“Lumbago” is not a diagnosis, but the description of a severe, usually stabbing pain of the spine with the surrounding muscles and can occur either in the lumbar or neck area. Lumbago in the neck is also known as cervical pain, cervicobrachialgia, neck shot or torticollis.
Cause for lumbago
Lumbago is caused by nerves that supply the spine and the corresponding muscles becoming trapped, damaged or irritated and causing pain as a result. Apart from the pain, affected persons complain about a stiff neck. The range of movement of the head to all sides can be either moderately to severely restricted, only under extreme pain aggravation or even completely impossible.
Especially often, lumbago is caused by sudden dislocations or twisting movements. In the neck area, this can happen, for example, if you turn your head to the side with a jerk. A fall or acute overloading, such as lifting an object that is too heavy, can also cause lumbago.
Apart from these rather banal reasons, there are also worse diseases that go hand in hand with lumbago. These include tumor diseases or herniated discs in the neck area, among others. Factors that favor the development of lumbago in the neck are If you counteract these risks, you also reduce the risk of suffering from lumbago.
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- Overweight (due to the additional strain on the spine),
- Lack of exercise,
- Bad posture,
- Cramps,
- Leg length difference or
- Stress.
- Causes of lumbago
The characteristic symptoms of lumbago in the neck are the acute, enormous pain in the neck area along the spine. Typically, this is accompanied by a restriction of movement. This often happens after a jerky, unaccustomed movement in this area of the spine.
Affected persons then feel a stiffness in the neck and cannot move the neck out of a certain position. In most cases this is not dangerous and subsides significantly within 2 days. However, there are also some sudden symptoms that are not compatible with a simple lumbago and should alert the affected person to seek immediate medical attention: Numbness around the buttocks or genitals, difficulty holding urine or stools, difficulty passing urine, increased temperature, chest pain, vomiting, loss of consciousness, swelling or deformation above the pain point, or occurrence of the symptoms after an accident.
