What are the symptoms of acute cervical sprain? How to treat it?

In life, people will inevitably suffer from cervical sprain when they exercise excessively or sit incorrectly. Generally speaking, after an acute cervical sprain occurs, the common symptoms are mainly the following.

Clinical manifestations of acute cervical sprain:

Most cases are unilateral and are slightly more common in males than in females. The main symptoms are neck pain and limited movement, which may be needle-like pain in mild cases or knife-like or tearing pain in severe cases. The pain is mainly in the neck, but may also radiate vaguely to the head, back, and upper limbs. The pain is aggravated by any activity, so that when the head is turned, the shoulders also turn. There is no damage to the skin. Physical examination may show obvious tenderness in the damaged muscles such as the trapezius muscle, which is widespread and sometimes has multiple sites of tenderness. There is also mild local swelling, and the patient's head often tilts to one side, so it is also called "traumatic torticollis." Neurological examination showed no positive findings.

Treatment of acute cervical sprain:

The disease does not last long and usually heals itself after a few days of rest. However, a small number of patients have severe symptoms and require treatment. Methods include topical plaster application, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, and local blockade of tender points with hydrocortisone acetate. When massaging, you should use gentle techniques and avoid using strong and rapid rotation techniques to prevent aggravating the injury or causing cervical dislocation. A neck collar can also be used for temporary fixation to relieve symptoms.