With pain in the neck, each person has encountered more than once in his life. If the neck hurts, the cause, in most cases, lies in the cervical spine. Let's take a closer look at each disease.
Myositis
With hypothermia and colds, myositis of the neck develops - an acute inflammation of the muscles. A person begins to feel severe pain in the neck and shoulder, a slight increase in temperature. On palpation of the painful area, the skin above the muscle is edematous, swollen, hot to the touch. When you try to turn your head to the affected side, there is a sharp pain and tension in the neck muscles.
Myositis can manifest itself against the background of a respiratory or viral disease. Then there is pain in the throat, neck, swollen lymph nodes.
Treatment
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will help stop inflammation quickly and effectively. Different ointments and gels can be used topically. Here it is necessary to add an important fact about the end - you need to coat it with a thin layer, and in no case can it be washed off with water.
You can use semi-alcoholic and warming compresses - with vodka, diluted alcohol or dimexide. Folk remedies also help well: boiled potatoes, rubbing with honey, applying crushed cabbage leaves.
In addition to the treatment of myositis, colds are treated - antiviral or antibacterial drugs, vitamins, sprays in the nose and throat. For quick relief from a sore throat, a spray is a great help - a powerful antibacterial and antifungal drug, the effect of which can be felt 20-30 minutes after the start of treatment.
Cervical osteochondrosis
Everyone has heard of the disease, but the reasons for its development remain a mystery.
Predisposing factors are injuries, prolonged forced position, microtrauma to muscles and tendons during heavy physical labor, dystrophic processes in the spine, old age, menopause.
With protrusion, instability, hernia of the cervical spine, compression of the nerve roots occurs, blood flow in the vertebral artery is disturbed, which leads to cerebral ischemia.
All symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are divided into:
- reflex;
- root and vascular compression;
- spinal.
After:
- Reflex symptoms occur with prolonged irritation of pathological spine tissue receptors. Nerve impulses from the affected vertebra enter the spinal cord, causing changes in surrounding muscles and tissues. The muscles on the healthy side take over all functions, forming a pathological stereotype of movement. And the muscles of the affected side fix the displaced vertebra in a certain position, preventing its further curvature. But they also do not give the possibility of taking a physiological position. If at this time a person does not go to a doctor and a chiropractor, muscle atrophy occurs, degenerative changes in the tissues of the vertebrae, cervical osteochondrosis is formed. In the future, the progression of the disease causes inflammation and fibrosis of the muscles of the shoulder girdle, inflammation of the periarticular sac is formed. Reflex symptoms:
- pain along the spinous processes - palpation of the neck will cause discomfort, pain, shooting in the vertebrae;
- tension and pain in the muscles of the back of the neck, worse when trying to turn the head or probe;
- neck pain - aching or sharp pain in the neck, can periodically subside, giving the person a break. But with loads, a long stay in a sitting position (for example, during flights, long trips by bus or car), the pain will not take long to come. With neck pain, a person can periodically hear a crack in the neck, feel discomfort and numbness of the skin;
- cervicocranialgia - heaviness and aching pain in the neck that spreads to the head. Most often the back of the head hurts - there is heaviness, a feeling of "pulsation", numbness, a person wants to support his head with his hand or lean against a hard surface. Periodically there are "hot flashes" - it seems that the back of the head and neck burns or freezes. Sleep also suffers - it is intermittent, superficial, the patient wakes up in the morning lazy, apathetic, tired. The pain can spread all over the head - photophobia appears, constricting pains in the temples, neck, eyes, increased blood pressure, nausea and vomiting often occur;
- cervicobrachialgia - pain in the cervical region spreads to the shoulder and arm. There is pain and spasm of the shoulder muscles, stiffness, pain in the shoulder joint, cracking, difficulty in raising or withdrawing the arm.
- Compression of the roots and vessels of the spinal cord is manifested by vertebral artery syndrome. This is a large complex of various manifestations of compression of the vertebral vessels. There are 3 groups of symptoms that directly indicate the disease:
- throbbing and painful headache of a persistent or paroxysmal nature, burning, unbearable. Increases with a prolonged uncomfortable position, spreads from the occiput to the forehead;
- cochleovestibular changes - dizziness, unsteadiness when walking, various noises in the ears (clicks, ringing, buzzing). Dizziness in a patient is constant or paroxysmal, worsening the quality of life of a person;
- pathology of vision - darkening and "flies" in front of the eyes, discomfort and a feeling of "sandiness", burning, decreased vision.
There are several types of manifestations of vertebral artery syndrome:
Barre-Lieu syndrome - there is pain in the posterior cervical and occipital region, which passes to the front parts of the head - "removing the helmet". It intensifies at night and after sleep, especially if the person has slept on an uncomfortable pillow. When turning the head, dizziness and tinnitus appear, darkening in the eyes.
Basilar migraine - before a migraine attack, darkness appears in the eyes, flashing black dots, photophobia. The attack begins with severe dizziness, tinnitus, impaired articulation of the tongue (a person has difficulty pronouncing words). A sharp pain in the back of the neck, in the back of the head, forces a person to immobilize in order to reduce the attack. At the height of the headache, vomiting appears, in severe cases - fainting.
Cochleovestibular symptom - aching pain in the back of the neck, crackling sound when tilting and turning the head, dizziness, hearing loss and impaired speech intelligibility. Often patients are not able to distinguish between whispered speech.
Ophthalmic syndrome - against the background of cervical osteochondrosis, vision is impaired. A person develops rapid eye fatigue when reading, incoming loss of visual fields, redness of the conjunctiva and tearing.
Spondylarthrosis
The disease is characterized by "wearing" of the cartilage with bony growths along the edge of the articular surface. The disease occurs at any age, but most often begins in the elderly. Trauma, inflammation, congenital changes in the joints can provoke the development of spondylarthrosis.
Symptoms
The patient is disturbed by aching pain in the cervical spine, which is aggravated by turning and tilting the head. Often a person cannot fully turn his head to the side, an attempt to increase the range of motion causes back pain. In the supine position, the pain decreases. In addition to the neck, the region of the spine, the knee and hip joints are involved in the process.
As the disease progresses, narrowing of the intervertebral canal occurs in the cervical and lumbar regions. Spondylogenic myelopathy develops - a chronic disease of the spine with weakening of muscle tone and dysfunction of internal organs. Myelopathy causes an increase in pain in a person, reduces the speed of blood flow in the vessels of the neck and head.
Spondyloarthritis
Prolonged pain in the back of the neck, inability to fully bring the head back to the chest - symptoms can also speak of rheumatoid arthritis of the spine. The disease develops against the background of polyarthritis - multiple lesions of the joints.
Symptoms
The pain arises in the back of the neck, spreads to the back of the head, intensifies when the head is tilted back and forth, turning left and right. A person cannot fully move his head, the neck muscles are tense and sore. In severe cases, a life-threatening complication develops - bulbar syndrome. Its manifestations are diverse and depend on the degree of pinching of the medulla oblongata during subluxation of the atlas. The patient's speech is disturbed - it is scrambled, slow, and the person quickly gets tired of talking. Swallowing is also disturbed, especially liquid foods. A person chokes, fluid flows from the nose or corners of the mouth. Cardiac activity is disturbed - arrhythmia, tachycardia occur.
In children, cervical spondylitis develops as a complication of acute sinusitis - inflammation of the sinuses. The disease is named Grisel's torticollis after a French doctor. The disease is formed with a defect in the articulation of the atlas and the tooth of the axial vertebra.
The symptom of the disease is specific and allows you to quickly make a diagnosis: the child's head bends towards the source of inflammation and is slightly turned to the healthy side.
The treatment of cervical osteochondrosis and spondyloarthritis is the same. The patient needs consultation and treatment with a manual therapist. The specialist will quickly and painlessly place the vertebrae in place, eliminating the need for expensive in-clinic treatment. If necessary, every six months or every year, a neurologist from the clinic prescribes drug treatment: these are intramuscularly or intravenously administered injections and tablets.
Well helps in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis massage of the collar zone, acupuncture. You can use self-massage - rub the neck muscles from the back of the head to the shoulders with gentle circular movements. You cannot forcefully massage the neck muscles - you can cause an increase in blood and intracranial pressure.
Patients often use the applicator - the point effect of the needles reduces muscle tension, stimulates blood circulation. It is necessary to use applicators only after consulting a doctor and making an accurate diagnosis - needles are contraindicated in the oncological process, as they stimulate tumor growth.
In case of vertebral artery syndrome and cerebral ischemia, nootropic therapy is mandatory: intravenous injections of drugs that stimulate vascular circulation, increase oxygenation of the brain, reduce vertigo attacks and tinnitus.
Tuberculosis of the spine
With the spread of tuberculosis in the bones and joints, it is the spine that is most often affected. The danger of disease is in a long period of silence. Tuberculosis does not manifest itself in any way for 2-4 years. As the disease progresses and the vertebral bodies are destroyed, heaviness appears in the neck and shoulders, vague pains in the spine without clear localization.
A person is not able to hold his head on his own for a long time, he constantly tries to support it with his hand. Due to severe pain in the neck, the patient avoids turning and tilting his head. As the vertebra is destroyed, the process spreads to surrounding tissues, an abscess forms - an abscess in the capsule. A swelling appears on the back of the neck, densely elastic in consistency, slowly increasing in size. An abscess can spread to the pharynx, coughing, difficulty swallowing and sore throat.
Treatment of the tuberculosis process is carried out in a specialized tuberculosis dispensary. The treatment is long and difficult, with many side effects. Potent bactericidal preparations of synthetic production are used. Course doses with 2-3 drugs are prescribed. During treatment, monthly blood and urine tests, examination for tuberculous mycobacterium are performed. Once every two months, the patient undergoes an X-ray examination.
Cervical spine cancer
The tumor can occur at any age. A neoplasm can develop from cartilage, bone, and nerve tissue. The tumor can be an independent disease or be a metastatic focus of another organ. Most often, metastases in the cervical region give cancer of the breast, prostate, lungs and stomach.
Symptoms will increase as the tumor spreads: a person constantly has pain in the neck, difficulties appear when tilting and turning the head. There is weakness, sweating, fatigue. Growth of the tumor and compression of the roots and blood vessels will lead to tremors and weakness in the arms and shoulder girdle, constant headaches, dizziness.
Treatment
Apply:
- surgical intervention - complete radical excision of the tumor from healthy tissue;
- chemotherapy - cytotoxic drugs that slow down the division of tumor cells and prevent its further development;
- radiotherapy - the effect on tumor cells of ionizing radiation;
- symptomatic treatment - analgesics in the later stages of cancer, narcotic analgesics are most often used.
Spinal cancer is an extremely dangerous disease, the manifestations of which are often attributed to osteochondrosis, and the treatment of which is delayed. Therefore, when pain occurs in the cervical spine, it is necessary to do an x-ray or magnetic resonance imaging. This will allow you to quickly diagnose and begin appropriate treatment.
In the polyclinic, MRI is prescribed extremely rarely for financial reasons - but this examination is carried out for a fee in many private centers. It is better to pay several thousand rubles and protect yourself than to treat the disease for a long time, not knowing what the source of the problem is.