How to relieve muscle spasms in the neck and shoulders in case of osteochondrosis: how can you relax the body with the help of medications, physical therapy, massage and other methods?

Cervical osteochondrosis (COX) is a disease that occurs as a result of a sedentary lifestyle. People who lead very active lives are also susceptible to osteochondrosis. It is observed not only in older people, but also in young people. The spread of the disease among young people is explained by the introduction of computer technology and a decrease in the quality of products in stores.

The disease is accompanied by pain in the neck, shoulders, arms and upper back, and headaches. But the most unpleasant sensations occur when muscle spasms appear.

What is a spasm?

Spasm is an involuntary muscle contraction, compression of muscle tissue and nearby vessels, causing sharp and aching pain. The pain appears suddenly and lasts several minutes. There are the following types of spasms :

Belt muscles of the head.
Deep muscles of the neck.
Muscles of the cervical and shoulder regions.
Trapezius muscle.

Mechanisms of occurrence and causes of the disease

There are many muscle fibers in the cervical spine. In this regard, the risk of involuntary muscle contraction becomes higher. With prolonged spasm, the brain lacks oxygen, which leads to failure of biochemical processes and hypoxia.

Medicine has not yet established the cause of the disease. Doctors have identified risk factors that provoke the development of the disease.

The causes of spasms are the following factors:

Sudden movements of the body, leading to compression of blood vessels and pinched nerves.
For several hours the body remains in one position, which leads to static muscle tension.
Conditions of stress and nervous shock, leading to increased muscle tone.
Lack of vitamins D and B12 and minerals: magnesium and calcium, sodium and potassium.
Diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
Myositis.
Hypothermia.
Intervertebral hernia in the cervical region or protrusion.
Increased physical activity.
Injuries received.

How to distinguish it from other ailments?

Pain in the neck that does not go away within three days, a feeling of numbness or tingling, weakness - reasons to contact specialists who will make an accurate diagnosis. A person will not be able to distinguish a spasm of the neck muscles from other diseases on his own.

There is no specialized doctor in this area. The following categories of doctors provide treatment :

Therapist.
Neurologist.
Orthopedist.
Surgeon.
Phlebologist.
Rheumatologist.
Chiropractor.
Traumatologist.

To diagnose the cause of the disease, doctors prescribe the patient to undergo the following types of examination :

Laboratory research:
General blood analysis
Blood chemistry.
Electromyogram.
Microscopic examination - biopsy.
Instrumental methods:
CT.
Ultrasound.
X-ray.

After collecting anamnesis and studying all the results of the patient’s examination, the specialist confirms the disease.

Symptoms of the disease are divided into two groups:

Basic or general.
Characteristic (characteristic of a specific disease).

Characteristic symptoms of SCH

Osteochondrosis is a dystrophic change in the structure of the cartilaginous discs of the vertebrae and their bone base.

General symptoms manifest as the following patient conditions:

Decreased hearing, congestion in the ears, sensation of ringing and noise.
Dizziness. There are two types:
Non-systemic – signs of nausea, stupor, unsteadiness in an upright position.
Lack of air, shortness of breath and suffocation.
Nausea and vomiting.
Visual impairment.
Pain in the back of the head and neck, collar area.
Instability of blood pressure.
Fainting attacks.
Feeling of dryness and a lump in the throat, difficulty swallowing, soreness.
Increased body temperature.

Symptoms also depend on the stage of the disease. In medicine, there are 3 stages of the disease.

At the first stage, degenerative processes begin in the cartilage of the vertebral discs and the following symptoms appear:

Discomfort in the neck and arms, shoulders.
Headache.
Difficulty moving the neck.
Temporary visual impairment.
Numbness of the skin in the neck area.

The second stage is the beginning of protrusion of the vertebral discs , accompanied by the following symptoms:

The appearance of severe pain in the neck and arms, shoulders. Accompanied by a crunch.
Loss of skin sensitivity in the neck and arms.
Frequent lingering headaches.
Visual impairment, sensation of visualization of small black circles before the eyes.
The appearance of ringing and noise in the ears.
Feeling of weakness in the arms.
Decreased clarity of tendon reflexes.
Feeling of shooting pain.
Feeling of a lump in the throat, difficulty swallowing.
Insomnia (sleep disorder).

At the third stage, spinal deformation, displacement and dislocation of the vertebrae appears due to weak fixation , which leads to the formation of a hernia. The stage is accompanied by the following symptoms:

Severe and acute pain in the neck and collar area. The appearance of pain in the heart area.
Loss of sensitivity of the scalp in the back of the head, in the shoulder area, in the arms.
Formation of a hernia in the cervical spine.
Paresis and paralysis of the upper limbs.

Complications.

Leaving prolonged neck pain untreated is extremely dangerous due to the risk of developing serious complications, which in some cases can be life-threatening. With any, even slight, displacement of the cervical vertebrae, there is a high probability of pinching of the vessels supplying blood to the brain. As a result, with particularly severe damage to the circulatory system, ischemia of the brain and spinal cord develops, leading to spinal stroke.

Diagnostic methods used in our clinic.

MRI on a closed type machine.

Causes

Muscle spasms in the neck area can occur due to the following diseases:

Neurosis – muscle tension that occurs under the influence of stressful situations, in cases of anxiety. Sudden movements create strong pressure on the cervical spine. As a result, blood circulation is disrupted, and the neck muscles begin to contract and ache. With neuroses, spasms:
They are permanent or temporary.
Appear and stop suddenly.
Osteochondrosis – gradual degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine, accompanied by chronic pain in the back muscles, discomfort, and a state of muscle fatigue. Spasms occur with the following symptoms:
Visual impairment.
Dizziness.
Stiffness of movements.
Pre-fainting state.
Numbness of muscles and skin.
Spasm of deep neck muscles – blood supply to the head, limbs and neck is disrupted, arteries are pinched. Accompanied by:
Unpleasant sensations in the neck and back.
Numbness and tingling of the upper extremities.
Spasm of the neck and shoulder girdle - compression of blood vessels and nerves, poor circulation. Accompanied by aching or shooting pain.
Spasm of the muscles of the head and neck. When turning your head sharply, lifting heavy objects, or overexerting yourself, the neck muscles become compressed. Spasms are accompanied by:
Refers pain to other parts of the body.
Stiffness of the throat muscles.
Distortion of the cervical spine.
Spasm of the neck and facial muscles - these are convulsive contractions that occur as a result of damage to a certain area of the brain that is responsible for the innervation of the muscles of these areas. There are two types:
Clonic spasms are unconscious muscle twitches. The cause of seizures is brain injury, epilepsy, infections.

Diagnosis of the cause of neck pain

After an oral interview, the doctor examines the patient: palpates the surface of the neck, checks the sensitivity of the arms and legs, the state of reflexes, and determines the presence of muscle spasms and hypertonicity.

The following hardware techniques are used:

radiography;
MRI;
CT scan;
electromyography (EMG);
Doppler ultrasound (USDG) of neck vessels.

Blood and urine tests can be taken to identify inflammatory processes in the body.

How to relieve spasm and relax your neck and shoulders?

Elimination of the causes of the disease and relief of symptoms should be carried out by a specialist based on the diagnostic data obtained.

There are situations when you urgently need help, but it is not possible to get an appointment with a doctor. Knowledge of how and with what you can relieve a spasm will help.

Use of medications

Remedies will help relieve pain quickly:

Hydrocodone.
Propoxyphene.

To relax muscles and relieve tension, muscle relaxants are prescribed in the form of injections or tablets. They also have the effects of reducing pinched nerve endings and roots, improving blood circulation and metabolism.

To completely eliminate the causes of spasms and osteochondrosis, doctors prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs in combination with muscle relaxants .

Muscle relaxants are divided into 2 groups:

Antispasmodics – relieve muscle spasms. Reduces muscles from a hypertensive state to normal tone.
Neuromuscular blockers - completely paralyze skeletal muscles.

The drugs should be used only as prescribed by a doctor, since the dose is calculated individually for the patient.

To relieve spasms, it is also recommended to take the following medications:

Painkillers – taken in cases of severe, deep spasms. Medicines contain lidocaine, analgin.
Anti-inflammatory – non-steroidal drugs.
Vitamins - daily intake prevents seizures.
Ointments – relieve tension and have an anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect.

Physiotherapy

Exercises for SCS are carried out under the supervision of a specialist, since physical activity during a spasm leads to tears in the muscle fibers. Read about the best types of exercises for cervical osteochondrosis that you can do at home in our material.
Exercises are carried out for 15-30 minutes using five to seven types. If pain or discomfort occurs, exercise should be stopped.
For the health of the spine, increasing overall muscle tone and general health, therapeutic exercises according to Norbekov have been developed. Before using this method, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

To relieve spasms and pain, depending on the location of the inflammation, experts recommend the following types of exercises :

Tilt your head down, then up. Make turns to the side. Hold the position for 15 seconds.
Keep your shoulder tense, but in a straightened position. Then bring your head towards it.
In a sitting position, raise your shoulders as high as possible, towards your ears. Hold for 10 seconds. Afterwards, lower your hands and take a deep breath.

Our specialists have prepared for you information about exercises for the back and neck with osteochondrosis, including using a stick, as well as gymnastics complexes developed by Alexandra Bonina, Dr. Bubnovsky, Butrimov and Dr. Shishonin. Also, read about yoga for cervical osteochondrosis.

Massage

To relieve spasms, doctors advise taking a course of massage. Professional therapeutic massage has a good effect . It stimulates blood flow to damaged tissues and starts recovery processes. A full course of massage sessions will strengthen the muscle corset and spine, correct posture and relieve muscle tension and pinching. Regular exercises relax the psyche and normalize sleep, improve nutrition of the cervical tissues.

Self-massage will also help. The procedure can be carried out even at the workplace. Regular self-massage will eliminate neck spasms.

To perform a massage correctly, you must follow the following rules::

The neck is massaged simultaneously with the shoulders.
Massaging movements are made from top to bottom, starting from the back of the head.
The movements are performed with both hands (if it’s uncomfortable, you can take turns).
Pressing movements are not allowed, only light and stroking movements.

The following exercises for self-massage are recommended::

Stroke the back of the head with light movements of the palms of your hands - 2 minutes.
You need to perform the exercise in a circular motion. Gently stretch your neck with your fingertips.
Grasp and release the skin.
Stretch your muscles from side to side.
Pat the back of the neck.

Other methods

To quickly get rid of pain and relieve muscle tension, experts recommend acupuncture.

The process of placing needles on biologically active points relaxes muscles, improves blood flow and muscle tone.

Several sessions are enough to eliminate pain . The following methods are used to remove tension in muscle tissue.

Physiotherapy

During physiotherapy, medicinal substances are injected under the skin and penetrate into the tissue under the influence of current. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are used. The procedure helps to relax and stimulate blood flow.

The following types of procedures are prescribed in physiotherapy::

Electrophoresis.
Magnetotherapy.
Microcurrent stimulation.
Laser therapy.

Hot baths and compresses

Hot baths and cold compresses have an antispasmodic effect . The scheme - from cold to heat helps to quickly relieve muscle tension and eliminate spasms.

To do this, you need to take a plastic bag, fill it with ice and wrap it in the material.
Then apply to the sore spot and hold for about 20 minutes.
After a cold compress, you need to relieve tension and warm up your neck by taking a hot bath.
To enhance the relaxation effect, you can add a few drops of horseradish juice, aromatic lavender or pine needle oils, and flavored sea salt to the water.

Cold compresses are applied for 2 days and no more than 3 times a day. Long-term use will no longer bring results.

Traditional medicine recommends making a pain-relieving compress from the following ingredients:

Chop horseradish, oregano and raw potatoes and make a decoction.
Moisten a thick cloth with the resulting medicine and apply to the neck.

Herbs

Herbal treatment refers to folk methods that recommend a wide range of medicinal herbs that help with muscle spasms. Herbs recommended for brewing :

valerian;
lavender;
chamomile;
bergamot;
peppermint.

Prevention

It is almost impossible to avoid osteochondrosis, but everyone is able to delay the timing of its appearance and slow down the development of pathological changes in intervertebral joints and discs. Prevention does not require special knowledge or skills and is available to everyone.

According to experts, preventive measures should be directed against the following causes of the disease :

Sedentary lifestyle.
Excess weight.
Poor posture.
Spinal injuries.
Chronic infections in the respiratory tract.
Constantly working in a position with your head down.

A measure to prevent cervical osteochondrosis is:

Combating a sedentary lifestyle.
Weight stabilization.
Keeping the body in the correct physiological position and undergoing timely preventive examinations by an orthopedist.
Proper lifting and carrying of heavy objects.
Elimination of foci of chronic infection.
Change your position while working every 20-30 minutes. It is recommended to spend this time kneading the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle. To do this, you need to turn and tilt your head, lightly massage your neck, and rotate your shoulders.

Your health is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Eight hours of sleep in the right position, long walks in the fresh air, healthy eating, morning exercises and an active lifestyle will help you prevent not only osteochondrosis, but also other diseases. If pain or discomfort occurs, you need to seek help from specialists. Self-medication sometimes leads to deterioration of health.

Treatment of neck pain in medical

The high professionalism and impressive work experience of our doctors allows us to select a suitable treatment program for neck diseases for each patient. Our medical center is equipped with modern high-tech and reliable devices for laboratory and instrumental diagnostics, physiotherapy and treatment. And experienced massage therapists and chiropractors will help not only relieve neck pain, but also improve the overall health of the body.

If you are concerned about neck pain and limited mobility, make an appointment with us without expecting the condition to worsen.