The neck is made up of beads that go from the skull to the upper torso. The cervical discs absorb the impacts between the bones. The bones, ligaments, and muscles support the head and allow it to move. If there are any abnormalities, abnormalities, inflammation or trauma, it can cause pain or stiffness in the neck area. In such moments, it is difficult to immediately determine what is hurting the neck and take any action.
Many people sometimes experience discomfort or stiffness in this area, most often due to poor posture or excessive exercise. In most cases, neck pain is not a serious condition and can be resolved within a few days. However, in some cases, such a symptom can indicate a serious illness and requires consultation with a physician.
This article will help you understand why the neck hurts on the right side as well as in other places. He will also provide a classification of the types of pain and its most common causes. Consider how you can get rid of the worries in this part of the spine.
Types of pain in the cervical region
To prescribe an effective treatment, a specialist must accurately determine the symptoms and causes of the pathology. Doctors classify neck pain as follows:
- cervikago - lumbago;
- cervical pain
The latter type includes pain that comes from damage to the vertebrae or muscles of the cervix. Cervicalgia, on the other hand, can be divided into pain:
- associated with skin lesions (superficial somatic);
- associated with muscle or vertebral injury (deep somatic);
- accompanied by the appearance in the body of an infection or disruption of the work of internal organs (visceral).
Cervicalgia, which affects adjacent areas, is divided into:
- for cervicobrachialgia (pain goes from neck to shoulders);
- in cervicocranialgia (pain goes from the neck (through the back of the head) to the head).
Speaking of cervicago, it is worth noting that this pain is always acute, it limits the mobility of the neck. It appears suddenly and torments a person for a certain time, so it is impossible for him to think of anything else.
To determine why the neck hurts, it is extremely important for the doctor to determine its nature and prescribe it using the listed classification.
Common causes
Based on medical statistics, most often people who seek medical help for neck pain are diagnosed with a number of the following diseases and conditions:
- cervical osteochondrosis;
- osteoporosis;
- muscle spasms;
- disc hernia;
- 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. The appearance of discomfort can also be caused by tension or muscle strain (due to sitting at the computer for a long time, driving a car, lifting weights, uncomfortable posture while sleeping or playing sports). In addition, discomfort may occur due to the fact that a person has a headache closer to the neck.
Why is this happening, and what is the root cause? Only a specialist can answer this question. Sometimes people, trying to get rid of worries, take self-medication - massage, antibiotics, painkillers and other medicines. However, the consequences of such actions may not be more favorable.
It should be understood what are the diseases and conditions listed above and how they can be dangerous, and also why you can not treat them yourself.
Osteochondrosis of the cervix
The appearance of this pathology in humans is associated with anatomical specifics. The dimensions of the cervical vertebrae are much smaller than the bony structures of other segments of the spine. The neck is constantly under stress, and this for the fact that its main functions are to support the head and ensure its mobility. If a person asks why the neck hurts from behind, then he should be consulted if there is osteochondrosis in this part of the spine.
The symptoms of this disease can be as follows:
- Pain from the neck to the shoulder that extends to the outer surface of the shoulder, forearm and hands.
- Penetrating pain in the neck or occipital area (especially worse in the morning, with head movements, coughing, etc. ).
- Headache (paroxysmal or persistent, dull, impulsive, aggravated turning the head), dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus.
- Pain in the chest muscles.
- There is a violation of cerebral artery blood flow, which sometimes leads to temporary loss of consciousness. With a deterioration in health, speech and motor functions may be impaired.
It is not worth treating this disease yourself, as the consequences of such actions can be far from joy. But by turning to professionals, a person can be sure that the therapy will be of high quality and effective.
Typically, treatment of cervical osteochondrosis may include the use of various anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications, restorative gels and oils, physiotherapy, and health exercises. Various medical patches can be used and so on.
Osteoporosis
It is a bone disease that occurs when bones lose their density. As a result, they become weak and can break when falling or minor impacts. It is more common in women during menopause, but habits such as smoking, heavy drinking, poor diet and sedentary behavior increase the risk of its occurrence.
For many people, formulating such a diagnosis may be the answer to the question of why the neck hurts from behind and at the same time gives 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, appear mild cramps, weakness and pain. In the second stage, persistent headaches appear, the pressure may drop significantly and rise above normal, numbness in the hands and general weakness appear. The third (most difficult) stage assumes that a person experiences severe deformities in the vertebrae, a lump may appear in the collar area, and headaches and neck pain become constant companions.
Treatment of osteoporosis aims to slow or prevent its development, maintain bone mineral density, and reduce pain. This is achieved through the use of supplements and medications, as well as reviewing a person’s lifestyle in favor of light but constant loads (walks, sports), proper nutrition.
Muscle spasms
Why does the neck hurt on the left side? The cause may be a spasm. It occurs not only on the left, but can affect the right and back of the neck. This is due to involuntary muscle contraction as a result of intense stress. The situation often causes severe pain that lasts from minutes to several days.
When asking why neck muscles hurt, a person should think about how he sleeps, works, sits down. Often, spasms occur due to a violation of the body’s natural position, weight transfer over the shoulders, including bags, bent shoulders, and other conditions (including serious illness).
Pain relievers can help relieve neck pain, relieve muscle tension and reduce inflammation. However, they should be taken, following the attached instructions and with the knowledge of the doctor. If you are not sure that neck pain is caused by spasms, you should not take any medication before consulting a specialist. In this case, you can apply an ice pack (wrapped in a towel) to your neck to temporarily relieve the pain.
It is always worth remembering that it is very difficult to independently determine what is hurting your neck. If the discomfort persists or intensifies, then this could be a very serious reason to go to your doctor.
Herniated disc
This element is a strong ligament that connects one vertebral bone to another. The discs are cushioning pads between each vertebra of the column. A hernia of the cervical spine can occur when too much pressure is exerted even on a healthy disc (carrying heavy loads, falling from a height).
Symptoms of this condition usually 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 common movements. However, over time, the concern becomes unbearable. Some people may not have neck or back pain with a disc herniation. Where the symptoms will appear depends on where exactly the pathology is located.
Treatment of a disc herniation depends on the severity of the disease and the obvious damage. Most often, people's condition improves within six weeks after the first visit to the doctor. In many cases, quality medication and physical therapy are sufficient. In therapy, medications can be used to control pain, to reduce muscle spasm.
Inflammation of the lymph nodes
Typically, such pathologies result from exposure to bacteria or viruses. When these changes occur in the body, it does not become difficult to understand why the neck hurts on the left or right, as in these areas are located the lymph nodes. They may swell in response to an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold. Accompanying symptoms that may be present along with edema are cough, fatigue, chills, runny nose, profuse sweating.
What hurts the neck with inflammation of the lymph nodes? The answer is simple: the pathological process affects the nerve endings, which send pain signals.
Treatment of such a condition usually involves identifying its nature (virus, infection, bacteria, tumor). The doctor then prescribes medication to treat the root cause, which has a beneficial effect in removing the inflammatory process.
Various systemic disorders in the body
Sometimes people may not understand why the neck and head hurt, from which these sensations go to the back or arms. Often this condition can be caused by some systemic disorders in the body. These include various tumors, depression, arthritis, infectious processes, meningitis, internal hemorrhage and other serious pathologies.
Pain in the cervical region can occur even when the body does not receive the required amount of some beneficial substances (vitamins, micro- and macro-elements).
Why the neck hurts forward, backward, or you feel discomfort and headache, only the 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.
diagnostic
The first thing to do to determine the cause that causes neck pain is to visit a therapist. He will schedule 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 side, on the left or in another part of it. He will compile a complete history and determine what disorders in the body are currently occurring.
During the examination, a person may be assigned the following diagnostic methods:
- MRI;
- CT;
- EKG;
- Ultrasound.
MRI can help determine the condition of tissues, CT scan - to identify pathologies in the cervical vertebrae, ultrasound is needed to study the arterial ring, vessels and nearby tissues and ECG in order for the doctor to rule out pathologyvarious cardiac.
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 occurring in the body.
What to do?
Every person in pain wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. For neck discomfort, the following may help:
- Apply ice to the sore spot (first wrap with a towel).
- If mild pain is caused by excessive exercise, you should temporarily stop strenuous exercise and give your neck muscles time to rest.
- It is necessary to do light neck exercises (bends and slow turns) throughout the day.
- You need to control your posture so as not to aggravate the situation with extra loads on the muscles and vertebrae.
If the pain persists within one to two days, you should seek help from a doctor who will determine why the neck hurts. If symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fever, numbness or tingling, swelling, nausea and inability to move the head or limbs are added to this, then you should immediately call an ambulance team or go to a specialist yourself.
Prophylaxis
In order not to be surprised why the neck hurts closer to the head, in other places or muscle spasms appear, it is important to monitor your health and follow a number of the following recommendations:
- You should only sleep on comfortable pillows that would allow the cervix to relax during rest. To avoid neck and back problems, it is best to buy an orthopedic pillow.
- The best position for a comfortable rest of the entire spine is lying on your back. You need to train to sleep in this position.
- you need to choose the right chair height and monitor the position when working on the computer.
- It is not worth writing messages, playing games or reading on mobile devices for a long time. This creates an excessive load on the neck (most often, during this activity, the head lowers, which causes disturbances in the work of this part of the spine).
- It is important to pay attention and find time for exercise, fresh air walks and sports.
- You need to adjust your diet and your diet. It is very important for the body to receive the required amount of nutrients throughout the day.
- It is best to give up bad habits (overeating, smoking, alcohol and drugs).
cONcluSiON
Considering the main reasons why the neck hurts, we can conclude that it is unlikely that it is possible to decide and fix the problem yourself. Therefore, it is important not to hesitate. You should see a specialist immediately, even if your neck pain can be tolerated. It is worth remembering that even the slightest disturbance can indicate disturbances in the functioning of the body.