Neck pain and cold
Neck pain can also occur as an accompanying symptom of a cold. The cause can be inflamed sinuses, which can be very painful and can radiate not only from the forehead but also from the back of the head and neck. In a severe cold, the ears are often dense or painful in addition to the nose and sinuses.
All of these factors together can also cause the pain to spread to the back of the neck. Flu-like infections can lead to headaches and muscle aches even without a cold. Since the cervical vertebrae are occupied by neck muscles, the muscle pain often only in arms and legs can also occur here.
If you have a cold, you can prevent neck pain by trying to keep your nose and sinuses clear. Nasal spray as well as inhalation with salt water vapour helps here. If you suffer from neck pain of any kind, you should avoid wearing a neck brace or other fixation measures.
An exception is neck pain directly after an accident. Until an appropriate diagnosis has been made, a neck brace should not be worn. Late treatment after whiplash injury should also be carried out without a neck brace, as this can quickly lead to muscle regression in the area of the cervical spine.
Occasionally, neck pain occurs together with migraine attacks. Either the migraine or the painful neck may be the first to occur, as both can be mutually dependent. The exact causes of this are not yet finally clarified.
In the case of pain in the head and neck area, the trigeminal nerve, an important cranial nerve, is also irritated. This represents a kind of connection between the brain and various structures of the head. This can cause additional pain. You can find detailed information under: Migraine
Neck pain and cycling
Neck pain can occur during all everyday movements. In all activities where the cervical spine is held in one position very rigidly and for a long time, tension can occur in the area of the vertebral bodies. When riding a bicycle, the upper body is often brought into a forward bent position, while the head and cervical spine are stretched to look forward.
For a short time, this position will not cause any discomfort. During long or regular cycling tours, however, the corresponding complaints will increasingly occur if not enough loosening exercises and breaks are taken. There are special saddles that make it possible to maintain a halfway straight position of the back while cycling, which not only relieves the cervical spine but also the entire spine. The same applies to swimming. In breaststroke, the head is similarly unphysiologically kept out of the water, which leads to increased muscular strain.But backstroke swimming relieves the spine.
