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Neck pain - treatment and causes
contents
- Pain in the neck: definition
- Causes of neck pain
- Discomfort in the neck due to wear
- Neck pain after sleeping
- Treatment for pain in the neck
- Home remedies and exercises for neck pain
- Prevention of neck pain
Pain in the neck: definition
Neck pain is a common problem that affects almost everyone at some point. They can occur in different forms and accordingly, e.g. show once in the form of suddenly shooting, pulling or stabbing pain, which pass after a short time again. Other people report regular pain attacks. Depending on how long the pain persists, clinicians will distinguish between acute (ie up to 3 weeks) and subacute (4 to 12 weeks) neck pain. If these recur after a certain time, they are referred to as recurring. If they last more than three months at a time, doctors talk about chronic pain in the neck.
Causes and treatment of discomfort in the neck. Picture: SENTELLO-fotolia The symptoms are often not limited to the neck and neck limited. Instead, they also radiate to other areas of the body, causing many patients e.g. also suffer from back, head or shoulder pain. While problems in the upper part of the cervical spine are more likely to cause neck pain, lower cervical spine disorders tend to be at the expense of the shoulders. In addition, usually more or less pronounced movement restrictions such. a stiff neck, which represents a massive additional burden for those affected.
Causes of neck pain
Pain in the neck area can have many triggers. Serious damage is rare, instead it is often comparatively harmless tension or spasm of the neck muscles. These are usually caused by an imbalance in the musculature ("muscular imbalances"), which in turn can have multiple causes. These include above all permanent malpositions (for example, by incorrect sitting on the PC), lack of exercise, overloading or one-sided movements during sports or posture after injury. If certain muscles are overloaded by wrong or monotonous stress, they harden - while other muscles stunt due to the permanent under-demand. As a result, the natural corset of the spine becomes increasingly unstable, so that even the simplest movements can only be carried out under the strongest pain or even no longer.
In addition to accidental injuries such. a so-called "whiplash" into consideration. This is often caused by a rear-end collision when the head flings back and forth and the muscles and ligaments are stretched over the neck. More rarely, the symptoms can also have a serious background, such as have an abscess in the throat, osteoporosis, rheumatic diseases or a tumor. Therefore, co-occurring symptoms, e.g. Fever, back pain, chills, paralysis, unexplained weight loss, tingling in the limbs, balance problems or regular falling asleep the hands are always taken seriously and immediately clarified by a doctor.
Meningitis (meningitis) can be the reason for the complaints. Characteristic of these are above all a stiff neck, which means that the affected person can no longer bend his head to his chest. This is accompanied by severe neck pain and flu-like symptoms such as high fever, severe head and body aches, chills, dizziness and a general feeling of illness. If there is a suspicion of meningitis also applies here to see a doctor as soon as possible. Because if there is a bacterial meningitis, this must be treated immediately, otherwise threaten life-threatening complications such. Paralysis or sepsis (blood poisoning).
Acute severe pain in the neck, arm, back or upper abdomen can also be a warning sign of a heart attack. In this case, heavy chest pain lasting for more than five minutes and a strong feeling of constriction in the heart area are typical, as well as a burning sensation in the chest and nonspecific signs such as severe inner restlessness, cold sweats, facial blanching, dyspnea, nausea and vomiting. If such alarms occur, the emergency physician must be informed immediately, because any time delay can be fatal in an infarct.
When dealing with long-lasting or "chronic" complaints in the neck area for more than three months, emotional stress through conflicts, fears, problems in the partnership, financial worries, persistent emotional overstrain, etc. often play a central role. In order to check to what extent psychological factors could be responsible for one's own physical suffering, those affected should observe themselves closely. Questions such as "In which situations does my neck muscles become tense?" Can help one understand one's own symptoms and develop targeted coping strategies.
Discomfort in the neck due to wear
Especially in older people are often the reason for wear and tear. Because with increasing age it comes naturally to degenerative changes ("signs of wear") on the musculoskeletal system, which can manifest itself among other things by pain, movement restrictions or paralyzes. These include, for example, changes in the intervertebral discs and vertebral bodies (chondrosis and osteochondrosis) in the area of the cervical spine or osteoarthritis of the small vertebral joints. In addition to neck pain and limited mobility, there are often headache symptoms at the back of the head and shoulder and arm pain. This also applies to a disc herniation in the area of the cervical spine, where sufferers in this extremely rare disease of the spine are often still additionally associated with severe back pain or e.g. Paralyzes in the arm area have to fight.
The so-called "spondylosis" is a disease of the vertebral body, which is due to degenerative damage. Characteristic of these are deformations such. Spikes or elevations on the vertebral bodies, which increase in the course of the disease and can lead to a bony connection of one or more vertebral segments (ankylosis).
Neck pain after sleeping
Maintaining the pain over a longer period of time and are e.g. Also noticeable in the morning after waking up is the chronic and incurable fibromyalgia disease. This is composed of the Latin terms "fiber", "mys" (muscle) and "álgos" (pain) and describes accordingly a clinical picture, which is characterized by persistent muscle and connective tissue pain as well as an increased pressure sensitivity at certain points of pain (" Tenderpoints "). The pain can occur both in the arms and legs and in the trunk and is often described by those affected as dull, burning or boring. "It's the same feeling as with a sore muscle" or "they remind me of the typical body aches in a flu infection," explain patients. In many cases, the pain persists for years and can increase after physical exertion, in addition to accompanying symptoms such as pain. Sleep disorders, fatigue, headache, chronic fatigue, anxiety or irritable bowel.
Fibromyalgia is a relatively common disease, affecting about 2 percent of the population (about 1.5 million people) in this country. Nevertheless, it is largely unknown and is little discussed in public, which is partly due to the fact that it is detectable neither in the blood nor on the X-ray and is therefore often not officially diagnosed. The causes for the emergence of the "invisible disease" are not yet fully understood. However, it is suspected that the symptoms are caused by a disturbance of the pain memory in the brain. Because the brain continuously signals a pain stimulus to a nerve cell, its sensitivity can be strengthened so that the activity persists even without stimulus. As a result, the patient constantly feels pain, which does not arise in the respective areas of the body itself, but are the result of disturbed pain processing. This could also explain why no changes or signs of inflammation can be detected at the affected tender points.
An important risk factor is mental stress in the professional and / or family environment, e.g. by permanent overload, crisis situations, conflicts or deaths. The "internal" tension in this case can no longer be broken down accordingly and manifests itself in unreleasable external tension, which then leads to insomnia and pain in the shoulders, neck and back. Since a familial accumulation of fibromyalgia is observed, it is also assumed that a genetic predisposition, also come other inflammatory rheumatic systemic diseases, or, for. infection with the Epstein-Barr virus as a trigger or enhancer of the disease into consideration. In addition, a number of other risk factors, such as physical overload, surgery and injuries (such as from an accident), poor posture or damp-cold weather.
Treatment for pain in the neck
The treatment depends on the particular cause. Are tensions the cause of the complaints, these sound in most cases after a few days or weeks off again. In order to assist the healing process, painkillers (e.g., paracetamol) or anti-inflammatory drugs ("non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs", NSAIDs), e.g. Stretching and strengthening exercises, massages and cold and heat applications used. On the other hand, surgery is usually performed only when the cause is clearly established (e.g., spilled disc tissue) and is likely to be resolved by surgery. However, since interventions in the cervical spine are associated with risks, it is particularly important to carefully weigh the pros and cons of an OP in each case.
In the case of long-lasting, chronic pain such as fibromyalgia, the best way to help patients is to use a so-called "multimodal pain therapy". Here, the combination of different types of treatment, such as Medication, physical therapies (wraps, moor and fango packs, cold chamber, nerve stimulation, etc.), relaxation techniques or acupuncture attempts to alleviate the patient's suffering. In addition, e.g. Self-help groups and special pain management programs help to learn how to better deal with the severe symptoms and thereby gain more quality of life.
Home remedies and exercises for neck pain
Stress, tension, fears and emotional stress are often the cause, because they literally "sit on the back of your neck" and cause painful tension there. In order to counteract this or to prevent stress-related neck pain, it is accordingly also necessary to care for the soul and to provide relaxation and inner peace by means of suitable techniques. There are many opportunities for effective stress reduction, with everyone having to find out for himself which method is the right one. Possible options include autogenic training, Jacobson progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, meditation or hypnosis, as well as techniques in which the state of relaxation is achieved through mindful movements. In addition to yoga offers here, for example The traditional Chinese martial art Tai-Chi Chuan (Tai Chi for short) is an effective way to experience relaxation and thereby successfully fight against negative stress and physical consequences. Characteristic of the so-called "Chinese shadow boxing" are slow-motion movements, which are performed in combination with a concentrated breathing.
Herbal remedies also offer soothing support, as they can have a calming and relaxing effect and thus contribute to better stress management. Valerian, melissa and St. John's wort have proven to be very useful, as can passionflower tea (Passiflora incarnata) to help with stress symptoms such as inner agitation, anxiety and sleep disorders. For the preparation of the infusion, a heaped teaspoon of passionflower herb is poured over with about 200 ml of boiling water, allowed to drain for about six minutes and then drunk in small sips.
Likewise, aromatherapy can be helpful in cases of heavy or permanent stress, as the essential oils used have an overall positive effect on well-being and thus promote the reduction of internal tension. Fragrance oils of lavender, chamomile, marjoram and peppermint, which are used, for example, for patients suffering from tensions and discomforts such as neck or headache in connection with stress and pressure. can be used as a bath additive, in a fragrance lamp or in the form of a massage oil.
Professional massages can relieve discomfort when tension is the cause. Image: RioPatuca Images - fotolia Prevention of neck pain
Exercise is especially important when it comes to preventing painful neck, shoulder or back strains. In order to promote blood circulation and to relax the muscles, it is particularly appropriate to have regular (i.e., about two to three times weekly) endurance sports, such as endurance exercise. Jogging, swimming or cycling, each unit should be at least 30 minutes long. Above all, it is important that a sport is chosen that is both good and fun - because it increases the chance that it will be carried out over the long term. However, those who find it rather a "torment" to go for a run after work quickly run the risk of their motivation dwindling and the sports program soon being discontinued.
Generally, care should be taken to prevent relieving the neck more often. Accordingly, it is advisable to check your own posture at regular intervals - even if all day in the same position, e.g. is worked on the computer. Obesity can quickly lead to postural damage and neck pain and should therefore be reduced.
So that tension-related pain in the neck can not occur at all, it is important to strengthen the muscles in this area and to stretch regularly. Ideally, the training should be done regularly and above all after professional instruction (for example by a fitness trainer) to avoid stress and damage. Often even small exercises in everyday life cause stronger and more relaxed muscles in the neck and shoulder area, thereby effectively preventing painful tension. (No)