Spinal canal stenosis of the cervical spine
Spinal canal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal. Usually, the narrowing occurs at an advanced age and is a consequence of remodelling measures of the spine due to disc instability. The wear and tear of the intervertebral discs increases the pressure on the vertebral bodies and bone processes are formed that constrict the spinal canal.
Congenital spinal canal stenosis is rarely present. Spinal canal stenosis of the cervical spine is manifested by increasing clumsiness of the hands. This is often accompanied by a feeling of numbness.
Inflammation of the cervical spine
An inflammatory event can also be a possible cause of shoulder neck pain. Here it can concern an inflammatory, rheumatic illness like the disease Bechterew. It mainly affects the spine and leads to stiffening of the joints. An inflammation of the bursae surrounding the shoulder joint can also cause pain, as the enlarged bursae cause muscles and tendons to become trapped under the bone. In addition, you may also have a bacterial inflammation of the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs.
Accompanying symptoms of shoulder neck pain
Pain that extends from the shoulder or neck into the arm quickly makes one think of nerve damage caused by a herniated disc. If there is also a reduction in strength in the arm, a doctor should be consulted quickly, since the nerve must be relieved as quickly as possible. However, much more often the cause of the pain is of a harmless nature.
Muscle tensions can very often lead to pain radiating into the arm. In addition, shoulder complaints, such as impingement, can also lead to pain radiating into the arm. In impingement syndrome, muscle tendons are trapped below the acromion.
Swallowing problems with shoulder neck pain
If the shoulder neck pain is also accompanied by difficulty swallowing, it may be Barre-Lieou syndrome. This is characterized by the pain radiating to the back of the head and may also lead to dizziness and impaired vision or hearing. Barre-Lieou syndrome is a disease of the cervical spine in which instability, e.g. due to rheumatic diseases, trauma to the cervical spine or wear and tear, can lead to irritation of nerves and possibly also to a narrowing of the basilar artery that runs to the head.
