Why Is Neck Pain So Common
Studies show that neck problems are common. Roughly 20-70% of adults experience neck pain that interferes with their daily activities, at some point in their lifetime.
Your neck contains the top part of your spinal column , a likely source for injuries and pain. The cervical spine needs strength to support the head. . It also needs flexibility in order to allow the neck to twist and bend.
The cervical spine has multiple parts:
- 7 back bones They provide strength to your neck and protect the spinal cord.
- 6 pairs of facet joints These small joints connect the backbones and provide flexibility in the neck.
- 6 discs These cartilage cushions act as shock absorbers between the backbones.
- 8 pairs of spinal nerves Spinal nerves branch out from the top of the spine to reach the head, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. They receive touch temperature, and pain sensations from the skin and control upper body movements .
The cervical spine is like a finely tuned instrument, with its multiple parts working together to produce precise movements. If any of these parts wear out or suffer injuries, you will experience neck stiffness and pain.
The Effects Of Allergies On Your Ears Nose And Throat
How Allergies Affect your Ears, Nose, and Throat
An allergy involves a reaction by your immune system, often to harmless substances. Allergy symptoms can make miserable and put you at risk for life-threatening reactions. An Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor can help you manage your allergies. West Coast ENT, which has offices in Simi Valley, Camarillo, Ventura County and Thousand Oaks, CA, offers treatments for allergies. Read on to find out how allergies can affect your ears, nose, and throat.
Why Do Allergies Cause A Sore Throat
First, allergies 101: If youre allergic to something, your body sees proteins in that substance as a foreign invader. And when those proteins get into your systemsay, by breathing in a whiff of dust or getting pollen blown into your eyesyour immune system launches an inflammatory response in an attempt to protect you.
Part of that inflammatory response involves producing lots of extra mucus. The mucus helps propel the debris out of your body, but it can give you a runny nose and congestion. And thats not all. The ears, nose, and throat are all physically connected, so problems in one area can affect another, says William Reisacher, M.D., director of allergy services at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.
As a result, that mucus can cause postnasal drip, where the gooky stuff dribbles down the back of your throat and makes it feel raw and irritated. Allergens can also trigger the tissues in the back of your throat to become inflamed, which only adds to the discomfort, says Dr. Mehdizadeh.
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Okay I Think Ive Got Itnow What
Both post-nasal drip and sore throats will often go away on their own, but each can be a symptom of a larger condition. If the above treatments dont help, schedule an appointment with your doctor. If it turns out youre experiencing post-nasal drip and sore throat symptoms from allergies, then Picnic can help! We offer a number of allergy treatments, including a nasal spray designed to tackle symptoms like post-nasal drip and throat lozenges. Read our guide on and take our quiz to find out which post-nasal drip medicine will wait for itblow your allergies away.
Could A New Medication Be Causing My Throat Clearing
Certain medications can cause throat clearing as a side effect. A class of blood pressure and heart medications called ACE inhibitors can cause coughing and throat clearing due to a buildup of substances that irritate the airways. Inhaled steroids can also cause throat clearing in this case, the medication causes direct irritation to the larynx.
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Stomach Acid Isnt Staying Put
Reflux that affects the throat is called laryngopharyngeal reflux , or LPR. LPR is a very common problem in the U.S., mostly from poor diet, says Dr. Zalvan. When stomach acid travels up and into the throat on the regular, the chronic burning and irritation can cause sore and swollen tonsils.
You might also feel the need to clear your throat a lot, have trouble swallowing, or get saddled with a cough that just wont quit.
If you suspect LPR is whats messing with your tonsils, avoid aggravating factors, such as acidic or spicy foods and drinks, caffeine, and alcohol, says Dr. Morrison, who also recommends sleeping with sufficient pillowsto keep yourself propped up, popping antacids as needed, and steering clear of tight-fitting waistbands.
Taking An Antihistamine Makes Your Sore Throat Feel Better
If you do have allergies, youâre likely to experience other symptoms such as an itchy throat, watery eyes, sneezing, congestion, and a runny nose, says Goldstein. However, these symptoms should significantly improve if you take an antihistamine like Claritin or Benadryl. If you donât feel your symptoms improve at all, you could be dealing with something else, including COVID. And for warning signs to be aware of, If You Have One of These COVID Symptoms, the CDC Says to Call 911.
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Are Allergies Causing Your Jaw Pain
Do you suffer from jaw pain? One factor that you may not have considered is allergies. Allergies can contribute to ear, jaw, and even neck pain. In this article we are going to go into a little more detail so that you can understand how allergies can give you quite a bit more than sneezes.
Tooth Infection Or Abscess
A dental abscess is a pocket of pus at the tip of your tooths root caused by a bacterial infection. An abscessed tooth can cause severe pain that radiates to your ear and jaw on the same side. The lymph nodes in your neck and throat may also be swollen and tender.
Other symptoms include:
- sensitivity to heat and cold
- pain when chewing and swallowing
- swelling in your cheek or face
- fever
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How Mold Causes A Chronic Cough
When mold spores are inhaled, they irritate the throat, airways, and lungs, triggering the urge to cough. If you develop post-nasal drip, the excess mucous in the throat also triggers the urge to cough in order to clear the throat of debris that isnt supposed to be there. If the irritation to your throat, airways, and lungs is chronic, then your cough may become chronic, as well.
Exposure to mold, especially long-term exposure, can cause infections in the airways and lungs, like bronchitis and pneumonia. Coughing is a common symptom of these infections, as your body tries to clear its airways of the infection.
Long-term exposure to mold can sometimes cause scar tissue to develop in the lungs. This can lead to chronic coughing as the scar tissue interferes with the movement of air in the lungs.
Allergies: Sore Throat Surprise
A runny nose can lead to post-nasal drip, when mucus runs down the back of your throat.
If you think allergies are the cause of your sore throat, sneezing, and runny nose, try an over-the-counter allergy medication. If that doesnât bring relief, talk with your doctor about other treatment options.
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A Tooth Infection Or Abscess
This is a pocket of pus at the tip of the tooths root. It is caused by a bacterial infection and can cause severe pain that radiates from your ear and jaw on the same side. You may also find that your neck or throat becomes swollen and tender, and that you have trouble chewing. You may even experience a fever in severe cases.
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Best Sore Throat Remedies To Make You Feel Better Fast According To Doctors
Some home remedies only mask painbut these solutions can help you get rid of your sore throat completely.
Sore throat symptoms can be rough. Your saliva goes down like sandpaper, every cough makes you wince, and the only thing you can think about is making that lump in the back of your throat go away.
But to ease the pain, you need to understand whats causing your sore throat in the first place: dry air, smoking, acid reflux, viral infections like the flu or common cold, and bacterial infections like strep can all lead to a sore throat.
In general, a viral infection usually comes with other symptoms, like muscle aches and fatigue, along with your sore throat, says Chester Griffiths MD, an otolaryngologist at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. With a bacterial infection, on the other hand, the pain is usually more focused on your throat and the soreness tends to be pretty severe, Dr. Griffiths says. You may also have intense pain when you swallow, along with a high fever.
Exposure to smoke, breathing in dry air, and having acid reflux tends to feel very different from an infection, says Jason Abramowitz, MD, an ear, nose, and throat specialist at ENT and Allergy Associates. Usually patients do not feel as sick overall the pain is also usually not as severe, he says.
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Can Allergies Affect Your Ears
Have questions? Use our contact form to get in touch with us today! Contact Us
Autumn is hay fever season. Theres also pollen, grass, pet dander and dust contributing to allergies. The most common symptoms are itchy and watery eyes and a stuffy nose. Can allergies affect your ears? Yes, in several ways.
Are You Treating Multiple Symptoms
For a cold, get extra rest and drink plenty of fluids, including water, tea, or soup with lots of broth. For allergies, it can help to shower and change your clothes often because allergens cling to skin, hair, and clothing. For both colds and allergies, over-the-counter antihistamines, decongestants, and pain relievers may help you feel better, although they wont make a cold go away any faster. And no matter what ails you, avoid medications that treat multiple symptoms, especially if you dont have some of the symptoms the medication is meant to treat.
If home treatments arent working and you still dont feel well, connect with our Consulting Nurse Service or if you are in the Seattle area, visit a CareClinic by Kaiser Permanente at Bartell Drugs.
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The Link Between Seasonal Allergies And Chronic Pain
Do you notice your seasonal allergies causing back pain or chronic joint pain? Youre not alone! With spring right around the corner, our ISPM physicians begin to see a large number of patients who feel worsening chronic pain when seasonal allergies hit. Without further ado, lets get into the link between seasonal allergies and chronic pain.
Seasonal Allergies & Chronic Pain
Inflammation- Both joint pain and allergies are caused by inflammation in the body.
Fatigue- Often times, allergies cause you to be fatigued which can also be a trigger for chronic pain.
Shifts in weather- Rapid changes in temperature, humidity or barometric pressure can cause pain to feel worse.
Emotional factors– Allergies can cause your brain to feel foggy and less focused. The lack of mental clarity leads to worsening emotional stability and the potential for chronic pain to be triggered.
The Link
Seasonal allergies put extra stress on the body which can make chronic pain symptoms feel more intense. It can also affect your immune systemand in turncause inflammation in your joints leading to pain. Allergies are a big producer of body aches. Constant coughing and sneezing leads to headaches, neck and back pain. Anyone already dealing with chronic pain may find this very overwhelming!
The physicians at ISPM are here to help get your pain under controlno matter the season.
Seasonal Allergies
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Sinus congestion
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Joint pain, neck pain or back pain
Prevent Pain During Allergy Season
Sore Throat It May Be Allergies
You know the telltale signs of allergies: itchy eyes, runny nose, congestion and sneezing. But did you know that allergies can also cause a sore throat? Below we review how allergies can result in a sore throat, how to treat a sore throat caused by allergies and how to tell the difference between a sore throat caused by allergies and one caused by a cold.
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How Is Allergic Esophagitis Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider will ask about your symptoms and when they began. Tell him or her if you know certain foods cause your symptoms. Tell him or her if you have any medical conditions or a family history of allergic esophagitis. You may also need any of the following:
- Allergy tests are used to see how your body reacts to certain allergens. The tests may show what is causing your allergic esophagitis.
- A barium swallow x-ray is used to take pictures inside your esophagus. You will swallow barium in a thick liquid before you have the x-ray. The barium helps any injuries show up better on the x-rays.
- Endoscopy is used to find any tissue changes. A scope is used to see inside the esophagus. A scope is a long, bendable tube with a light on the end. The scope is placed in your mouth and passed down your throat and esophagus. A camera may be hooked to the scope to take pictures.
- A biopsy is used to take tissue samples from your esophagus to be tested. The samples may also be checked for any other problems with your esophagus.
Can You Have Just A Sore Throat From Allergies With No Other Symptoms
Technically, its possible to have just this one symptom from allergies, but its less likely to be your only symptom, Dr. Wada says. Basically, if you develop a sore throat and dont have any other issues, like a runny, stuffy nose, you should at least consider that your pain might be due to something else.
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How Do Allergies Start
Each spring, summer, and fall, plants release pollen that floats on the wind and lodges in your eyes and airways to trigger allergies. While grasses are the most common cause of allergies, mold spores are another source. They can live anywhere, including your home, and cause allergy symptoms over several seasons.
Mold and mildew spread differently from plants. While plants have seeds, mold has spores. Some spores travel through windy air. Others spread when humidity is high, using a fog or dew to travel.
Allergic reactions start when plant pollen or mold spores reach your airways and encounter your bodys sentries, the mast cells. Mast cells in the mucosa lining of your nose sound the alarm when a foreign organism enters your body. They activate your immune system and trigger a number of responses:
- Nasal congestion
- Hives
- Fatigue
An immune response is useful if your body needs to remove foreign organisms such as viruses or bacteria. However, it is inconvenient when the trigger is merely pollen.
For more information on allergies,
Cleaning Up To Prevent Sore Throat And Runny Nose
Obviously, if we leave our homes and living spaces cluttered and dirty, were going to experience those allergy symptoms like a runny nose and sore throat much more frequently. It may be painful to start the cleaning up process, but on the other side of it, youll be glad you took that step.
Here are a few tricks to help you clean with allergies in mind:
As said before, even as you clean, youre going to stir up some dust and other allergens so prepare yourself for symptoms.
If that happens, heres what you can do to relieve a sore throat and runny nose.
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Persistent Throat And Ear Pain
Throat and ear pain may come and go or it may be constant and persistent, depending on what is causing the symptoms.
For example, acid reflux is more likely to cause pain that is worse in the morning and subsides later in the day. Seasonal allergies, strep throat, and mononucleosis are more likely to come with throat and ear pain that does not go away until the conditions are treated.
See your healthcare provider if your sore throat lasts longer than two weeks.
How To Treat A Sore Throat From Allergies
According to Dr. Burgert, you can treat allergy-induced sore throat with over-the counter-pain medication like Tylenol or Motrin. Even better, you can eliminate the cause of the sore throat with antihistamines like Zyrtec, Claritin, or Allegra. Steroid nasal sprays can also decrease the production of watery mucus.
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How Organizing Your Home Can Cause A Sore Throat And Runny Nose
- ENT Institute
In the past year, a lot of us spent a good amount of time indoors due to the pandemic. Many used this time to catch up on sleep, entertainment, and even quality time with family. Others saw the opportunity to become better cooks or to pick up a hobby. For many of us, though, it was the chance to organize and clean our homes. Unfortunately, this led to a sore throat and runny nose. Wondered if it was COVID-19? You wouldnt be alone.
More than likely, if this was your first time organizing or cleaning in a while , that runny nose and sore throat came from indoor allergies dust, mold, or even pet dander.
Lets use dust as the most obvious example.
You move old boxes around the closet and find a blanket of dust behind them. As you move things, the settled dust moves around. The same goes for the other allergens too.
So, what are you supposed to do? Just let your home get cluttered and disorganized, all in the name of staying symptom-free?
Maybe. Im not a doctor and am no expert. But heres what the experts have to say:
