The neck hurts, the ears are blocked, the head is spinning. What does it mean

Modern man often experiences discomfort in the neck area, eye fatigue and mild headache are associated with lifestyle and computer work. The position, sitting for a long time, is not anatomically correct for a person. But if the symptoms are more pronounced - the neck hurts, the head is dizzy, the ears are blocked, then you should consult a doctor for advice. Writing off such a complex of problems only for sedentary work is not worth it.

Possible reasons

The neck hurts and the ears are blocked sometimes due to serious pathologies of the spine, blood vessels and brain activity. You should pay attention to them when the manifestations become more frequent and intense. It will not work to direct all efforts only to eliminate these and related symptoms (headache and dizziness, tinnitus). If the cause of the problem is not eliminated, the symptoms will reappear after a while.

Most often, after the examination, it turns out that the root cause of all symptoms is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. This is not a harmless disease that can rapidly progress and lead to irreversible pathologies of the spine (protrusion, hernia, neoplasm).

Neck pains can be accompanied by dizziness, sometimes lagging and noisy in the ears, loss of vision clarity. In this case, you need to contact a neurologist for examination and diagnosis of the primary disease.

Causes of headaches

It is necessary to record the frequency and intensity of headache attacks. If the head hurts against the background of stress or physical exertion, then when they are eliminated, the pain will also pass. However, if a symptom manifests itself with an enviable regularity 2 - 4 times a week, for no apparent reason, then you need consult a doctor, since taking painkillers will only temporarily eliminate the manifestation of anxiety symptom.

In women, severe headaches (migraines) can be associated with changes and disruptions in the hormonal cycle. Disorders can appear at any age and be accompanied by a very severe headache that cannot be relieved by conventional analgesics.

Frequent headaches that are accompanied by dizziness and nausea may indicate problems in the functioning of the brain and circulatory system.

Constant neck pain and discomfort

Neck pain of varying degrees of intensity can occur after physical exertion and finding the body in incorrect position (raised arms and shoulders, lowered or thrown back head, sharp turns of the head, vibration).

If, after prolonged rest in a lying position (6 - 8 hours), the symptoms do not disappear and appear constantly, a doctor's consultation is needed. Such dynamics testifies to the pathology of the spine or blood vessels that feed the brain. This may be a consequence of household microtrauma.

Such a symptom may be a signal of a sprain in the neck ligaments (the connective tissue that holds bones in an anatomical position). Stretching can be triggered by an injury or a sharp turn or tilt of the head.

Another reason is being in the wrong posture for a long time, for example, during long journeys or hours of work at the computer without interruptions. The symptom can be eliminated by light massage using an anesthetic cream (Voltaren, Menovazan, Diklak-gel).

Dizziness

When the head is constantly spinning and is accompanied by unsteadiness of gait, everything proceeds without a headache - these may be malfunctions of the vestibular apparatus or the functioning of the brain.

If you experience sudden dizziness with the presence of nausea, loss of visual acuity, you should immediately consult a doctor, as this may be the first signs of a stroke.

Violation of cerebral circulation and problems in the vessels of the neck can also provoke dizziness. During the acute phase of exacerbation of chronic diseases, an increase in temperature is possible, against the background of which dizziness manifests itself.

Congestion in the ears

The symptom may appear in one or two ears. The cause is most often a violation of blood supply or inflammation of the auditory nerve. The underlying cause may be an infectious disease with a high fever or osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.

It is impossible to eliminate such a symptom without treating the cause that provoked it. Traditional medicine recommends eliminating congestion with exercise, but exercise is dangerous if there is an inflammatory process in the middle ear or auditory nerve.

Numbness of the head and part of the face

An alarming symptom is numbness of the face and head with weakness, dizziness and neck pain. Such symptoms in combination accompany a stroke or other problems of cerebral circulation. If the numbness persists for more than 20-30 minutes, you should consult a doctor.

Noise in ears

Patients with this problem describe it as the "noise of pouring water" or "cricket chirping" that they constantly hear in the ear. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon: cervical osteochondrosis, impaired peripheral blood flow in the neck, inflammatory processes of the auditory nerve, problems with the vestibular apparatus.

Each of the reasons requires separate measures for elimination, and the treatment takes a long time.

Weakness and nausea

These symptoms can accompany neck and head pain, congestion in the ears, and dizziness. They can cause changes in intracranial pressure, a violation of the peripheral circulatory system in the neck.

Sleep disturbance

Sleep disruptions can occur against the background of chronic neck pain and be caused by the development of pathological processes in the cervical spine. Also, in women, such a symptom in combination with migraines and changes in the menstrual cycle indicates serious endocrine problems.

If sleep disruptions appear as an independent symptom, then you should change the daily routine and avoid stressful situations.

Feeling of constriction in the neck ("stiff neck")

This symptom can appear after prolonged work at the computer or with a sudden, sharp turn of the head (reaction to a loud, unexpected noise or shout). This often happens in patients who quickly turned their heads with their hands raised up (on a horizontal bar, in a garden, during repairs).

This indicates a spasm of the neck muscles. You can eliminate such a symptom with the help of self-massage or rubbing in a warming cream. After the procedure, you need to rest in a lying position on a low pillow for 6 - 8 hours.

If a stiff neck accompanies a person for several days against a background of headache and dizziness, then the reason is most likely is an exacerbation of degenerative processes in the cervical spine (osteochondrosis, protrusion and hernia of intervertebral disks). To determine the extent of the pathology, it is recommended to consult a neurologist and do an MRI.

All of the above symptoms can manifest themselves individually or in groups, with a sudden complex manifestation you should consult a neurologist to exclude or confirm the development of an intervertebral hernia in the cervical spine spine. With this diagnosis, treatment requires complex therapy, without exercise, and sometimes surgery.

Possible causes of neck pain and congestion in the ears:

Cause	What provokes a symptom of pain
Hypertension (systematic increase in blood pressure)	blood pressure rises, blood flow accelerates, which leads to pain in the neck, head, eyes; dizziness and tinnitus, anxiety, nausea are possible.
Stress (nervous strain)	there is a failure in the nervous and endocrine systems of the body, which can provoke headaches, panic, phantom pains in the limbs and neck, often one ear is blocked (reaction of the auditory nerve).
Overwork	after heavy physical exertion or many hours of monotonous work, there is pain in the neck, shoulders, back of the head, pressure on the eyes from the inside, noise and congestion in the ears, dizziness, weakness.
Spondylosis	chronic pain in the neck, which in the evening turns into pain in the back of the head, in the eyes, noise and congestion in the ears.
Occipital neuralgia	constant aching pain in the neck, back of the head and ears, which is sharply worse when coughing, sneezing or turning the head.
Migraine	severe throbbing pain that occurs in the back of the head, and after a couple of hours spreads to the neck, shoulders, eyes and ears, is not relieved by simple analgesics, lasts 5-6 hours.

Neck pain, dizziness, unsteadiness of gait, noise and congestion in the ears were previously diagnosed in older people, as a result of the development of chronic diseases (hypertension, osteochondrosis and etc.). Today, this set of symptoms is seen in young people and even adolescents. The main reason for the onset of symptoms at an early age is an inappropriate lifestyle.

This is primarily due to continuous work on the computer, incorrect posture and daily routine. If you change the hours of work on the computer, as a rest, to computer games, then the body will not feel the difference and will enter into a state of stress and overexertion.

How to identify the problem

The neck hurts and the ears are blocked sometimes with incorrect posture and a long stay in one position. At best, these symptoms will disappear on their own after rest, but most often they signal the development of serious pathologies.

If you experience pain and discomfort in your ears or eyes that do not pass for more than a day, you should not make a diagnosis yourself. The doctor not only asks the patient about the symptoms and conducts a visual examination, he also prescribes a series of studies and analyzes that help him complete the clinical picture.

The first link in establishing a diagnosis is the therapist, who, according to the symptoms seen, will coordinate the patient to visit a neurologist, ENT or cardiologist.

To compose a clinical picture, they are prescribed:

• radiography - allows you to see the state of bones and vertebrae, their position and displacement;
• Ultrasound - allows you to determine the degree of deformation of the discs in the spine and the condition and defects of the blood vessels in the neck;
• MRI - to date, the study provides the most complete information about the state of bone and muscle tissue in the cervical spine and reveals deformities and abnormalities in the bloodstream.

  

Sometimes an audiologic examination may be ordered for a complete picture to assess the degree of hearing loss in each ear.

In addition to studies, a blood test is prescribed, which can determine the presence of an acute inflammatory process in the body. If cardiac abnormalities are suspected of the underlying cause, then a cardiogram or ultrasound of the heart is prescribed.

The main ways to eliminate symptoms

Neck hurts and ears are blocked sometimes under stress. With such complaints, the doctor will definitely conduct a survey about the person's lifestyle and prescribe diagnostic measures (the set of standard procedures is described above in the article). Only after discovering the root cause of the onset of pain, he will prescribe complex therapy.

What is used to treat neck pain:

• drugs are, as a rule, a group of drugs for the complex relief of symptoms;
• physiotherapy;
• physiotherapy;
• traditional medicine methods.

A detailed description of each treatment method is described below in the article.

Drug therapy

Everyone wants to solve the problem of the discomfort that has arisen quickly - to take pills and get rid of the symptoms. Neck pain, ear congestion, dizziness, and other unpleasant symptoms can be addressed with medication. However, treatment will not be limited to a single dose of drugs, but will require a course of taking a group of drugs.

To speed up the resolution of the problem, it is recommended to start with parenteral administration of drugs in a hospital setting, and then switch to daily pills at home. The complex of drugs is selected depending on the initial disease. For example, in case of cerebrospinal fluid or arterial hypertension, antihypertensive drugs are necessarily prescribed. Medicines are also prescribed that stimulate the metabolism in neurons and regulate blood flow.

Preparations from which the complex therapy is composed:

• antiplatelet agents (drugs that lower blood viscosity and facilitate blood flow) - Magnikor, Cardiomagnet, Aspirin;
• diuretics (to reduce intracranial and blood pressure) - Diacarb, Spironalokton, Furasemide;
• cerebral circulation correctors - Cinnarizin, Stugezin, Arlevert, Betagis, Avertid;
• tonic venous outflow - Detralex, Avenue, Venorm, Venosmin;
• notropes (stimulate the work of neurotransmitters) - Piracetam, Deanol, Citicoline, Oxiracetam, Acetylcarnitine, Mebikar;
• NSAIDs (relieve pain and eliminate the inflammatory process) - Hofen, Neurodiclovit, Bolran, Diclofenac, Algezikam, Brexin, Brufen;
• analgesics - Amigren, Kombispazm, Analgin, Solpadein, Panadol, Sedalgin;
• muscle relaxants (relax muscle spasms) - Baclofen, Midocalm, Midostad Combi, Structum, Tizalud.

To increase the effectiveness of treatment, after 3 - 5 days, physiotherapy is connected (before using them, it is necessary to remove the severity of the process).

Physiotherapy

• Ultrasound therapy - ultrasound waves are able to penetrate deep into human tissues, they reach muscles and nerve endings, which are hidden far from the surface of the skin, in addition, these waves are good conductors of medical drugs. Usually, using ultrasound, ointments are used that have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect. Thanks to ultrasound (which in itself is able to regulate blood circulation in the damaged area), the active substances of the drug pass through the skin and reach the focus of the inflammatory process. The device works silently, and the patient does not feel any impact, except for the touch of the handle of the ultrasound machine on the skin.
• Shockwave therapy - with the help of acoustic waves, the process of normalization of blood flow in the neck and restoration of metabolic processes takes place, the spasmodic muscles relax. During the manipulation, a light, fractional tapping is felt in the area of ​​contact of the apparatus with the skin and sound vibrations are heard.
• Electrophoresis - with the help of small current discharges, the blood flow in the affected area is activated. Discharges are an excellent conductor of drugs, therefore electrophoresis is prescribed during the acute phase with novocaine, which effectively relieves pain. Later, NSAIDs are introduced into therapy, which relieve inflammation. The effect of drugs and physiotherapy is local and painless.
• Magnetotherapy - magnetic waves penetrate the skin and help to relax spasmodic muscles. The use of magnetic waves is reminiscent of the effect of a deep, gentle massage. It has a positive effect on the elimination of inflammation in cartilage and bone tissue. The patient does not feel the effect of the magnet, except for a weak heat in the area of ​​contact with the skin (the device heats up slightly during the procedure, which lasts 20 - 40 minutes).
• Acupuncture - thin needles are inserted deep into the skin at certain points where the nerve endings are located. The manipulation is designed to improve blood flow in the focus of the problem and relieve pain.

Massage and manual therapy are special types of physiotherapy. However, doctors recommend courses of procedures only in a state of remission. When carrying out activities during the acute phase, sharp deterioration of the condition is possible.

Physiotherapy

Exercise complexes are aimed at relieving muscle spasm and eliminating clamps in the spine. At the same time, the pace of exercise and the amplitude of head movement are strictly regulated so as not to aggravate the problem. With the right exercises, you can align the position of the vertebrae, which will relieve compression on the nerves and muscles.

The basic rule of exercise therapy for cervical osteochondrosis and the development of more serious pathologies is to perform movements smoothly and slowly, not to bring to the appearance of sharp pain. The appearance of pain is a signal to stop therapeutic exercises.

Traditional medicine tips and methods

All the recipes offered by the healers are made up of natural ingredients that gently regulate the processes in the body. Herbalist recipes can be used in parallel with a course of medications and physiotherapy.

A selection of recipes to relieve neck pain, dizziness and ear congestion:

Recipe name	Description	Action
Lemon infusion	you need to grind 1 lemon with peel and 4 - 5 cloves of garlic in a blender, pour boiling water (0.5 l), leave overnight and take 3 tbsp. before meals during the day, store in the refrigerator.	works as a venotonic and blood thinner
Clover infusion	dry clover inflorescences need to be chopped and 2 tsp. mix powder with 100 ml of vodka or alcohol, leave the mixture for 10 days, strain and take 2 tsp. daily.	cleans blood vessels, normalizes blood pressure, eliminates dizziness and congestion in the ears
Propolis compresses	40 g of dry crushed propolis must be infused in 100 ml of alcohol for 10 days, then the mixture strain and mix with 50 ml of vegetable oil, use the solution for compresses on the neck and turunda in ears.	improves blood circulation in the area of ​​contact with the skin, has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects

All traditional medicine recipes do not exclude drug treatment and are effective during remission, when there is no acute pain syndrome.

Possible consequences and complications

The neck hurts and the ears are blocked, which causes discomfort, but does not cause anxiety about the state of health, sometimes with serious pathologies. Only when the process begins to overgrow with new symptoms and bother every day, the patient turns to the doctor for help. However, noise and congestion in the ears, headache and discomfort in the neck can be harbingers of the development of serious vascular or spinal pathologies.

If the pain and congestion in the ears do not go away on their own after many hours of rest, you should worry about the causes of their occurrence. The development of protrusions and hernias of intervertebral discs should be detected at an early stage and try to stop the development of pathology.

With the occurrence of hernias in the cervical spine and the absence of their treatment, the symptoms will increase and be supplemented by new problems. First of all, establishing a diagnosis will require changes in habits and lifestyle in general.

Prevention of complications

To avoid the development of complications at the first signs of pain and discomfort in the neck, it is necessary to change your lifestyle.

Rules for exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:

• never throw your head back while sitting or standing;
• if the pain is localized on one side, do not turn or tilt your head in this direction (all the more, do circular movements and tilts during an exacerbation);
• when lifting weights (more than 6 kg), it is necessary to spring on bent legs and not tilt your head down;
• when reading, do not tilt your head down while sitting; if possible, it is better to read lying on your back or raise the text to eye level;
• switch to using a bolster or low, dense pillow when you sleep at night.

These simple rules will help you go through the period of exacerbation of the disease most painlessly and not provoke the appearance of new unpleasant symptoms.

What factors can lead to an exacerbation:

• alcohol and smoking;
• uncontrolled consumption of coffee;
• constant violation of the sleep-wake regime;
• pathology of the heart and kidneys;
• incorrect anatomical position of the body for a long time.

Such a mode of life is capable of nullifying all courses of therapy. Therefore, it is worth revising your life schedule - walking more, sleeping about 8 hours a day, drinking water. These simple techniques can clear up ear congestion if it is caused by impaired blood flow. To eliminate neck pain, it is recommended to perform a simple set of exercise therapy exercises once a day.

When a person has a neck ache, dizzy, weakness and obstructed ears - these are far from harmless symptoms that can be ignored. This can manifest as normal physical fatigue, but if the discomfort persists and the intensity of the symptoms increases, you should see a doctor to determine the root cause of the problems.

Video about the causes of ear congestion

Why ears are stuffed up: