Symptoms and treatment of myositis of the cervical and back muscles
The inflammatory process that occurs in skeletal muscles is called myositis . It is caused by both external and internal factors. Quite often, its development is provoked by past infections, flu, and sore throat. Myositis can be caused by various injuries or excessive muscle strain. In addition, the disease can be triggered by severe hypothermia, stress, as well as prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position.
Often myositis of the back muscles is the cause of lower back pain, and myositis of the neck involves inflammation of the cervical and shoulder girdle. Even a healthy person can sooner or later encounter this disease, for example, after spending a long time in a draft.
What are the symptoms of myositis?
Most often, the symptoms of this disease make themselves felt in the morning, since the muscles swell overnight, which leads to a reflex spasm. If the cause of myositis is an injury, then the developed disease can make itself known only two days after the injury. Myositis of the cervical muscles is manifested by pain in the occipital-lateral part and pain in the shoulder. If cervical myositis affects more organs, pain can even reach the fingertips. Moreover, if the hand is in one position for a long time, it becomes numb.
Symptoms of spinal myositis are pain in the lower back, as well as tightness of the lumbar muscles, which is clearly noticeable when palpated. Feeling the muscles causes pain. Those who constantly complain of lower back pain often have complaints of joint pain.
How to treat myositis?
Myositis belongs to the category of diseases with exacerbations. There is no constant pain with it. It has two stages - acute and chronic. If the acute stage is not treated, over time the disease develops into a chronic form, during which it manifests itself, worsening during weather changes. The chronic stage of myositis can occur not only due to an untreated acute attack of myositis, but also due to previous infectious diseases. For this reason, the patient does not immediately realize that he has developed myositis, but only after the first manifestations of this disease. Acute myositis results from local muscle dysfunction.
Diagnosing myositis is not so easy, since it manifests itself only during periods of exacerbation. As soon as a person feels a sharp pain in the back or neck, it is advisable to immediately contact a specialist to confirm or refute the diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment. Treatment of this disease is based on recovery from infection, proper load distribution, exercise, and rational rest. The first stage of treatment is to identify the cause of inflammation. After establishing the cause, the doctor prescribes special medications, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics. In addition, special warming ointments are prescribed. In case of exacerbation of the disease, bed rest is recommended, especially if we are talking about spinal myositis, for which non-steroidal painkillers are prescribed.
The effectiveness of treatment for this disease is determined by a set of measures taken in addition to medications. This includes physiotherapy and special therapeutic physical education. However, one should not lose sight of the fact that with severe myositis, any physical activity is prohibited. If the temperature rises due to an exacerbation of the disease, it is necessary to take an antipyretic drug. If myositis of the back or neck is caused by purulent inflammation, you must urgently consult a surgeon, as it may be necessary to remove the pus. It is worth noting that massage for purulent myositis is prohibited.
Each type of myositis has its own characteristics. Each of them can be treated quite easily, the main thing is to take action in time, immediately after the first symptoms appear. Treatment of cervical myositis involves maximum possible rest, rubbing with a warming ointment, and taking anti-inflammatory drugs. The best effect is achieved by novocaine blockade, that is, injecting the affected area with a mixture of corticosteroid hormone and novocaine. This treatment is only applicable if the patient has no contraindications. Another type of effective treatment is ligament and muscle traction. This is a relatively new treatment method used in manual therapy, but gives good results.
Since myositis of the spinal or cervical muscles is not so easy to determine, in order to avoid getting sick, it is better to follow simple recommendations, for example, avoid hypothermia, do exercises, choose comfortable positions, and do not stay in one position for a long time. This way you can avoid this disease and the complications associated with it.
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How to relieve muscle pain with myositis
Home / About the problem / How to relieve muscle pain with myositis
Chronic pain
Myositis is an inflammation of the muscles that occurs as a result of injury, excessive exercise, infection and a number of other reasons.
Causes of myositis
One of the common causes of myositis is overexertion during significant or monotonous muscle load. This is why athletes and office workers so often suffer from inflammation of one or another muscle group. The former often neglect precautions during training, the latter spend their working day in monotonous static positions, when the same muscle group is subjected to tension for a long time.
A provoking factor for the development of myositis can be hypothermia, caused, for example, by drafts1. Therefore, the disease often begins in the off-season, when the weather is deceptive.
How does myositis manifest?
The main symptom of myositis is local muscle pain, less often - general pain, which patients describe as “ache in the whole body”2. As a rule, the pain is acute, “shooting” in nature. For example, with cervical myositis it can radiate to the back of the head, forehead, and shoulders. The pain intensifies at night or when the weather changes.
Pain during myositis can be spontaneous, when the muscles “ache” all the time, or can intensify with movement or touch. The areas of muscle where they attach to the bones are especially painful. Often in the area of inflammation, the muscles are tense, stiff, swelling may appear and the temperature may rise.
As a consequence of the development of inflammation, restrictions on mobility occur. Depending on the location of myositis, it may be difficult for a person to turn his neck, bend over, or turn around.
Treatment of myositis
Myositis caused by hypothermia or minor injury is not a dangerous disease. However, its symptoms are easily confused with those of more severe ailments, which are also accompanied by muscle pain. In addition, untreated myositis can become chronic. Therefore, if you suspect myositis, you should not treat it at home, but rather consult a doctor immediately. Only he will be able to differentiate the disease and establish the exact cause of the pain.
Therapy for myositis is usually comprehensive and is aimed at relieving the symptoms of inflammation and reducing pain. Treatment includes medications, physiotherapy, and massage. As additional medications for myositis, local non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used - ointments, creams, gels, which effectively relieve pain and fight inflammation.
One of these drugs is Aertal® cream. It suppresses the development of edema and erythema, regardless of the etiology of inflammation, relieves local pain, and reduces inflammation. The active ingredient of the cream is aceclofenac, which has proven itself as an effective analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug.
Airtal® cream has established clinical effectiveness, which is complemented by good tolerability. Apply Aertal® cream three times a day. It should be applied to the affected area with gentle massaging movements.
_____________________________________ 1 Khabirov F.A., Khabirov R.A. Muscle pain. Kazan: 1995. P. 75.2 Mazurov V.I. Clinical rheumatology, 2005. pp. 377–385. 3 AIRTAL® (AIRTAL®) instructions for use.
About the cream
Airtal® cream has anti-inflammatory, analgesic and anti-edematous effects.
Injuries
Country injuries: protective measures and first aid
Where does it hurt?
What is the difference between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory ointments, creams, and gels?
Why does your back hurt? How to treat it correctly and how it can cause harm
85% of people complain of back pain. How to treat it correctly and is it possible to get rid of pain once and for all?
The head of the neurosurgical department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Scientific spine” says that the spine is increasing, existing spinal problems are getting stronger, and stress, anxiety, obesity, overload, and a sedentary lifestyle aggravate the existing problems - and back pain can occur even at an early age.
Attention patients! The Neurosurgical Department of the Scientific Center for Neurology performs endoscopic operations for herniated intervertebral discs. Consultation with a neurosurgeon on the day of treatment (if there is a medical recommendation). For details please contact tel. +7 (495) 374-77-76 or leave a request
What hurts there?
The vast majority (about 95%) of pain is associated with muscles, ligaments and joints. This is popularly called a back strain. These pains are unpleasant, but not dangerous and in most cases go away on their own within 2-3 days.
3–4% of pain is associated with radiculopathy (radiculitis) – damage to the spinal root. It is usually damaged by a hernia. The pain disappears when the swelling caused by the compression goes away.
1–2% of back pain is caused by injuries or inflammatory diseases of the spine, oncological processes, diseases of the cardiovascular system or gastrointestinal tract, in which the pain syndrome can spread to the back. This is the most dangerous type of back pain. To exclude such pathologies, be sure to consult a doctor.
You can't hesitate
The main indicator that you need medical attention is the regularity of pain. If you get cramped from time to time, there is most likely nothing to worry about. If pain of low or moderate intensity haunts you relentlessly, you should not hesitate. It is necessary to urgently consult a doctor if the pain is accompanied by a rise in temperature or the pain syndrome increases during treatment.
At home
The most effective remedy is oral anti-inflammatory drugs. Just don’t overdo it – they are only safe the first time. When taken for a long time, such drugs can cause ulcers and bleeding in the gastric mucosa. Traditional home treatment - non-steroidal ointments - can only be used as an additional measure. They are harmless, but ineffective. Wearing a corset also provides relief - the fixation relieves the spine, relieves spasms and limits sudden movements. Only the corset should be ordinary - elastic, and not warming.
If the treatment does not have an effect within three days, you should consult a doctor who will administer a blockade with anti-inflammatory injections. By relieving spasms and relaxing muscles, the pain goes away immediately and often forever.
Forbidden!
Baths and massages are strictly prohibited. They increase swelling and pain.
Contact chiropractors through advertisements in the newspaper. Manual therapy is an area where for every specialist there are three hundred charlatans. If you really want to find a good doctor, you should contact certified clinics where certified specialists work.
It is important to immediately determine the correct treatment tactics. This should be done by a neurologist or neurosurgeon. Treating your back on your own is dangerous. 30% of patients in the neurosurgical department tried home treatment methods and ended up in a hospital bed.
To cut or not?
Until recently, a person who was diagnosed with a hernia was immediately given a referral for surgery. Today, the operation is performed only if there are indications:
- persistent pain that cannot be relieved by any pills;
- pelvic dysfunction – incomplete emptying of the bladder;
- weakness and numbness in the leg.
All these symptoms make surgery inevitable, because without it the patient may become disabled.
What are we risking?
The risk of surgery, due to which it is postponed or refused altogether, is considered by many patients to be greatly exaggerated. In neurosurgery, there are technologies that make it possible to accurately calculate the effectiveness of the operation and which symptoms will disappear after it and which will remain.
The likelihood of pain returning after surgery does not exceed 1–1.5%. Hernias in other places can indeed appear, but this is not a complication, but a spread of the disease, which is often found in young, undisciplined patients. As soon as the pain goes away, they return to their usual lifestyle: drive, resume training. But this is absolutely impossible to do.
Is osteochondrosis to blame for everything?
Osteochondrosis is a chronic degenerative-dystrophic change in the intervertebral space.
All people over 25 years old have signs of osteochondrosis. It is impossible to avoid osteochondrosis, but you can protect yourself from its complications, which are the cause of back pain. Article from the newspaper: AiF Health No. 52 12/25/2017