Every tenth person on the planet complains of neck pain.After back problems, this is the second most common reason for patients to visit an orthopedist.Restriction of daily activities and professional activities, physical and emotional discomfort, lowering the quality of life - this is what people with cervical spine face.Therefore, you need to pay attention to any signs of pathology, and to prevent it from progressing, consult a doctor in time.
Reason
The origin of neck pain is quite different.In this area there are bony structures (spine), soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments), nerves and blood vessels.They are subject to mechanical, inflammatory, metabolic and dystrophic changes.In this case, other nearby areas are often affected: the head, shoulders, and thoracic region.Neck pain becomes a kind of marker of the following pathologies:
- Osteochondrosis.
- Intervertebral hernia.
- Spondyloarthrosis.
- Spondylitis.
- Myositis.
Most of these conditions develop under conditions of constant load on the spine.The neck is the most mobile part, exposed to external factors.Uncomfortable posture, inactive work, constant muscle tension, hypothermia and stress are common factors in modern life that contribute to the development of diseases.
Neck pain is not only local, but also referred.They often spread to this area due to shoulder pathology, which includes:
- Arthritis.
- Osteoarthritis.
- Humeroscapular periarthritis.
- Brachial plexitis.
In addition, any part of the frame is injured, which cannot be called a rare occurrence.Given these characteristics, to identify the cause of the pain syndrome, it is necessary to carefully carry out differential diagnosis.And this is possible only after a medical examination and additional research.
If you are concerned about neck and shoulder pain, then you should first consult a specialist.Any therapeutic measures follow diagnostics.
Symptoms
Each disease has its own symptoms.Neck pain is the most striking sign of spinal pathology, which is difficult not to pay attention to.According to medical terminology, such symptoms are called cervicalgia.And the spread of pain to the shoulder received a new name - Cervicobrachialgia.This happens due to the same conservation and blood supply to these areas.
The characteristics of neck pain depend on the severity and level of the process, as well as the patient's own subjective sensations.As a rule, they are as follows:
- Sharp or dull.
- Shooting, stabbing, hurting, pulling.
- Single or double sided.
- Weak, medium or strong.
- Paroxysmal or constant.
- Occurs when moving the head, arms or still resting.
Along with neck pain, there are other symptoms that make it possible to establish the source of the pathological impulse.This requires their detailed analysis, which is carried out as part of a clinical examination.
Spine disease
Of all the causes of pain in the cervical region, pathology of the spinal column comes first.Many patients have osteochondrosis and disc herniation;They often have to deal with immune spondyloarthritis;Infectious spondylitis is relatively uncommon.Neck pain can develop from muscle spasms or nerve root compression (radiculopathy).In the second case, it is accompanied by conservation disorders, which are shown by the following symptoms:
- Numbness, crawling, burning, tingling.
- Reduces sensitivity in the neck, shoulders, and arms.
- Restoration or suppression of tendon reflexes.
- Muscle weakness.
- Pale skin, "marbling".
The reflexive neck muscles are tense and can be felt in the form of dense ridges on the sides of the spinal column.Head movement is very limited.Often accompanied by a throbbing or pressing headache.If the spinal cord is involved in the pathological process, conduction disorders develop in the form of paresis of the upper and lower extremities.
In addition to neck pain, spinal column pathology can be a source of very serious problems, leading to loss of ability to work.
Myositis
When the neck muscles hurt, myositis may develop.It occurs in response to prolonged stress, hypothermia, or appears due to infection.As a rule, the pain is painful and does not spread to other areas.Range of motion is limited, signs of local inflammation are present: swelling, redness, increased local temperature.The course of myositis is not severe, the disease is rarely accompanied by complications.
Plexit
Pain may occur due to inflammation of the nerve plexus located in the neck and shoulder area.They are formed by the anterior branches of the spinal roots and are responsible for the preservation of the skin and muscles in the corresponding area, as well as the diaphragm.Cervical plexitis is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Acute paroxysmal pain in the neck.
- Paraspinal muscle weakness.
- Hiccups.
- Dyspnea.
Damage to the brachial plexus is accompanied by motor, sensory and autonomic disorders of the upper limbs: weakness, decreased superficial and deep sensations, pallor.
Pain in the neck and shoulders can be a sign of inflammation of the nerve plexus - plexitis.It should be distinguished from vertebrogenic causes.
Arthritis
Arthritis of the shoulder joint is also accompanied by pain.Inflammation can be immune, metabolic or post-traumatic.The following symptoms occur:
- Shoulder swelling.
- Redness of the skin on it.
- Local temperature increase.
- Limitation of movement in the joint.
Damage to the shoulder can be isolated or part of the structure of polyarthritis in connective tissue diseases, gout.If the treatment is not timely, prerequisites are created for the development of arthrosis changes in the joints.
Osteoarthritis
Shoulder pain is often a manifestation of arthrosis.This pathology is degenerative and dystrophic, affecting all components of joint tissue and especially cartilage tissue.Characterized by slow but steady development.When osteoarthritis develops, it is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Crunching in the neck, friction, clicking in the joints.
- "Starting" and "Mechanical" pain (appears at the beginning of the load), which then becomes constant.
- Shoulder defect.
- Limitation of movement.
This disease brings significant suffering to patients, reduces their physical activity and prevents them from doing their usual activities.
Humeroscapular periarthritis
This disease develops as a result of inflammation of the periarticular tissue and shoulder synovium.Periarthritis is often caused by injury or overuse.It is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Sudden pain in shoulder, radiating to neck and arm, worse at night.
- Sharp limitations of mobility, especially abduction and elevation of the arm.
- Forced position of the limbs: bent at the elbows and pressed to the body.
- Swelling along the front surface of the joint and on the side.
Humeral periarthritis is often confused with arthritis or arthrosis, but it differs from this disease in the absence of pathological changes in the joint itself.
Diagnostics
To identify the cause of neck and shoulder pain, it is necessary to perform a comprehensive examination of the patient, including additional methods.With the help of laboratory and instrumental studies, it is possible to establish metabolic and structural disorders in the body.Depending on the clinical situation, the following procedures may be required:
- General blood and urine analysis.
- Blood biochemistry (inflammatory indicators, rheumatism test, uric acid, calcium).
- Joint X-ray of spine and shoulder.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (computed tomography).
- Neuromyography.
- Arthroscopy.
Pain radiating to the left shoulder and arm must be differentiated from cardiac pathology, so electrocardiography should be added to the above study.It is impossible to do without consulting a specialist: neurologist, vertebrologist, traumatologist, rheumatologist.
The origin of pain is determined based on the results of a comprehensive examination.Once the diagnosis has been established, treatment steps can begin.
Treatment
To treat neck pain, you need to know the mechanism of development and the cause.When it is clearly defined, a therapeutic program is formed for the patient.Treatment includes methods of multidirectional effects on the musculoskeletal system, which allows to eliminate inflammatory changes, stop the dystrophic process, relieve pain and muscle spasms.First, you should minimize the load on the neck and shoulders to relieve the affected area.It may be necessary to wear a shantz collar.
Drug therapy
Neck pain treatment should include drug correction.Modern medicine has a wide arsenal of drugs that help patients with problems of the musculoskeletal system.The most commonly prescribed drugs are:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Muscle relaxants.
- Chondroprotectors.
- B vitamins.
- Vascular.
For neck pain that is less responsive to such treatment, paravertebral blockade with novocaine or intra-articular administration of hormonal agents is used.After eliminating the acute symptoms, you can use local forms - ointments, gels, patches.
It is almost impossible to effectively treat pathologies of the skeletal system, which cause pain in the neck and shoulder blades, without drugs.
Physiotherapy
Comprehensive treatment of pain in the cervical region includes physical methods.With their help, you can eliminate inflammatory phenomena and improve biochemical processes in tissues.For cervical and shoulder joint pathology, the following procedures can be used:
- Physiotherapy.
- Laser treatment.
- Wave Therapy.
- Magnetotherapy.
- Paraffin and mud therapy.
- Reflexology.
- Balneotherapy.
The optimal procedure will be determined by the physiotherapist, taking into account the specifics of the disease and the characteristics of the patient's body.
Therapeutic exercises
Physical therapy exercises are good for neck pain.An individual gymnastic complex is developed for each patient, which will help treat pathologies: form a strong muscle corset, provide flexibility and ligament strength, restore a range of motion in the spine and joints.
Exercises with post-isometric relaxation, where static tension is replaced by relaxation, are ideal for the neck.It is necessary to develop the motor mode gradually, avoid sharp turns and bends, and active rotation of the head.
Regular performance of therapeutic exercises not only restores movement in the affected parts of the skeleton, but also improves the general condition of the patient.
Massage and manual therapy
The method of manual stimulation of the musculoskeletal system helps to treat pain in the neck muscles.Massage is not only a useful procedure, but also quite pleasant.At the same time, the blood supply to the soft tissues increases, the muscles relax, which helps to activate the recovery process in the tissues.During manual therapy, functional blocks and subluxations in the cervical region are eliminated, the spine is stretched, which leads to decompression of the nerve roots.
Operation
Radical treatment of neck pain is necessary when conservative measures are ineffective.Most often, the operation is performed for severe hernias and osteochondrosis.Pathological disc protrusions, osteophytes, vertebral displacement are removed endoscopically, and signs of instability are eliminated.Prosthetics can be done in the shoulder joint due to osteoarthritis and severe contractures can be corrected.After surgery, recovery is required, which depends on the extent of the operation.
Neck and shoulder pain bothers many patients.To eliminate unpleasant sensations and possible consequences, it is necessary to immediately diagnose and treat skeletal pathology.