In the article, we will consider the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. What is this pathology? How does it manifest itself?
Osteochondrosis is a disease that is almost the most common in the world. A lot of people after 30 years suffer from this pathology in various forms. There is also a tendency to rejuvenate the disease, that is, to reduce the age threshold. This may be due to the fact that now there are more and more people who are mainly engaged in work, where a person spends most of his time sitting and leads a sedentary lifestyle. By the way, such a disease is dangerous, and every person must know what cervical osteochondrosis is, how it appears, how to treat it and how to be able to identify its symptoms.
The main causes of the disease
Man is designed in such a way that the vertical placement of the spinal column can lead toto the fact that the vertebrae will be compressed, more and more over time, thereby allowing the bone and cartilage tissue to gradually degrade and deform.
The spine always starts with the cervical region, which has seven vertebrae. This is a particularly vulnerable part of it, because in this area there is increased mobility. Such a disease of the cervical region is reflected, first of all, on the discs themselves, because they are a weak point in the spine.
The frequency of osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic region is helped by such factors as the small size of the vertebrae and the relative weakness of the neck muscles. In addition, the developing disease is affected by poor blood supply to the cartilage tissue. What does it all mean?
Judging by this, the development of this disease seems to be a long and complex process, where it is very difficult to recognize the cause. Although a connection has been found between a sedentary lifestyle and osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic region, nevertheless, a similar ailment is often found in trained people, especially athletes, due to the fact that they have an increased load on the cervical spine. They lift various weights (barbells, kettlebells), which leads to disk deformation. So everything needs a measure.
In older people and the elderly, as a rule, such degradation of vertebral structures is an inevitable process, which in turn is associated with the aging of the body and the weakness of its defenses. But a pathological type of osteochondrosis of the cervical region can also occur, the symptoms of whichappear due to internal or external negative factors. These include:
- various back injuries;
- curvature of the spine;
- heavy weight;
- wrong posture;
- physical inactivity;
- hard physical work;
- disrupted metabolic processes;
- hypothermia;
- overwork, stress;
- infectious diseases;
- heredity;
- congenital abnormalities or special features of the body structure.
Stages of cervical osteochondrosis
Pathology has four stages. It can sometimes be quite difficult to determine which stage of the disease is present in a patient by a general analysis, since most often the level of bone tissue degradation may not coincide with the symptoms that are observed in the patient.
The first stage of the disease
At this stage, destructive actions are already taking place in the vertebrae. But the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical region are not yet too pronounced. People may not notice them or may not associate these signs with spinal disease, call it stress or banal overwork.
Second stage of the disease
As already noted, the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are closely related.
At this stage, there is a noticeable thinning of the disk, cracks appear on its surface. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis at this stage are observed in constant pain, facial numbness, weakness.
Third stage
How they show themselvessymptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at this stage? Herniated discs occur, cervical vessels and muscles are affected. The person notices dizziness and pain in the back of the head.
Fourth stage of the disease
With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, osteophytes often occur - a proliferation of bone tissue that protects the vertebrae from stress, as a result of which it leads to pinching of the nerves. This is characterized by stiffness of movement and damage to adjacent joints.
Signs of cervical osteochondrosis
The main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are:
- Sharp pain in shoulders and neck.
- Muscle relaxation.
- Excessive sweating.
- Impaired coordination.
- Numbness in hands.
- Dizziness.
- Hypertension.
- Hearing and vision decrease.
- Headaches.
These frequent symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can occur at all stages of the disease. In most cases, only a few signs from this list are visible, while the rest may be completely absent. The patient who encountered them for the first time practically does not diagnose cervical osteochondrosis. In this case, he can turn to different doctors - cardiologists, neuropathologists, therapists, surgeons. And as a result, a reliable diagnosis can be detected with a significant delay.
Danger of pathology
Symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are not known to everyone.
The most initial symptoms of osteochondrosis can appear as early as 20 years old, with pain and discomfortmild, so that many decide to wait, in the hope that the symptoms will pass, postpone the visit to the doctor and do not begin treatment. Symptoms at an early stage of osteochondrosis can indeed go away on their own, but this disease will not go anywhere from a person. If prevention and therapy are not carried out, osteochondrosis begins to develop further, and this can be dangerous for human he alth.
What are the dangers of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?
In the first stage, the symptoms are mild, so most prefer not to take this disease seriously. But if the patient does not begin treatment at the beginning of development, this can lead to dangerous, severe complications. The consequences of the advanced stage is a condition in which a person cannot perform his functions. Often this can be accompanied by lesions in neighboring departments. Such neglected osteochondrosis will lead to very dangerous consequences, followed by disability.
Also, may develop:
- bulging intervertebral discs;
- protrusions and intervertebral hernias;
- dropping discs;
- lumbago or sciatica;
- spinosis of the spinal canal.
In special cases, the diseases listed above require surgery, and the consequence of an advanced stage is disability.
The problems listed above are typical for osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine.
Complications of the disease
The danger of the disease lies in the fact that the cervical region is connected to the vessels that supply the brain with blood. The consequences of cervical osteochondrosis disease are sleep disturbance, migraines, vision problems, dizziness. With advanced disease, these symptoms will become more noticeable. With cervical osteochondrosis, there is a possibility of associated problems:
- high or low blood pressure and vegetative dystonia;
- thyroid disease;
- vestibular disorders;
- hypertension or hypotension;
- stroke;
- epicondylitis;
- Shoulohumeral periarthrosis.
Diagnosis of cervical pathology
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are of interest to many.
For the correct diagnosis, you must consult a therapist. He will provide a referral to other specialists - a neurologist, vertebrologist, orthopedist.
The following types of examinations are attached to diagnose the disease:
- computed tomography;
- radiography;
- MRI;
- Doppler scan.
X-ray reveals the presence of growths, displacement of the vertebrae, s alt deposits and osteophytes, disc seals. With the help of computed tomography, you can get a fairly voluminous view of the organs, in this case, the cervical region. It will allow you to detail the stage of the pathological process, as well as the nature of the pinching of the nerves, the height of the discs, the structure of the osteophytes.etc. Magnetic resonance imaging provides an even more detailed view of the structure of the spine. Ultrasound scanning can help determine how the blood flow in the great vessels of the neck has changed, which was caused by the disease.
Treatment of this disease
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are interconnected.
In order for a person to resist the disease, medicine develops many methods. There are also therapies that can be used at home. But this procedure is long and complete recovery is unlikely, especially in old age. But it is also worth noting that it is possible to stop and slow down the pathological processes in the spine at any stage of the disease.
At the first stages of the disease, the methods of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are mostly conservative. Several methods can be used for therapy:
- physiotherapy exercises;
- drugs;
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- special devices for fixing the spine.
If such a disease has passed into the extreme stage, while the bone and cartilage structure of the spine is destroyed, then surgical intervention should be used to cure osteochondrosis of the neck.
Drugs for the treatment of pathology
Necessary drugs for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- analgesics;
- vitamins;
- chondroprotectors;
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- antispasmodics.
When an acute pain syndrome occurs, which is associated with osteochondrosis, the most important task is to remove it. In such cases, oral drugs are taken, such as Baralgin or Analgin, but if there is no noticeable effect from them, novocaine blockades can be used.
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often remain a controversial point for many.
Anspasmodics are often taken. Mydocalm shows the greatest effectiveness in osteochondrosis, but it is also possible to take other muscle relaxants. As painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, the patient can use ointments that contain non-steroidal drugs - Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Naproxen, Butadion or their analogues.
If there are signs associated with impaired blood supply to the brain and vertebral artery syndrome, it is necessary to use drugs that remove their unpleasant manifestations - drugs that lower blood pressure and nootropic drugs.
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are no longer a secret.
Therapeutic exercise
Therapeutic exercise is the simplest and most affordable type of therapy and prevention of cervical osteochondrosis, and also quite effective. Physical therapy can also be done at home. With cervical osteochondrosis, the saturation of classes does not play a big role, you needonly their regularity. First of all, physical education is designed to strengthen the muscles of the neck, the task of which is to compensate for the lack of functionality of the spine and help support weakened vertebrae. Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis should be regular.
Everyday exercise is essential for strengthening muscles. Such exercises can be very simple, including turning and tilting the head in different directions, and quite complex, which include hands to help the neck muscles. They can be done both at home and at work. For example, if you have to work all the time while sitting, then it is very useful to perform various exercises every hour of sitting at a table and a monitor. But it is necessary to do this only when there is no exacerbation of the disease and there is no pain syndrome. Otherwise, these same exercises can only worsen the condition.
It is also effective in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder girdle, for example, use light dumbbells in regular classes. However, heavy lifting such as kettlebells or barbells is contraindicated. Swimming regularly can be helpful as it can relieve the spine.
We reviewed the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
