The neck consists of vertebrae that run from the skull to the upper torso. The cervical discs absorb the bumps between the bones. The bones, ligaments and muscles support the head and allow it to move. If there are any abnormalities, abnormalities, inflammation or injuries, it may cause pain or stiffness in the neck area. At such times, it is difficult to immediately determine what is causing the sore throat and take any action.
Many people sometimes experience discomfort or stiffness in this area, most often due to poor posture or excessive exercise. In most cases, neck pain is not a serious condition and can be resolved within a few days. However, in some cases, such a symptom may indicate a serious illness and require consultation with a physician.
This article will help you understand why sore throat on the right side, as well as in other places. It will also provide a classification of the types of pain and its most common causes. Consider how you can get rid of discomfort in this part of the spine.
Types of pain in the cervical region
To prescribe an effective treatment, a specialist must accurately identify the symptoms and causes of the pathology. Doctors classify neck pain as follows:
- cervikago - lumbago;
- neck
The latter type includes pain resulting from damage to the vertebrae or neck muscles. Cervical tragedy, in turn, can be divided into pain:
- associated with skin lesions (superficial physical).
- associated with muscle or spinal injury (deep physical).
- is associated with the occurrence of infection in the body or dysfunction of internal organs (visceral).
The cervical tragedy, which affects neighboring areas, is divided into:
- for cervical pain (pain goes from the neck to the shoulders).
- in cervical pain (the pain goes from the neck (to the back of the head) to the head).
Speaking of cervicago, it is worth noting that this pain is always acute, it limits the mobility of the neck. It appears suddenly and torments a person for a certain period of time, so that it is impossible to think of anything else.
In order to determine why a sore throat is sore, it is extremely important for the physician to determine its nature and describe it using the reported classification.
Common Causes
According to medical statistics, most people who seek medical help for neck pain are diagnosed with a number of the following diseases and conditions:
- osteochondrosis of the cervix
- osteoporosis;
- muscular spasm;
- disc herniation;
- lymph node inflammation;
- 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, driving a car, lifting weights, uncomfortable sleeping posture, or exercising). In addition, discomfort may occur due to the fact that a person has a headache closer to the throat.
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, analgesics and other medications. However, the consequences of such actions may not be the most favorable.
It should be understood what the diseases and conditions listed above are and how they can be dangerous, and also why you cannot deal with them on your own.
Osteochondrosis of the cervix
The appearance of this pathology in humans is associated with anatomical features. The dimensions of the cervical vertebrae are much smaller than the bone structures of other parts of the spine. The neck is constantly under pressure 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 behind, then they should consult if they have osteochondrosis in this part of the spine.
The symptoms of this disease can be the following:
- Pain from the neck to the shoulder extending to the outer surface of the shoulder, forearm and hands.
- Penetrating pain in the neck or occipital area (especially worse in the morning, with head movement, cough, etc. ).
- Headache (paroxysmal or persistent, dull, impulsive, aggravated by turning the head), dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears.
- Chest muscle pain.
- There is a violation of blood flow to the cerebral arteries, which sometimes leads to temporary loss of consciousness. As health deteriorates, speech and motor functions may be affected.
It is not worth treating this disease on your own, as the consequences of such actions can be very pleasant. But by turning to professionals, a person can be sure that the treatment will be of high quality and effective.
Typically, treatment of cervical osteochondrosis may include the use of various anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, gels and restorative 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 their density. As a result, they become weak and can break when dropped or minor impacts. It is more common in menopausal women, but habits such as smoking, alcohol, poor diet and sedentary behavior increase the risk of developing it.
For many people, formulating such a diagnosis may be the answer to the question of why the neck hurts from behind and at the same time gives it to the hands and shoulders.
Doctors distinguish three stages of this disease. The first stage assumes that a person begins to experience such changes in the cervical spine as the density of the vertebrae decreases, mild cramps, weakness and pain occur. In the second stage, persistent headaches appear, the pressure may drop sharply and rise above normal, numbness in the hands and general weakness appear. The third stage (the most difficult) assumes that a person is experiencing severe deformities in the vertebrae, a hump may appear in the collar area and the pain in the head and neck may become constant companions.
Osteoporosis treatment aims to slow or prevent its growth, maintain bone density and reduce pain. This is achieved through the use of supplements and medications, as well as by reviewing the lifestyle of the individual in favor of light but constant loads (walks, sports), proper nutrition.
Muscular spasm
Why does the throat hurt on the left side? The cause may be a spasm. It appears not only on the left, but can affect the right and back of the neck. This is due to involuntary muscle contraction as a result of intense exercise. The condition often causes severe pain that lasts from minutes to several days.
When asking why the neck muscles ache, a person should think about how he sleeps, works, sits. Convulsions often occur due to violation of the physical position of the body, the transfer of weights to the shoulders, including bags, bent shoulders and other conditions (including serious illnesses).
Analgesics can then help relieve neck pain, relieve muscle tension and reduce inflammation. However, they should be taken following the attached instructions and with the knowledge of the doctor. If you are not sure if neck pain is caused by a spasm, 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 independently what hurts your throat. If the discomfort persists or intensifies, then this can be a very serious reason to go to your doctor.
Disc herniation
This element is a strong link that connects one vertebra to the other. The discs are damping pads between each vertebra of the column. A hernia in the cervical spine can occur when excessive pressure is exerted even on 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 consciousness. At first, a person may not understand why the throat hurts when turning, bending or other normal movements. However, over time, the discomfort becomes unbearable. Some people may not have neck or back pain with a disc herniation. Where the symptoms will occur depends on exactly where the pathology is located.
The treatment of disc herniation depends on the severity of the disease and the visible damage. Most of the time, people's condition improves within six weeks after the first visit to the doctor. In many cases, medication and quality physiotherapy are enough. In treatment, drugs can be used to control pain, reduce muscle spasm.
Inflammation of the lymph nodes
Typically, such pathologies result from exposure to bacteria or viruses. When these changes occur in the body, it is not difficult to understand why the throat hurts left or right, since in these areas are the lymph nodes. They can swell in response to an upper respiratory infection, such as the common cold. Related symptoms that may be associated with edema are cough, fatigue, chills, runny nose, profuse sweating.
What hurts the throat with inflammation of the lymph nodes? The answer is simple: the pathological process affects the nerve endings, which send pain signals.
Treatment of such a condition usually involves identifying its nature (virus, infection, bacteria, tumor). The doctor then prescribes drugs to treat the underlying cause, which has a beneficial effect in removing the inflammatory process.
Various systemic disorders in the body
Sometimes people may not understand why the neck and head hurt, from which these sensations 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 certain nutrients (vitamins, micro- and macronutrients).
Because the throat hurts in the front, back or you feel muscle discomfort and headaches, only the doctor will answer according to the results of examinations and additional studies. The root cause may be due to the poor condition of other organs, not just the collar area.
Diagnostics
The first thing to do to determine the cause of neck pain is to see a therapist. It will appoint the necessary consultation with other specialists and will 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 of it. It will collect a complete history and determine which disorders in the body are currently taking place.
During the test, a person may be assigned the following diagnostic methods:
- Magnetic resonance
- CT;
- ECG?
- Ultrasound.
MRI can help determine the condition of the tissues, CT scan - to detect pathology in the cervical vertebrae, ultrasound is necessary to study the arteries, blood vessels and nearby tissues and the ECG, so that the doctor cancan rule out various heart pathologies.
In addition, one of the mandatory tests is the study of the patient's blood, which will help determine if 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. For neck discomfort, the following can help:
- Apply ice to the sore spot (first wrap with a towel).
- If the mild pain is caused by excessive exercise, you should temporarily stop the heavy physical exercise and give your neck muscles time to rest.
- It is necessary to do light neck exercises (slow turns and turns) throughout the day.
- You need to control your posture so as not to aggravate the condition with extra loads on the muscles and vertebrae.
If the pain persists for one to two days, you should seek help from a doctor who will determine why your throat 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 should call an ambulance immediately or see a specialist on your own.
Prophylaxis
In order not to wonder why the neck hurts closer to the head, in other places or muscle spasms appear, it is important to monitor your health and follow a series of the following recommendations:
- You should only sleep on comfortable pillows that will allow the 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 is on your back. You need to train yourself to sleep in this position.
- you need to choose the right chair height and screen position when working on the computer.
- It is not worth sending messages, playing games or reading on mobile devices for a long time. This puts too much strain on the neck (most often, during this activity, the head is lowered, which disrupts 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 for the body to receive the required amount of nutrients throughout the day.
- It is better to give up bad habits (overeating, smoking, alcohol and drugs).
conclusion
Considering the main reasons why the throat hurts, we can conclude that it is unlikely that it will be possible to determine and correct the problem yourself. Therefore, it is important not to hesitate. You should see a specialist right away, even if your neck pain is tolerable. It is worth remembering that even a small discomfort can indicate disorders in the functioning of the body.