The neck is made up of vertebrae that run from the skull to the upper body. The cervical discs absorb impacts between the bones. Bones, ligaments, and muscles support the head and allow it to move. If there are any abnormalities, abnormalities, inflammation or injury that may cause pain or stiffness in the neck area. At such times, it is difficult to immediately identify the cause of neck pain and take action.
Many people sometimes experience discomfort or stiffness in this area, usually due to poor posture or overexertion. In most cases, neck pain is not a serious condition and resolves on its own within a few days. However, in some cases, such a symptom can indicate a serious illness and a doctor's consultation is required.
This article will help you figure out why your neck hurts on the right side, as well as in other places. It will also provide a classification of the types of pain and its most common causes. Consider how you can get rid of discomfort in this part of your spine.
Types of pain in the cervical region
To prescribe an effective method of treatment, the specialist must accurately determine the symptoms and causes of the pathology. Doctors classify neck pain as follows:
- cervikago - low back pain;
- cervical pain.
The latter involves pain arising from damage to the vertebrae or cervical muscles. Cervical pain, in turn, can be divided into pain:
- associated with skin lesions (surface somatic);
- associated with damage to the muscles or vertebrae (deep soma);
- associated with the appearance in the body of infection or disruption of the work of internal organs (internal organs).
Cervical pain, affecting adjacent areas, is divided into:
- for neck pain (pain from neck to shoulder);
- cervicitis (pain that travels from the neck (through the back of the head) to the head).
When it comes to neck pain, it is worth noting that this pain is always acute, it limits the mobility of the neck. It comes on suddenly and torments a person for a certain period of time leaving the person unable to think about anything else.
To determine why the neck is sore, it is extremely important for the doctor to determine its nature and describe it using the classification listed.
Common causes
Based on medical statistics, most people who seek medical help to treat neck pain are diagnosed with some of the following diseases and conditions:
- cervical osteonecrosis;
- Osteoporosis;
- muscle spasms;
- disc herniation;
- inflammation of the lymph nodes;
- systemic disorders in the body (infectious processes, tumors, problems with the immune system).
However, pain can be caused not only by the presence of a person's disease. Discomfort can also be caused by muscle tension or relaxation (from sitting at the computer for a long time, driving a car, lifting weights, an uncomfortable position when sleeping or playing sports). In addition, discomfort may occur because the headache is closer to the neck.
Why is this happening, and what is the root cause? Only an expert can answer this question. Sometimes, people trying to get rid of discomfort, self-medicate - massage, antibiotics, pain relievers and other drugs. However, the consequences of such actions may not be the most favorable.
It is important to understand what the diseases and conditions listed above are and how dangerous they can be, and also why you cannot treat them yourself.
Cervical bone necrosis
The appearance of this pathology in humans is associated with specific anatomical details. The size of the cervical vertebrae is much smaller than the bony structure of other segments of the spine. The neck is constantly under stress, and this is because its main function is to support the head and ensure its mobility. If a person asks why the neck hurts from the back, they need to ask if they have osteonecrosis in this part of the spine.
Symptoms of this disease can be as follows:
- Pain from the neck to the shoulder extending to the outside of the shoulder, forearm, and hand.
- Pain through the neck or occipital region (particularly worse in the morning, when moving the head, coughing, etc. ).
- Headache (paroxysmal or persistent, dull, impulsive, aggravated by turning the head), dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears.
- Pain in chest muscles.
- There is a violation of the blood flow of the cerebral arteries, which sometimes leads to a temporary loss of consciousness. As health declines, speech and motor functions may be impaired.
It is not worth it to treat the disease on your own, as the consequences of such actions may not be gratifying. But turning to specialists, a person can be sure that the therapy will be of high quality and effective.
Typically, the treatment of cervical osteosarcoma can include the use of anti-inflammatory and pain medications, restorative gels and ointments, physical therapy, and strength-training exercises. Various medicated patches can be used and so on.
Osteoporosis
This is a bone disease that occurs when bones lose density. As a result, they become weak and can break with drops or minor impacts. It is most common in women during menopause, but habits such as smoking, heavy drinking, poor diet and sedentary behavior increase the risk.
For many people, the formula of such a diagnosis can be the answer to the question of why the neck hurts from the back and at the same time causes it to the arms and shoulders.
Doctors distinguish three stages of this disease. The first stage assumes that a person begins to experience such changes in the cervical spine as a decrease in the density of the vertebrae, mild cramps, weakness and pain occur. In the second stage, the headache is constantly present, the pressure may drop sharply and rise higher than normal, numbness in the hands and general weakness appear. The third (hardest) stage assumes that a person has severe malformations of the vertebrae, a tumor may appear in the collar region, and headaches and neck pain become frequent companions.
Treatment for osteoporosis aims to slow or stop its growth, maintain bone mineral density, and relieve pain. This is achieved through the use of supplements and medications, as well as the adjustment of a person's lifestyle towards gentle, but constant loads (walking, sports), proper nutritionphysical.
Muscle spasms
Why does the left neck hurt? The cause may be spasm. It not only occurs on the left side, but can affect the right side and back of the neck. This is due to the involuntary contraction of the muscles due to overexertion. This condition usually causes severe pain that lasts from a few minutes to several days.
Asking why the neck muscles hurt, a person should think about how he sleeps, works, sits. Most often, spasms occur due to a violation of the natural position of the body, the transfer of weight to the shoulders, including bags, stooped shoulders, and other conditions (including serious diseases).
Painkillers can then help ease neck pain, relieve muscle tension, and reduce inflammation. However, they must be taken according to the attached instructions and with the knowledge of your doctor. If you are not sure that your neck pain is caused by spasms, you should not take any medicine before consulting a specialist. In this case, you can apply an ice pack (wrapped in a towel) to your neck for temporary pain relief.
It is worth remembering that it is very difficult to independently determine whether your neck is sore. If the discomfort persists or increases, then this could be a very serious reason to visit your doctor.
Herniated disc
This element is a strong ligament that connects one vertebral bone to another. The intervertebral discs are cushions between each vertebra of the column. A hernia in the cervical spine can occur when too much pressure is applied to a healthy disc (carrying heavy loads, falling from a height).
Symptoms of this condition often include severe pain that can spread to one or both arms or legs, as well as numbness or tingling in the extremities, muscle weakness, and loss of sensation. At first, a person may not understand why the neck hurts when turning, bending, or other habitual movements. However, over time, the discomfort becomes unbearable. Some people may not experience neck or back pain with a herniated disc. Where symptoms will manifest themselves depends on the exact location of the pathology.
Treatment for a herniated disc depends on the extent of the disease and what damage is visible. Usually, people's condition improves within six weeks of their first visit to the doctor. In many cases, quality medication and physical therapy are enough. In therapy, medications can be used to control pain and reduce muscle spasms.
Inflammation of the lymph nodes
Usually, such pathologies are caused by exposure to bacteria or viruses. When these changes occur in the body, it is not difficult to understand why the neck hurts on the left or right side, because in these areas there are lymph nodes. They can swell with an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold. Associated symptoms that may be associated with edema are cough, fatigue, chills, runny nose, and profuse sweating.
Neck pain with lymphadenitis what to do? The answer is simple: the pathological process affects the nerve endings, which send pain signals.
Treatment of such a condition usually involves determining its nature (viral, infection, bacterial, tumor). The doctor then prescribes drugs to treat the root cause of the infection.
Various systemic disorders in the body
Sometimes people may not understand why the neck and head hurt, from where these sensations are transmitted to the back or arms. Often this condition can be caused by some systemic disorder in the body. These include various tumors, depression, arthritis, infectious processes, meningitis, internal bleeding and other serious pathologies.
Pain in the cervical region can also occur when the body does not receive the necessary amount of a number of useful substances (vitamins, micro and macro elements).
Why the neck has pain in the front, back, or uncomfortable muscles and feels a headache, only a doctor will answer according to the results of additional tests and studies. The root cause may be due to the poor condition of other organs, not just the collar area.
Diagnose
The first thing to do to determine the cause of your neck pain is to see a specialist. He will appoint the necessary consultation with other specialists and determine the need for technological diagnostic methods.
The specialist will explain why the neck hurts on the right, left side or in another part of it. He will collect a complete history and determine what disorders in the body are currently taking place.
During the examination, a person may be assigned the following diagnostic methods:
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- CT;
- ECG;
- Supersonic.
MRI can help determine the condition of the tissues, CT scan - to identify pathology in the cervical vertebrae, ultrasound is needed to study the arterial ring, vessels and nearby tissues, and electrocardiogram to diagnoseDoctors can rule out various heart conditions.
In addition, one of the mandatory tests is the study of the patient's blood, which will help determine whether inflammatory or infectious processes are taking place in the body.
For what?
Every person with pain wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. For neck discomfort, the following may help:
- Apply ice to the painful area (wrap it with a towel at first).
- If the pain is mild due to overexertion, you should pause heavy exercise and give your neck muscles time to rest.
- Light neck exercises (bends and slow turns) are needed throughout the day.
- You should control your posture so as not to aggravate the situation with additional loads on the muscles and vertebrae.
If the pain persists within one to two days, you should seek the help of a doctor, who will determine why the neck is sore. If you have additional symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fever, numbness or tingling, swelling, nausea and inability to move your head or limbs, you should immediately call the emergency team or see a specialist yourself. Department.
Preventive
In order not to wonder why the neck hurts closer to the head, in other places, or when muscle spasms occur, it's important to monitor your health and follow some of these recommendations:
- You just need to sleep on comfortable pillows to relax the cervical spine when resting. To avoid neck and back problems, it's best to buy an orthopedic pillow.
- The best position for the entire spine to rest comfortably is on your back. You should train yourself to sleep in this position.
- You need to choose the correct chair height and screen position when working at the computer.
- Texting, playing games or reading books on mobile devices for a long time is not worth it. This creates an excessive load on the neck (usually during this operation the head is lowered, causing a disturbance in the work of this part of the spine).
- It's important to pay attention and find time to exercise, walk in the fresh air, and exercise.
- You should adjust your diet and lifestyle. It is very important that the body receives the required amount of nutrients throughout the day.
- It is best to give up bad habits (overeating, smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs).
Conclusion
After looking at the main reasons for neck pain, we can conclude that it can be difficult to set up and fix the problem on our own. Therefore, it is important not to procrastinate. You need to see a specialist right away, even if the neck pain is tolerable. It should be remembered that even minor discomfort can indicate a disturbance in the functioning of the body.