Various pains in the back or hips can appear suddenly and always cause considerable discomfort. Particular vigilance should be evoked by constant painful feelings of an intense nature. Neck pain and upper back pain may be accompanied by other clinical signs, such as heaviness in the back of the head, fatigue, tiredness, headache, restricted movement.
If the pain syndrome lasts for more than a week, and the treatment undertaken does not bring the desired results, professional medical help should be sought. Do not deprive yourself of the opportunity to get rid of painful diseases quickly and efficiently.
Reasons
Quite a lot of people wonder why the neck hurts? As practical experience shows, there can be many reasons for this. Clarification of such problems should be dealt with exclusively by a specialist, because the correctness of treatment directly depends on it. The most common reasons why the back and side of the neck can hurt very often:
- Pathology of the cervical spine (various injuries, bruises, displacements, intervertebral hernias, osteochondrosis, spondyloarthritis and so on).
- Myogelosis of the neck.
- Great physical activity.
- Be in an awkward position for a long time (for example, sleep in a sitting position).
- Cervical sciatica.
- Muscle stretching (sudden head movement, irregular exercise).
It has been established that even banal scoliosis can cause pain.
Pathology of the cervical spine
If the patient complains that his neck and upper back ache quite severely and often, it is first necessary to rule out pathology of the cervical spine.
Special attention should be paid to osteochondrosis and spondylosis. Today, these are the two most common diseases of the spine, apart from injuries and injuries that can cause very significant pain and discomfort in the neck and upper shoulder girdle. Characteristics of pain syndrome in degenerative-dystrophic pathology of the cervical spine:
- Pain is noticed at rest, even when the patient tries not to move at all.
- It is usually quite difficult for them to choose a position in which they would not feel pronounced painful sensations.
- Restriction of cervical spine mobility is almost always noticed.
- Light pressure on the cervical vertebrae can lead to increased pain.
Cervical myogelosis
The pathological condition in which there is a painful contraction of muscle fibers associated with a violation of local blood circulation is called myogelosis. Provoking factors are usually:
- Hypothermia and freezing.
- Blowing draft.
- Prolonged uncomfortable position.
- Physical fatigue (excessive stress).
Most experts believe that myogelosis should be considered a complication after an inflammatory process in the muscles. It should be noted that it is not only manifested by pain, but there are also problems with muscle relaxation, increased tone and limited mobility. In addition, the pain often spreads to the upper back and shoulder girdle. Leaving myogelosis without treatment, you risk worsening your health, because the disease is prone to progression and chronic course.
If you do not know the real reason why your neck hurts, it is better to consult a specialist immediately.
Cervical sciatica
Pinching of the nerve roots coming out of the spinal cord at the level of the cervical spine leads to sciatica. According to clinical practice, in most cases, osteochondrosis is the cause of the development of this pathology. With sciatica, patients notice that the neck hurts and burns, so it is simply impossible to touch it from behind or from the side. What is the clinical picture observed in damage to the roots of the cervical nerve coming out of the spinal cord:
- Severe and constant pain in the neck, shoulder blade, shoulder girdle.
- Painful sensations are usually intensified by movements of the head, arms, upper body.
- The neck muscles are overly tense.
- There is a violation of sensitivity in the hands (numbness, tingling and so on).
- Weakness of the upper limbs.
- Dizziness.
- Headache.
- Increased fatigue.
Crick
Despite the severity of the pain syndrome, muscle strain is considered one of the mildest pathologies and is fairly quickly curable, compared to other diseases that cause pain in the neck and upper back. Injuries, poor exercise performance, and increased stress can lead to muscle strain. What complaints will patients express at the same time:
- Sharp pains in neck, nape and upper shoulder girdle.
- Excessive muscle tension that limits the mobility of the head and cervical spine.
- The general condition suffers (physical discomfort, weakness, fatigue appear).
- The neck hurts when you turn your head.
Diagnosis
Without discovering the specific cause of the pain in the cervical region, it is quite difficult to completely eliminate this pathological symptom. If we eliminate only painful sensations and not what causes them, then we can only count on a temporary improvement in the condition. Modern diagnostic methods allow you to quickly narrow the range of possible causes of neck pain on the back, side or both sides. As a rule, the following instrumental studies are used:
- Standard X-ray examination.
- Ultrasound examination.
- Electrocardiography.
- Electromyography.
- Magnetic resonance imaging.
Treatment
What to do if your neck hurts? Even at home, there are several steps to eliminate the pain. If you associate pain with injury or muscle strain, a cold compress is recommended for the first 48 hours.
A very effective remedy is to apply ice or cold objects to the neck area for about 15 minutes every few hours. To avoid the development of a cold burn from touching ice, it is necessary to exclude direct contact with the skin. To do this, ice or very chilled items are placed in a plastic bag, additionally wrapped in a not too thick cloth and only then applied to the skin surface.
After two days, they switch to warm compresses. You can use a plain plastic hot water bottle or a rubber pad for heating. The duration of application of the coating should not exceed 20-30 minutes. This procedure can be repeated every 2 hours. In addition, give your sore muscles adequate rest. The first time after an injury or sprain, you go to bed more often, trying to relax your neck muscles. It best relieves tension when lying on your back. In the acute phase, it will be useful to limit yourself from different types of physical activity. Take a short break from exercising.
Remember that a very long rest helps to weaken the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle. Once you get back to a normal rhythm, you will easily get a new piece of already weakened muscle. Modification of dosed physical activity and good rest is considered optimal, but only in the absence of severe pain. Traditional pain management is as follows:
- Drug therapy.
- Local treatment.
- Physiotherapy procedures.
- Manual therapy.
- Massage
- Physiotherapy.
Talk to your healthcare provider about what to do if your neck hurts.
Drug therapy
Painkillers help to quickly relieve neck pain of varying intensity. Today, many of these drugs can be purchased in pharmacies without a prescription. However, it should be borne in mind that most of these drugs have a significant number of side effects and contraindications. Therefore, any medication intake must be coordinated with a specialist. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are most commonly used as pain relievers.
Numerous clinical studies have shown that taking NSAIDs can cause a number of side effects. Most problems are associated with erosive and ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, quite often, together with the pain syndrome, there is a pronounced tension in the neck muscles. To relieve muscle cramps, the use of muscle relaxants is recommended.
Local therapy
Topical therapy has been shown to be useful in controlling neck and upper back pain. As a rule, all types of medicated ointments, gels and creams that have a pronounced analgesic effect are used. Certain types of drugs are very popular as external agents.
The mechanism of analgesic action is different and depends on the active ingredient that is part of the ointment, gel or cream. Only a qualified doctor can tell you which medication is most appropriate for your case. In addition to intense pain, which brings considerable discomfort, novocaine blockade is sometimes prescribed. Medical compresses have also been shown to be effective. The average duration of the procedure is about 30 minutes. In order to achieve the desired result, it is necessary to perform a total of at least 7-8 procedures.
If you are not quite sure what to do when your neck and upper back hurt, then it is best to consult a specialist first.
Physiotherapy
In most cases, physiotherapeutic treatment is actively involved, which consists of various procedures, massage sessions and physiotherapy exercises. Many years of experience have shown the effectiveness of the following physiotherapy methods for pain relief:
- Electrophoresis.
- Ultrasound therapy.
- Electrotherapy.
- Magnet.
- Laser.
- Acupuncture.
Exercise therapy and massage
Therapeutic exercises and massage are mandatory ingredients of complex therapy for almost every disease or pathological condition. However, many people forget that they can only be used when the acute stage has passed. Severe pain syndrome is considered a contraindication to exercise therapy and massage. Example of a basic set of physical exercises to relax and strengthen cervical muscles:
- You can stand or sit. The main thing is to keep your back straight. The arms should be relaxed and lowered. Perform 10 head tilts, first to one side and then to the other. Do the exercise at a leisurely pace without sudden movements.
- The situation is similar. We tilt our head down and try to touch the front surface of our chest with our chin. The number of repetitions is 10 times.
- The situation is similar. We perform head and back movements, imitating a duck. The number of repetitions is 10 times in each direction.
- Slow circular movement of the head. If painful feelings occur, we stop the exercise.
- We sit on a chair. Put your palm on your forehead. We tilt our head forward, trying to resist with the palm of our hand. Exercise helps strengthen the front neck muscles. You can also place your palm on the left, right, and back and tilt your head to the appropriate side.
- Stand up straight. Relax your arms and place them next to your body. We tilt our head first to one side, while lifting our shoulder, and then to the other. The number of repetitions is 10-12 times.
After a short briefing by a physiotherapist or other specialist, therapeutic exercises and self-massage of the collar area can be done regularly and at home without any problems.
ethnoscience
It is difficult to argue with the fact that traditional medicine has long been firmly established in our lives. However, if you are not sure what a particular folk remedy is made of, it is not recommended to use it in treatment. Many doctors have repeatedly seen in their clinical practice the serious consequences of abusing non-traditional methods of treatment. In some cases it is allowed to use certain folk remedies to relieve pain, but only after consulting a doctor. Exclusively for introduction, we present several recipes of traditional medicine:
- You can apply the usual leaf of fresh cabbage on the painful area. There are no time limits. Cabbage leaf wraps also have a good effect.
- Rubbing honey. Massage honey is rubbed on the place on the neck where the patient feels the greatest pain.
- Mustard and salt compress. For cooking, you need a kilo of table salt, a tablespoon of mustard powder and 100 ml of water. Pour all the ingredients into the sherpa and heat for 5 minutes. The mixture is then poured into a tissue bag that we place on the painful area of the neck. To enhance the effect, you can wrap a warm cloth around your neck (for example, a scarf).
Prophylaxis
In many cases, the appearance of quite unpleasant neck pain can be prevented. To do this, it is necessary to avoid various types of injuries, muscle strain and heavy physical exertion. Freezing or catching a cold is highly undesirable. It is also recommended to engage in active sports, but not to the detriment of your health. Do not start chronic diseases, especially degenerative-dystrophic pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Perform a comprehensive medical examination at least once a year.