Cervicalgia can be disabling.
Cervical pain, also called cervicalgia, is very frequent because the neck is permanently requested. On the one hand to ensure the maintenance of the head, and on the other hand to allow movements. Cervical pain is said to be acute when it has persisted for less than six weeks. Beyond that, we consider that it is chronic.
Mechanical causes
These are the most frequent. Our neck is quite narrow and our head is very large, therefore anatomically, it tires the neck. These pains are not linked to trauma or illness. They can be favored by different factors such as:
► Bad posture on a daily basis (work, leisure, sleep);
► Cervical osteoarthritis: cervical pain linked to osteoarthritis manifest itself when turning your head forward or rear. Pain is often associated with feeling of cracking in the neck, sometimes dizziness. “This phenomenon is linked to the fact that we have difficulties in mobilizing its head. The vestibular system, which is located just behind, can be less reactive, and cause dizziness”specifies Dr. Aleth Perdriger, rheumatologist.
► Torticolic: this muscular contracture occurs suddenly following a sudden movement or a bad position during sleep. The pain is very lively and prevents the mobility of the neck.
► Brachial cervico neuralgia: it is a compression of nerve roots at the neck, with pain that will radiate in the arm. This pathology corresponds to a protuberance of the disc (or cervical hernia) which will compress the root which is behind. “When it compresses a cervical nerve, the hernia will cause a cervico-brachial neuralgia, with pain that radiates in the arm or hand according to the root reached. This phenomenon is often linked to the fact that the nerve is swollen and increases in volume“, Inform the specialist. Several treatments can be offered: rest (cervical necklace), infiltration, the administration of high-dose anti-inflammatory drugs or even surgery.
The rabbit blow, which results in a brutal flexion of the neck, followed by a stretch, leads to intense pain which can last a few weeks. Finally, the cervical pain that awakens at night can be linked to a local or general disease. Inflammatory disease, infection or cancer can be involved. In addition to cervical pain, other symptoms can be associated: headache, dizziness, great fatigue, vision disorders, hearing disorders, or sleep disorders.
