The neck is, above all, the most mobile part of the spinal column, which is responsible for movements and turns of the head. But if we compare the structure of cervical and, for example, lumbar or thoracic vertebrae, it can be noticed that the former have a much thinner body. But all the burden of maintaining the head and its movements falls on this department. Due to such a natural "injustice", the cervical region often suffers from diseases and injuries, which leads to a person's neck pain when turning the head.
Neck pain has now become one of the most common problems. They occur in people regardless of age, occupation or physical fitness. Patients are increasingly turning to doctors with such complaints: "I can't turn my head", "My neck hurts a lot", "My neck is cramping". There are many reasons for such symptoms, it is important to diagnose them correctly. Otherwise, it will be impossibleget rid of pain quickly.
Characteristics of pain
This condition, when it hurts to turn the head, is familiar to many. This happens due to pathologies of the muscles, ligaments or spine in the cervical-neck zone. Moreover, the pain appears not only in the neck, but also in the shoulders, even in the hands, gives in the back of the head. Other symptoms may also appear: numbness, tingling, weakness, darkening of the eyes. In this case, the head cannot be turned to the side, the person must turn with the whole body.
In most cases, neck stiffness and pain last from a few days to a week. They can differ in character: shooting, breaking, burning, encircling, stabbing. Sometimes the pain is of different intensity: from weak, painful - to sharp, very strong. If it is not related to any pathology, but appeared due to excessive work or stress, it will pass without serious treatment, only by reducing the load and anesthetic ointments.
A visit to the doctor is necessary if the neck pain does not stop within a week, as well as when other symptoms appear. These may include numbness, tingling or crawling, headaches, nausea, weakness or fever. It is important to seek medical help if the neck hurts suddenly for no reason, and the stiffness increases rapidly.
Causes
Neck pain can be caused by a variety of factors. They are most often associated with muscle strain or increased muscle tone. This happens after physical exertion, for example, when you play sports. When a person often tilts or turns his head, lifts weights or performs large-amplitude movements with his hands, lactic acid is produced in the muscles and microtrauma occurs in the fibers. Damage can be localized in the neck or collar area. This leads to pain that gets worse every time you turn your head.
Athletes are not the only ones who suffer from this problem. It often reduces the neck of loaders, builders, workers, seamstresses, drivers - that is, those whose professional activities are associated with constant overstrain of the hands and neck area.
Static loads are no less dangerous for the neck. Often, waking up, a person notices that he was resting his neck. This happens because of an uncomfortable position during sleep or because of the wrong choice of bedding. For example, sleeping on a too soft duvet, a large or hard pillow, a loose sofa can lead to pain in the collar area. A similar situation develops when a person spends a long time in an uncomfortable position, for example, sits with his head bent in front of the computer or talks on the phone, pressing his shoulder to his ear.
In addition to muscle strain, injuries are often the cause of pain. In most people, the neck muscles are quite weak, and the cervical spine has a more fragile structure than the others. Therefore, any sudden movement, a blow to the neck, and even a person's fall can lead to injury to this area.
They suffer from injuries mainly of muscles and ligaments. Most often, the muscle that runs along the back of the neck and is responsible for the movement of the scapula is sprained. A common occurrence is a mixture of vertebrae or a fracture. The consequences of all injuries are severe pains that prevent any movement of the head.
Muscle pathologies that cause stiffness in the neck and pain when turning or leaning over also include myositis. This is a muscle inflammation that occurs due to hypothermia, infectious disease, injury or overexertion. The inflammation is accompanied by edema, due to which the mobility of the head is severely limited. The cause of this condition can even be severe stress, which leads to muscle spasms and restricts any movement of the head.
What diseases appear
There are more serious reasons for this problem. If the pain does not disappear after a few days, any movement causes pain, numbness or tingling in the fingers, headache, it is very important to see a doctor. After all, most likely such pains are a symptom of a pathology that requires special treatment.
In case of severe pain that limits the mobility of the neck, it is better to seek the advice of a specialist.
They most often occur in diseases of the cervical spine. Each person has different symptoms, but pain when turning the head almost always occurs. There are some of the most common pathologies.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is becoming more and more common today. This is due to a sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, increased stress on the neck muscles while sitting at the computer. Usually, with osteochondrosis, the neck hurts on the right side or on the left side, because the cause is injury to the nerve roots.
A herniated disc or disc protrusion in the cervical region is common. After all, the muscles that keep the vertebrae in the correct position are weak here, and the load on the neck is always high. Because of this, the discs suffer, which become very fragile due to improper nutrition. As a result, the vertebrae converge and impinge on the nerve roots. This, as well as muscle spasms, lead to pain when turning the head.
Arthrosis of the intervertebral joints is less common. Elderly people are mostly susceptible to it, because it is a degenerative-dystrophic process. Often, arthrosis is accompanied by a narrowing of the spinal canal and the appearance of bony growths near the vertebrae. Because of this, some patients cannot move their head at all.
Many do not consider scoliosis and stooping to be serious pathologies, but they can cause pain and stiffness. Due to the irregular position of the spine, the increased load falls on one side of the neck. As a result, the pain appears only on the right or left side.
The cause of this condition can also be other diseases: vascular disorders, neurological pathologies or infections. Of these, meningitis is the most dangerous. This is a rather rare disease, but dangerous. In addition to stiffness in the neck, with meningitis a person has a headache, nausea, weakness and may have a fever. One such disease is meningococcal disease.
Pain and stiffness in the cervical region can be a symptom of scalene muscle syndrome, cervical sciatica, humeroscapular periarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, vertebral artery insufficiency, occipital nerve neuralgia. Although the manifestations of these diseases may be similar, their treatment should be different, so it is very important to make a correct diagnosis.
Pain in children
This condition, when it is impossible to move the head, occurs even in children. Some babies are born with a pathology such as torticollis. In this case, the child's head takes a forced position - tilted to one side. This is due to a spasm of the neck muscles.
Pain when turning the head can also occur in older children. It is most often caused by infectious diseases. It can be lymphadenitis, mumps, purulent tonsillitis, meningitis. It is very important to recognize the disease in time and start treatment.
Treatment
In many cases, when overwork, hypothermia or stress become the cause of such an unhealthy condition, you can alleviate the pain yourself. The main thing at the same time is not to limit yourself to taking painkillers. An integrated approach is needed: it is necessary to limit the mobility of the head with the help of orthopedic devices, massage, special gymnastics, rubbing fat or applying compresses are useful.
But if such pains are a symptom of any disease, only a doctor can determine how to properly treat them. After all, it is very important to carry out not only symptomatic therapy, but also treatment of the underlying pathology.
Different therapeutic measures depend on the cause of the pain, but there are some that apply in every case:
- Medicines to relieve pain, inflammation, muscle spasms, to improve blood circulation and metabolic processes.
- Rest for a few days, sometimes immobilization of the neck with a Shants collar or a more rigid orthosis is indicated, which will accelerate the healing of damaged tissues.
- Cold or warm compresses.
- Massage, fat rubbing.
- Physiotherapy.
The treatment of this pathology should be complex, necessarily including massage or manual therapy.
Medical therapy
Many people, when they don't know what to do to get rid of the pain when turning their head, start drinking painkillers. Sometimes it helps if such a condition is not associated with a serious illness. But it is worth remembering that any analgesics or NSAIDs should not be taken without consulting a doctor for more than 3-5 days. Therefore, if the pain does not disappear during this time, it is better to consult a specialist.
In addition, in many cases, pain relief alone will not help restore neck mobility, as it is still necessary to relieve muscle spasms, normalize blood circulation, and relieve inflammation.
Therefore, in such cases, a complex of drugs is usually prescribed:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain and inflammation.
- Muscle relaxants to relieve muscle spasms.
- Chondroprotectors help restore cartilage tissue, improve spine mobility.
- Different fats relieve pain, inflammation, warm and relax.
- Multivitamins compensate for vitamin deficiency.
Physiotherapy treatment
In addition to drugs, the treatment of neck pain necessarily includes other methods. Most often, a massage is prescribed, which helps to relax the muscles and improves the mobility of the neck. Manual therapy is effective, but must be used very carefully in this department. In addition, spinal traction is sometimes indicated. This method helps well with nerve fiber damage, osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia.
For any pathology, physiotherapy is effective. It can be electrophoresis, UHF, laser, magnetotherapy, paraffin applications, acupuncture. Useful mud applications, therapeutic baths. These procedures normalize muscle tone, improve circulation and metabolic processes, and have a general strengthening effect.
And therapeutic exercises will help consolidate the results of treatment and restore range of motion. Start performing special exercises after the pain and inflammation have subsided. They strengthen muscles, increase mobility and prevent muscle spasms. All exercises are performed slowly, without sudden movements, avoiding pain.
Folk remedies
Such a pathology is treated at home. Therefore, many patients, in addition to the methods prescribed by the doctor, use various folk recipes.
- A bag of heated salt warms the neck well with muscle spasms.
- Pour boiling water over a horseradish leaf, attach it to your neck after cooling and wrap it with a scarf. You can leave the compress overnight if there is no strong burning sensation.
- In a similar way, a poultice is made from thistle or cabbage leaves.
- Mix 50 g each of honey and vodka, add 2 tablespoons of fine salt and a little grated horseradish. When the mass becomes homogeneous, rub your neck with it.
- An effective heating compress is made from 300 ml of alcohol, 10 ml of camphor and a bottle of iodine.
- Mix egg yolks, camphor alcohol, vodka and mustard powder. Rub your neck before going to bed.
- If you mix crushed ginger root, some garlic and butter, this ointment will help you get rid of cramps quickly.
- A drink made from aloe juice and black radish, mixed with honey, relaxes and soothes well.
By itself, the neck will not stop hurting, its mobility will not return. Therefore, it is better to consult a doctor immediately and start the correct treatment than to constantly suffer from the inability to turn your head.