The neck consists of vertebrae that go from the skull to the upper torso. The discs of the cervix absorb shocks between the bones. Bones, ligaments and muscles support the head and allow it to move. If there are any abnormalities, abnormalities, inflammation or trauma, it can cause pain or stiffness in the neck area. In such moments, it is difficult to immediately determine what is hurting the neck and take any action.
Many people sometimes feel discomfort or stiffness in this area, most often due to poor posture or excessive exertion. In most cases, neck pain is not a serious condition and can resolve within a few days. However, in some cases, such a symptom can indicate a serious illness and requires a doctor’s consultation.
This article will help you understand why the neck hurts on the right side, as well as in other places. It will also give a classification of the types of pain and its most common causes. Consider how you can get rid of the discomfort in this part of the spine.
Types of pain in the cervical region
In order to prescribe effective treatment, the specialist must accurately determine the symptoms and causes of the pathology. Doctors classify neck pain as follows:
- cervikago - lumbago;
- cervicalgia.
The latter type includes pain caused by damage to the vertebrae 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 occurrence of infection in the body or dysfunction of internal organs (visceral).
Cervicalgia, which affects adjacent areas, is divided into:
- for cervicobrachialgia (pain goes from neck to shoulders);
- to cervicocranialgia (pain goes from the neck (through the nape of the neck) to the head).
Speaking of cervicag, it is worth noting that this pain is always acute, limiting the mobility of the neck. He appears abruptly and torments the person for a while so that it is impossible for him to think of anything else.
In order to determine why the neck hurts, it is extremely important for the doctor to determine its nature and describe it using the above classification.
Common causes
Based on medical statistics, a number of the following diseases and conditions are most commonly diagnosed in people seeking medical help for neck pain:
- 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 illness. Discomfort can also be 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 occur due to the fact that the person has a headache closer to the neck.
Why does this happen and what is the root cause? Only an expert 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 above diseases and conditions are and how they can be dangerous, as well as why you cannot treat them yourself.
Cervical osteochondrosis
The occurrence of this pathology in humans is associated with anatomical specificities. The dimensions of the cervical vertebrae are much smaller than the bony 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 from the back, then one must be consulted if there is osteochondrosis in this part of the spine.
The symptoms of this disease can be the following:
- Pain from neck to shoulders extending to the outer surface of the shoulders, forearms and hands.
- Penetrating pain in the neck or occipital region (especially stronger in the morning, with head movements, coughing, etc. ).
- Headache (paroxysmal or persistent, dull, impulsive, intensified by turning the head), dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus.
- Chest muscle pain.
- There is a violation of blood flow in 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, because the consequences of such actions can be far from joyful. But by turning to experts, a person can be sure that the therapy will be of good quality and effective.
Typically, treatment of cervical osteochondrosis may include the use of various anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, gels and regenerative ointments, physiotherapy, and health exercises. Various medicated patches can be used and so on.
Osteoporosis
This is a bone disease that occurs when bones lose density. As a result, they become weak and may break in a fall or minor impact. It is most common among menopausal women, but habits such as smoking, excessive drinking, and poor diet and sedentary behavior increase the risk of its occurrence.
For many people, the formulation of such a diagnosis may 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 this disease. The first stage assumes that the person begins to experience such changes in the cervical spine as a decrease in the density of the spine, mild cramps, weakness, and pain. In the second stage, constant headaches appear, the pressure may drop sharply and rise above normal, numbness in the hands and general weakness appear. The third stage (the most severe) assumes that the person experiences serious deformities in the vertebrae, a hump may appear in the collar, and headaches and neck pain become constant companions.
Treatment of osteoporosis aims to slow or prevent its development, maintain bone mineral density and reduce 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 loads (walking, sports), proper nutrition.
Muscle spasm
Why does the neck on the left side hurt? The cause may be a cramp. It occurs not only on the left side, but can affect both the right and back of the neck. This is due to involuntary muscle contraction as a result of intense exertion. The situation often causes severe pain that lasts from a few minutes to a few days.
When asked why the neck muscles ache, a person should think about how he sleeps, works, sits. Cramps often occur due to a violation of the natural position of the body, the transfer of weight on the shoulders, including bags, bent shoulders and other conditions (including serious diseases).
Painkillers can then help relieve neck pain, relieve muscle tension and reduce inflammation. However, they must be taken following the instructions provided and with the knowledge of a doctor. If you are not sure that the neck pain is caused by a cramp, 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 determine for yourself what hurts your neck. If the discomfort persists or intensifies, it can be a very serious reason to visit a doctor.
Disc herniation
This element is a strong ligament that connects one spine bone to another. The discs are cushion pads between each vertebral column. A hernia in the cervical spine can occur if too much pressure is applied even to 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 numbness or tingling in the extremities, muscle weakness, and loss of sensation. At first, the person may not understand why the neck hurts when turning, bending, or other common movements. However, over time, the discomfort becomes unbearable. Some people may not have neck or back pain with a herniated disc. Where the symptoms will manifest depends on where exactly the pathology is located.
Treatment of disc herniation depends on the severity of the disease and the visible damage. Most often, the condition of people improves within six weeks after the first visit to the doctor. In many cases, medication and quality physical therapy are sufficient. In therapy, drugs can be used to control pain, reduce muscle cramps.
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 is not difficult to understand why the neck hurts left or right, because there are lymph nodes in these areas. They can swell in response to an upper respiratory tract 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 inflamed lymph nodes? The answer is simple: the pathological process affects the nerve endings that send pain signals.
Treatment of such a condition usually involves determining its nature (virus, infection, bacteria, tumor). Then the doctor prescribes drugs to treat the underlying 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 feelings go to the back or arms. Often this condition can be caused by some systemic disorders 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 the required amount of some useful substances (vitamins, micro and macro elements).
Why the neck hurts front, back or feels muscle discomfort and headaches, only the doctor will answer according to the results of tests and additional studies. The main cause may be the poor condition of other organs, not just the necklaces.
Diagnosis
The first thing to do to determine the cause of neck pain is to visit a therapist. He will appoint the necessary consultations with other experts and 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. He will collect a complete history and determine which disorders in the body are currently occurring.
During the examination, the person may be assigned the following diagnostic methods:
- MRI;
- CT;
- ECG;
- Ultrasound.
MRI can help determine tissue condition, CT scan - to identify pathologies in the cervical spine, ultrasound is necessary to study the arterial ring, blood vessels and nearby tissues, and an ECG so that the doctor can rule out various cardiac pathologies.
In addition, one of the obligatory tests is the examination of the patient's blood, which will help determine whether inflammatory or infectious processes are taking place in the body.
What to do?
Every person in pain wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. The following can help with neck discomfort:
- Apply ice to the sore spot (initially wrap with a towel).
- If the mild pain is caused by overexertion, you should temporarily stop heavy physical exercise and give the neck muscles time to rest.
- It is necessary to do light exercises for the neck (slow bends and turns) during the day.
- You should control your posture so as not to aggravate the situation by putting extra strain on your muscles and vertebrae.
If the pain persists for one to two days, you should seek the help of a doctor who will determine why the neck hurts. 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 must call an ambulance immediately or see a specialist yourself.
Prophylaxis
In order not to wonder why the neck hurts closer to the head, in other places or muscle cramps occur, it is important to monitor your health and follow a number of recommendations:
- You only need to sleep on comfortable pillows that would allow your cervical spine 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 lies on your back. You should train yourself to fall asleep in this position.
- you must select the correct chair height and monitor position while working at the computer.
- It is not worth long to send messages, play games or read on mobile devices. 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 nutrition. It is very important that the body receives the required amount of nutrients throughout the day.
- It is best to quit 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 that you will be able to identify and solve the problem yourself. It is therefore important not to hesitate. You need to see a specialist right away, even if the neck pain can be tolerated. It is worth remembering that even minor ailments can indicate a disturbance in the functioning of the body.