Severe pain in the shoulder and neck tells what?

Today, a situation where there is pain in the shoulder and in the neck, does not surprise anyone. Both children and elderly people can suffer from it. And it's no wonder when such complaints are made by a person who works in the office or is engaged in heavy physical labor.

Why does my shoulder and neck ache ?

This phenomenon often accompanies us in everyday life and usually does not attract special attention until the time when it is impossible to ignore the discomfort. To provoke the occurrence of such an unpleasant phenomenon as severe pain in the shoulder and neck, often the way of life that most modern people lead. The reason for it can be both low intensity of physical exertion, and excessive physical labor.

In addition to muscular overstrain, the causes that cause pain between the neck and shoulder can be divided into two large groups. The first is the various pathologies of the anatomical structures located here. They can affect the musculoskeletal system, nerve plexuses, blood vessels. The second reason is internal diseases, in which pain in the shoulder and neck is reflected (irradiating). It can be various diseases of the heart, pancreas, gall bladder. That is why in order to make a correct diagnosis, the doctor conducts a thorough examination and tries to determine the true cause of the pain.

Muscle pain

Everyone wants to know when the pain in the shoulder and neck is disturbed, why it arises, and this is quite a legitimate question. The most common cause of this phenomenon is the overstrain of the muscles of the neck and collar zone. Agree, if you sit around the table all day without raising your head and distracting yourself only for a small lunch break, and quite often, and spending it behind the screen of the monitor, it is difficult to expect cheerfulness and well-being by the end of the day. But this picture is repeated every day. And it is not surprising that there are pulling, exhausting pains. In addition, tissue swelling, which occurs due to lack of mobility, does not have the best effect on the blood vessels and nerve fibers that this zone is very rich in. And since it is through them that the blood supply of the brain occurs, it is not surprising that the pain in the shoulder and in the neck accompanies headaches and dizziness. In addition, if the muscles of the collar zone and neck are constantly experiencing an excessive load, it is possible the emergence of persistent migraines, visual impairment, and with involvement of the cervical spine in the pathological process - and disruption of the internal organs.

What to do?

How to remove pain in the shoulders and neck? What to do? As folk wisdom says - it is always easier to warn than cure, so the simplest will not be to bring yourself to such a state. But if the pain still appeared, then with the help of simple actions you can quickly correct the situation.

1. Self-massage was and remains an excellent way to relieve tension from tired muscles. To begin with, from top to bottom, towards the shoulder joint, with gentle movements, stroke the neck and the forelegs, then rub them more intensively, and after pinching movements, grasping the muscles with the thumb on one side, and the other four on the other, intensively mash. Slap your fingers with rubbed fingers over the mashed muscles. Finish the massage with the same stroking movements with which it was started.
2. If possible, then it is necessary to apply a cold compress to the neck and collar zone (you can use crushed ice wrapped in a scarf for this), and after 5-10 minutes replace it with a warm towel. This will relieve pain and increase blood circulation.
3. Still another way to help relieve tension, no matter how trite it sounds, there will be rest. A few minutes spent in a tranquil environment on a flat horizontal surface, perfectly relieve muscle spasms.
4. If there is no possibility to take any of the above, and the pain becomes intolerable, then you should not tolerate it - it is easier to take an anesthetic.

If nothing helps or relief comes only for a short time, and then pain comes in the neck again, treatment of neck pain in this case should be transferred to the hands of specialists. Do this as soon as possible, because the sooner measures are taken, the more likely to avoid complications.

Lesion of shoulder joint

Lesions of the shoulder joint and soft tissues of the shoulder are also a very common cause, causing pain in the shoulder, between the shoulder and neck. First, the pathology is manifested by minor pain from the right or left side of the neck, but after a while there are pain in the shoulder area. It becomes difficult for a man to raise his hand, wind it behind his back. Such symptoms are the first signs of a humeropathy periarthritis. If the time is not taken, the symptoms continue to increase:

• Pain manifests more often at night;
• It becomes almost impossible to rotate the arm around the axis, while the forward movements are painless;
• Pain is sudden, spreading to the neck and arm;
• The patient takes a forced position - he bends his elbow bent to his chest;
• It is possible to distinguish a slight swelling on the anterior humeral surface;
• A slight increase in temperature is possible;

How to cure pain in the shoulder

Fortunately, in the early stages this pathology can easily be corrected. As a rule, the patient is prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ("Diclofenac", "Voltaren") both in the form of tablets and injections, and as ointments. If necessary, injections of corticosteroids are also used. An important point in the treatment is to limit the load and movements in the affected shoulder. Also significantly speed up the recovery process physiotherapy procedures, in particular laser and magnetic therapy.

However, it must be remembered that only timely access to specialists can guarantee a successful outcome. If the disease is started, then it may well go into the form of ankylosis. In this case, you often have to resort to surgery, but even this sometimes is not enough.

Osteochondrosis

If you are increasingly thinking about what the pain in the neck and shoulders is saying, then, most likely, the answer to your question will sound unambiguous - osteochondrosis. This disease is the second most common cause causing such pain. It should be noted that if earlier people with elderly and mature age suffered from osteochondrosis, today it is rapidly "younger". This progressive pathology causes degenerative-dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs. The consequence of this is deformation of the vertebral bodies of the cervical region, a violation of blood supply and nerve conduction in this area.

Causes of osteochondrosis

The causes of osteochondrosis can be many factors. Here are the most common:

• rachiocampsis;
• Violation of posture;
• Back and neck injuries;
• overweight;
• Excessive physical exertion;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• Disturbance of metabolic processes;
• infectious diseases;
• A sharp reduction in physical activity in athletes;
• Stress.

Most often, if you do not take any measures, the osteochondrosis passes also the spasm of the muscles of the neck, which occurs with excessive load on this site. It is the violation of blood circulation that leads to insufficient supply of oxygen and nutrient structures to the spine structures, which is the cause of degenerative changes.

How is cervical osteochondrosis manifested

Manifestations of such a disease as cervical osteochondrosis can be very diverse. Most often it can be:

• Pain in the shoulder and neck;
• Frequent headaches, dizziness;
• Fainting;
• Hearing loss, ringing in the ears;
• Decreased vision;
• Impaired sensation, sensation of goosebumps;
• Weakness in the hands;
• Impaired coordination, unsteadiness of gait.

If the treatment was not started on time or if the therapy was incorrect, it is likely that complications will occur. They can become radiculopathy (lesions of the nerve roots), herniated intervertebral discs, the formation of osteophytes on the bodies of the vertebrae.

Irradiating pain

It happens that the problems in the work of internal organs are accompanied by reflected (irradiating) pain in the shoulder and neck area, therefore it is often considered a consequence of cervical osteochondrosis. An example may be an attack of angina pectoris. In addition to compressing pressing pain behind the sternum, it can often be accompanied by pain in the left shoulder, neck and lower jaw. The same symptoms, but more intense, also occur in such a dangerous state as myocardial infarction. Pain in the neck, shoulder and lower jaw to the right can accompany hepatic colic. People with cholelithiasis may experience similar symptoms after the slightest deviation from the prescribed diet. Another condition, accompanied by pain in the shoulder and neck, is Pancost's syndrome. It occurs with cancer of the upper lobe of the lung, when due to progressing pathology, the compression of the brachial plexus occurs.

Precisely because a lot of serious diseases can accompany pain in the neck, the treatment of neck pain should be performed by a neurologist or surgeon, capable of delivering an accurate diagnosis.

Prevention

Everyone has a rumor that it is much easier to prevent a disease than to treat it. In this case, it is true as never before. Even a simple gymnastics in the morning can reduce the risk of such pathologies several times. It is also important to properly equip your workplace and, of course, the place where you sleep. In addition, if possible, it is necessary to avoid monotonous and monotonous movements, as well as long-term stay in the forced motionless position. Well, if the pains did appear - you do not have to wait for them to disappear by themselves. It is necessary and as soon as possible to consult with a specialist, because very often lost time in the future can turn into serious, even disability, problems.