symptoms

Stiff neck - treatments and causes

Stiff neck - treatments and causes / symptoms

Stiff neck - pain in the neck

A stiff neck and corresponding neck pain is a widespread complaint, which is usually due to poor posture, for example when working on the PC or when sleeping with too thick a pillow. In some people, even slight drafts on the neck leads to corresponding complaints. However, in rare cases, the stiff neck can also be associated with serious illnesses such as life-threatening meningitis (meningitis). Therefore, in case of doubt urgently a medical check should be made.


contents

  • Stiff neck - pain in the neck
  • Neck stiffness - a short overview
  • definition
  • symptoms
  • Attention: With these symptoms immediately to the doctor
  • risk factors
  • causes
  • diagnostics
  • treatment options
  • Naturopathy with a stiff neck
  • Tips for preventing neck stiffness

Neck stiffness - a short overview

A stiffened neck is often the result of cramped neck muscles and is often based on monotonous, severe or false loading. In rare cases, neck stiffness can also be a symptom of a more severe illness. Here is a brief overview of the symptoms:

  • symptomRestriction of movement of the head, painful blockages in the back of the neck and neck, neck stiffness, neck problems, neck pain, sometimes radiating pain in shoulder and arms.
  • Possible causes: Muscular tension in the neck area (very common), bad stress, signs of wear, cervical spine syndrome, meningitis, rheumatism, tumors, infectious diseases, blood poisoning, sunstroke, sinus thrombosis, ankylosing spondylitis.
  • risk factors: Long sitting, frequent lifting and carrying of heavy loads, drafts, stress, emotional problems, poor posture, inappropriate workload, lack of exercise.
  • treatment: Depending on the cause - medical massages, physiotherapy, analgesic medication; heavy wear may require surgery; in bacterial infectious diseases antibiotics can be administered.
  • Naturopathy: Acupuncture, osteopathy, chiropractic, Rolfing, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, homeopathy.
Often, tension and strain are responsible for a stiff neck. Rarer are also more serious diseases behind the neck stiffness. (Image: fizkes / fotolia.com)

definition

A stiff neck describes a movement impairment of the head, which emanates from painful blockages in the neck area. Delineation is a stiff neck of the broader term "stiff neck," which also includes movement restrictions emanating from the lateral neck muscles. For a stiff neck, the origin of the complaints is limited to the rear neck area.

symptoms

A stiff neck is a painful blockage in the back of the neck. The normal mobility of the head is significantly reduced. In the case of the so-called functional causes, this usually only affects certain movements, such as turning to the right or tilting the head forward. However, if the stiffness of the neck is based on diseases such as meningitis, the mobility of the neck may be temporarily lost completely.

Frequently, the pain radiates on a stiff neck to the shoulders and arms, so that accompanying shoulder blade pain and upper arm pain are not uncommon. Depending on the triggers in acute form, the symptoms may also appear as chronic neck stiffness. Furthermore, according to the causes of the stiff neck many different accompanying symptoms can be observed, ranging from sensory disturbances such as tingling in the limbs, a numbness on the head or the regular falling asleep of the hands to massive headache, back pain and paralysis. If those affected show concomitant high fever, this should be considered a warning signal for a serious illness and a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible.

Other symptoms that may be associated with a stiff neck are further described in the context of each cause.

Attention: With these symptoms immediately to the doctor

In most cases, a stiff neck is harmless and can be treated well. Sometimes, however, a stiff neck can also indicate more severe illnesses such as meningitis, rheumatism, tumors, infectious diseases or ankylosing spondylitis. If you experience any of the following concomitant symptoms for neck stiffness, seek medical attention immediately:

  • The stiff neck occurs after a car accident or fall.
  • There is also fever.
  • Patients lose body weight for unexplainable reasons.
  • There was already a tumor disease in the past.
  • It comes in addition to gait disorders or difficulty walking.
  • Strong nerves pains in the arms or legs.
Those who are constantly exposed to these factors increase their risk of neck stiffness. (Image: heilpraxis.de/alexeyblogodf/fotolia.com)

risk factors

There are many factors that favor the appearance of neck stiffness. If you often suffer from a stiff neck, you should avoid the following points if possible:

  • Too long sitting times,
  • heavy or false lifting and carrying of loads,
  • sit in the draft,
  • too much stress,
  • emotional problems.

causes

The possible triggers for a stiff neck are initially functional or mechanical complaints and organic causes to distinguish. In the functional causes muscle problems, such as neck tension, play a prominent role. They are particularly often reason for a neck stiffness. They are usually based on recurrent stress, so-called muscular imbalances. Working on the computer, but also assembly line production are mentioned here as corresponding risk factors.

incorrect loading

The monotonous stress of certain muscles has the consequence that they harden with time and remain virtually in a permanent state of contraction. Even their opponents are increasingly stressed by the constant train and under certain circumstances also begin to harden. Normal movements can only be performed with considerable pain or not at all. The hardened muscles may also press on the surrounding connective tissue structures (fascia), blood vessels and nerves, which may cause further discomfort. Often sufferers suffer from the aforementioned sensory disturbances and a severe headache on the back of the head.

In many office jobs, one-sided and monotonous movements are routine. This promotes neck pain and muscle stiffening. (Image: Racle Fotodesign / fotolia.com)

Cervical spondylosis

The stiff neck can also be due to functional impairments or diseases of the cervical spine. Here, for example, an osteoarthritis of the cervical spine or head joints to call. This wear disorder leads to damage to the joint structures and corresponding limitations of mobility. Accompanying this may also be neck pain, headache on the back of the head, and pain in the shoulders and arms. The same applies to a herniated disc in the area of ​​the cervical spine. This rare form of herniated disc is also often associated with massive back pain. Also, paralysis in the arm area may be due to a disc herniation of the cervical spine. Such degenerative changes and signs of wear are summarized under the heading Cervical Spine Syndrome (Cervical Spine Syndrome).

Diseases as a cause

A special form of a stiff neck is called Meningism. This describes a cramped complete neck stiffness in certain diseases, such as meningitis (meningitis). Accompanying symptoms include nausea and vomiting, headache, high fever, dizziness, circulatory dysfunction and disturbance of consciousness, including unconsciousness. Meningism may also be due to sepsis, acute sunstroke, sinus thrombosis, or meningitis.

Psyche as a cause

In addition to the functional and organic causes, which can cause a stiff neck, mental stress often plays a role in the symptoms. It is believed that some patients experience extreme stress, burnout (burned out) or depression in neck muscle tension and increased susceptibility to a stiff neck.

With permanent stiffening in the neck and with additional symptoms such as fever, any serious illnesses should urgently be clarified by a doctor. (Image: glisic_albina / fotolia.com)

diagnostics

On the basis of a thorough medical history at the beginning of the examination, the possible causes of the complaints can often be clearly circumscribed. A physical examination, with palpation and listening to the neck area, allows further conclusions about the trigger of the neck stiffness. However, in cases of doubt, imaging procedures such as x-rays, ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are required to detect disc herniation or arthrosis of the cervical vertebrae. These may also provide evidence of a potentially present meningitis. In addition, meningism can usually be determined by means of certain movement tests (positive Brudzinski, Kernig and Lasègue signs). Blood tests may also be used to detect and diagnose (viral or bacterial) meningitis, but it may be necessary to take a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) to confirm the diagnosis. Possible blood poisoning can be identified relatively easily from the blood picture.

treatment options

In the case of the functional or mechanical causes of a stiff neck, a therapy based on medical massages, physiotherapy and possibly pain-relieving remedies is usually provided. Under certain circumstances, the injection of local anesthetics into consideration. In a herniated disc, however, the treatment options mentioned may sometimes be unsuccessful and, in case of doubt, surgery remains the last resort for successful therapy.

In a meningism or the treatment of its causes is usually a drug therapy in the foreground. For example, bacterial meningitis and blood poisoning are usually treated with high-dose antibiotics. Sinus thrombosis involves the administration of anticoagulant and blood-thinning preparations. Due to the lack of effective remedies, viral meningitis can hardly or not at all be treated medically. If the stiff neck goes back to a tumor disease of the meninges, the treatment options are also significantly limited and in the end remain radiation and / or chemotherapy to this day the only means of therapy.

Osteopathic treatments help with neck pain. (Image: Adam Gregor / fotolia.com)

Naturopathy with a stiff neck

Although naturopathy usually has little to counter the causes of meningism, it does offer promising treatment options for the functional or mechanical causes of a stiff neck. For example, acupuncture as a method of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is now often the "normal" treatment catalog for a stiff neck. The manual procedures, such as osteopathy, chiropractic and Rolfing, are now often part of the therapy of functional complaints in the neck area. In the context of these procedures, the stress distribution and overall statics of the organism play a special role, which is why accompanying impairments such as back pain, hip pain or chest pain are taken into account in the diagnosis and treatment.

In order to free the neck muscles of possibly existing tension, in natural medicine occasionally the so-called progressive muscle relaxation is resorted to, which in addition to the relaxation of the muscles should also have a positive effect on the psyche. This is particularly useful when a connection of the neck stiffness with mental stress is suspected. In addition, learning relaxation techniques (autogenic training) can contribute to coping with stress, thereby reducing the risk of a stiff neck.

Homeopathic remedies and Schuessler salts are used in the context of naturopathic treatment against muscle tension, but also against possible inflammatory processes in the organism. In addition, the acid-base balance in natural medicine is attributed to a special effect on the muscles and therefore tries to remedy a possibly existing hyperacidity.

Give yourself the necessary relaxation and exercise to protect yourself from a stiff neck. (Image: Valua Vitaly / fotolia.com)

Tips for preventing neck stiffness

Since cramped neck muscles are among the most common but preventable causes of neck stiffness, small changes in everyday life can often make a big difference. The following eight tips can help prevent stiff neck and neck pain. If there is no improvement, a doctor should be consulted urgently.

  1. Change seat position: Anyone who stays in the same position for too long favors the cramping of the muscles. Once an hour you should get up, move a bit and perform light exercises such as shoulder circuits.
  2. massages: Painful areas in the neck can often be massaged away by yourself. Search with your fingers for the aching point in the muscles and work under light pressure with circular movements.
  3. Anoint: Circulating ointments containing natural ingredients like comfrey or eucalyptus can help relieve pain and relieve pain.
  4. coping with stress: Stress reduction methods can often relieve or eliminate painful tension. Proven relaxation methods include autogenic training, yoga, tai chi, meditation and progressive muscle relaxation.
  5. heat treatment: A warm bath, a cherry stone pillow, a hot water bottle or a red light lamp provide soothing warmth, which has a relaxing and antispasmodic effect. Caution: If inflammatory processes are the cause, heat is counterproductive.
  6. Avoid draftEspecially in the car, in the train, in air-conditioned rooms or when sitting at the open window cools the neck muscle quickly. A scarf or a scarf can protect against drafts.
  7. Keep your head moving: The neck muscles should be regularly stretched so they do not cramp. To do this, often look left and right back over your shoulder, move your head up and down and tilt to either side.
  8. Ensure good sleeping conditions: If you often wake up in the morning with a stiff neck, you may have the wrong pillow, the wrong mattress or the wrong slatted frame. In the specialist shop one can get advice about ergonomic alternatives.

(fp, vb, updated on January 30, 2019)