In the article, we will examine the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. What is this pathology? How does it appear?
Osteochondrosis is a disease that is practically the most common in the world. Many people after 30 years suffer from this pathology in various forms. There is also a tendency to renew the disease, i. e. to lower the age threshold. This may be due to the fact that there are now more and more people 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 manifests, how to treat it and how to be able to identify its symptoms.
The main causes of the disease
A person is created in such a way that the vertical placement of the spine can lead to the fact that the vertebrae will be squeezed more and more 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 of it 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 they are a weak point in the spine.
The frequency of degenerative disc disease of the cervicothoracic 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 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 know the cause. Although a link has been found between a sedentary lifestyle and osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine, however, a similar disease is often found in trained people, especially athletes, due to the fact that they have an increased load on the cervical spine. They lift different weights (dumbbells, weights), which leads to disc deformation. So everything needs a measure.
In the elderly and the elderly, as a rule, such a degradation of the vertebral structures is an inevitable process, which in turn is associated with the aging of the body and the weakness of its protection. But there may also be a pathological type of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the symptoms of which appear due to negative internal or external factors. This includes:
- various back injuries;
- rachiocampsis;
- heavy weight;
- improper attitude;
- hypodynamics;
- hard physical work;
- disturbed metabolic processes;
- hypothermia;
- overwork, stress;
- infectious diseases;
- inheritance;
- congenital pathologies or special features of body structure.
Stages of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
The pathology has four stages. Sometimes it is quite difficult to determine which stage of the disease is present in a patient, according to the general analysis, as more often the level of degradation of bone tissue 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 beads. But the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are not yet very pronounced. People may not notice them or not associate these signs with a spinal disease, they call it stress or banal overload.
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. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis at this stage are observed in persistent pain, numbness of the face, weakness.
The third stage
How do the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis appear at this stage? Herniated discs occur, vessels and muscles of the cervix are affected. 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 occur - the proliferation of bone tissue that protects the vertebrae from stress, as a result of which leads to nerve constriction. This is characterized by stiffness of movement and damage to adjacent joints.
Signs of cervical osteochondrosis
The main symptoms of cervical spine osteochondrosis are:
- Sharp pain in the shoulders and neck.
- Muscle weakness.
- Increased sweating.
- Impaired coordination.
- Numbness in the hands.
- Dizziness.
- Hypertension.
- Decreased hearing and vision.
- Headache.
These common symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can appear 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 various doctors - cardiologists, neuropathologists, therapists, surgeons. And a reliable diagnosis can eventually be identified with a significant delay.
Risk of pathology
Not everyone knows the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
The most initial symptoms of osteochondrosis can appear as early as 20 years, while the pain and discomfort are mild, so many people decide to wait, in the hope that the symptoms will pass, delay the visit to the doctor and not start treatment. The symptoms at an early stage of osteochondrosis can indeed pass on their own, but this disease will not go away in a person. If prevention and therapy are not carried out, osteochondrosis begins to develop further, and this 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 the disease seriously. But if the patient does not start treatment early in development, this can lead to dangerous and serious complications. The consequences of a neglected phase are a condition in which a person cannot perform his functions. This can often be accompanied by lesions in adjacent departments. Such abandoned osteochondrosis will lead to very dangerous consequences, followed by disability.
In addition, the following may be developed:
- swelling of the intervertebral discs;
- extension and intervertebral hernia;
- disc loss;
- lumbago or sciatica;
- spinal canal spinoses.
In special cases, the diseases listed above are forced to undergo surgery, and the consequence of an advanced stage is disability.
The problems listed above are characteristic of cervicothoracic spine osteochondrosis.
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 disease are sleep disturbances, migraines, vision problems, dizziness. With an advanced disease, the listed symptoms will become more apparent. With osteochondrosis of the cervix, there is a possibility of accompanying problems:
- high or low blood pressure and vascular dystonia;
- thyroid disease;
- vestibular disorders;
- hypertension or hypotension;
- stroke;
- epicondyle;
- humeroscapular periarthrosis.
Diagnosis of cervical spine pathology
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are of interest to many people.
For an accurate diagnosis, you should consult a therapist. He will provide referral to other specialists - neurologist, vertebrologist, orthopedist.
To diagnose the disease, the following types of studies are attached:
- CT scan;
- radiography;
- MRI;
- Doppler scanning.
X-ray detects the presence of growths, displacement of vertebrae, salt deposits and osteophytes, disc seals. With the help of computed tomography, you can get a fairly voluminous idea of the organs, in this case, the cervical spine. It will allow detailing the stage of the pathological process, as well as the nature of the nerve constriction, the height of the discs, and the structure of the osteophytes. Magnetic resonance imaging provides an even more detailed view of the structure of the spine. An ultrasound scan can help determine how the blood flow in the large vessels of the neck 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 therapies that you can use at home. But this procedure is long and complete cure 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 largely conservative. Some methods can be used for therapy:
- physiotherapy;
- medicines;
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- special equipment for fixing the spine.
If such a disease has passed to an extreme stage while the osteochondral structure of the spine is destroyed, then surgical intervention should be used to cure osteochondrosis of the neck.
Drugs for the therapy of pathology
Medications needed to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- analgesics;
- vitamins;
- chondroprotectors;
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- antispasmodics.
When an acute pain syndrome appears, which is associated with osteochondrosis, the most important task is to remove it. In such cases, oral sedatives are taken, but if their effect is not noticeable, novocaine blockade may be used.
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often remain controversial for many people.
Antispasmodics are often taken. Muscle relaxants show the greatest effectiveness in osteochondrosis. As pain relievers and anti-inflammatory medications, the patient can use ointments containing non-steroidal medications.
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.
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are no longer secret.
Physiotherapy exercises
Physiotherapy is the simplest and most accessible type of therapy and prevention of cervical osteochondrosis, and it is also quite effective. Physiotherapy can also be done at home. With cervical osteochondrosis, the saturation of the classes does not play a major role, only their regularity is necessary. First of all, physical education is designed to strengthen the neck muscles, whose task is to compensate for the lack of spinal functionality and help support weakened vertebrae. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine should be regular.
Daily exercises are necessary to strengthen the muscles. Such exercises can be very simple, including turning and bending the head in different directions, and quite complex, which involve the hands to help the cervical muscles. They can be made both at home and at work. For example, if you have to work all the time while sitting, then it is very helpful to perform different exercises every hour sitting at a table and a monitor. But it is necessary to do this only when there is no worsening of the disease and no pain syndrome. Otherwise, the same exercises can only worsen the condition.
Alsoshte also effective in treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine to strengthen the shoulder girdle muscles, for example, use light barbells in regular exercises. However, lifting weights such as kettlebells or barbells is contraindicated. Regular swimming activities can be beneficial, as they relieve stress on the back.
We reviewed the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.