With pain in the neck, each person has met more than once in her life. If the back of 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 have severe pain in the neck and shoulder, a slight increase in temperature. On palpation of the painful area, the skin over the muscle is edematous, swollen, hot to the touch. When you try to turn your head to the affected side, there is severe pain and tension in the neck muscles.
Myositis can manifest itself against the background of a respiratory or viral disease. Then there is a pain in the throat, neck, swollen lymph nodes.
Treatment
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 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 the finish: it is necessary to smear it with a thin layer and it cannot be washed off with water in any case.
You can use semi-alcohol and warming compresses - with vodka, diluted alcohol or dimexide. Folk remedies also help well: boiled potatoes, rubbing with honey, applying chopped 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 of great help - a powerful antibacterial and antifungal drug, the effect of which can be felt 20-30 minutes after starting treatment.
Cervical osteochondrosis
Everyone has heard of the disease, but the reasons for its development are still a mystery.
Predisposing factors are injuries, prolonged forced position, microtrauma of muscles and tendons during hard physical work, dystrophic processes of the spine, old age, menopause.
With protrusion, instability, hernia in 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.
Moreover:
- Reflex symptoms occur with prolonged irritation of the tissue receptors of the pathological spine. Nerve impulses from the affected vertebrae enter the spinal cord, causing changes in the surrounding muscles and tissues. The muscles of the sound side take over all functions, forming a pathological stereotype of movement. And the muscles on the affected side fix the displaced vertebra in a certain position, preventing its further curvature. But they don't even give the opportunity to take 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 bursa 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 back of the neck muscles, made worse by trying to turn the head or probe;
- neck pain - aching or sharp pain in the neck, may 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 in the car), the pain will not be long in coming. With neck pain, a person may periodically feel a crunch in the neck, experience 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 suffers: there is heaviness, a feeling of "throbbing", numbness, a person wants to support the head with his hand or lean against a hard surface. Periodically there are "hot flashes": the back of the head and neck appears to burn or freeze. Sleep also suffers: it is intermittent, superficial, the patient wakes up in the morning lazy, apathetic, tired. Pain can spread throughout 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, crunching, difficulty when trying to lift or remove 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 prolonged uncomfortable position, spreads from the occiput to the forehead;
- cochleovestibular changes - dizziness, instability when walking, various noises in the ears (clicking, ringing, buzzing). Dizziness in a patient is constant or paroxysmal, worsening a person's quality of life;
- pathology of vision - darkening and "flies" in front of the eyes, discomfort and sensation of "sand", 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 into the anterior sections of the head - "removing the helmet". It intensifies at night and after sleep, especially if the person sleeps on an uncomfortable pillow. When turning the head, dizziness and tinnitus appear, which darken in the eyes.
Basilar migraine - before a migraine attack, darkness appears in the eyes, flashing blackheads, photophobia. The attack begins with severe dizziness, tinnitus, impaired articulation of the tongue (a person has difficulty pronouncing words). A violent pain in the back of the neck, in the back of the head, causes a person to take stillness 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, creaking when tilting and turning the head, dizziness, hearing loss and impaired speech intelligibility. Patients are often unable to distinguish between whispered speech.
Ophthalmic syndrome - against the background of cervical osteochondrosis, vision is impaired. A person develops rapid eye strain when reading, incoming loss of visual fields, redness of the conjunctiva, and tearing.
Spondyloarthrosis
The disease is characterized by "wear and tear" of the cartilage with bony growths along the edge of the joint surface. The disease occurs at any age, but most often begins in the elderly. Trauma, inflammation, congenital changes in the joints can cause the development of spondyloarthrosis.
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 their head to the side, an attempt to increase range of motion causes back pain. In the supine position, the pain subsides. In addition to the neck, the spinal region, 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 a weakening of muscle tone and dysfunction of the internal organs. Myelopathy causes increased 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 to the chest - the symptoms can also speak of rheumatoid arthritis of the spine. The disease develops against the background of polyarthritis - multiple injuries of the joints.
Symptoms
Pain occurs 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 move his head completely, 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 confused, slow, and the person quickly gets tired of speaking. Swallowing is also disturbed, especially liquid food. A person suffocates, the liquid comes out through the nose or the corners of the mouth. Cardiac activity is disturbed - arrhythmia, tachycardia occur.
In children, cervical spondyloarthritis develops as a complication of acute sinusitis - inflammation of the sinuses. The disease is named Grisel's torticollis from the name of a French doctor. The disease is formed with a defect in the joint 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 baby's head is tilted towards the source of inflammation and is slightly turned to the healthy side.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis and spondyloarthritis is the same. The patient needs consultation and treatment with a manual therapist. The specialist will fix the vertebrae quickly and painlessly, eliminating the need for expensive in-clinic treatments. If necessary, every six months or a year, a neurologist in the clinic prescribes a course of drugs - these are injections that are administered intramuscularly or intravenously and tablets.
Well helps in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, massage of the collar area, acupuncture. You can use self-massage: rub the neck muscles from the back of the head to the shoulders with soft circular motions. You can not massage the neck muscles forcefully - you can provoke an increase in arterial and intracranial pressure.
Patients often use the applicator - the pinpoint effect of 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 cerebral oxygenation, reduce attacks of dizziness and tinnitus.
Spinal tuberculosis
As tuberculosis spreads to bones and joints, it is the spine that is most often affected. The danger of the 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 destruction of the vertebral bodies, heaviness in the neck and shoulders appears, vague pains in the spine without a clear localization.
A person is unable to hold his head on his own for a long time, he tries to constantly support it with his hand. Due to severe pain in the neck, the patient avoids turning and tilting his head. When the vertebra is destroyed, the process spreads to surrounding tissues, an abscess is formed - an abscess in the capsule. In the back of the neck, a swelling appears, of a densely elastic consistency, which slowly increases in size. An abscess can spread to the pharynx, cough, difficulty swallowing, and a sore throat.
Treatment of the tuberculosis process is carried out in a specialized tuberculosis dispensary. Treatment is difficult and long, with many side effects. Potent bactericidal preparations of synthetic production are used. Course doses with 2-3 drugs are prescribed. In the process of treatment, monthly blood and urine tests are performed, tests for tuberculous mycobacterium. Once every two months, the patient undergoes an x-ray examination.
Cancer of the cervical spine
Cancer 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 result in breast, prostate, lung and stomach cancer.
Symptoms will increase with the spread of the tumor: a person constantly has a sore neck, difficulties appear when tilting and turning his head. There is weakness, sweating, fatigue. Growth of the tumor and compression of the roots and blood vessels will lead to tremor and weakness in the arms and shoulder girdle, constant headaches, dizziness.
Treatment
To apply:
- surgery - complete radical removal of the tumor within healthy tissues;
- chemotherapy - cytotoxic drugs that slow down the division of cancer cells and prevent their further development;
- radiotherapy - the effect on cancer cells with ionizing radiation;
- symptomatic treatment: painkillers in the late 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 treatment is delayed. Therefore, when pain occurs in the cervical spine, an X-ray or MRI should be done. This will allow you to quickly diagnose and initiate appropriate treatment.
In the polyclinic, MRI is very rarely prescribed 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 cure the disease for a long time, not knowing what the source of the problem is.