Ways to ease shoulder and neck pain

Shoulder and neck pain is one of the leading common cervical diseases, especially in the context of working online at home today. The disease not only makes people feel tired, uncomfortable, but also the neck and shoulder pain is also a sign of many dangerous bone and joint diseases such as degenerative neck vertebra, herniated disc ...

Causes of neck and shoulder pain 

Your neck is flexible and supports the weight of your head, so it can be vulnerable to injuries and conditions that cause pain and restrict motion. Neck pain causes include: 

  • Muscle strains. Overuse, such as too many hours hunched over your computer or smartphone, often triggers muscle strains. Even minor things, such as reading in bed or gritting your teeth, can strain neck muscles.
  • Worn joints. Just like the other joints in your body, your neck joints tend to wear down with age. Osteoarthritis causes the cushions (cartilage) between your bones (vertebrae) to deteriorate. Your body then forms bone spurs that affect joint motion and cause pain.
  • Nerve compression. Herniated disks or bone spurs in the vertebrae of your neck can press on the nerves branching out from the spinal cord.
  • Injuries. Rear-end auto collisions often result in whiplash injury, which occurs when the head is jerked backward and then forward, straining the soft tissues of the neck.
  • Diseases. Certain diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis or cancer, can cause neck pain.

Dr. Vo Van Si, PhD of Orthopedics & Spine Surgery, City International Hospital, said: “There are many causes of neck and shoulder syndrome (neck and shoulder pain). The most common causes such as sitting continuously for a long time, especially sitting at a computer, lying in the wrong position ... Working in an air-conditioned environment for a long time shrinking the neck muscles of the neck, reducing blood flow to this area, causing neck pain in the neck. If neck pain is severe, lasts for weeks or months, drastically limits your ability to move your head, radiates into the shoulders, or feels worse in the morning, consider seeing a doctor. Fever or weakness or numbness in the arms are other "red flags" that warrant additional evaluation. In some cases, an underlying physical problem, such as arthritis, an infection, or a compressed nerve, may be the cause. Depending on the diagnosis, you may need additional treatments or even surgery to relieve the pain and get back to your normal activities." 

Applying heating pad helps relieve neck pain.

Symptoms of neck and shoulder pain

Signs and symptoms include: 

  • Pain that's often worsened by holding your head in one place for long periods, such as when driving or working at a computer
  • Muscle tightness and spasms
  • Decreased ability to move your head
  • Headache

How to cope with neck and neck pain?

If you have neck and neck pain, you should go to the doctor to find out the cause, determine whether compression phenomenon causes nerve damage. Along with that, the doctor will assess the severity or severity of the disease, thereby offering an appropriate treatment regimen.

Mild cases 

Do not attempt to turn your head or turn your neck. At this time, only gently rotate the neck according to current ability, do not try to increase the amplitude as usual. Should limit the rotation of the head and tilt to let the disease recover; Do not sit in front of fans or air conditioners; Can apply warm compresses around neck and shoulder or infra-red light; Gently massage the neck and neck for 10-15 minutes; When showering, use warm water, not cold water.

Moderate cases 

After taking the above measures, but the disease still does not improve, patients may have to use some types of medicines: analgesics, anti-inflammatory according to the instructions of specialists such as paracetamol, ibuprofen, diclofenac, ...; Use salonpas patches to relieve pain; Your doctor may also prescribe muscle relaxants such as decontractyl to combat excessive muscle spasms, thereby reducing pain; B-group vitamins such as vitamins B1, B6 and B12 that work to increase neurotransmitters, can also be used. Note: oral corticosteroids have very little effect in this case. If the cause is not due to degeneration or vasoconstriction, it is not advisable to massage in this case, because it only makes the pain worse.

Severe cases

Acupuncture: helps to regulate the activity of nerves. It is necessary to correctly point the acupuncture points, which can create a pervasive effect that reduces spasms, thereby reducing pain.

Using neurotransmitter inhibitors such as lidocaine, novocaine, ... will temporarily cut off strong nerve stimulation attacks and soften the muscles. Note, the injection must be done by the doctor, and fully equipped emergency equipment when an incident occurs. Absolutely not arbitrarily buy drugs for injection.

Source Suckhoedoisong.vn

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