By virtue of being very close to each other on the body, the neck and the shoulders are related both anatomically and in their functionality. There are a number of structures that connect the shoulders to the cervical region. These include muscles, bones, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels. This is the main reason as to why pain originating from the cervical region may also be felt on the neck. There are a number of important things relating to neck and shoulder pain Edmonton residents should know.
Pain is described as being acute or chronic. In the acute type, the symptoms have lasted for less than two weeks. The most common causes in this case include trauma and infections. The pain will be termed as being chronic if it has existed for more than two weeks. Causes of the chronic type include persistent infections (such as osteomyelitis and tuberculosis), trauma, degenerative conditions and fibromyalgia among others.
Soft tissue injury is by far the commonest reason for pain in the shoulders and the cervical region. In motor vehicle accidents, sudden deceleration results in what is known as whiplash injury that affects the back of the neck and the shoulder. It is a potentially life threatening injury that requires admission to hospital. Most of the other cases are mainly attributable to strains affecting the muscles and ligaments.
The first thing that you need to do is to rest the injured area. This will reduce further injury and initiate the healing process. Home remedies that you can consider include warm compressions, cold packs. Massage therapy and analgesic agents. Warm compressions improve blood flow which in turn helps with healing. Cold compressions reduce inflammation in the area and the perception of symptoms.
Symptoms that fail to respond to home remedies such as cold compressions and analgesics should be reevaluated by the doctor. One of the things that the doctor will do is to take a history and perform a physical with the aim of establishing the exact cause of your condition. Various investigations may be required to help in making this diagnosis. These include radiographic images such as the CT scan and the MRI.
Imaging studies can pick a wide range of conditions. Degenerative changes present in the cervical vertebra (which often lead to arthritis) are one of the conditions that are frequently seen. In this condition, intervertebral spaces are narrowed progressively and osteophytes (bone spikes) make the problem worse. The consequence of this is that nerves that exit the spine through these spaces are pinched and this usually causes pain in the shoulders and the neck.
Some of the other conditions that may be seen include dislocated joints, fractures, tumors and bursitis among others. The management is dependent on the exact cause of the problem. Many of them tend to respond to drugs with just a small proportion requiring surgical management. Persons that are at a high risk of these injuries should ensure that they put on protective gear whenever possible.
The nerve supply of the shoulder is the same as that of some abdominal structures. Whenever these structures are irritated or injured, symptoms are referred to the shoulders. This is frequently seen in cases of gall bladder disease. However, these cases are rather rare and establishing such a cause usually takes quite long.
Pain is described as being acute or chronic. In the acute type, the symptoms have lasted for less than two weeks. The most common causes in this case include trauma and infections. The pain will be termed as being chronic if it has existed for more than two weeks. Causes of the chronic type include persistent infections (such as osteomyelitis and tuberculosis), trauma, degenerative conditions and fibromyalgia among others.
Soft tissue injury is by far the commonest reason for pain in the shoulders and the cervical region. In motor vehicle accidents, sudden deceleration results in what is known as whiplash injury that affects the back of the neck and the shoulder. It is a potentially life threatening injury that requires admission to hospital. Most of the other cases are mainly attributable to strains affecting the muscles and ligaments.
The first thing that you need to do is to rest the injured area. This will reduce further injury and initiate the healing process. Home remedies that you can consider include warm compressions, cold packs. Massage therapy and analgesic agents. Warm compressions improve blood flow which in turn helps with healing. Cold compressions reduce inflammation in the area and the perception of symptoms.
Symptoms that fail to respond to home remedies such as cold compressions and analgesics should be reevaluated by the doctor. One of the things that the doctor will do is to take a history and perform a physical with the aim of establishing the exact cause of your condition. Various investigations may be required to help in making this diagnosis. These include radiographic images such as the CT scan and the MRI.
Imaging studies can pick a wide range of conditions. Degenerative changes present in the cervical vertebra (which often lead to arthritis) are one of the conditions that are frequently seen. In this condition, intervertebral spaces are narrowed progressively and osteophytes (bone spikes) make the problem worse. The consequence of this is that nerves that exit the spine through these spaces are pinched and this usually causes pain in the shoulders and the neck.
Some of the other conditions that may be seen include dislocated joints, fractures, tumors and bursitis among others. The management is dependent on the exact cause of the problem. Many of them tend to respond to drugs with just a small proportion requiring surgical management. Persons that are at a high risk of these injuries should ensure that they put on protective gear whenever possible.
The nerve supply of the shoulder is the same as that of some abdominal structures. Whenever these structures are irritated or injured, symptoms are referred to the shoulders. This is frequently seen in cases of gall bladder disease. However, these cases are rather rare and establishing such a cause usually takes quite long.
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