The neck is made up of vertebrae that run from the skull to the upper trunk. The cervical disc absorbs the impact between the bones. The bones, ligaments and muscles support the head and let it move. If there is any deformity, abnormality, inflammation or trauma, it can cause pain or stiffness in the neck area. At such moments, it is difficult to quickly determine neck pain and take any measures.
A large number of people sometimes experience discomfort or stiffness in this area, often due to poor body posture or excessive activity. In most cases, neck pain is not a serious condition and can be resolved within a few days. However, in some cases, such symptoms indicate a serious illness and require a doctor's consultation.
This article will help you find out why the neck hurts on the right side, as well as elsewhere. It will also provide a classification of the types of pain and their most common causes. Consider how you can get rid of discomfort in this part of the spine.
Types of pain in the cervical region
To prescribe effective treatment, the specialist must accurately determine the symptoms and pathological causes. Doctors classify neck pain as follows:
- cervical - lumbago;
- cervicalgia.
The latter type involves pain that arises as a result of damage to the vertebral or cervical muscles. Cervicalgia, in turn, can be divided into pain:
- associated with skin lesions (superficial somatic);
- associated with muscle or vertebral damage (deep somatic);
- associated with the appearance in the body of infections or disorders of the work of internal organs (visceral).
Cervicalgia, which affects the adjacent area, is divided into:
- for cervicobrachialgia (pain starting from the neck to the shoulders);
- to cervicocranialgia (pain starting from the neck (through the back of the head) to the head).
Speaking of the cervicago, keep in mind that this pain is always acute, this limits the movement of the neck. It appears so suddenly and torments a person for such a time that it is impossible for him to think of anything else.
To determine why the neck hurts, it is very important for the doctor to determine its nature and describe it using the classifications listed.
Common Causes
Based on medical statistics, often people who seek medical help for neck pain are diagnosed with some of the following diseases and conditions:
- cervical osteochondrosis;
- osteoporosis;
- muscle cramp;
- herniated disc;
- 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 illness. The appearance of discomfort is also caused by muscle tension or stretching (due to sitting at a computer for a long time, driving a car, lifting weights, uncomfortable posture while sleeping or playing sports). In addition, discomfort may arise as a person experiences a headache closer to the neck.
Why does this happen, and what is the cause? Only an expert can answer this question. Sometimes people, trying to get rid of discomfort, take their own medications - massage, antibiotics, painkillers and other medications. However, the consequences of such actions may not be the best.
It is important to understand what the diseases and conditions listed above are and how dangerous they are, as well as why you cannot cure them yourself.
Cervical osteochondrosis
The appearance of this pathology in humans is associated with anatomical specifics. The dimensions of the cervical vertebrae are much smaller than the bone structures of other spinal segments. The neck is constantly under pressure, and this is due to its primary function of supporting the head and ensuring its movement. If someone asks why the neck hurts from the back, then he should consult if he has osteochondrosis in this part of the spine.
The symptoms of this disease may be as follows:
- Pain from the neck to the shoulders extends to the outer surfaces of the shoulders, forearms 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 by turning the head), dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears.
- Pain in the chest muscles.
- There is a violation of cerebral artery blood flow, which sometimes leads to temporary loss of consciousness. With deterioration of health, speech and motor function may be impaired.
You can not cure this disease on its own, because the consequences of such actions are far from joy. But turning to a professional, one can be sure that the therapy is of high quality and effective.
Typically, treatment of cervical osteochondrosis can include the use of a variety of anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications, restorative gels and ointments, physiotherapy and health exercises. Various medicine patches and so on can be used.
Osteoporosis
This is a bone disease that occurs when bone loses its density. As a result, they become weak and can break when dropped or a small impact. This is most common in women during menopause, but habits such as smoking, heavy drinking, and poor diet and inactive behaviors increase the risk of its occurrence.
For many people, a formulation of such a diagnosis can be the answer to the question of why the neck hurts from the back and at the same time gives it to the arms and shoulders.
Doctors distinguish three stages of the disease. The first stage assumes that a person begins to experience changes in the cervical spine as a decrease in spinal density, mild cramps, weakness and pain occur. In the second stage, persistent headaches appear, the pressure can drop sharply and rise above normal, numbness in the hands and general weakness appear. The third (most difficult) stage assumes that a person has a severe deformity of the spine, a bump may appear in the collar zone, and headaches and neck pain become constant companions.
Treatment of osteoporosis aims to slow or prevent its progression, maintain bone mineral density, and reduce pain. This is achieved through the use of supplements and medications, as well as the modification of a person's lifestyle in favor of light, but constant load (walking, sports), proper nutrition.
Muscle cramp
Why does the neck on the left side hurt? The cause may be cramps. It occurs not only on the left side, but can affect the right side and back of the neck. This is due to unintentional muscle contraction as a result of strenuous exercise. The condition often causes severe pain that lasts from a few minutes to a few days.
Asked why the neck muscles hurt, one has to think about how he sleeps, works, sits. Often, cramps occur due to violations of the natural position of the body, weight transfer on the shoulders, including bags, choked shoulders, and other conditions (including serious illness).
Pain relievers can then help relieve neck pain, relieve muscle tension, and reduce inflammation. However, they must be taken, according to the attached instructions and with the knowledge of the doctor. If you are not sure that neck pain is caused by cramps, you should not take medication before seeing a specialist. In this case, you can put an ice pack (wrapped in a towel) around your neck to temporarily relieve the pain.
Keep in mind that it is very difficult to determine your own neck pain. If the discomfort persists or increases, then this can 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 disc is a protective cushion between each vertebra of the column. Hernias in the cervical spine can occur when too much pressure is applied even on a healthy disc (carrying a heavy load, 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, one may not understand why the neck hurts when twisting, bending, or other habitual movements. However, over time, the discomfort became unbearable. Some people may not experience neck or back pain with a herniated disc. Where the symptoms will manifest depends on where exactly the pathology is located.
Treatment of a herniated disc depends on the severity of the disease and the visible damage. Often, a person’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, reducing muscle spasms.
Inflammation of the lymph nodes
Usually, such pathology results from exposure to bacteria or viruses. When these changes occur in the body, it is difficult to understand why the neck hurts on the left or on the right, because this is where the lymph nodes are located. They can swell in response to an upper respiratory infection, such as the flu. Related symptoms that may arise along with edema are cough, fatigue, chills, runny nose, sweating.
What is neck pain with inflammation of the lymph nodes? The answer is simple: pathological processes affect nerve endings, which send pain signals.
Treatment of such a condition usually includes identifying its nature (virus, infection, bacteria, tumor). Then the doctor prescribes drugs for the treatment of the cause, which have a beneficial effect on the elimination of inflammatory processes.
Various systemic disorders in the body
Sometimes people may not understand why the neck and head ache, from where this sensation enters 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 a number of useful substances needed (vitamins, micro and macro elements).
Why neck pain in the front, back, or muscle discomfort and headaches are felt, only a doctor will answer according to the results of additional tests and studies. The main cause may be due to the poor condition of other organs, not just in the collar area.
Diagnostics
The first thing to do to determine the cause of the pain in the neck is to visit a therapist. He or she will appoint the necessary consultations with other specialists and determine the requirements of technological diagnostic methods.
The specialist will explain why the neck hurts on the right side, on the left or on the other side. He will gather a complete history and determine what disorders in the body are going on.
During the examination, a person may be given the following diagnostic methods:
- MRI;
- CT;
- ECG;
- Ultrasound.
MRI can help determine the condition of tissues, CT scans - to identify pathology in the cervical vertebrae, ultrasound is needed to examine nearby arterial rings, ducts and tissues, and ECG so that doctors can rule out various cardiac pathologies.
In addition, one of the mandatory tests is a study of the patient's blood, which will help determine whether an inflammatory process or infection is occurring in the body.
What to do?
Everyone who is in pain wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. For neck discomfort, the following can help:
- Apply ice to the sore spot (initially wrap with a towel).
- If the mild pain is caused by too much energy, you should stop strenuous physical exercise and give your neck muscles time to relax.
- You need to do light neck exercises (slow bends and rotations) throughout the day.
- You should control your body posture so as not to aggravate the situation with additional load on the muscles and vertebrae.
If the pain persists in one to two days, you should seek help from a doctor who will determine why his neck is sore. 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 see your own specialist.
Prophylaxis
In order not to wonder why the neck hurts closer to the head, elsewhere or muscle spasms occur, it is important to monitor your health and follow some of the following recommendations:
- You just need to sleep on a comfortable pillow that allows the cervical spine to rest while resting. To avoid neck and back problems, it is better to buy orthopedic pillows.
- The best position for a comfortable rest on the entire spine is located on your back. You have to train yourself to fall asleep in this position.
- you need to choose the correct seat height and monitor position while working on the computer.
- You cannot send SMS, play games or read on a mobile device for a long time. This puts an excessive load on the neck (most often, during this activity, the head is lowered, which causes disruption to the work of this part of the spine).
- It is important to pay attention and find time to exercise, walk in the fresh air and play sports.
- You have to adjust your diet and diet. 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).
In conclusion
After considering the main reasons why the neck hurts, we can conclude that it is impossible to solve and solve the problem on your own. Therefore, it is important not to hesitate. You should immediately see a specialist, even if your neck pain is tolerable. Keep in mind that even minor discomfort may indicate a disturbance in bodily functions.