Causes and treatment of neck pain when turning the head

1 Appearance of pain

Pain in the neck when turning the head can be caused by a variety of reasons. The back of the head can pierce a strong pain completely spontaneously. For example, this happens when you turn sharply or tilt your head, also the cause may be a recent draft that will numb the neck muscles. These causes of pain in the neck are completely safe and in the worst case everything will go away in a week. However, there are many diseases in which the pain in the neck is very long, and it is much more difficult to cure it.

Both in men and women, pain in the neck can occur at any age. The most common causes are:

• osteochondrosis;

• myositis - caused by hypothermia or colds;

• disorders associated with muscle tissue;

• problems in vertebral departments and ligaments.

Among the significant reasons that need treatment, you can identify the first two. Let's consider each separately.

2 Osteochondrosis

This disease is caused by thinning or ossification of the intervertebral cartilaginous tissue. Osteochondrosis of the neck is a rather unpleasant disease, which in case of weakened intervertebral tissues can lead to displacement of the vertebrae to the side and, as a result, pinched nerves. It is in this situation that a person can complain of constant pain in the neck when turning, and even any movement will be accompanied by discomfort. A similar picture can be seen in patients who suffer from protrusion or herniation of the intervertebral disc. But in the latter case, the source of pain arises from the pressure of the intervertebral cartilage on the nerve. For pain caused by osteochondrosis, a tingling sensation is most common. Often the sensations are so strong that a person tries constantly to walk in one position and fix his neck, without turning his head. This disease is characterized by simultaneous pain in the neck and in the head.

The very risk of the appearance of such a disease as osteochondrosis is very high, especially in the neck. And the whole point is that the vertebrae in the cervical region are small enough, they are fragile and thin. In addition, the neck is one of the largest clusters of nerve plexuses. Therefore, even the smallest and smallest damage, sharp movement can cause pain, discomfort, and in worst cases - the development of spine diseases or displacement.

3 Myositis

This disease affects the neck muscles, and the main cause of its manifestation is hypothermia or cold. A person can spend a long time in the cold or sit on a draft, while not feeling any discomfort in the occipital part. For this disease is characterized by unilateral spread. For example, a person can always sit at work one side to the window or not enough to wrap a scarf around a certain part of the neck. After such hypothermia, you literally the next day you can wake up with a sore neck, which will be difficult to turn in the right direction.

But neck myositis can occur not only as a result of hypothermia. Also, the cause of this disease is excessive muscle tension. For example, you raise a weight that is too heavy for you, as a result, even those muscles that do not take part in lifting the weight, all the same, contract with great force, which is a disregard for the cervical region. Rare are cases of myositis from swimming, especially if the water was very cold, and the person was in it for a long time. Also, the pain in the cervical region can cause sleep in an uncomfortable position. The cushion can be too hard or too soft. In both cases, the spine is in the wrong position and its curvature arises.

4 Diagnosis

Before starting treatment of pain in the cervical region, it is necessary to correctly determine its source and cause of occurrence.

If the pain is a result of a problem with the intervertebral joints, then this is a clear sign of a disease like osteochondrosis.

In case you are concerned about pain in the lower part of the neck, this is most likely the manifestation of the intervertebral hernia.

If the pain has an intense character of manifestation, while the thrusts spread to the hand, it is a sign of neglected osteochondrosis, tumors that can affect the cervical spine. The causes of this diagnosis can be previously obtained trauma or congenital or acquired pathology.

In the case when you are overly strained and overworked muscles, in the cervical region there may be pain in the right, left parts or accompany each turn of the head to the side. In addition, it is a symptom of hypothermia, excessive stay in a draft or a long sleep in an uncomfortable position. Special treatment in these cases is not required. But if you notice that after a few days the pain does not go away, but only intensifies, it means - the treatment is still necessary and the visit to the doctor simply can not be postponed.

5 Treatment

How to treat pain in the cervical spine, should determine the specialist. To begin with, you need to find a good treating doctor who can correctly diagnose, determine the cause and source of pain and prescribe the right treatment.

Self treatment of pain in the neck can be both conservative, with the help of therapy, drugs, and surgical, when the problem needs to be solved very quickly. If your attending physician has determined that in this case there will be enough treatment with medications, then most often it's anti-inflammatory drugs and pain medications. In addition to this type of treatment can include massage, physiotherapy, wearing a collar to straighten the curvature of the cervical spine, the treatment of manual therapy, reflexology.

But there are cases of treatment of patients, when all of the above methods do not help get rid of the problem - then surgery is necessary.

If you have any complaints about pain while turning your neck, you should contact one of the following doctors: a neurologist, an ENT, an infectious disease specialist, a vascular surgeon, a veterinarian. Of course, after a visit to the doctor you will not be observed at all at once, at the first visit it is important to determine the cause of the pains and get a referral to a certain specialist. In any case, the attending physician is obliged to prescribe a comprehensive examination that will help you to determine the degree of the disease and correctly diagnose it.

The most important thing, when neck pains occur, is to consult a doctor in time to avoid further complications and not to prolong treatment.

When complaining about severe pain, it is possible that the doctor will prescribe a course of injections or muscle relaxants.

In addition to all the known methods of treating pain in the cervical region, the patient himself must constantly monitor himself. It is a question of correct posture, during treatment it is necessary to observe bed rest, be at rest, never overstrain yourself and do not overload your spine, try to protect yourself from possible injuries and damage to the cervical spine. Only under these conditions is a quick recovery possible.

Doctors recommend preventive visits to the hospital, which will help in a timely manner to diagnose the development of curvatures or dislocations, which in the future can cause severe pain and discomfort when tilting and turning the head. Among preventive measures, it is important not to forget about the benefits of exercise therapy. Very simple exercises will not take you much time, will help to properly form your muscular corset, relieve pain and discomfort as a result of improperly distributed loads in everyday life.