The neck is made up of vertebrae from the skull to the upper torso. The cervical disc absorbs the impact between the bones. Bones, ligaments, and muscles support the head and allow it to move. If there is any abnormality, abnormality, inflammation or trauma, it may cause neck pain or stiffness. At such a moment, it is difficult to immediately determine the cause of the neck injury and take any measures.
Many people sometimes feel discomfort or stiffness in this area, the most common cause is poor posture or overwork. In most cases, neck pain is not serious and can be resolved within a few days. However, in some cases, this symptom may indicate a serious condition and requires consultation with a doctor.
This article will help you figure out why the neck hurts on the right side and elsewhere. It will also provide a breakdown of the type of pain and its most common causes. Consider how to eliminate the discomfort in this part of the spine.
Types of neck pain
In order to prescribe an effective treatment plan, the expert must accurately determine the symptoms and causes of the pathology. Doctors classify neck pain as follows:
- cervikago-low back pain;
- Cervical pain.
The latter type involves pain caused by injury to the vertebrae or cervical muscles. In turn, cervical pain can be divided into pain:
- Related to skin lesions (superficial body);
- Related to muscle or spine injury (deep body);
- It is related to the occurrence of infection in the body or the interruption of the work of internal organs (internal organs).
Neck pain that affects the neighboring area is divided into:
- Used for neck and arm pain (pain from neck to shoulder);
- Cervical pain (pain from the neck (through the back of the head) to the head).
Speaking of cervical spondylosis, it is worth noting that this pain is always severe, and it limits the mobility of the neck. It appeared suddenly and tortured a person for a period of time, so that he could not think about anything else.
In order to determine the cause of neck pain, it is important for the doctor to determine its nature and describe it using the categories listed.
Common cause
According to medical statistics, most people who seek medical help for neck pain are diagnosed with the following diseases and conditions:
- Cervical osteochondrosis;
- Osteoporosis;
- Muscle cramps;
- Herniated disc;
- Inflammation of the lymph nodes;
- Systemic diseases of the body (infection process, tumors, immune system problems).
However, pain can not only be caused by the presence of a person's disease. Muscle tension or stretching (due to uncomfortable posture while sitting in front of the computer for a long time, driving, lifting weights, sleeping or exercising) may also cause discomfort. In addition, because a person's headache is close to the neck, discomfort may occur.
Why does this happen and what is the root cause? Only experts can answer this question. Sometimes, in order to get rid of discomfort, people will self-medicate-massage, antibiotics, painkillers and other medicines. However, the consequences of this behavior may not be the most beneficial.
You should understand what the diseases and conditions listed above are, how dangerous they are, and why you cannot treat them yourself.
Cervical osteochondrosis
The appearance of this pathology in humans is related to anatomical details. The size of the cervical spine is much smaller than the bone structure of other segments of the spine. The neck is often under pressure because its main function is to support the head and ensure its mobility. If a person asks why the neck hurts from behind, then he needs to consult if he has osteochondrosis in this part of the spine.
The symptoms of this disease may be as follows:
- The pain extends from the neck to the shoulders to the outer surfaces of the shoulders, forearms, and hands.
- Penetrating pain in the neck or occiput (especially more severe in the morning, accompanied by head movement, coughing, etc. ).
- Headache (paroxysmal or persistent, dullness, impulsivity, aggravated head turning), dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus.
- Pain in the chest muscles.
- Obstruction of blood flow in the cerebral arteries can sometimes cause temporary loss of consciousness. As health conditions deteriorate, speech and motor functions may be impaired.
It is not worthwhile to treat this disease yourself, because the consequences of this behavior may be far from pleasant. But by turning to professionals, one can be sure that the treatment will be high quality and effective.
Generally, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis may include the use of various anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, gels and repair ointments, physical therapy, and health exercises. Various medicinal patches etc. can be used.
Osteoporosis
This is a bone disease that occurs when bones lose their density. As a result, they become weaker and may break when dropped or slightly impacted. It is most common in menopausal women, but habits such as smoking, heavy drinking, poor diet, and sedentary behavior increase the risk of its occurrence.
For many people, the formation of this diagnosis can answer the question of why the neck is painful from behind, while causing pain in the arms and shoulders.
The doctor distinguishes the three stages of this disease. The first stage assumes that a person begins to experience changes in the cervical spine, such as decreased vertebral bone density, mild cramps, weakness, and pain. In the second stage, there will be persistent headaches, the pressure will drop sharply and higher than normal, and there will be hand numbness and general weakness. The third stage (most difficult) assumes that a person has experienced severe vertebral deformities, may have humps in the collar area, and head and neck pain becomes the norm.
The treatment of osteoporosis is aimed at slowing or preventing its development, maintaining bone mineral density and reducing pain. This is achieved through the use of supplements and medications, and a person changing their lifestyle to support light but constant load (walking, exercise) and proper nutrition.
Muscle cramps
Why does the left neck hurt? The cause may be cramps. It not only occurs on the left side, but also affects the right and back of the neck. This is due to involuntary muscle contraction due to strenuous exercise. This condition usually causes severe pain that lasts from a few minutes to a few days.
Ask why the neck muscles are sore, a person should think about his sleep, work and sitting posture. Usually, cramps occur due to violations of the body's natural posture, weight transfer from the shoulders, including bags, hunchbacks, and other conditions (including serious illnesses).
Analgesics can help relieve neck pain, relieve muscle tension and reduce inflammation. However, they must be taken in accordance with the accompanying instructions and under the knowledge of the doctor. If you are not sure that neck pain is caused by cramps, please do not take any medications 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 difficult to independently determine what your neck hurts. If the discomfort persists or worsens, then this may be a very serious reason to see a doctor.
Herniated disc
This element is a strong ligament that connects one vertebra to another. The intervertebral disc is the cushion between each vertebra of the column. Even if too much pressure is applied to a healthy intervertebral disc (weight-bearing, falling from a height), cervical hernia can occur.
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 feeling. At first, a person may not understand why the neck hurts when turning, bending, or other habitual exercises. However, over time, this discomfort became unbearable. Some people may not have neck or back pain with a herniated disc. The location of the symptoms depends on the exact location of the pathology.
The treatment of a herniated disc depends on the severity of the disease and the visible damage. In most cases, people's condition will improve within six weeks after the first visit. In many cases, medication and high-quality physical therapy are sufficient. In treatment, drugs can be used to control pain and reduce muscle spasms.
Inflammation of the lymph nodes
Usually, this pathology is caused by contact with bacteria or viruses. When these changes occur in the body, it is not difficult to understand why the neck pain is on the left or right side, because the lymph nodes are located in these areas. They can swell due to upper respiratory infections (such as colds). Related symptoms that may occur with edema are cough, fatigue, chills, runny nose, and profuse sweating.
What should I do if my neck lymph nodes become inflamed? The answer is simple: the pathological process affects the nerve endings that send pain signals.
The treatment of such conditions usually involves determining the nature (virus, infection, bacteria, tumor). The doctor then prescribes drugs to treat the underlying cause, which has a beneficial effect on eliminating the inflammatory process.
Various systemic diseases of the body
Sometimes people may not understand why there is pain in the neck and head, and these sensations transfer to the back or arms from these sensations. Usually this situation may be caused by some systemic diseases of the body. These include various tumors, depression, arthritis, infectious processes, meningitis, internal hemorrhage, and other serious pathologies.
Neck pain can also occur when the body does not get the required amount of some useful substances (vitamins, trace elements and macro elements).
Why does the front of the neck hurt, the back hurts, or the muscles feel uncomfortable and headache, only the doctor will answer based on the results of tests and additional studies. The root cause may be the poor condition of other organs, not just the consular area.
diagnosis
In order to determine the cause of neck pain, the first thing that needs to be done is to see a therapist. He will conduct necessary consultations with other experts and determine the need for technical diagnostic methods.
The expert will explain why the neck is painful on the right, left or other parts. He will collect a complete medical history and determine the physical illness that is currently occurring.
During the examination, a person can be assigned the following diagnostic methods:
- Nuclear magnetic resonance
- Computer tomography
- Electrocardiogram
- Ultrasound.
MRI can help determine the condition of the tissues, CT scan-to identify cervical spine lesions, ultrasound is necessary to study arterial rings, blood vessels and nearby tissues, and electrocardiogram so that doctors can rule out various heart diseases.
In addition, one of the mandatory tests is the study of the patient’s blood, which will help determine whether inflammation or infection processes are occurring in the body.
What should I do?
Everyone who suffers wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. For neck discomfort, the following methods will help:
- Apply ice to the sore area (initially wrapped in a towel).
- If overwork causes mild pain, you should temporarily stop strenuous exercise to allow time for the neck muscles to rest.
- It is necessary to do light neck exercises (slow bends and turns) throughout the day.
- You should control your posture so as not to increase the extra load on the muscles and vertebrae.
If the pain persists for one to two days, you should seek help from a doctor who will determine the cause of the neck pain. If there are symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fever, numbness or tingling, swelling, nausea, and inability to move the head or limbs, you should immediately call an ambulance team or go to a specialist for treatment.
prevention
In order not to know why the neck is sore when it is close to the head, other places, or muscle spasms, it is important to monitor your health and follow some of the suggestions below:
- You only need to sleep on a comfortable pillow, so that the cervical spine can relax during rest. To avoid neck and back problems, it is best to buy orthopedic pillows.
- The best position for the entire spine to rest comfortably is supine. You should train yourself to fall asleep in this position.
- When using a computer, you need to choose the correct chair height and monitor position.
- Long texting, playing games or reading on mobile devices is not worth it. This will cause an excessive burden on the neck (in most cases, in this activity, the head will be lowered, which will cause interference with the work of this part of the spine).
- It is important to pay attention and take time to exercise, breathe fresh air and exercise.
- You should adjust your diet and diet. It is very important for the body to receive the amount of nutrients it needs throughout the day.
- It is best to quit bad habits (overeating, smoking, alcohol and drugs).
in conclusion
After considering the main causes of neck pain, we can conclude that you are unlikely to identify and solve the problem on your own. Therefore, it is important not to hesitate. Even if you can tolerate neck pain, you need to see a specialist immediately. It’s worth remembering that even mild discomfort may indicate interference with body functions.