Why is it so important for parents to pay attention to pain in the cervical region in children? Most often, such pain indicates the presence of serious problems. If a child’s neck hurts, he should be shown to a doctor to exclude dangerous diseases. The pediatrician will conduct an examination and issue a referral to a qualified specialist: surgeon, traumatologist, neurologist, orthopedist, otolaryngologist or infectious disease specialist.
Pain in the neck can prevent the baby from tilting or turning its head. The pain is often accompanied by lumbago in the vertebrae, heaviness in the head, tingling in the shoulder joints, numbness of the limbs, general weakness. The reasons for this are many, and only a competent specialist can make the correct diagnosis. However, parents should be aware of the origin of the pain and be able to help their baby.
Why does the child have a sore neck (causes)?
- Improper posture. Curvature of the spine and pain in the neck arise due to a sedentary image of children, unwillingness to perform exercises, insufficient physical exertion. Throbbing pains in the back of the head can occur due to the wrong pillow or mattress on which the baby is sleeping.
- Minor injuries. Impacts while running and outdoor games, bruises when falling from a tree, swing, bicycle are the most common causes of neck pain in children.
- Weight lifting. Too heavy a portfolio, a satchel, a bag keep the fragile muscles of children's shoulders and neck in constant tension. This leads to aching discomfort in these areas.
- Muscle spasm. The child may wake up with severe pain on one side of the neck. His muscles in this area will be significantly stretched and very sensitive. Most often, a spasm occurs due to sitting on a draft or being in the same position for a long time (behind a TV or computer).
- Inflammation of the lymph nodes. In this case, the child complains of sudden backache in the vertebrae, ear pain, sore throat. Possible increase in temperature.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. Despite the belief of many that this disease is characteristic only of older people, it can also affect a small child. In addition to neck pain, fever, fatigue, and joint inflammation may occur.
- Meningitis. This infectious disease is especially dangerous for the smallest. A doctor should be consulted immediately if neck pain is accompanied by vomiting, fever, fontanel swelling, loss of consciousness, seizures. It is usually not possible to touch the baby’s chest due to intense muscle tension. If meningitis cannot be cured in time, an irreversible impairment of brain function may occur or death may occur.
- Torticollis. This is a painful condition in which the child’s head is constantly in an inclined position. Torticollis is accompanied by soreness and muscle tension on one side of the neck. In this case, the facial muscles on the other hand are constantly stretched and lengthened. If before 10 years of age torticollis cannot be cured, the child's face can acquire asymmetric features. (More on crankshaft…)
In more rare cases, the causes of neck pain in a child can be: side effects from taking certain medications, abnormal development of the vertebrae, cerebral palsy, stress, complication of tonsillitis, pneumonia, flu, chickenpox, polio.
Treatment of neck pain in children
First of all, it is necessary to exclude serious diseases. In addition, parents should find out what kind of injury the baby might have. If the pain is severe, you can give your child painkillers for children. If the cause was an injury, the neck should be immobilized as much as possible.
How to treat acute neck pain?
Pressure on pain points: you need to press with your fingers for a few minutes to the places where it hurts (this relieves muscle tension).
In the first hours after the child’s complaint, ice wrapped in a diaper or a cold compress should be applied to the neck for a short time. After removing the inflammation, warm the sore spot with a hot water heater, you can use a hot shower. A warm compress done at night will help reduce pain. It is necessary to moisten a cotton pad with vodka or alcohol, apply it to a sore spot, cover it with a bag or oilcloth and tie it with a warm scarf.
You can purchase a special collar made of foam materials, which should be selected exactly in size. It will help relieve unnecessarily tense muscles and ease the condition of the child. Apart from heating pads, warming rubbing should be used, using pharmacy products intended for children for them. If the child does not have allergies, it is useful to make lotions with chamomile infusion.
A few more ways to relieve neck pain:
- lubricate the neck with various warming ointments;
- you can rub the sore spot with ordinary olive oil.
With crank, curvature of the spine, muscle spasm, the doctor can prescribe a therapeutic massage on the neck of the child, upper back and shoulders. If the parents have not undergone special training, it is better to entrust this procedure to a specialist. Massage goes well with therapeutic exercises. Effective exercises in the water.
Neck pain prevention
In order not to ask the question of what to do when the child’s neck hurts, parents should prevent the onset of pain. To do this:
- check the baby’s bed especially the mattress and a pillow: it is best to choose orthopedic ones that relieve muscle tension;
- choose a chair with a high and strong back, in which the child will be able to rest against the entire spine;
- watch how the child holds his head. It is necessary that its crown is always directed upwards;
- check the student’s portfolio, removing unnecessary things to make it easier to wear;
- include fatty fish in the child’s weekly diet, a natural anti-inflammatory agent.
- Perform special exercises with your child to maintain posture.
