The neck consists of vertebrae that run from the skull to the upper torso. The cervical discs absorb the blows between the bones. Bones, ligaments and muscles support the head and allow it to move. If there are any abnormalities, abnormalities, inflammation or trauma, this can cause pain or stiffness in the neck area. At such times, it is difficult to immediately determine what is hurting the neck and take any action.
Many people sometimes experience discomfort or stiffness in this area, most often due to poor posture or overwork. In most cases, neck pain is not a serious condition and can be removed within a few days. In some cases, however, such a symptom can indicate a serious illness and requires consultation with a doctor.
This article will help you understand why your neck hurts on the right side as well as elsewhere. It will also provide a classification of the types of pain and its most common causes. Think about how you can get rid of the discomfort in this part of the spine.
Types of pain in the neck
In order to prescribe effective treatment, the specialist must accurately determine the symptoms and causes of the pathology. Doctors classify neck pain as follows:
- cervicago - lumbago;
- cervicalgia.
The latter type includes pain resulting from damage to the vertebrae or neck muscles. Cervical pain, in turn, can be divided into pain:
- associated with skin lesions (superficial somatic);
- associated with muscle or spinal cord injury (deep somatic);
- associated with the appearance in the body of an infection or dysfunction of internal organs (visceral).
Cervicalgia, which affects adjacent areas, is divided into:
- for cervicobrachialgia (pain passes from the neck to the shoulders);
- to cervicocranialgia (pain passes from the neck (through the nape) to the head).
Speaking of cervicago, it is worth noting that this pain is always sharp, restricts the mobility of the neck. He appears abruptly and torments a person for a while, so it is impossible to think of anything else.
To determine why the neck hurts, it is extremely important for the doctor to determine its nature and describe it using the classification listed.
Common causes
Based on medical statistics, most often people who seek medical help for neck pain are diagnosed with a number of the following diseases and conditions:
- cervical osteochondrosis;
- osteoporosis;
- muscle spasm;
- disc herniation;
- 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 disease. Discomfort can also be caused by muscle tension or stretching (due to prolonged sitting in front of the computer, driving a car, lifting weights, uncomfortable posture during sleep or sports). In addition, discomfort may occur due to the fact that the person has a headache closer to the neck.
Why is this happening and what is the main reason? Only a specialist can answer this question. Sometimes people, trying to get rid of the discomfort, take self-medication - massage, antibiotics, painkillers and other medications. However, the consequences of such actions may not be the most favorable.
You need to understand what the diseases and conditions listed above are and how they can be dangerous, as well as why you cannot treat them yourself.
Osteochondrosis of the cervix
The appearance of this pathology in humans is associated with anatomical features. The size of the cervical vertebrae is much smaller than the bone structures of other segments of the spine. The neck is constantly under stress and this is due to the fact that its main functions are to support the head and ensure its mobility. If a person asks why the neck hurts in the back, then he should consult if there is osteochondrosis in this part of the spine.
The symptoms of this disease can be as follows:
- Pain from neck to shoulder, extending to the outer surface of the shoulder, forearm and arms.
- Penetrating pain in the neck or occipital region (especially stronger in the morning, with head movements, cough, etc. ).
- Headache (paroxysmal or constant, dull, impulsive, aggravated by turning the head), dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears.
- Chest muscle pain.
- There is a disturbance in the blood flow to the cerebral arteries, which sometimes leads to temporary loss of consciousness. With deteriorating health, speech and motor functions may be impaired.
It is not worth treating this disease on your own, as the consequences of such actions can be far from joyful. But by turning to professionals, one can be sure that the therapy will be high quality and effective.
Usually, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis may include the use of various anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, gels and restorative ointments, physiotherapy and health exercises. Various healing patches can be used and so on.
Osteoporosis
It is a bone disease that occurs when bones lose their density. As a result, they become weak and may break in a fall or minor impact. It is most common in women during menopause, but habits such as smoking, drinking and poor diet and sedentary behavior increase the risk of it.
For many people, formulating such a diagnosis may be the answer to the question of why the neck hurts in the back and at the same time gives it to the arms and shoulders.
Doctors distinguish three stages of this disease. The first stage suggests that a person begins to experience such changes in the cervical spine as a decrease in the density of the vertebrae, mild spasms, weakness and pain. In the second stage, constant headaches appear, the pressure may drop sharply and rise above normal, there may be tingling in the hands and general weakness. The third stage (the most difficult) suggests that a person experiences severe deformities in the vertebrae, a hump may appear in the area of the collar, and pain in the head and neck become constant companions.
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, as well as a revision of a person's lifestyle in favor of light but constant exercise (walking, sports), proper nutrition.
Muscle spasm
Why does the neck on the left side hurt? The reason may be a spasm. This happens not only on the left side, but can affect the right and back of the neck. This is due to the involuntary contraction of the muscles as a result of intense exercise. The situation often causes severe pain that lasts from minutes to several days.
When asking why the muscles of the neck hurt, one has to think about how he sleeps, works, sits. Spasms often occur due to a violation of the natural position of the body, the transfer of weights on the shoulders, including bags, bent shoulders and other conditions (including serious diseases).
Then painkillers can help relieve neck pain, relieve muscle tension and reduce inflammation. However, they must be taken following the instructions provided and with the knowledge of the doctor. If you are not sure that the neck pain is caused by a spasm, you should not take any medication 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 very difficult to independently determine what hurts your neck. If the discomfort persists or worsens, this can be a very serious reason to see a doctor.
Disc herniation
This element is a strong ligament that connects one spine to another. The discs are cushioning pads between each vertebra of the column. A hernia in the cervical spine can occur when there is too much pressure even on a healthy disc (carrying heavy loads, 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 tingling or numbness in the limbs, muscle weakness, and loss of sensation. At first, one may not understand why the neck hurts when turning, bending, or other normal movements. Over time, however, the discomfort becomes unbearable. Some people may not have neck or back pain with a herniated disc. Where the symptoms will appear depends on exactly where the pathology is located.
The treatment of a herniated disc depends on the severity of the disease and the visible damage. Most often, people's condition improves within six weeks after the first visit to the doctor. In many cases, medication and quality physiotherapy are sufficient. In therapy, drugs can be used to control pain, reduce muscle spasm.
Inflammation of the lymph nodes
Usually such pathologies are the result of exposure to bacteria or viruses. When these changes occur in the body, it does not become difficult to understand why the neck hurts on the left or right, because it is in these areas that the lymph nodes are located. They can swell in response to an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold. Associated symptoms that may be present along with edema are cough, fatigue, chills, runny nose, profuse sweating.
What hurts the neck with inflammation of the lymph nodes? The answer is simple: the pathological process affects the nerve endings that send pain signals.
Treatment of such a condition usually involves identifying its nature (virus, infection, bacteria, tumor). The doctor then prescribes medication to treat the root cause, which has a beneficial effect on eliminating the inflammatory process.
Various systemic disorders in the body
Sometimes people may not understand why the neck and head hurt, from which these sensations go to the back or arms. Often this condition can be caused by certain systemic disorders in the body. These include various tumors, depression, arthritis, infectious processes, meningitis, internal bleeding and other serious pathologies.
Pain in the cervix can also occur when the body does not receive the required amount of certain nutrients (vitamins, micro- and macronutrients).
Why the neck hurts in front, behind or muscle discomfort and headache is felt, only the doctor will answer according to the results of tests and additional tests. The root cause may be due to the poor condition of other organs, not just the collar.
Diagnosis
The first thing to do to determine the cause of neck pain is to see a therapist. He will appoint the necessary consultation with other specialists and will determine the need for technological diagnostic methods.
The specialist will explain why the neck hurts on the right side, on the left or in another part of it. He will gather a complete history and determine what disorders are happening in the body at the moment.
The following diagnostic methods may be prescribed during the examination of a person:
- NMR;
- CT;
- ECG;
- Ultrasound.
MRI can help determine the condition of tissues, CT scan - to identify pathologies in the cervical spine, ultrasound is needed to examine the arterial ring, vessels and nearby tissues and ECG, so that the doctor can rule out various cardiac pathologies.
In addition, one of the mandatory tests is a test of the patient's blood, which will help determine whether the body is undergoing inflammatory or infectious processes.
What to do?
Everyone in pain wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. The following may help with neck discomfort:
- Apply ice to the affected area (initially wrap with a towel).
- If the mild pain is caused by overexertion, you should temporarily stop strenuous exercise and give your neck muscles time to rest.
- You need to do light neck exercises (slow turns and turns) throughout the day.
- You need to control your posture so as not to aggravate the situation with additional strain on the muscles and vertebrae.
If the pain persists for one to two days, you should seek help from a doctor who will determine why the neck hurts. If symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, fever, tingling or numbness, swelling, nausea and inability to move the head or limbs are added to this, then you should call an ambulance immediately or see a specialist yourself.
Prevention
In order not to wonder why the neck hurts closer to the head, in other places or muscle spasms occur, it is important to monitor your health and follow a number of the following recommendations:
- You should only sleep on comfortable pillows that would allow the cervical vertebrae to relax during rest. To avoid neck and back problems, it is best to buy an orthopedic pillow.
- The best position for a comfortable rest of the entire spine is to lie on your back. You need to learn to fall asleep in this position.
- you must select the correct chair height and monitor position when working on the computer.
- It's not worth texting, playing games, or reading on mobile devices for long periods of time. This creates an excessive load on the neck (most often during this activity the head is lowered, which causes disturbances in the work of this part of the spine).
- It is important to pay attention and find time for exercise, walks in the fresh air and sports.
- You need to adjust your diet and diet. It is very important for the body to receive the required amount of nutrients throughout the day.
- It is best to give up bad habits (overeating, smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs).
Conclusion
Having considered the main reasons why the neck hurts, we can conclude that it is unlikely to be possible to identify and eliminate the problem yourself. That is why it is important not to hesitate. You should see a specialist immediately, even if the pain in your neck can be tolerated. It is worth remembering that even a slight discomfort can indicate disorders of the body.