What to do if your neck hurts. Let's find out the reasons for the condition in which the back of the head and neck hurt. The neck gets tired.

Neck muscle tension is a typical problem for office workers. Pain in the cervical spine is caused not only by fatigue due to prolonged sedentary work. Spasms of the cervical muscles, stiffness and pain may indicate the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.

To stop the development of pathology and prevent complications, perform therapeutic exercises. Take time to self-massage your neck muscles. Pay attention to preventive recommendations.

If a profession requires you to spend a lot of time in a chair at a computer, sooner or later a person will have to learn what stiffness in the neck muscles is. Its symptoms are constant muscle spasms and aching pain. At the end of the working day begins headache, “shooting” in the neck area, dizziness, pre-fainting occurs. Such symptoms are provoked by constant muscle tension. Next, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops. Complications may include more dangerous pathologies of the spine and blood circulation. To stop this process, you need to remove the load from the muscles and give your neck a rest.

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Most likely, you are reading this article while sitting at your computer. Assess whether your neck is in the correct position:

1. Shoulders should not be raised up;
2. The trapezius should not be tense.

The trapezius is often overloaded for the following reasons:

• Stress and fatigue;
• Raised shoulder position;
• Shoulders are shifted forward (slouch).

Consequences and treatment

The neck contains many nerves and capillaries that supply the brain and transmit its signals to the body. The vertebrae of the neck are the thinnest, there are only seven of them. At the same time, the cervical vertebrae must withstand up to eight kilograms of the weight of a human head! To support the head, the body has provided this area with 32 muscles that help keep the head level, aid movement, and protect cerebral circulation. The neck contains four major arteries and eight nerves, as well as the most important section of the spinal cord. Here is the center of blood supply to the brain, internal organs of the chest, and arms.

Tension in the neck negatively affects the functioning of blood vessels and nerves. The brain receives less essential oxygen and nutrients, and muscles weaken.

As a result, the person suffers from. My head starts to hurt and it’s harder to move my neck. If tension persists for many years, wrinkles and facial swelling appear faster. A migraine appears, vision deteriorates, and salts accumulate. The nerve roots of the spinal cord are pinched, which is why the patient suffers from radiculitis, receiving more and more complications.

Exercises

There are several simple ways to relieve tension in your trapezius. They will help get rid of pain and stiffness:

1. Straighten your back, sticking your chest forward (suitable if you constantly slouch);
2. Raise and lower your shoulders to the maximum several times;
3. Just completely relax your neck and shoulder girdle.

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To relax your neck with therapeutic exercises, you must first position your head correctly. First, lift the back of your head a little, imagining that something is pulling the crown from above. Move your chin back slightly, pulling it inward. These movements relax the neck and head area, helping to say goodbye to the habit of holding your head too low or too high. Breathing is freed, the back straightens.

1. Relax your shoulder girdle and reach up to the top of your head. Try to feel it while turning your head a little in different directions;
2. Then place the chin on your chest and rub the clavicular area with it. Carefully, without moving abruptly, turn your head wider and wider;
3. After this, throw your head back and try to rub the bottom of your neck with the occipital region;
4. During sedentary work, monitor the position of your shoulders and if they are raised, lower them. This way you will relax your trapezius and save your neck from unnecessary spasms.

Osteochondrosis causes pain and a feeling of stiffness. There is another simple exercise that can quickly relieve these symptoms. Place your hand on the opposite shoulder so that your thumb touches the neck area. Massage the muscles that connect your neck and shoulders with your thumb and index finger. Repeat on the opposite side

Self-massage

Pain and muscle spasms in the collar area can be symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis. To improve the condition of the intervertebral discs and relieve tension in the neck, perform self-massage sessions at home. Perform all movements vigorously, but avoid discomfort. The power of influence is increasing. Massage movements along the neck always go from top to bottom.

• Perhaps you need information: ?

1. Stand or sit on a hard chair, straighten your back;
2. Place both palms on your neck and stroke it, touching your trapezius. Then squeeze with the edge of your palm first one side of the neck, then the other, with your thumb;
3. Rub your neck muscles by performing rotational movements in a circle from the middle to the sides. Knead the muscles by clasping them with your palms. Finish the session with stroking;
4. Having finished self-massage of the back muscles of the neck, move on to the front ones. First, stroke the entire front surface of your neck with one palm, wrapping your fingers around it. An important note - try not to touch the thyroid gland, and when stroking it, do not put pressure on it;
5. Behind the ears, find the mastoid muscles of the neck. Rub them with rotating movements of your fingers, moving from top to bottom;
6. Then pinch these muscles one by one, after tilting your head to the side;
7. Complete the procedure by stroking the front part. You can interrupt them in the middle of the process and pat the muscles a little. After a self-massage session, rest and relax.

But I realized that the head cannot think of anything if the neck does not support it.

This happened in the spring. It seemed to have gotten warmer, but it was still cool. I left the house in a jacket, but didn’t put on a scarf. It seemed that we could do without it. It was really not cold, but there was a strong wind. He made his way into all the cracks, blew into the back of my neck, but I didn’t pay attention to it. Only in the morning I thought that it was a shame that I didn’t put on a scarf. I couldn't turn my head at all. What's there to turn around! Every movement of my head caused such a sharp pain in my neck that it was impossible to stop myself from screaming. I tried not to move, but it's not that easy. When you swallow, you make movements, even when you inhale or exhale, you have to move your head. And it just made my neck cramp.

My wife raised three children and already understands medicine (the children have been ill with everything possible). She determined that I had neuralgia and offered to treat it in a proven way. She had this too. As it turned out, for neuralgia it is best to make lotions from medicinal plants. Dry yarrow herb and horseradish leaves are best suited for this. I used to wonder why my wife kept all these herbs, dried them, and put them in bags. But finally, it came in handy for me. You need to take dry yarrow and horseradish leaves and chop them. Mix 2 tablespoons of both and pour a glass of boiling water. Let everything sit for half an hour. Herbs in boiling water will swell and turn into mush. It must be strained to drain excess water and applied warm to the sore spot. My wife applied the paste to the back of my neck. She applied polyethylene on top so that the liquid did not seep through, and wrapped her neck with a warm woolen scarf. That's how I went to bed. If you make a compress during the day, remember that you need to keep it on for hours.

In 3 days I got rid of these pains.

But now I always remember the neck and consider it undeservedly forgotten. Without a neck, the head is neither here nor there!

The symptom of inability to hold the head up is so common that most people accept it as normal.

The habit of tilting your head to the side, propping your head with your hand when reading or working at the computer, or resting the back of your head on a chair can be a sign of normal fatigue if you sit in the same position for 6-8 hours.

But in most cases, after carefully observing oneself, a person understands that the need to relieve the load from the neck arises already in the first half hour to an hour. And this is already a sign of pathology. Moreover, the problem, as a rule, arises in childhood or adolescence and progresses over time.

What is the cause of neck weakness?

Treatment and recovery

As a rule, they try to fight the inability to hold the head up with the help of massage and physical activity. It is believed that strengthening the neck muscles will make it easier to maintain a level head position.

But it is important to understand that this is a temporary remedy or an actual attempt to make the damaged “mechanism” work. Massage temporarily relaxes the muscles, but since the cause of the tension is not eliminated, after some time it returns again. In turn, physical activity aimed at an injured joint is more likely to lead to even greater injury than to healing. It wouldn’t occur to anyone to exercise with dumbbells with a sprained elbow, would it?

An adult's head can't hold up

It has been noticed that sick people rarely hold their heads straight - their necks “pull.” Recently, American scientists came to the conclusion that the appearance of this “strategic” part of the body can tell a lot about the state of health. The fact is that it is through the neck that organs such as the esophagus, larynx, trachea and, finally, large blood vessels to the brain pass.

In particular, researchers have experimentally proven that the size of our neck can indicate the condition of the heart and blood vessels.

More than 3,000 women and men aged 50 years and older took part in the experiment. At this age, the normal neck size for women is 34 cm, and for men - 40 cm in girth.

It turned out that people who had problems with the cardiovascular system had neck girth that exceeded the norm. This is related to the amount of glucose in the blood. So, if your neck suddenly increases in size, it’s time to sound the alarm - you are a candidate for a heart attack!

At the same time, any problems with the neck, cervical muscles and vertebrae can lead to serious problems with well-being. For example, constant headaches may be associated with cervical osteochondrosis.

With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, clamps (triggers) of nerve endings and blood vessels occur. As a rule, this happens after a long stay in an uncomfortable position - for example, after sitting at a computer. In this case, painkillers do not help. People suffer from migraines for years until they think to check their neck and spine.

If you often feel dizzy, this may also be the result of a cervical pathology. Dizziness occurs with rotational movements of the head and neck (for example, with sharp turns to the side, playing various sports, while sleeping on the stomach with the head turned to the side, throwing the head up or bending down).

The “cervical” nature of the pathology may also be indicated by dizziness that periodically occurs after an injury to the cervical spine, falling on the back, neck massage, or after the neck has been in an uncomfortable position for a long time.

Most often, dizziness appears in the morning, after sleep, and is accompanied by rotation of surrounding objects, nausea, vomiting, and a decrease or increase in blood pressure.

If all is not well with your neck, this may affect other organs - for example, your blood circulation in the limbs and internal organs may be impaired, and this will lead to chronic diseases.

To prevent this from happening, let's focus on prevention first!

First of all, your head should always be held high! At the same time, tuck your chin in slightly.

Many of us work on computers. Ideally, you should keep your back straight while sitting at the computer. The screen should be at eye level. Do not remain motionless, change your position often. Don't let your neck get stiff. To do this, throw your head back for a few seconds every half hour. Every hour, make 3-5 circular movements with your head in different directions. Warm up regularly: get up and move.

In cool weather, the neck should be covered with a headscarf or scarf. Cold and drafts can provoke osteochondrosis.

Don't sleep on your stomach! In this position, the cervical vertebrae and muscles are deformed.

You should wash your hair in the shower, and not under the tap or in a basin: bending too hard stretches the neck muscles.

But what if your neck is already twisted by osteochondrosis? Or, at least, did pain appear in the cervical region? There are special sets of exercises that should be done twice a day. These exercises are called isometric: they help tense muscles while remaining completely still and strengthen muscle fibers.

Each exercise should be performed for 7-10 seconds 3-5 times. In this case, the gaze should be directed forward all the time.

For example, this complex:

Press your forehead firmly into your palm. Then do the same with the back of the head. In this case, neither the head nor the palm should move. Do the same with your right temple, then with your left.

Place your palm under your chin and press it firmly into your palm. Try to forcefully “drown” your chin into your palms, while the top of your head should be raised up.

Lift your chin up, turn your head to the right, then to the left.

Now lower your chin towards your neck. Turn your head now to the right, now to the left.

Tilt your head back slightly and try to touch your right ear to your right shoulder. Then with the left ear - the left shoulder.

Take a closer look at your neck - and you can avoid many health problems!

When it is impossible to keep your head straight or spasmodic torticollis

In a physically healthy person, the head is always positioned straight, and the main merit in this is the correct and even position of the neck. This arrangement does not require any effort from the person, because the brain sends signals independently and the position of the neck muscles is fixed at a subconscious level. Spasmodic torticollis or church dystonia is a condition in which the neck muscles are located in an unnatural position, that is, the head is tilted to one side or the other. But first things first…

General information

So, muscular torticollis and what is it? A person does not make any volitional or physical effort to straighten his head, but this is in the case of a healthy person. As for the patient suffering from the neurogenic disease mentioned above, he has to make such efforts, at least in order to straighten his tilted head.

To make it clear, it is necessary to clarify. The brain is responsible for the position of the neck, and it independently sends impulses with the help of which this part of the body understands what position it should take. With spastic torticollis, the brain believes that tilting to the left or right is the correct position, and the neck has no choice but to obey. But the person understands that this is wrong, but he cannot do anything (or rather, he can, but only through physical effort, that is, to independently return his head to the normal position and hold it there).

This disease can occur in children and adults. In the case of a child, we are primarily talking about the congenital nature of the disease or a birth injury. If this disease is diagnosed in an adult (primarily in people from 30 to 60 years old), the necessary formulation is an acquired disease.

A neurologist should determine the nature of the disease.

Despite the fact that this neuropathic disease in no way reduces life expectancy, it is unpleasant for the patient, as it can lead to disability, loss of ability to work and impede the patient’s social activity on a psychological level, first of all.

Causes

What is the main reason for the development of this disease?

Spastic torticollis is often associated with disorders in the extrapyramidal system of the brain. This means that the disease most directly belongs to the category of neurological.

The extrapyramidal system is a system responsible for stereotypical movements that occur automatically, without the participation of a person’s thought process.

This system is a direct source responsible for the correct position of the neck. When disturbances occur in this part of the brain, there is a high probability of misalignment of the neck muscles, due to which one part of them is in constant tension, which leads to an unnatural position, such as tilting the head or turning it.

This disease can be acquired for various reasons, including:

• genetic (hereditary) predisposition;
• infectious diseases of various types (meningitis, encephalitis, borelliosis, etc.);
• neck or head injuries (brain hematoma);
• abuse of certain drugs;
• poisoning of the body;
• emotional overstrain (psychosomatic cause).

In addition, there is a classification of this disease, according to which the disease can be congenital and acquired.

However, torticollis in children and torticollis in adults are somewhat different concepts. Thus, in most cases, acquired torticollis in a child is the mother’s fault (use of certain drugs during pregnancy, hypertonicity of the uterus during pregnancy, birth injuries). If an adult has an illness, it is largely his own fault.

The risk group is mainly women aged 30 to 60 years, often working.

Symptoms

The main symptom of church dystonia is an unnatural position of the head. There are several options, including:

• the head is pushed forward;
• head tilted back;
• the head is tilted to the right or left side (left-sided or right-sided type of illness);
• head turned left or right;
• combination (it is possible to tilt the head to the right with a slight turn or movement of the head forward, etc.).

In addition to the visible part of the disease, the patient may feel pain in the neck, which can be of varying intensity.

Naturally, if the disease is caused by the presence of an infection, it is possible that symptoms of a concomitant disease may appear.

The main symptom is noticeable only when the patient's body is in an upright position. When he goes to bed or is simply in a horizontal position, the changes are either not visible at all or difficult to recognize.

In the case of small children, in addition to the above, they may have swelling on one side of the shoulder.

In addition, the disease is characterized by spasticity of the neck muscles (hence the name). At the initial stage, the patient is able to independently return his head to the correct position, but to keep it, he has to resort to volitional efforts and control the brain so that spasmodic contractions do not occur in the neck muscles.

Over time, willpower will become insufficient and a person, in the literal sense of the word, will have to put his head back in place with his hands. And in the most advanced cases, the muscles can even atrophy, which is considered a very bad scenario.

Why bad? Because the patient will no longer be able to turn his head to its natural position, as he will experience pain.

This disease also has such a concept as tonic and clonic forms of the disease.

These subtypes of the disease are associated with the patient’s incessant nodding. In the tonic form they are less noticeable, and in the clonic form they are more noticeable. These can be either “Yes” or “No” nods.

An interesting fact is that there is a variant of the development of torticollis without its external manifestations, when, as a result of muscle tension on different sides, the head remains in a natural position, but the problem itself exists.

Diagnostics

In order to make a diagnosis, the doctor will need to familiarize himself with the patient’s medical history and conduct an examination. In 90% of cases, the position of the head makes it possible to diagnose the disease immediately. Nevertheless, the diagnostic procedure does not consist of one examination; it includes:

• Magnetic resonance imaging;
• CT scan;
• myelography (in particularly serious cases).

Treatment methods

Therapy in the treatment of the disease is aimed at maintaining the patient in a comfortable state (improving his quality of life) and relieving painful symptoms. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to completely overcome the disease, but it will make the patient’s life easier.

There are two types of drug treatment:

Treatment of spastic torticollis in adults always begins with conservative methods, and 70% of cases are successfully treated without surgery. If such remedies do not help, surgical intervention is indicated.

Conservative treatment

Treatment of torticollis with conservative means includes:

• physiotherapy (electrophoresis, iontophoresis);
• massage;
• manual therapy;
• use of special restraint devices;
• physical therapy (physical therapy);
• prescription of medications.

The basis of drug treatment is the use of relaxing and stretching drugs (muscle relaxants, anticholinergics).

In addition, it is possible to prescribe antiepileptic, anticonvulsant drugs and antidepressants.

There is an opinion that botulinum toxin-based products or a cosmetic procedure consisting of a Botox injection can help with this type of illness.

This injection is given directly into the affected area, but it is necessary to carefully monitor the penetration of the medicine into the muscles, since the lack of results does not always mean that the medicine is not effective. Perhaps this is due to the low permeability of the muscles due to their strong tension.

Treatment is carried out in three stages.

The first stage involves drug therapy, taking pills, etc. The introduction of Botox is also considered the first stage.

The second stage includes manual therapy in combination with acupuncture. It is worth noting that the main condition of the second stage is a kind of muscle relaxation, but only with clinical muscle relaxation. If relaxation does not occur as planned, artificial spasms are permissible so as not to harm the person.

The third stage is a kind of restorative and is designed to re-teach the patient the correct position of the head. It is necessary to correct the unusual position with the help of physical exercises, gymnastic exercises and auto-relaxation.

Correcting torticollis is a whole complex of measures and, alas, it will not be possible to treat this disease unceremoniously.

What to do if it was not possible to cure the disease with conservative methods? In such a situation, surgical intervention is indicated.

Surgery

Surgical treatment is a last resort measure, which is used if none of the above methods have produced results.

Previously, surgery to eliminate torticollis involved cutting the muscle in the cervical region, for which it was necessary to make an incision. However, in our time, surgery has stepped far forward and its main principle is to perform an operation that can be performed with minimal consequences for a person.

The most effective method of surgical intervention is stereotactic surgery.

This type is the most effective, as it directly affects the cause of muscle spasms - the extrapyramidal system. Previously, doctors applied a special gel to the head (in the places where the electrodes touched it) and applied electric current to a wider area. Now, electrodes are implanted into the brain and precisely act on the area that is responsible for the formation of neurogenic impulses. Leading to neck spasms.

This path is not the easiest, but many years of experience can eliminate the disease and help return the patient to normal social activity.

Refusing such an operation can cost a person a lot.

ethnoscience

Not only medicinal methods can help a patient with such an illness, but also folk recipes. But, do not forget that treatment at home should take place under the mandatory supervision of the attending physician and only with his permission. Don't make the situation worse!

Torticollis can be treated at home, as it is not a life-threatening disease. Here are several options for medicinal recipes that you can prepare yourself:

You can eat juniper (berries) on an empty stomach. You should start taking it with one berry, gradually increasing the dose. The maximum possible number of berries that can be eaten at one time is 12 pieces.

Walnut grains and shells

The listed ingredients in a 1 to 1 ratio are poured into a glass of hot water and left for several hours. The tincture should be consumed in two doses.

Viburnum berries and bark

For one glass of boiling water, use a tablespoon of herbs. Boil the resulting mixture to a boil, after which it infuses for two hours. You can consume it three times a day, 100 ml at a time.

Ointment for torticollis is a good remedy. To prepare it, you need pork fat and lilac buds in a ratio of 5 to 1. Lilac buds are added to the melted fat. After which this ointment is rubbed on the affected area up to four times a day.

In addition to standard traditional medicine methods. There are non-standard ones, such as osteopathy. Osteopathy declares that it can correct this disease in several procedures.

Complications of the disease

It is difficult to determine what consequences may arise in a particular case, since the disease is unpredictable. However, it is still possible to associate torticollis with a number of complications. Thus, spasmodic torticollis can contribute to a deterioration in blood flow, which in turn can cause headaches and memory problems. In addition, certain problems may develop in the cardiovascular system and respiratory system.

If we are talking about children, then intellectual development is inhibited.

Preventive measures

Prevention of this disease is a kind of prevention of the occurrence of the disease and its progression.

If we talk about general installation preventive measures, they include:

• normalization of sleep and wakefulness;
• elimination of overwork and stress;
• adherence to diet;
• gymnastics (performing exercises recommended by a doctor).

Thus, spastic torticollis is an unpleasant disease that can create a lot of trouble for a person. A timely visit to the doctor will minimize the consequences and possibly completely get rid of this disease. Do not self-medicate, treat yourself correctly and effectively!

Causes and treatments for severe headaches

What to do if a constantly heavy head worsens the quality of life? It is difficult to make decisions, concentration is impaired, attention is scattered. Prolonged discomfort has a depressing effect on a person. To get rid of unpleasant sensations, you should identify the cause of heaviness in the head and eliminate it.

How does a “heavy” head feel?

It’s not just a headache that can interfere with normal perception of the colors of the world around you and living in peace. Sometimes a tedious heaviness in the head is perceived worse than a migraine attack. After all, a migraine will go away after a certain period of time, and the feeling of a burden in the head can torment a person for a very long time.

How do patients describe their feelings?

• In the morning, my head pulls towards the pillow.
• There is a feeling that the skull has been filled with stones.
• It was as if blood from the whole body had collected in the skull.
• Metal disks move heavily in the brain.
• Difficulty concentrating.
• Information is not perceived adequately.
• I want to put my head in my arms and sleep, sleep, sleep.
• Nausea creeps up my throat.
• Lethargy falls on the body, it is difficult to even raise an arm.

Often the headache does not hurt, but it is heavy and cottony. Unpleasant sensations can occur in the morning and do not disappear even after a long sleep.

Diseases accompanied by heaviness in the head

Heaviness in the head may be a sign of brain damage. Also, unpleasant sensations, a feeling of lethargy and weakness indicate that a person is developing a serious illness.

Vegetative-vascular dystonia

With this disease, any unusual load can cause discomfort. The tone of brain vessels is disrupted, the outflow of venous blood is hampered, and the supply of oxygen to brain cells deteriorates. The result is a feeling of overcrowding in the skull.

A person suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia often has panic attacks that worsen the general condition. Depressive thoughts arise that literally make your head explode. If there is no opportunity to rest and relax, the feeling of heaviness is accompanied by a headache: bursting, aching, throbbing.

Meniere's disease

Damage to the vestibular system can also cause a person to have a feeling of heaviness in the head. Meniere's disease is an inflammation of the inner ear, labyrinthine dysfunction develops, in which an excess amount of fluid is released. Liquid accumulates in the labyrinth, pressing on the nerve endings. Symptoms of the disease:

Due to the fact that the vestibular system sends distorted signals to the brain, a person has a feeling of a cotton head. It is difficult for the patient to stand up; when bending over, he is pulled forward.

Osteochondrosis

If the cervical spine is affected by osteochondrosis, then the person’s blood supply to the brain is disrupted. Most often the vertebral artery is compressed. This can provoke an increase in intracranial pressure and lead to oxygen starvation of the brain. A gradual deterioration in blood flow causes the following symptoms:

• Drowsiness, lethargy.
• Frequent dizziness.
• Intrusive headaches.
• Feeling of stiffness in the neck.
• Feeling of heaviness in the skull.

Those at risk include office workers, athletes, people engaged in monotonous work that requires constant repetition of the same actions. Even a nursing mother who regularly falls asleep in an uncomfortable position while breastfeeding may experience a feeling of “fullness” in her head.

Dizziness and heaviness in the head are frequent companions of teachers who spend the entire working day at the blackboard. The static and heaviness of the posture affects the pose - a raised hand with chalk, which performs monotonous movements.

Neurosis-like conditions

Chronic fatigue, constant stress, and depression can lead to a person beginning to develop neurosis. Complaints of patients suffering from neurosis:

• Feeling empty in the head.
• “Muddy” head, like jelly in the skull.
• Tightening, pressing headache.
• The feeling that a heavy hat or a cast-iron helmet was put on your head.

The patient is easily irritated and may start shouting for no apparent reason at his family or just strangers. The patient has difficulty in crowded places where there is a lot of noise and light. They cause increased discomfort; in addition to the symptoms listed above, a feeling of confusion and, at the same time, anger is added.

Sleep disturbances are noted: a person has difficulty falling asleep, often wakes up at night, and lies awake for a long time. The next morning he finds it difficult to get up, even if sleep lasted until lunch, he has a feeling of a “heavy head”, a thick “fog”.

Neoplasms

One of the main symptoms of brain cancer is a daily morning headache. In addition, patients complain of heaviness in the head and drowsiness. Pressing pain occurs in one area of ​​the head due to the fact that the growing tumor puts pressure on the nerve endings and compresses the blood vessels. Due to poor circulation, a feeling of “fullness” and heaviness in the head appears.

The morning nature of the discomfort is due to the fact that when a person changes body position, intracranial pressure rises and cerebral edema increases. Minor physical activity increases the discomfort.

A headache can occur even at night, become stronger in the morning when waking up and subside in the evening. Dizziness, vomiting, feeling of lethargy, apathy are accompanying symptoms of the disease.

Injury

A skull fracture, concussion, neck or head injury can lead to cerebrovascular accident. Heaviness in the skull, accompanied by an annoying bursting headache, is most often a symptom of a complication that develops after a whiplash injury.

Whiplash occurs when unexpected acceleration or deceleration is applied to a person's body. Possible triggering situations:

• Falling from the stairs onto your feet.
• Car accident.
• A quick push from another person when playing football, volleyball, or hockey.
• "Shaking" the baby.

Unpleasant sensations in the head can disappear literally an hour after the injury and appear delayed: after a month, six months, a year, several years. As a result of a whiplash injury, a person experiences dysfunction of the occipital bone and its sutures. In this case, a person develops symptoms such as frequent dizziness, headaches, and heaviness in the head.

Other diseases

Experts identify several other diseases, one of the indirect symptoms of which is a feeling of “fullness” in the head. This type of discomfort does not necessarily appear as the disease progresses, but can sometimes accompany it.

These diseases include:

• Damage to the cardiovascular system.
• Injuries, ruptures of the eardrum.
• Neoplasms in the ocular apparatus, in the middle ear.
• Damage to nerve nodes.
• Migraine.
• Arterial hypertension.
• Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.
• Aneurysm rupture.
• Colds and infectious diseases: flu, rhinitis, otitis media.
• Prolonged lack of oxygen caused by bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, suffocation.

If a person constantly experiences heaviness in the head, the causes of which cannot be determined at home, you should seek help from a doctor.

Third-party factors that provoke heaviness in the head

Is it hard to raise your head, but you have not been diagnosed with any diseases? Perhaps the cause of discomfort is a person’s lifestyle or some external factors. Unpleasant sensations appear if:

• For a long period of time you don’t sleep enough, go to bed late and get up early.
• Sit at the computer every day, avoiding physical activity.
• Drink alcoholic beverages in large quantities.
• Spend your nights in clubs and sleep during the day.
• Use drugs.
• Use certain medications in large quantities.

Toxic damage to the body (from food, alcohol, drug poisoning) causes oxygen starvation of the brain, and is therefore accompanied by a feeling of fullness and heaviness of the skull. Allergic reactions that occur with cerebral edema can also cause discomfort. When the weather changes, a sudden cold snap, a weather-dependent person may experience heaviness in the head.

How to eliminate discomfort?

Did you get up in the morning with a heavy head and can’t recover? There are several methods you can use to improve your condition.

• When a headache is added to the unpleasant sensations, it makes sense to take a pain reliever (analgesic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug).
• A cool or contrast shower, which should be taken for at least 15 minutes, helps to get rid of discomfort.
• You can conduct a massage or self-massage session, gently rubbing the neck, back of the head, and temple area.
• To alleviate the condition, you can use aromatherapy: apply a couple of drops of mint, rosemary, lavender oil, tea tree oil, lemon.
• Breathing exercises effectively eliminate discomfort.
• Some yoga exercises can reduce discomfort.
• You can try to relax using self-hypnosis: sit or lie down with pleasant music and imagine yourself on the seashore, in a rustling forest, in a meadow.

Sometimes, in order to eliminate discomfort, you just need to get a good night's sleep in a dark room and normalize your working day: if your job is sedentary, periodically take breaks, exercise minutes, and regulate psychological and physical stress. It is advisable to change the pillow and mattress, choosing bedding that helps you relax while sleeping.

Features of treatment

If a patient constantly complains that he has a heavy head, the causes of discomfort are vegetative-vascular dystonia, osteochondrosis or another disease, it is best to entrust treatment to a specialist. The following therapeutic measures are carried out:

• Cerebral circulation is normalized with the help of nootropic and vasotropic drugs.
• Blood circulation is improved with the help of physiotherapy: electropheresis, phonopharesis, and magnetic therapy are used.
• Muscle spasms in cervical osteochondrosis are relieved through massage and manual therapy.
• Nervous tension is eliminated - with the help of tranquilizers, sedatives, sedatives.
• To relieve muscle spasms, muscle relaxants are taken, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory gels and ointments are applied topically.
• Allergic reactions are relieved with antihistamines.

If the cause of discomfort is the growth of a tumor, surgical intervention may be required.

In case of dysfunction of the cardiovascular system, it is necessary to strengthen blood vessels and normalize blood pressure. If the discomfort is due to a cold, the patient’s condition will return to normal after recovery.

Regular use of painkillers is required only if the heaviness in the skull is accompanied by a headache. It is advisable not to rely only on medications, but also to change eating habits and give preference to natural products. Spicy, salty, sour foods can increase discomfort, as can caffeinated drinks and chocolate.

Do you want the heaviness in your head to go away? Play sports, preferably swimming. It helps not only to get a feasible load on all muscle groups, but also to relieve accumulated negative emotions, “wash away” stress and a depressive mood. Walking in the fresh air, good sleep and the absence of nervous overload will help avoid unpleasant sensations.

An adult's head can't hold up

The symptom of the inability to hold your head up is so common that most people accept it as normal. The habit of tilting your head to one side, resting your head on your hand when reading or working at the computer, or leaning the back of your head on a chair can be a sign of normal fatigue if you come to sit in the same position for 6-8 hours.

In 85% of cases, the cause is birth trauma - displacement of the first cervical vertebra of the atlas. Like any dislocated joint, the atlanto-occipital joint cannot perform its function. That is, it cannot ensure the correct position of the head relative to the neck, because the neck muscles are in a constant tense and painful state. It’s hard for them, it hurts them to strain, and their head ends up hanging limply.

TREATMENT AND RECOVERY

As a rule, they try to fight the inability to hold the head up with the help of massage and physical activity. It is believed that strengthening the neck muscles will make it easier to maintain a level head position. But it is important to understand that this is a temporary remedy or an actual attempt to make the damaged “mechanism” work. Massage temporarily relaxes the muscles, but since the cause of the tension is not eliminated, after some time it returns again. In turn, physical activity aimed at an injured joint is more likely to lead to even greater injury than to healing. It wouldn’t occur to anyone to exercise with dumbbells with a sprained elbow, would it?

On the other hand, both massage and exercise are an indispensable means of recovery after the atlas is returned to its natural position. These measures can significantly speed up recovery due to increased blood flow and accelerated release of previously “earned” tension.

The Swiss procedure for correcting the position of the atlas, which has been successfully used in Europe for more than 20 years, shows effective results even in the majority of complex and advanced cases. Many patients notice improvements immediately after the procedure, and only in rare situations is a repeat visit to the specialist required.

As soon as the atlas returns to its natural place (that is, the subluxation is eliminated), blood flow normalizes and muscle strain begins to go away. Accordingly, the neck muscles regain the ability to function normally. And already in the first few hours after the correction, it becomes much easier for patients to keep their head straight, without supporting it with their hand or leaning against a chair.

This seemingly harmless symptom is serious - a reason to think about what other changes are caused by the subluxation of the first cervical vertebra, and what consequences they can lead to, if not immediately, then in the near future.

What does "heavy head" mean?

When do they say that the head is heavy? It is impossible to say exactly what each patient means when he voices this complaint to the attending physician. This is how they can manifest themselves: dizziness, high or low blood pressure, dull painful sensations that cause drowsiness and fog before the eyes.

Heaviness in the head prevents you from doing normal things, concentrating, and performing work duties. Sometimes the unpleasant feeling goes away on its own if you take your mind off work, take a walk in the fresh air, or get some sleep. But it also happens when a heavy head and dizziness are the first symptoms of serious vascular or brain diseases.

Causes of a “heavy head”

If you constantly have a heavy head and there is weakness, you should definitely consult a doctor. Most often, the symptoms of vertebrogenic headache are associated with problems of the cervical spine.

The condition is provoked by impaired blood flow, which appears due to osteochondrosis. Its exacerbation causes an increase in intracranial pressure.

Degenerative changes in the spinal discs increase with age; when moving, the nerve roots are pinched. To prevent pain, they try to keep the neck in a certain condition. Statics impairs blood flow, instability of the metabolic process causes oxygen starvation in the brain, which is why there are complaints that a constant heavy head, like cotton wool, interferes with concentration and drowsiness.

“Fog in the head” is how they say it when coordination of movements is impaired.

In addition to osteochondrosis, other causes of heaviness in the head can be identified:

• constant work at the computer;
• stressful situations;
• infectious diseases;
• intoxication;
• allergic reactions;
• skull injuries.

A heavy head and a tendency to dizziness occur with Meniere's disease - damage to the labyrinth of the ear and with brain tumors.

Even a slight bruise can cause heaviness in the head, but whiplash injuries are the most dangerous. They are often obtained in moving vehicles, mainly in cars. You don't have to be in an accident to get this kind of damage.

A sudden jerk that causes unexpected movement of the neck injures the muscles and can lead to dislocation or subluxation of the spine in the cervical region. Subsequently, the blood flow is pinched, and heaviness and accompanying weakness appear.

Vertebrogenic pain forces you to limit the range of head movement. Soreness can be localized in absolutely any part of the brain at any time of the day. Symptoms intensify when bending or turning the neck.

Separately, it is worth considering why you feel dizzy?

This phenomenon is caused by:

• osteochondrosis of the cervical spine;
• vestibular neuronitis;
• also Meniere's disease;
• injuries of the temporal areas;
• destruction of eardrums of any etiology;
• respiratory failure, which can be caused even by a common runny nose;
• stroke and migraine.

Many nervous diseases and infectious processes are accompanied by nausea, weakness, dizziness, heaviness in the head, especially when the condition worsens and a high temperature appears.

As you can see, it is impossible to make a diagnosis based on one symptom - heaviness in the head.

Headache

The usual advice for acute abdominal pain is to call an ambulance without taking any medications. Will he really have to endure the heaviness and pain in his head until a final diagnosis is made and its causes are found out?

If a painful symptom occurs suddenly and is accompanied by vomiting and fever, a rash appears on the face and body, or a disorder of consciousness, then you should also consult a doctor immediately.

But more often, the unpleasant sensations of acute pain do not cause and, apart from dizziness, no other ailments are felt. In this case, while the diagnosis is being established, you need to try to get rid of headaches.

The Japanese and Chinese prefer to normalize blood supply through massage, while Europeans, while the causes of the disease are being determined, take medications.

The safest medicines for the head

To prevent “fog” from floating before your eyes, you should first think about pressure.

After the measurements are made, drugs are used to normalize it. Small deviations from normal data can be corrected - if the pressure is low - with ginseng tincture, a cup of coffee or a piece of chocolate, if high - with a glass of green tea, chokeberry jam, hawthorn tincture.

If the pressure differs significantly from normal, then the use of medications is necessary.

Medicines “for blood pressure” and “for it” have an individual effect on the body, and it takes time to select “your remedy.” When you finally manage to find “your medicine”, the heaviness in your head will not bother you.

If an unpleasant symptom bothers you periodically, and the pressure is stable, antispasmodics will help eliminate heaviness in the head.

Massage helps relieve dizziness; you can learn to do it yourself. Massage effects should begin from the neck, gradually rising up the back of the head to the crown.

What else can you do if a heavy head is an almost constant condition? It is necessary to spend more time in the fresh air, do special exercises for the neck, and swim in the pool. All these actions are aimed at improving blood flow in the cervical spine.

How to find out the causes of headaches

The above tips may be harmful if there is pathology of the brain or cervical spine. Therefore, before engaging in intense exercise, you should consult your doctor.

To determine the causes of unpleasant symptoms - in addition to general tests - the following examinations are prescribed. They do an encephalogram - this procedure is recommended after any head injury - MRI, CT, sometimes an X-ray of the brain and cervical spine, and a biochemical blood test are prescribed.

In most cases, consultations with an ENT specialist, cardiologist and ophthalmologist are required. After the diagnosis is established, targeted actions begin to eliminate heaviness in the head and accompanying symptoms.

Treatment nuances

After establishing the causes, the patient often calms down and does not take any measures to improve his own condition. He takes pills when dizziness, weakness, fog before his eyes appear, and that’s all.

Cervical osteochondrosis - if there is no vertebral hernia - can be stopped by increasing physical activity, vegetative-vascular dystonia - in the same way, supplementing therapeutic measures by normalizing the work and rest regime, rational nutrition.

Do not neglect visiting a vertebrologist, massage, and physical therapy. All these effects normalize blood supply.

Each medication is addictive; after their use, side effects occur that affect other systems of the body.

If the problem can be solved without the use of medications, you should try to take advantage of this opportunity.

Heaviness in the head creates discomfort, but if it is not caused by serious organic pathologies, you should not abuse drug treatment.

What can make your head and legs feel wobbly?

Due to the crazy pace of life, patients turn to doctors with complaints of fatigue, a constant feeling of tiredness, periodic feeling of a cotton head and wobbly legs. In most cases, these are symptoms of body overload, and good rest with good sleep helps get rid of unpleasant companions. But situations arise in which such signs indicate the presence of a serious pathology.

Astheno-neurotic syndrome

Cotton head syndrome, or as it is often called managerial flu, is a manifestation of astheno-neurotic disorders. The syndrome occurs in people aged 20 to 40 years. People who are constantly in contact with people and are subject to psycho-emotional stress (managers, teachers, medical workers, businessmen, drivers, pilots) are susceptible to pathology. There are several causes of cotton head:

• constant stress;
• chronic lack of sleep;
• excessive stress at work (study);
• severe nervous shock.

Various acute and chronic diseases or poisoning can push the process forward. In the initial stage of the disease, patients complain of rapid fatigue and the inability to perform a volume of work that was previously easy. There is irritability, a feeling of fog in the head, and weakness.

Read why heaviness in the head occurs and how to get rid of it.

Do you know what pathological noises are and why they appear? Read about the causes of the pathology.

If left untreated, symptoms include emotional lability and complaints about heart function. The brain fog is getting worse. Sleep disorders appear. A person cannot fall asleep for a long time, wakes up already tired and with a cotton head. Loss of appetite, stomach upsets occur. In addition, in both sexes libido decreases, that is, sexual desire decreases, lethargy and apathy appear. Mood decreases, thoughts of suicide may occur.

If you do not consult a doctor and do not prescribe the correct treatment, the condition will be aggravated by mental disorders. The prognosis for the disease is positive if the work and rest schedule is normalized. It is recommended to attend psychotherapy courses. In severe cases, it is necessary to resort to the use of medications: tranquilizers, antidepressants, sleeping pills.

Cervical osteochondrosis as a cause of vata in the head

The cause of weak legs and head is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Movements of the neck cause pain, so the patient tries to keep his head in a forced position. This causes the vertebral arteries to be compressed by the affected vertebrae, which impairs the blood supply to the brain (see Cerebral Ischemia). The patient experiences the following symptoms:

• compressive pain in the temples and back of the head;
• ripples and spots before the eyes;
• memory and hearing impairment;
• feeling of weak legs, unsteady walking;
• heavy head;
• dizziness.

Cervical osteochondrosis is dangerous for the development of complications in the brain, so it is important to consult a doctor. Treatment is based on the use of chondroprotectors, massage, analgesics, anti-inflammatory and vitamin preparations. After a course of therapy, the sensation of cotton head disappears, and vision normalizes.

Cotton head due to pressure

Often, loss of coordination, dizziness, headache and confusion in thoughts occur with arterial hypertension. There are many reasons for sudden changes in pressure:

• quick transition from horizontal to vertical position;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• weather changes;
• severe fatigue.

With low blood pressure, nausea, tinnitus, and dizziness appear. My legs feel like they're weak and I can't hear them well. Patients complain of a pressing or bursting headache.

In case of arterial hypotension, it is recommended to drink strong tea or coffee and rest. If your blood pressure is high, you need to take antihypertensive drugs prescribed by your cardiologist. Interruptions in blood pressure lead to stroke, heart attack, and encephalopathy.

If you have a “cotton head”, read how to check the vessels of the head and neck. Methods for studying blood vessels.

How to help and who to contact

To eliminate the symptom of “cotton legs,” you need to find out the cause of its occurrence. To do this, you should contact your family doctor. The therapist will determine the examination plan, and then, based on the test results, will issue a referral to a more specialized specialist. You should not self-medicate.

If an attack of fatigue combined with a feeling of “cotton head” occurs for the first time, you should not immediately panic and run to all the doctors. Try to lie down and rest, get a good night's sleep. Most likely, all symptoms will disappear. In case of relapses, assistance is provided by a doctor after diagnostic examinations. In the event of a hypertensive crisis, an ambulance is called.

You should not ignore the symptoms of weak legs and head. Thanks to proper treatment, in most cases it is possible to get rid of the pathology forever.

Everyone knows that working at the computer has a detrimental effect not only on vision, but also on the spine. If you have already begun to suffer from pain in the neck or you are one of those people who like to prepare a sled in the summer (read: carry out prevention before the onset of the disease), our article is for you.

This one is designed specifically for a sedentary workplace, meaning you can start charging right away! Just a couple of minutes and you will relieve stress, increase concentration, improve performance and even relieve headache. Ready? Let's get started!

Neck exercises

1. Stretching
   To do this exercise, you need to sit up straight, straighten your back, place your feet on the floor and your hands on the table or on your hips. Keep your neck straight, lift the back of your head slightly up, and lower your chin slightly, without pressing it to your chest. Relax your shoulders and lower them down.

   Feel the stretch in your neck. Repeat several times. Stretch as often as possible throughout your workday. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results!

2. Turns
   Don’t change your position, sit straight, straighten your shoulders and relax your arms. Keep your neck straight and look ahead. Slowly turn your head to the left (your eyes also look as far to the left as possible), stay in this position for a while and just as slowly return to the starting position.

   Now make a right turn. Repeat the exercise several times in each direction. This exercise will relieve you of fatigue and relieve tension.



3. Tilts to the side
   The starting position is the same. Your back is straight, your feet are on the floor. Straighten your shoulders and relax your arms (you can lower them down). Slowly tilt your left ear towards your left shoulder, feeling a pleasant stretch. In this case, you should not tilt your head forward or backward, keep your shoulders constantly lowered.

   Pay attention to the fact that you are reaching with your ear to your shoulder, and not vice versa. Slowly return to the starting position and perform this exercise on the right side. Repeat several times and feel the pain in your neck disappear.



4. Flexion
   The starting position is the same. While sitting upright in a chair, slowly lower your chin and press it towards your neck. Keep your back and neck straight, do not open your mouth. Stay in this position for a while. Then return to the starting position and lower your chin along with your neck, trying to press it to your chest.

   Stay in this position for a couple of seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat the two types of bending several times in a row, after which your performance will improve right before your eyes.



5. Pull
   Sitting on a chair, straighten your shoulders and relax your arms. Keep your neck straight and look ahead. While in this position, slowly tilt your head back and lift your chin up towards the ceiling until you feel comfortable.

   Make sure your mouth is closed. Stay in this position for a short time and return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise several times and feel a surge of strength.



6. "Drawing Circles"
   This exercise is perhaps the easiest: just perform circular movements with your head in each direction. Contraindicated for use by people suffering from osteochondrosis, pain in the neck, back and frequent migraines.

   In this case, it is better to refrain from making a full circle, and “draw” figure eights with your head. To avoid problems, consult your doctor.



7. Bending with turns
   In a straight position, straighten your shoulders and arms. Slowly lower your head, keeping your neck parallel to the floor. From this position, slowly turn your head first to one side and then to the other. Repeat the exercise several times and you will improve not only your memory, but also your performance.

Now you are not afraid of an 8-hour working day and constant sitting at the computer. These simple exercises not only will relieve fatigue, but will also improve your health.

The main advantage of this exercise is that it does not require special conditions or a separate room - it is ideal even for the workplace. Send this article to all your friends and colleagues, take care of their health!

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Dear ladies, most of us work in the office from 9.00 to 18.00 from Monday to Friday. Naturally, at the computer (where would we be without it).

We come in the morning, sit down at our desk, turn on our favorite computer and begin to work for the benefit of the company. And often we work so hard that by the evening we feel a little stiff.

Our neck especially suffers. If you are now 20-25 years old, then you may not yet notice how tired your neck muscles are throughout the day. If you are 35-40 years old, admit it, periodically you are tormented by pain in the neck, and doctors talk about the beginning of cervical osteochondrosis.

A little test

While sitting straight at your desk, look to your right. Have you looked? Now the result: if your head rotation was 90 degrees, congratulations: your neck is still (!) fine. If you are able to turn your neck at an angle less than 90 degrees, it’s time to think about fighting tension and actively preventing osteochondrosis.

What to do?

It's simple. Take time to warm up your neck during your workday. We offer you a mini-set of neck exercises that you can perform right at your desk. Completing the complex will take you no more than 4-5 minutes. It is advisable to do the complex at least 2 times a day.

What is important to remember?

All neck exercises are performed on a stretched, even spine, carefully and slowly so as not to injure the muscles.

Exercises

The starting position (IP) for all exercises is standing or sitting, feet shoulder-width apart, spine stretched (we stretch the top of the head towards the ceiling), keep the chin parallel to the floor.

1. Say "yes!"

From IP, slowly lower your chin onto your chest, stretching the back of your neck. We return the head to the IP.

2. "Tumbler"

From IP, we slowly tilt our head towards the right shoulder. We return to the IP. We repeat the same to the left shoulder.

We repeat these two exercises 3-4 times.

3. "Hello, neighbor!"

From IP smoothly, turn your head all the way to the right, then to the left. Repeat 3-4 times. Important! Make sure that the spine is stretched during this exercise and the head is turned strictly horizontally.

4. "Floor-ceiling"

Great exercise! In addition to the neck muscles, we will also stretch the side surface of the body. So, while in IP, they put their hands clasped at the back of the head. Lower your chin to your chest as far as it will go, your hands apply slight pressure on the back of your head to maximize stretching of the neck muscles.

From this position, we turn our head to the side and up, trying to look at the ceiling. We feel how pleasantly the lateral muscles of the body stretch.

5. “And the neck is like a swan!”

Now we will try to make our neck as long as that of swans!

While in IP, we place our right hand on the left shoulder and pull the shoulder down.

From this position we move our head in a semicircle down to the chest, and then back and up.

We thoroughly stretch the lateral muscles of the neck.

6. Let's remember about the shoulders!

Since our head is on our shoulders, when stretching our neck we should also remember about them.

From the IP we simultaneously raise two shoulders as high as possible, towards the ears. Slowly squeeze your shoulders as low as possible. Repeat 5-7 times.

7. Bonus!

The following exercise develops the neck muscles well, training their flexibility and elasticity. But it’s better to do it at home; at least warn your work colleagues in advance what you will be doing now.

Sitting with a straight back, we begin to write numbers from 0 to 9 in the air with our charming nose. From the outside you will look mysterious, but later everyone will envy the contour of your face and the clarity of your jawline!

Have a pleasant and useful warm-up!

Do you have VSD? Panic attacks? Dizziness and fatigue? Or all of this at the same time? Pay attention to your neck. This may be the reason.

If you are tormented by headaches, tinnitus, dizziness, fatigue, black spots before your eyes and other problems with your body, then perhaps your neck muscles are very tight. In this article you will learn how to get rid of muscle tension in the neck and most importantly - how to do it safe and effective.

Why do you think the number of people suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia and, as a result, has increased so much recently? Moreover, these people are often quite young, and it is somehow inappropriate to talk about age-related changes.

I think you know the answer yourself. It's all to blame for our modern lifestyle. Computers and smartphones are the main “killers” of the neck and the cause of cervical osteochondrosis.

Look at today's youth - they walk down the street and endlessly stare at their smartphones and move as if on autopilot. What kind of neck can withstand such constant tension?

Or this constant sitting at the computer for many hours in a row. No cool and sophisticated computer chairs will help here. No wonder today they say that sitting for a long time is the new smoking. Immobilized muscles of the neck and shoulders compress blood vessels, causing fatigue, and can even cause damage to the central nervous system.

There is an established expression - “text neck”. And not only users of smartphones and tablets are susceptible to it, but also everyone who sits at a computer for a long time.

The second reason is, of course, a huge mass of various stresses that accumulate like a snowball. As a result, a person unconsciously tries to hide, pull his head into his shoulders, and close himself off from everything and everyone. The typical posture of such a person is that his shoulders are raised almost to his ears, his back is hunched, and his head, on the contrary, is thrown back.

All this leads to chronic stiffness of the neck muscles and corresponding symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis: headaches, dizziness, “whistle” in the ears, darkening of the eyes and other troubles.

Tight neck muscles and headaches, what should I do?

In my last article, I already told you what muscle tension is, where they come from and how to deal with them. There are also a lot of links to relevant articles and videos with exercises.

However, as for the neck muscles, we should talk about them in more detail, because this place is thin, and incorrect work with it is fraught with complications.

What you should know about the cervical spine

The main commandment of a healer is to do no harm! The same applies to the patient himself if he decides to work independently with his own body. If we talk about the neck, then this commandment must be multiplied by at least 10.

The authors of various methods for working with the neck can be divided into two opposing camps. Some advocate active torsion and rotation of the neck, stretching, massaging, and in the most gentle case - post-isometric relaxation, where no obvious movement is observed.

Others, on the contrary, argue that in no case should you turn your head around, and in general, not get into your own neck, but go urgently to the doctors, they say, they are smarter and know everything.

The truth, as always, is in the middle. Turning your head too actively, of course, is not useful, as is going to doctors, who do not all know exactly what they are talking about.

Since my blog is dedicated to independently finding solutions to life’s problems, here I will only consider self-help techniques when working with the cervical spine.

And the first thing you should definitely consider is instability of the cervical spine. So that you know, this is observed in the vast majority of people who have certain neck problems.

As you probably know, a person has a total of 7 cervical vertebrae. For most people, the first two on top and the last two on the bottom are usually pinched. In this case, most often the entire thoracic region is compressed (hence the stoop).

Tightness does not mean that the spine is jammed. The small deep muscles that connect the vertebrae are tightened. They are the ones who limit movement.

But somehow you have to turn your head! So we rotate our neck at the level of 3, 4 and 5 vertebrae. As a result, the following picture is observed: vertebrae 1, 2, 6 and 7 are squeezed, and vertebrae 3, 4 and 5 dangle between them as they please. This is called instability of the cervical spine.

The consequences of such instability are obvious - this is precisely what leads to many of the problems voiced at the beginning of the article. But the cervical arteries pass through these vertebrae. And any clamping is fraught with disruption of the blood supply to the brain, corresponding glitches, accelerated degradation and subsequent transformation into a stubborn fox.

What exercises should you do for cervical osteochondrosis?

What to do if your neck feels like it’s in shackles? So, returning to active exercises with the neck, including post-isometry, which is widespread today (this is when you rest your head on your palms and press on them, but your head remains in place) - don't do it randomly!

If your neck is unstable, then such exercises will simply lead to even more laxity. Do you need it? No, don't! Therefore, we do everything very carefully, slowly and in every possible way protecting our neck.

No sudden turns, bends or head twisting! This will not give you anything useful, it will only make the problem worse. Some authors recommend doing this slowly and lingering for a long time at the extreme points. This helps stretch tight muscles. But it's easy to overdo it and pull too hard. As a result, the muscles may spasm even more.

The best option is the same post-isometric exercises. But! Not with the forehead or the back of the head in the palm of your hand. It is not right! This way you can easily move the vertebrae using a “ladder”. If you hold your head from behind, then use your palms to hold the neck and the lower part of the back of the head, and not the back of the head itself. Then the vertebrae will not move.

In general, the most ideal exercise is not to rest your head on your hands at all, but simply lie on the floor and raise your head, fixate in this position for 10 - 15 seconds, then lower your head and relax. Lying on your side, you don’t have to move your head at all, just hold it straight for the same 10–15 seconds. Do each exercise 5 – 6 times. This is all!

In his book “Yoga. The Art of Communication” Viktor Boyko recommends doing this simple exercise to strengthen the neck muscles not for 10-15 seconds, but until an unpleasant sensation appears. As soon as it appears, you finish immediately.

You will be surprised that in a position on your back and sides you can quite normally hold your head up to 2 minutes or longer, but in a position lying on your back you can hardly hold out for more than 30 seconds. This indicates weakness in the anterior neck muscles. And since they are weak, the posterior muscles compensate for this weakness and therefore they are overextended.

Massage and kneading of neck muscles

In addition to exercises, you should also engage in self-massage of the neck muscles. There is nothing complicated here. The main rule is not to rush, do not press hard and do not rub like a washcloth in a bathhouse. Hands should be warm. Anyone knows how to do this. It would be good to lubricate your hands with any massage oil so as not to really rub the skin.

First, you should make light stroking movements with your hands from top to bottom, from the back of the head to the back and from the middle of the back to the shoulders. When the muscles warm up a little, you can begin to slowly knead them and push them with your fingers, still moving from top to bottom and from the center to the periphery.

The most tense muscles are the so-called short neck extensors. They take on the entire burden of holding the head. But the long extensors, which are actually supposed to do this work, are literally atrophied in most people. And, in addition, in these long extensors, and in the trapezius too, a large number of trigger points usually accumulate, which also need to be thoroughly massaged.

I talked about it best in my video. Anton Alekseev. I recommend!

Smooth posture against muscle tension in the neck

And finally, let's talk about straight posture. Everyone knows that this is right and necessary, but they still slouch. Vladimir Pavlukhin spoke very sensibly and clearly about the effect of stooping on the neck muscles in his book “Your Own Chiropractor.” Here's what he writes:

“... Very often the neck is placed in an extension position [When the head is thrown back. - approx. mine] occurs in people with a stooped posture (Figure c)

This becomes clear if you imagine the vertebrae in the form of cubes stacked in a column. If the lower cubes are moved in one direction, then to maintain balance the upper ones must also be moved - only in the opposite direction.

Approximately the same thing happens with the neck if there is an increased backbend (stoop) in the thoracic region. In order to keep the head in balance and bring the line of sight to the horizon level, our vestibular apparatus gives the command to “bend the neck.”

Consequently, in people with postural disorders, the neck is initially in the same position as in a person with normal posture, who raised his head and looked to the sky...”

You understand? Stooped people seem to be looking high up all the time. What kind of tension in the neck accumulates over time?! So you try to stand for at least 5 minutes with your head thrown back. In the best case, your neck will quickly get tired, or you may even get dizzy out of habit. And slouched people always have this posture. Always, Karl!!!

And how correctly he notes

Now you can imagine what will happen if a person with such a spine tries to do, say, aerobics and starts turning his head. Turns in such a neck will be carried out with all the ensuing consequences. Therefore, before treating your neck, pay attention to your posture.

conclusions

1. Before you begin any exercises to remove muscle tension from your neck, make sure that everything is in order with your posture. If not, go ahead and correct it, and only then take on the neck.
2. Not all neck exercises are created equal. Any head rotation, especially in a circle, is almost completely useless and even harmful. Don't do this!
3. Don't forget to stretch and massage your neck and trapezius muscles often. Often, ordinary self-massage with your hands or “rolling” with a tennis ball can significantly weaken or completely eliminate muscle tension in the neck.
4. Post-isometric exercises are useful, but they also need to be done wisely. The safest and most effective option is to lift and fix the head in a lying position on the stomach, back and sides. In this case, in a position on your side, it is enough to simply keep your head straight.

I hope this article helped you deal with muscle tension in your neck. Bookmark it so you don't forget it and share it on social networks.