Cervical Spine Syndrome

Cervical spine syndrome (thesaurus synonyms: Acute cervical spine syndrome; Acute cervical spine syndrome with block; C7 syndrome; C8 syndrome; Cervicalgia; Cervical syndrome; Cervical complaints; Cervical pain; Cervical shoulder syndrome; Cervical spine syndrome; Cervical spine syndrome with block; Craniovertebral syndrome; Muscular cervical syndrome; Musculotendinous cervical syndrome; Neck pain; Neck pain a. n.k. ; cervical spine pain; shoulder-arm syndrome; sensitive C6-C8 syndrome; sensitive C6 syndrome; cervical spine pain; cervical spine root irritation; cephalic cervical syndrome; cervicago; cervical pain syndrome; cervical vertebral syndrome; cervical root irritation syndrome; cervical root syndrome; cervical root irritation; cervicalgia; cervical neuralgia; cervical syndrome; cervicobrachial syndrome; cervicogenic headache; cervicocranial syndrome; cervicocephalic syndrome; cervicocephalgia; ICD-10-GM M53. 0: Cervicocephalic syndrome; ICD-10-GM M54.2: Cervical neuralgia) refers to complaints that originate in or affect the cervical spine. The complaints may present as unpleasant pain and sometimes also as functional disorders in the cervical and neck region.

The cervical spine syndrome can be classified as follows:

According to localization

  • Upper cervical spine syndrome
  • Lower cervical spine syndrome

After the radiation of pain

  • Local
  • Pseudoradicular
  • Radicular – pain originating from a nerve root.

According to the cause

  • Functional cervical spine syndrome due to poor posture.
  • Degenerative cervical spine syndrome due to wear and tear
  • Post-traumatic cervical spine syndrome due to an injury, accident, etc.

After the course

  • Acute – 0-3 weeks existing
  • Subacute – 4-12 weeks existing
  • Chronic – persisting for more than 12 weeks

Sex ratio: women are more often affected than men.

The lifetime prevalence (disease frequency throughout life) of chronic cervical spine complaints is up to 70%, although it is higher in North America as well as Scandinavian countries than in other countries. Point prevalence is up to 15%.

Course and prognosis: The underlying disease determines both the course and prognosis of cervical spine syndrome. Neck pain often improves spontaneously, but tends to be recurrent (recurring).

Various therapeutic measures are available. Analgesics are used to relieve pain, NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are used to reduce inflammation, and muscle relaxants are used to relieve myalgias (muscle pain; tense/cramped shoulder-neck muscles). In addition to pharmacotherapy (drug therapy), physiotherapy (physical therapy), massages, thermotherapy (heat therapy) or balneotherapy (therapeutic use of baths) are recommended above all. These procedures are mainly used for muscle relaxation. Furthermore, medical muscle strengthening therapy (MST) is required for targeted muscle building.

Warning signs of a dangerous / complicated course in neck pain are neurological deficits, impaired consciousness, trauma (injuries), malignant (malignant) disease in the history, osteoporosis (bone loss) and long-term medication with glucocorticoids.

Comorbidities (accompanying conditions): neck pain is increasingly associated with chronic stress, anxiety, and depression.