What to do with acute pain in the neck and how to treat such pain?
Perhaps almost everyone experienced a severe pain in the neck. It is not necessary for this to get into an accident or have abnormal vertebrae. Improper organization of the workplace, inactive work, high physical loads - these are the usual things from which the neck begins to creak first, and then get sick. With age, osteochondrosis can be complicated, and the presence of diseases of the internal organs can add problems to your neck. Is not it better to start getting rid of the pain until it becomes too painful?
Acute pain in the neck can occur suddenly, for example, with sharp turns and inclinations of the head. Painful sensations can give to the head (mainly in the back of the head), chest or arms. Such phenomena are often the result of cervical lumbago (cervicago), or acute spasm of muscles. Produlo, overworked - severe pain can last 10 days, but after it passes. If the pain in the neck continues for a long time, a sharp, aching or pulling pain in the neck does not give rest and significantly worsens the general condition - you need to seek help from specialists.
Doctors will study the condition of your spine and brain: they will make an x-ray, a computer tomography or an MRI, - check if the muscles of the neck, shoulders, upper back are too strained (it is possible to go through electromyography - measuring muscle activity with an electrode).
Determining the cause of pain in the neck can result in the fact that you will not have to cure at all. And also be prepared for the fact that physical exercises will have to become part of your daily routine.
Common causes of pain in the neck
Muscle tension, stretching, which arise due to a long stay in one position (behind the computer or behind the wheel, for example), due to strong physical exertion (exercise, lifting of goods).
Diseases of the muscles of the neck and back. As a result of prolonged muscle strain, myofascial syndrome may develop, in which the spasmy muscle regions are transformed into seals, bumps, so-called trigger points. Neck pain can also cause fibromyalgia, a chronic disease characterized by soreness and increased sensitivity of muscles, joints, tendons.
Diseases of the spine. The most common pain factors are osteochondrosis and osteoarthritis, that is, wear of the joints or their parts - cartilage. Osteochondrosis can be complicated by an acute dislocation of the joint, which makes the pain even worse. Congenital anomalies in the structure of the spine, instability of vertebrae, hernia of intervertebral discs also cause severe pain in the neck.
Immune disorders that provoke changes in bone tissue: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Bechterew's disease, rheumatic polymyalgia, arthritis associated with bowel disease.
Stenosis of the spinal canal, in which the bone structures and cartilages can press on the spinal cord and roots. Infections of the vertebrae (tuberculosis, osteomyelitis) or neck organs (acute thyroiditis (thyroid disease), lymphadenitis (inflammation of the lymph nodes), poliomyelitis (children's spinal cord paralysis), shingles, meningitis (inflammatory disease of the brain membranes), etc.
Diseases of internal organs. Pain in the neck in such situations has the status of reflected pain, it can go from the brain, heart, esophagus, lungs, blood vessels, localization of purulent inflammation.
Injuries to the spine and neck.
Tumor (malignant or benign) and its metastases.
Postponed operation on the spine.
How to treat pain in the neck
To treat pain in the neck, it is necessary to medication, with the use of drugs of different directions of action, and also to undergo a course of physiotherapy, reflexology, therapeutic physical training, massage. Surgery is only used in particularly severe cases.
Non-surgical treatment
1. Medicinal therapy.
Quickly get rid of neck pain by local anesthetics, analgesics (NSAIDs and agents such as paracetamol and analgin), hormonal drugs (glucocorticoids), muscle relaxants (drugs to relieve muscle tension), antioxidants, if necessary, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. Anesthetics are the basis of drug treatment, drugs of other groups are prescribed as concomitant to enhance the effect of anesthesia, relieving inflammation and swelling.
Medications for pain in the neck are used not only orally, but also in injections (including blockages in painful points), plasters, ointments.
2. Orthopedic methods.
Here we must first of all talk about the collar of Chance, the wearing of which is usually prescribed after injuries or operations on the neck. Perhaps two options: a hard collar with full fixation and immobilization of the cervical region and a soft collar that supports the neck partially and allows you to correctly form the posture.
3. Reflexotherapy.
Different methods of electrocution to the cervical section have an important therapeutic effect, especially in combination with the administration of pain medication. This includes electroacupuncture and percutaneous electroneurostimulation. Acupuncture with special needles - an ancient Chinese method that does not involve any electrical impulses - is also suitable for restoring the mobility and tone of muscles.
4. Exposure to low-level laser (LLL therapy is different).
Light beams of ultraviolet, infrared and red spectra gently affect the painful areas, easing the pain, removing inflammation. This is one of the effective physiotherapeutic methods that help to relieve pain in the neck.
5. Ultrasound therapy.
Ultrasound in itself is a good analgesic, relieves spasm, improves blood circulation, favorably affects nerve cells. The introduction of pain medication with the help of ultrasound (phonophoresis) helps to deliver the drug directly to a sore spot and enhance the effect of medications.
6. Therapeutic massage, osteopathy, chiropractic.
Methods of manual therapy are the best way to relieve tension from the neck. Osteopaths affect biologically active points, chiropractors remove subluxations, displacements, classical therapeutic massage includes manipulations for relaxing the muscles of the neck, stretching the spine.
7. Physical therapy.
Neck muscles as such are hard to train, so physiotherapists, in selecting therapeutic exercises, emphasize the mobility of the thoracic region, the shoulder girdle, and even distribution of the load along the spine.
Reasonable selection of methods of treating pain in the neck and their diligent performance usually help get rid of the compulsive syndrome. In an attempt to find a middle ground in the use of all possible treatment methods in the West, a pain management system was developed - pain management. The essence of the method consists in the joint coordinated work of specialists from different fields: therapists, rehabilitation specialists, neurologists, traumatologists, orthopedists, psychologists who follow the common goal of relieving the patient of pain. An individual approach to the client is important, a combination of medical and physiotherapeutic procedures and even work on the deep, psychic causes of severe pain in the neck.
It is important not to forget about the condition of your neck and after the end of treatment and pain relief. If you continue to sit crouched, with a bowed or slightly tilted head, do not take breaks in work at the computer, do not remember the lessons of exercise therapy for at least a few minutes a day - the pain in the neck will return with the same strength.
Treatment with surgery
Surgery for pain in the neck is usually indicated with the following diagnoses:
- a hernia of the intervertebral disc - with paresis, increasing disorders of sensitivity and motor activity,
- myelopathy (compression of the spinal cord),
- radiculopathy (compression of the spinal roots).
Operations often reduce to removing those parts of the vertebrae that injure the spinal cord. Methods of minimally invasive surgical treatment, for example, using a laser, are actively developed.
Surgical operations can indeed eliminate the cause of pain in the neck, but even with severe ailments this treatment is rarely resorted to, because of the likelihood of complications and accidents. So, it is better not to run a pain in the neck to such an extent that I had to lie down under the knife.
How quickly to get rid of pain in the neck?
If you or your relatives are seriously injured or have experienced an operation on the spine, but acute pain in the neck does not stop, to cure it will help in a specialized rehabilitation center.
The team of one of the Moscow region clinics includes doctors and nurses who have received a special education, who have extensive experience and fresh knowledge in the field of rehabilitation. The rehabilitation programs of the center, designed for different diagnoses, meet Western standards, as well as the environment and equipment of the center.
With pain in the neck, treatment in the rehabilitation center is carried out in a complex: in a combination of various methods - from medicamentous to physiotherapeutic, from classical to the newest. In other words, the treatment is based on the advanced technology of pain menegement - the technology of professional pain management and teaching patients to control their feelings. With this approach, through the combined efforts of specialists from different fields of knowledge, the maximum result is achieved. Pain menegement is carried out only in several Moscow region centers: aiming blockade of nerve impulses for pain relief, medical treatment with the safest drugs, use of the biofeedback method to control the patient over pain, the help of a psychologist for relieving emotional stress, and other methods prescribed in accordance with the diagnosis and the patient's condition.
Therapeutic blockades with the use of analgesics, anesthetics and steroid hormones are produced directly into the painful region of the neck and suppress the nerve impulses that enter the brain, that is, the pain signal itself. Such blockades permanently relieve pain in the neck and can lead to complete cure. Specialized centers professionally and safely perform all kinds of blockades, including complex injections in the spine.
A special role in the recovery is played by individual classes on progressive methods of motor therapy, which lead to a noticeable and rapid progress in the recovery of muscles and bones. In highly specialized rehabilitation centers, they help not only to relieve pain in the neck, but also to stabilize the joints, restore the normal arsenal of movements, and improve motor control. It always makes you happy about your health and good mood.