Back and neck pain happens to every person from time to time. This may be due to recent physical activity, a sedentary lifestyle, or the presence of serious spinal pathologies.
You should undergo a timely medical examination to find out the cause of the pain and possible complications of the disease. Often, the cause of severe back pain can be severe damage to the spine due to a herniated disc or injury.
Back pain in elderly patients is associated with degenerative diseases of bone tissue. In the future, the development of the disease will lead to the need for surgical intervention when drug treatment does not give the expected effect. Therefore, you should not delay going to the doctor or independently determine the pathology.
Symptoms
Painful sensations begin to appear in the cervical region, after which they move to the shoulders and the area between the shoulder blades. In this case, the patient feels pain during the movement of the head or shoulder joint. In the future, such manifestations intensify, and a person feels stiffness when turning his head.
The main symptoms that indicate that a person has serious pathologies of the spine are:
- numbness of the shoulder joint and neck muscles;
- periodic painful sensations in the upper back;
- muscle tension;
- clicks and characteristic sounds of the joints;
- limitation in free movement of the shoulder after sleep;
- tingling sensation in soft tissues;
- sharp shooting from different sides of the back;
- Discomfort around the ligaments and neck.
When these symptoms appear, a person begins to think about why the back and neck can hurt and what to do to get rid of the discomfort. In such cases, you should know the main reasons and start treatment in time.
Reasons
Unpleasant sensations in the back and neck region are often caused by muscle spasms and subluxation of the vertebrae. It is quite difficult to notice them during a general examination by a doctor, so a more effective diagnosis is needed. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are often prescribed, which visualize even small structural changes. The first method is very suitable for examining the bone formations of the spine, and MRI allows you to find out why muscles and soft tissues hurt.
Muscle spasms
Muscle spasms are considered the main cause of back pain. They can occur over time after a small spasm turns into a serious muscle strain. The following factors can cause:
- staying in uncomfortable positions for a long time;
- wrong position during sleep;
- great physical activity and active movements;
- hypothermia, as a result of which inflammatory processes occur in the muscles.
Even a small draft can cause muscle spasm. Improper use of air conditioning and high temperature differences cause inflammation of muscle tissue.
Subluxation of vertebrae
In case of mechanical damage, the vertebrae are displaced downwards. As a rule, this phenomenon is observed in the case of severe injuries during car accidents. Subluxations are accompanied by damage to the ligamentous apparatus, muscle tension and disruption of the joint capsule. The doctor can recognize the pathology with severe pain during palpation, when turning the head and moving the neck.
Subluxations are treated by surgeons and traumatologists. A person can adjust the vertebra independently, but only after a highly qualified consultation with a specialist. In mild cases of pathology, immobilization with a Shants collar is prescribed for a month.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Another cause of pulling and aching pain in the neck can be osteochondrosis. This is a degenerative disease of the spine caused by metabolic disorders. In the cervical part, there is a weak muscle corset, which brings a large load to the vertebrae. As a result, the vertebral artery is compressed and the necessary nutrition of important brain structures does not occur.
The following factors can be the causes of osteochondrosis:
- disturbed metabolism;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- genetic predisposition;
- hypothermia;
- staying in uncomfortable positions for a long time;
- obesity.
To prevent the occurrence and further development of osteochondrosis, it is enough to do gymnastics and follow the doctor's instructions.
Intervertebral hernia
Intervertebral hernia is an inflammatory and degenerative disease accompanied by deformation of the intervertebral disc and rupture of the annulus fibrosus. Intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers, reducing the destructive effect of the vertebrae on each other.
Over time, they can lose their flexibility and elasticity, causing severe pain and discomfort. When an intervertebral hernia occurs, the patient can often feel headaches and muscle pain. Insufficient nutrition of the brain causes dizziness, weakness and constant sleepiness.
Possible complications
Even minor pains can later affect a person's health or cause serious complications that require immediate surgical intervention. Ignoring inflammatory and degenerative diseases leads to pathologies of the vascular system, severe throbbing pains and brain damage.
After the spinal artery is blocked, a person experiences weakness, fatigue, visual hallucinations, and other symptoms. If the patient does not consult a doctor on time, diseases such as cerebral ischemia and stroke may occur. Over time, they can be fatal.
Diagnosis of pathologies
After examination by a doctor, one of the diagnostic methods of research is prescribed for a wider understanding of the pathology. With mechanical injuries and injuries of the vertebrae, CT (computed tomography) based on X-rays is prescribed. X-rays are fixed in all tissues of the body and are displayed differently on the monitor screen. The specialist receives several tens of layered images with a three-dimensional image of the bone structures of the spine.
The method has contraindications. During pregnancy and lactation, it is better to choose MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), which uses electromagnetic waves to detect degenerative diseases and soft tissue pathologies. Modern tomographs allow you to get high-quality images of all parts of the back in a few minutes and find out why the back and neck hurt.
If the doctor suspects an infectious disease of the central nervous system, polyneuropathy and other diseases of the central nervous system of various etiologies, a lumbar puncture is prescribed. This method is widely used in neurology. During the procedure, the patient is given spinal anesthesia or spinal anesthesia, when anesthesia is injected into the subarachnoid space. The injection is made as close as possible to the roots of the spinal nerves.
Treatment
When the first symptoms appear, most people solve the problem with anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. For the beginning of the therapeutic effect, the following drugs are used:
- Analgesics with an obvious analgesic effect based on metamizole sodium or nalbuphine;
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that directly affect the center of inflammation and effectively eliminate swelling;
- muscle relaxants that lower the tone of muscle tissue and relieve tension;
- Anesthetic and anti-inflammatory ointments of local effect.
The doctor can prescribe both tablets and ampoules that have an immediate effect. As a complex therapy, swelling-relieving ointments or gels and chondroprotectors are prescribed. This group of drugs restores joints and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Physiotherapy procedures
In addition to drug treatment, the patient is prescribed physiotherapy procedures. It can be therapeutic yoga, special massage or treatment with mineral waters and mud. To choose the right gymnastic exercises and procedures, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe therapeutic courses. In some cases, stretching exercises can cause deterioration, so physical therapy alone is not recommended.
Another treatment method is manual therapy. The specialist performs a preliminary hand massage to prepare the soft tissues for further exposure. Then it goes to the joints and spine. Such manipulations with the help of hands effectively improve blood flow and relieve pain. It has a deep effect on the back muscles, allowing you to relieve tension and swelling.
Some specialists prescribe electrophoresis to the patient. This method is based on constant electrical discharges applied to the diseased areas of the body. The method has the following advantages: reduction of inflammatory processes in back and neck muscles, elimination of edema and pain, reduction of muscle tone, improvement of blood supply to back tissues. The therapeutic effect is observed after the first procedure.