Myositis of the neck in a child: symptoms and treatment

Does the child complain of a sharp pain in the neck and practically can not turn his head or tilt it? It is very likely that he has myositis. This disease does not have an age frame, both adults and children are equally affected. How to recognize myositis of the neck of a child and how to treat it, we will explain in this article.

Myositis is called acute inflammation of muscle tissue. Cervical myositis is an inflammatory process in the muscle tissue of the neck and shoulder girdle. Of all types of myositis, it is the cervical most common.

Most often, the disease develops almost immediately after exposure to the damaging factor, much less often since the onset of inflammation until the first symptoms appear, it takes several days.

Myositis in a child can be not only inflammatory, but also toxic, and autoimmune, and even traumatic. If one muscle is drawn into the painful process, they speak of local myositis, if several muscle groups are affected at once, it is a question of polio.

Myositis of the neck muscles in a child can be the result of an autoimmune disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis. More often, all the inflammation of the neck muscles develops as a result of the flu or ARVI, quite often the disease is a complication of enterovirus infection.

Inflammation of the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle can be caused by some parasites. Also, the cause may be the intoxication of the child after the SARS, after poisoning with something.

External causes are injuries and constant tension in the neck, as well as hypothermia, which occurs most often in children. Even a short stay in a draft is quite enough for a child to have a sore neck.

The constant tension of the neck and shoulder muscles is experienced by children who are professionally involved in sports, in particular, swimming, as well as children musicians. To overstretch neck muscles can lead to a long stay at the computer, watching TV in an uncomfortable position, as well as reading while lying down.

Much depends on the age of the child. A child of 6-7 years can quite easily tell his parents where and how he has pain, but kids up to 3 years old who are prone to ailment no less than the others will simply be capricious. It is important to consider the signs of the disease state in time and help the child.

The main symptoms of myositis is pain. It is almost constant, aggravated when making movements, many movements become limited, since attempts to turn the head or look upwards are accompanied by sharp sharp pain that prevents it from continuing.

An additional sign may be pain during palpation - if the mother tries to touch the baby's neck, the pussy will cry and complain when she touches the affected area. His appetite is disturbed, it becomes difficult for him to fall asleep, the temperature may rise.

The affected muscle itself becomes more rigid, tense.This is not difficult to notice, even with a visual inspection of the neck. An older child will be able to tell that the pain gives to the scapula, the back of the head, or the shoulder joint. The kid of this, naturally, cannot tell.

Quite often, children have an intense headache, it can be so strong that even jaw movements will be given with great difficulty, in this case the child will begin to refuse to eat.

One-sided myositis is most often observed, that is, only one part of the neck is affected.

The sooner the treatment of cervical myositis begins in a child, the sooner it will be possible to alleviate his condition and achieve positive results. The treatment should take into account three main areas:

• to numb
• immobilize;
• affect externally with a therapeutic effect.

This means that first you need to give the neck a stable position in which the child does not have to turn or tilt his head. If the house has a Schanz collar, you can use it to softly fix the neck. If such an orthopedic device is not available, you can put a warm wide scarf on your neck and gently fix the muscles in the least painful position.

The child must observe peace. It is best to lie quietly, because each movement will cause a new attack of pain. To reduce pain, pain relievers and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used.

Well-proven and physiotherapeutic methods of action that well complement the complex treatment - this is heating, electrophoresis, exercise therapy at the stage of recovery.

Therefore, first you need to choose painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Ibuprofen is used to reduce the temperature and partially relieve pain and inflammation. This drug is one of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and is allowed at any age if the age dosage is observed. Locally, the child can be applied to the skin over the inflamed muscle tissue ointment or solution based on camphor and menthol.

Specific drugs should choose a doctor, since many NSAIDs have age restrictions. They are also available in different forms, with severe myositis, muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed in the form of injections.

Ointments that have a warming effect cannot be applied only with purulent myositis, which is not so difficult to recognize - it is always accompanied by high fever, the skin over the affected muscle is hot and pulsating.

Such ointments as "Viprosal", "Vipratoks", as well as "Fastum gel" have the greatest efficiency, it is advisable to always have these tools in a home medicine chest.

Ointment well help with myositis, which arose from hypothermia. Toxic and autoimmune diseases of the cervical muscles require mandatory systemic anti-inflammatory drugs.

At the time of illness, it is important to eliminate from the diet of the child all fried, salty and spicy. Useful raw vegetables, because the abundance of fiber consumed helps to quickly get rid of toxins. The child needs to be given enough water to give at least 2 liters of water a day, and a freshly prepared decoction of rosehips will help to remove swelling in the neck.

A sore muscle or muscle group will recover more quickly if a child receives large amounts of polyunsaturated acids with food.To do this, in the child's diet, you must add salmon, chum salmon or tuna, as well as other fatty fish.

Gymnastics and massage are applied at the final stage of recovery, when severe pain was left behind. Exercises should be soft and gentle, the child should not do them through pain. Massage after myositis can be entrusted to a specialist, or you can do it yourself, as long as the child does not experience pain and does not notice deterioration after massage sessions. Deep kneading in the massage technique after muscle inflammation does not apply.

Prevention of myositis is the elimination of all risk factors that can trigger the disease. Do not allow your child to spend too much time on the computer, make sure that while he plays, watching cartoons or doing homework, he sits correctly and watches his posture.

The baby should have a comfortable pillow and bed. Too hard bed, as well as too soft, will only contribute to the violation of the functional arrangement of the spine, muscle tension and the development of myositis.

A child who engages in sports that do not require excessive loads is less susceptible to myositis than children who lead a sedentary lifestyle, and children who are engaged in professional strength sports.

Parents should promptly treat the child for colds and other diseases, to exclude the presence of the baby in drafts.

The nutrition of the child must be balanced, it must include products containing salicylates - beets, carrots, potatoes. Do not forget about the protein food necessary for healthy muscle tissue - it is meat, fish, milk, cottage cheese, poultry.

For myositis of the neck and back muscles, its symptoms, treatment and prevention, see the following video.