disease progression can lead to inflammation and fibrosis of the muscles of the shoulder girdle, forming inflammation of the pockets around the joints. Reflex symptoms:
- Soreness along the spinous process - palpation of the neck can cause discomfort, pain, shooting of the vertebrae;
- Tension and pain in the back of the neck muscles, aggravated by attempts to turn the head or probe;
- Cervical pain - pain or severe pain in the neck that subsides periodically, giving people rest. But with loads, staying seated for long periods of time (eg, on a flight, on a long journey in a bus or car), the pain doesn't come quickly. With cervical pain, a person periodically hears a creaking sound in the neck, feels discomfort and skin numbness;
- Cervical Pain - Heaviness and pain in the neck that spreads to the head. Most of the time, the back of the head is affected - there is a heaviness, a "pulsing" feeling, numbness, one wants to support the head with one's hands or lean against a hard surface. Periodic "hot flashes" - the back of the head and neck appearing to be burning or freezing. Sleep is also affected - it is intermittent, superficial, and patients wake up in the morning sluggish, apathetic, and tired. Pain that can spread over the entire head - photophobia, pain in constriction of temples, neck, and eyes, increased blood pressure, and often nausea and vomiting;
- Neck Pain - Pain in the neck area that spreads to the shoulders and arms. Shoulder muscle pain and spasm, stiffness, shoulder pain, creaking, difficulty trying to lift or move your arm.
- Compression of the spinal cord root and blood vessels manifests as vertebral artery syndrome. This is a composite of various manifestations of spinal compression. There are 3 groups of symptoms that directly indicate the disease:
- Persistent or paroxysmal throbbing and painful headache, burning, unbearable. Increases with prolonged uncomfortable postures, spreading from the occiput to the forehead;
- Cochlear vestibular changes - dizziness, unsteady walking, various noises (clicks, ringing, buzzing) in the ear. The patient's dizziness is persistent or paroxysmal, worsening the person's quality of life;
- Vision pathology - darkening and "fly" eyes, discomfort and "sand" sensation, burning, decreased vision.
Vertebral artery syndrome has several manifestations:
Barre-Lieu syndrome - pain in the back of the neck and occipital area, into the front of the head - "remove the helmet". It is exacerbated at night and after sleep, especially if the person sleeps on an uncomfortable pillow. Dizziness, tinnitus and dark eyes when turning head.
Basal Migraine - Before a migraine attack, dark, flashing black spots appear in the eyes, photophobia. Attacks begin with severe dizziness, ringing in the ears, dysphonia of the tongue (difficulty in a person's speech). Severe pain in the back of the neck, in the back of the head, makes it impossible to move to reduce attacks. At the height of the headache, vomiting occurs, in severe cases - fainting.
Cochlear vestibular symptoms - pain in the back of the neck, creaking when tilting and turning the head, dizziness, hearing loss and impaired speech intelligibility. Patients often cannot distinguish between whispers.
Ophthalmologic Syndrome - Visual impairment against the background of cervical osteochondrosis. A person experiences rapid eye fatigue, loss of visual field, reddening of the conjunctiva, and tearing while reading.
Spondyloarthropathy
The disease is characterized by "wear and tear" of cartilage, with bony growths along the edges of joint surfaces. The disease occurs at any age, but most often first appears in older adults. Trauma, inflammation, and congenital changes in the joints can lead to the development of spondyloarthropathies.
symptom
Patients are disturbed by cervical pain, which is exacerbated by turning and tilting the head. Often a person cannot turn their head fully to one side, and trying to increase the range of motion can cause back pain. In the supine position, the pain is relieved. In addition to the neck, the procedure also involves the spinal area, knee and hip joints.
As the disease progresses, spinal stenosis occurs in the cervical and lumbar regions. Myelopathy develops - a chronic spinal disorder with reduced muscle tone and dysfunction of internal organs. Myelopathy causes a person to increase pain and reduce blood flow in the blood vessels in the neck and head.
Spondyloarthritis
Prolonged pain in the back of the neck and the inability to fully rest the head on the chest - symptoms can also be described as spinal rheumatoid arthritis. The disease develops on the background of polyarthritis - multiple lesions of the joints.
symptom
The pain occurs in the back of the neck, spreads to the back of the head, and increases when the head is tilted back and forth and turned from side to side. A person cannot fully move his head, and the neck muscles are tense and painful. In severe cases, there is a life-threatening complication - bulbar syndrome. It manifests in a variety of forms, depending on the degree of compression of the medulla oblongata during atlas subluxation. The patient's speech is disrupted - slurred, slow, and the patient quickly tires of speaking. Swallowing can also be disturbed, especially with liquid foods. A person chokes and fluid flows from the nose or the corners of the mouth. Heart activity is disturbed - arrhythmia, tachycardia occurs.
In children, arthritis of the cervical spine develops into a complication of acute sinusitis - inflammation of the sinuses. The disease is named Grisel torticollis after the French doctor. The disease is formed by joint defects of the atlantoarticular and axial vertebral teeth.
The symptoms of the disease are specific and allow you to make a quick diagnosis: the child's head leans toward the source of the inflammation and turns slightly toward the healthy side.
Treatment for cervical osteochondrosis is the same as for spondyloarthritis. Patients require consultation and treatment with a manual therapist. The specialist will quickly and painlessly place the vertebrae in place without the need for expensive treatment in the clinic. If necessary, every six months or a year, the clinic's neurologist prescribes a course of drugs: these are intramuscular or intravenous injections and tablets.
Very good to help treat cervical osteochondrosis, massage the collar area, acupuncture. You can use a self-massage - massage your neck muscles down from the back of your head to your shoulders in gentle circular motions. You can't massage the neck muscles too hard - you'll cause an increase in arterial and intracranial pressure.
Patients often use the applicator - the point effect of the needle reduces muscle tension and stimulates blood circulation. The applicator should only be used after consulting a doctor and making an accurate diagnosis - needles are contraindicated during oncological procedures because they can stimulate tumor growth.
In the case of vertebral artery syndrome and cerebral ischemia, nootropic therapy is mandatory: intravenous injection of drugs that stimulate vascular circulation, increase cerebral oxygenation, reduce episodes of dizziness and tinnitus.
Spinal tuberculosis
As TB spreads in the bones and joints, the spine is most often affected. The danger of disease lies in prolonged silence. TB does not manifest itself in any way for 2-4 years. As the disease progresses and the vertebral bodies are destroyed, there is a feeling of heaviness in the neck and shoulders, dull pain in the spine, and no clear positioning.
A man's head cannot rest on his own for long, and he always wants to support it with his hands. Patients avoid turning and tilting their head due to severe neck pain. As the vertebrae are destroyed, the process spreads to surrounding tissue, forming an abscess -- an abscess in a capsule. Swelling in the back of the neck of a dense elastic consistency that slowly increases in size. Abscesses may spread to the throat, cough, difficulty swallowing, and sore throat.
Treatment of the TB course is carried out in specialized TB pharmacies. Treatment is difficult and lengthy, with many side effects. Use synthetically produced powerful bactericidal preparations. A course dose of 2-3 drugs is prescribed. During treatment, blood and urine tests are performed monthly for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. X-rays are performed on patients every two months.
cervical cancer
Tumors can occur at any age. Tumors can grow from cartilage, bone, and nerve tissue. A tumor can be an independent disease or a metastases from another organ. In most cases, metastases in the cervical region lead to breast, prostate, lung, and stomach cancers.
Symptoms increase as the tumor spreads: A person often has neck soreness and difficulty tilting and turning their head. Weakness, sweating, fatigue. The growth of the tumor and compression of the roots and blood vessels can cause tremors and weakness in the arms and shoulder girdle, persistent headaches, and dizziness.
treat
Apply:
- Surgical intervention - radical radical resection of the tumor within healthy tissue;
- Chemotherapy - a cytotoxic drug that slows tumor cell division and prevents its further development;
- Radiation therapy - the effect of ionizing radiation on tumor cells;
- Symptomatic treatment - Pain relievers, most often narcotic pain relievers, are used in the final stages of cancer.
Spinal cancer is an extremely dangerous disease whose manifestations are often attributed to osteochondrosis and treated late. Therefore, when there is pain in the cervical spine, X-rays or magnetic resonance imaging are required. This will allow you to diagnose quickly and start appropriate treatment.
In polyclinics, MRIs are rarely prescribed for economic reasons - but there is a fee for doing this at many private centres. It is better to spend a few thousand rubles to protect yourself than to treat the disease for a long time, not knowing what the source of the problem is.