In this article, we will look at the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. What is this pathology? How does it manifest?
Osteochondrosis is a disease that is practically the most common in the world. Many people after the age of 30 suffer from this pathology in various forms. There is also a tendency to revive the disease, ie to reduce the age limit. 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 the time sitting and leading a sedentary lifestyle. By the way, such a disease is dangerous and every person should know what cervical osteochondrosis is, how it occurs, how to treat it and how to be able to diagnose its symptoms.
The main causes of the disease
A person is designed in such a way that the vertical placement of the spine leads to the fact that the vertebrae will become more and more compressed over time, thus 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 because there is increased mobility in this area. Such a disease of the cervical spine is reflected, first of all, in the discs themselves, because it is a weak point in the spine.
The incidence of degenerative disc disease of the cervical thoracic region is aided by factors such as the small size of the vertebrae and the relative weakness of the neck muscles. In addition, poor blood supply to the cartilage tissue affects the developing disease. What does all this mean?
Judging by this, the development of this disease seems to be a long and complex process, where it is very difficult to identify the cause. Although a link has been found between a sedentary lifestyle and osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, a similar disease is often found in educated people, especially athletes, due to the increased load on the cervical spine. They lift various weights (barbells, weights), which leads to deformation of the discs. So everything needs a measure.
In the elderly and the elderly, as a rule, such a deterioration of the vertebral structures is an inevitable process, which in turn is associated with aging of the body and the weakness of its defenses. But there can also be a pathological type of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the symptoms of which occur due to internal or external negative factors. These include:
- various back injuries.
- back flexion
- heavy weight;
- inappropriate attitude;
- weakness;
- hard physical work;
- disturbed metabolic processes.
- hypothermia
- excessive work, stress;
- infectious diseases;
- heredity;
- congenital pathologies or special features of the body structure.
Stages of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
The pathology has four stages. It is sometimes quite difficult to determine what stage of the disease is present in a patient, according to the general analysis, as most often the level of bone tissue degradation may not coincide with the symptoms 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 cervical osteochondrosis are not yet very severe. People may not notice or associate these signs with a disease of the spine, they call it stress or typical overwork.
The second stage of the disease
As already noted, the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are closely related.
At this stage, a noticeable thinning of the disc occurs and cracks appear on its surface. The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis at this stage are observed in constant pain, numbness of the face, weakness.
Third stage
How are the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifested at this stage? Disc herniations occur, affecting the cervical vessels and muscles. The person notices dizziness and pain in the back of the head.
The fourth stage of the disease
With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, osteophytes often appear - the proliferation of bone tissue that protects the vertebrae from stress, which in turn leads to nerve entrapment. This is characterized by stiffness of movement and damage to adjacent joints.
Signs of osteochondrosis of the cervix
The main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are:
- Severe pain in the shoulders and neck.
- Muscle weakness.
- Increased sweating.
- Disturbed coordination.
- Numbness in the hands.
- Dizziness.
- Hypertension.
- Decreased hearing and vision.
- Headache.
These common symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can occur at all stages of the disease. In most cases, only a few marks from this list are visible, while the rest may be completely absent. The patient who first encountered them practically does not diagnose osteochondrosis of the cervix. In this case, you can turn to different doctors - cardiologists, neurologists, therapists, surgeons. And a reliable diagnosis in the end can be determined with a significant delay.
Risk of pathology
Not everyone knows the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
The initial symptoms of osteochondrosis can appear as early as 20 years, while the pain and discomfort are mild, so many people decide to wait, hoping that the symptoms will pass, to postpone the visit to the doctor and not start treatment. . The symptoms of osteochondrosis at an early stage can really go away on their own, but this disease will not go away in one person. If left untreated, osteochondrosis can develop further and can be dangerous to human health.
What are the risks of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?
In the first stage, the symptoms are mild, so most people prefer not to take this disease seriously. But if the patient does not start treatment early in development, this can lead to dangerous, serious complications. The consequences of a neglected stage are a situation in which a person is unable to perform his functions. This can often be accompanied by damage to adjacent sections. Such abandoned osteochondrosis will lead to very dangerous consequences, followed by disability.
In addition, the following can be developed:
- swelling of the intervertebral discs;
- protrusions and intervertebral hernias.
- disk loss;
- back pain or sciatica
- spinal canal spasms.
In special cases, the diseases mentioned above are forced to undergo surgery and the consequence of an advanced stage is disability.
The problems mentioned above are characteristic of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Complications of the disease
The risk 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 are sleep disorders, migraines, vision problems, dizziness. With an advanced disease, the reported symptoms will become more noticeable. With osteochondrosis of the cervix, there is a possibility of simultaneous problems:
- high or low blood pressure and vascular dystonia.
- thyroid disease?
- vestibular disorders.
- hypertension or hypotension
- Stroke;
- Epicondylitis
- arm joints.
Diagnostics of the pathology of the cervical spine
Many people are interested in the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
For a correct diagnosis, you should consult a therapist. He will refer you to other specialists - neurologist, spine specialist, orthopedist.
For the diagnosis of the disease, the following types of studies are attached:
- Computed tomography?
- x-ray?
- Magnetic resonance
- Doppler scan.
X-ray reveals the presence of growths, displacement of the vertebrae, salt deposits and osteophytes, disc seals. With the help of computed tomography, you can get a fairly voluminous idea about the organs, in this case, the cervical spine. It will allow in detail the stage of the pathological process, as well as the nature of the tightening of the nerves, the height of the discs and the structure of the osteophytes. MRI provides an even more detailed picture of the structure of the spine. An ultrasound can help determine how the blood flow to the large vessels in the throat has changed, which was caused by the disease.
Treatment of this disease
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are interrelated.
In order for a person to be able to resist the disease, medicine develops many methods. There are also treatments you can use at home. But this process 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.
In the early stages of the disease, methods of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are mainly conservative. Various methods can be used for treatment:
- physiotherapy;
- medicines?
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- special devices for fixing the spine.
If such a disease has progressed to an extreme stage, while the osteochondral structure of the spine has been destroyed, then surgery should be used to treat osteochondrosis of the neck.
Drugs for the treatment of pathology
Necessary drugs for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- analgesics;
- vitamins;
- chondroprotectants;
- anti-inflammatory drugs ·
- anticonvulsants.
When an acute pain syndrome associated with osteochondrosis occurs, the most important task is to remove it. In such cases, oral analgesics are taken, but if their effect is not felt, novocaine blockade may be used.
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often remain controversial for many.
They are often taken as anticonvulsants. Muscle relaxants show the greatest effectiveness in osteochondrosis. As analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs, the patient can use ointments containing non-steroidal drugs.
If there are signs associated with impaired blood supply to the brain and spinal artery syndrome, it is necessary to use drugs that remove their unpleasant manifestations - drugs that lower blood pressure and nootropic drugs.
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are no longer a secret.
Physiotherapy exercises
Physiotherapy is the simplest and most affordable type of treatment and prevention of cervical osteochondrosis and is also quite effective. Physiotherapy can also be done at home. With cervical osteochondrosis, the saturation of the classes does not play a big role, only their regularity is needed. First of all, physical therapy is designed to strengthen the muscles of the neck, whose task is to compensate for the lack of functionality of the spine and to help support weakened vertebrae. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine should be regular.
Daily exercise is essential for strengthening muscles. Such exercises can be very simple, including turning and tilting the head in different directions, and quite complex, involving arms to help the neck muscles. They can be made both at home and at work. For example, if you have to work all the time sitting down, then it is very useful to perform various exercises every time you sit at a table and a screen. 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 make the situation worse.
It is also effective in treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder girdle, for example, use light dumbbells in regular exercises. However, lifting weights such as kettles or bars is contraindicated. Regular swimming activities can be helpful as they relieve stress on the spine.
We examined the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.