Various back or side neck pains can occur suddenly and always cause considerable discomfort. Particular vigilance should be caused by constant painful sensations of an intense nature. Neck pain and pain in the upper back can also be accompanied by other clinical signs, such as heaviness in the back of the head, fatigue, fatigue, headache, limitation of movement.
If the pain syndrome continues for more than a week and the treatment being undertaken does not bring the desired results, professional medical help should be sought. Do not deprive yourself of the opportunity to quickly and effectively get rid of the painful ailment.
The reasons
Quite a lot of people are wondering why the neck hurts? As practical experience shows, there can be many reasons for this. Clarification of such issues should be dealt with exclusively by a specialist, because the correctness of the treatment directly depends on this. The most common reasons why the back and side of the neck can hurt very badly and often:
- Pathology of the cervical spine (various injuries, bruises, displacements, intervertebral hernias, osteochondrosis, spondyloarthrosis, and so on).
- Myogelosis of the neck.
- Great physical activity.
- Being in an uncomfortable position for a long time (for example, sleeping in a sitting position).
- Cervical sciatica.
- Muscle stretching (sudden movement of the head, improper 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 hurts quite strongly and often, it is first of all necessary to exclude the pathology of the cervical spine.
Particular attention should be paid to osteochondrosis and spondylosis. Today, these are the two most common diseases of the spine, apart from injuries and injuries, which can provoke very significant pain and discomfort in the neck and upper shoulder girdle. Features of pain syndrome in degenerative-dystrophic pathology of the cervical spine:
- The pain is noted at rest, even when the patient tries not to move at all.
- Usually it is quite difficult for them to choose a position in which they would not feel pronounced painful sensations.
- Limitation of mobility in the cervical spine is almost always noted.
- Slight pressure on the cervical vertebrae can lead to increased pain.
Myogelosis of the cervical spine
A pathological condition in which there is a painful compaction of muscle fibers associated with a violation of local blood circulation is called myogelosis. As a rule, the provoking factors are:
- Hypothermia and freezing.
- Draft blowing.
- Prolonged uncomfortable position.
- Physical fatigue (excessive stress).
Most experts believe that myogelosis should be considered as a complication after an inflammatory process in the muscles. It should be noted that it is manifested not only by pain syndrome, but also problems with muscle relaxation, increased tone, and limited mobility arise. In addition, pain often extends to the upper back and shoulder girdle. Leaving myogelosis without treatment, you run the risk of aggravating your health condition, since 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 doctor right away.
Cervical sciatica
Pinching of the nerve roots that exit the spinal cord at the level of the cervical spine leads to sciatica. According to clinical practice, in the prevailing majority of cases, osteochondrosis is the cause of the development of this pathology. With sciatica, patients note that the neck hurts and burns so that it is simply impossible to touch it from behind or from the side. What is the clinical picture observed with damage to the cervical nerve roots that emerge from the spinal cord:
- Severely and constantly hurts in the neck, scapula, shoulder girdle.
- Painful sensations usually intensify with movements of the head, arms, and upper body.
- The neck muscles are overly tense.
- There is a violation of sensitivity in the hands (numbness, tingling, and so on).
- Weakness in the upper limbs.
- Dizziness.
- Headaches.
- Increased fatigue.
Crick
Despite the severity of the pain syndrome, muscle strain is considered one of the mildest pathologies and rather quickly curable, compared to other diseases that provoke pain in the neck and upper back. Injuries, poor exercise performance, and increased stress can lead to muscle stretching. What complaints will the patients express at the same time:
- Sharp pains in the neck, back of the head 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 appears).
- Neck hurts when turning the head.
Diagnostics
Without finding out the specific cause of the appearance of 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 down the range of possible causes, from which your neck hurts from behind, from the side or from 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 some remedial steps you can take to help reduce the soreness. If you associate pain with an injury or muscle strain, then 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 heavily chilled objects are placed in a plastic bag, additionally wrapped in a not too dense cloth and only then applied to the skin surface.
After two days, they switch to warm compresses. You can use a regular plastic hot water bottle or rubber heating pad. The duration of application of the compress should not exceed 20-30 minutes. This procedure can be repeated every 2 hours. In addition, provide painful muscles with adequate rest. The first time after an injury or sprain, go to bed more often, trying to relax your neck muscles. It relieves tension best when lying on your back. In the acute stage, it will be useful to limit yourself from various kinds of physical activity. Take a short break from exercising.
Do not forget that a very long rest helps to weaken the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle. Once you return to normal rhythm, it will be easy to get a new stretch of already weakened muscles. An alternation 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 professional about what to do if your neck hurts.
Drug therapy
Pain relievers help relieve neck pain of varying intensity rather quickly. Nowadays, many of these drugs can be purchased at pharmacies without a prescription from your doctor. However, it should be remembered that most of these drugs have a considerable number of side effects and contraindications. Therefore, any medication intake must be coordinated with a specialist. Most often, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used as pain relievers.
Numerous clinical studies have shown that taking NSAIDs can provoke a number of adverse reactions. Most of the problems are associated with erosive and ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, quite often, along with the pain syndrome, there is a pronounced tension of the neck muscles. To relieve muscle spasm, it is recommended to use muscle relaxants.
Local therapy
Topical therapy has been shown to have a beneficial effect on neck and upper back pain. As a rule, all kinds of medicinal ointments, gels and creams are used that have a pronounced analgesic effect. Certain types of drugs are very popular as external agents.
The mechanism of the 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. With intense pain that brings considerable discomfort, sometimes novocaine blockade is prescribed. Medical compresses have also proven to be effective. The average duration of the procedure is about 30 minutes. To achieve the desired result, it is necessary to carry out a total of at least 7-8 procedures.
If you are not quite sure what to do when your neck and upper back hurts, then it is best to consult a specialist first.
Physiotherapy
In most cases, physiotherapeutic treatment is actively involved, consisting of various procedures, massage sessions and physiotherapy exercises. Many years of experience have shown the effectiveness of the following physiotherapy methods to eliminate pain:
- Electrophoresis.
- Ultrasound therapy.
- Electrotherapy.
- Magnet.
- Laser.
- Acupuncture.
Exercise therapy and massage
Therapeutic gymnastics and massage are mandatory components of complex therapy for almost any 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 for exercise therapy and massage. An example of a basic set of physical exercises to relax and strengthen the neck muscles:
- You can stand or sit. The main thing is to keep your back straight. Hands should be relaxed and down. Perform 10 head tilts, first to one side, then to the other. Do the exercise at a calm pace without sudden movements.
- The situation is similar. We tilt our head down and try to touch the front surface of the chest with our chin. The number of repetitions is 10 times.
- The situation is similar. We perform head movements back and forth, imitating a duck. The number of repetitions is 10 times in each direction.
- Slow circular motion of the head. If painful sensations arise, we stop the exercise.
- We sit down on a chair. Place the palm of the hand on the forehead. We tilt our head forward, while trying to resist with our palm. Exercise helps to strengthen the anterior 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 along the body. We tilt our head first to one side, while lifting our shoulder, then to the other. The number of repetitions is 10-12 times.
After passing a short briefing from a physiotherapist or other specialist, therapeutic exercises and self-massage of the collar zone 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 life. However, if you are not sure about what a particular folk remedy is from, it is not recommended to use it in treatment. Many doctors more than once in their clinical practice had to see serious consequences from the misuse of non-traditional methods of treatment. In some cases, it is allowed to use certain folk remedies to get rid of pain, but only after consulting a doctor. Exclusively for acquaintance, we present several recipes of traditional medicine:
- You can apply a regular fresh cabbage leaf to the painful area. There are no time limits. Compresses made from cabbage leaves also have a good effect.
- Rubbing honey. Massaging honey is rubbed into the place on the neck where the patient experiences the greatest pain.
- Mustard-salt compress. For cooking, you need a kilogram of table salt, a spoonful of mustard powder and 100 ml of water. Pour all the ingredients into a frying pan and heat for 5 minutes. Then the mixture is poured into a tissue bag, which we place on the painful neck area. To enhance the effect, you can wrap a warm cloth around your neck (for example, a scarf).
Prevention
In many cases, the appearance of quite unpleasant pain in the neck can be prevented. To do this, it is necessary to avoid various kinds of injuries, muscle strains, and heavy physical exertion. It is highly undesirable to freeze or overcool. It is also recommended to engage in active sports, but not to the detriment of your health. Do not start chronic diseases, in particular degenerative-dystrophic pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Have a comprehensive medical check-up at least once a year.