In the article, we will look at the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. What is this pathology? How does it manifest itself?
Osteochondrosis is practically the most common disease in the world. Many people after 30 years suffer from this pathology in various forms. There is also a tendency to rejuvenate the disease, that is, to lower the age threshold. This may be due to the fact that now there are more and more people who mainly work, where a person spends most of the time sitting and leads a sedentary life. By the way, such a disease is dangerous, and every person should know what cervical osteochondrosis is, how it appears, how to treat it and how to identify its symptoms.
The main causes of the onset of the disease
A person is designed in such a way that the vertical placement of the spine can cause the vertebrae to be more and more compressed over time, allowing bone and cartilage tissue to break down and deform. gradually.
The spine always begins with the cervical region, which has seven vertebrae. This is a particularly vulnerable part of it, as there is increased mobility in this area. Such a disease of the cervical spine is reflected first of all on the discs themselves, as they are a weak point of the spine.
The frequency of degenerative disc disease of the cervico-thoracic region is favored by factors such as the small size of the vertebrae and the relative weakness of the muscles of the neck. In addition, poor blood supply to cartilage tissue affects the development of the disease. What does it all mean?
Judging by this, the development of this disease seems to be a long and complex process, the cause of which is very difficult to recognize. Although a link has been found between a sedentary lifestyle and osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine, nevertheless, a similar disease is often seen in trained people, especially athletes, due to the fact that they have aincreased load on the cervical spine. They lift various weights (dumbbells, weights), which leads to deformation of the discs. Everything therefore 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 defenses. But there may also be a pathological type of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the symptoms of which appear due to internal or external negative factors. These include:
- various back injuries;
- rachiocampsis;
- heavy weights;
- bad posture;
- hypodynamia;
- hard physical labor;
- disturbed metabolic processes;
- hypothermia;
- overwork, stress;
- Infectious diseases;
- heredity;
- congenital pathologies or peculiarities of the body structure.
Stages of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
The pathology has four stages. Sometimes it is quite difficult to determine at what stage of the disease is present in a patient, according to the general analysis, since more often the level of bone tissue breakdown 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 pronounced. People may not notice them or associate these signs with a disease of the spine, they call it stress or banal overwork.
The second stage of the disease
As already noted, the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are closely related.
At this point, a noticeable thinning of the disc occurs and cracks appear on its surface. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis at this stage are observed in constant pain, numbness of the face, weakness.
Third step
How are the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifested at this stage? Herniated discs occur, vessels and cervical muscles 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 overgrowth of bone tissue that protects the vertebrae from stress, resulting in 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 pains in the shoulders and neck.
- Weakened muscles.
- 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 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 missing. The patient who first encountered them hardly diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis. In this case, he can turn to different doctors - cardiologists, neuropathologists, therapists, surgeons. And a reliable diagnosis in the end can be identified with a significant delay.
Danger of pathology
Not everyone is familiar with the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
The most initial symptoms of osteochondrosis can appear as early as 20 years old, when the pain and discomfort is mild, so many people decide to wait, in the hope that the symptoms will go away, postpone the visit to the doctor anddo not start treatment. The early stage symptoms of osteochondrosis can really go away on their own, but this disease will not go away from a person. If prevention and treatment are not carried out, osteochondrosis begins to develop further, which can be dangerous for human health.
What are the dangers of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?
At 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 in the early stages of development, it can lead to dangerous and serious complications. The consequences of a neglected step are a condition in which a person cannot perform his duties. This can often be accompanied by lesions in adjacent wards. Such abandoned osteochondrosis will lead to very dangerous consequences, followed by disability.
In addition, can develop:
- bulging of the intervertebral discs;
- intervertebral protuberances and hernias;
- loss of discs;
- lumbago or sciatica;
- spines of the spinal canal.
In special cases, the diseases listed above require surgery and the consequence of advanced stage is disability.
The problems listed above are characteristic of 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 disturbances, migraines, vision problems, dizziness. With advanced disease, the listed symptoms will become more noticeable. With cervical osteochondrosis, there is a possibility of concomitant problems:
- high or low blood pressure and vascular dystonia;
- thyroid disease;
- vestibular disorders;
- hypertension or hypotension;
- stroke;
- epicondylitis;
- humeroscapular periarthrosis.
Diagnosis of pathology of the cervical spine
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are of great interest.
For a correct diagnosis, you need to consult a therapist. It will provide a referral to other specialists - neurologist, vertebrologist, orthopedist.
To diagnose the disease, the following types of studies are attached:
- computed tomography;
- radiography;
- MRI;
- Doppler scan.
The x-ray reveals the presence of growths, displacement of the vertebrae, deposits of salt and osteophytes, disc seals. With the help of a CT scan, you can get a fairly large idea of the organs, in this case, the cervical spine. It will detail the stage of the pathological process, as well as the nature of the nerve clamping, the height of the discs, and the structure of the osteophytes. Magnetic resonance imaging provides an even more detailed picture of the structure of the spine. An ultrasound can help determine how the blood flow in the large vessels in the neck has changed, which has been caused by the disease.
Treatment of this disease
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are interrelated.
In order for a person to resist the disease, medicine is developing many methods. There are also therapies that you can use at home. But this procedure is long and full recovery is unlikely, especially in the elderly. But it should also be noted that it is possible to stop and slow down pathological processes of the spine at any stage of the disease.
In the early stages of the disease, the methods of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are mostly conservative. Several methods can be used for therapy:
- physiotherapy;
- medications;
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- special devices for fixing the spine.
If such a disease has passed to an extreme stage, while the osteochondral structure of the spine is destroyed, surgery should be used to cure osteochondrosis of the neck.
Drugs for the treatment of pathology
Drugs needed for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- pain relievers;
- vitamins;
- chondroprotectors;
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- antispasmodics.
When an acute pain syndrome occurs, associated with osteochondrosis, the most important task is to eliminate it. In such cases, oral pain relievers are taken, but if their effect is not noticeable, a novocaine blockade can be used.
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often remain controversial for many.
Antispasmodics are often taken. 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 vertebral artery syndrome, it is necessary to use drugs that eliminate their unpleasant manifestations - drugs that lower blood pressure and drugsnootropics.
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are no longer a secret.
Physiotherapy exercises
Physiotherapy is the simplest and most accessible type of cervical osteochondrosis therapy and prevention, and is also very 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 necessary. 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 to help support weakened vertebrae. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine should be regular.
Daily exercise is necessary to strengthen the muscles. Such exercises can be very simple, including turning and tilting the head in different directions, and quite complex, involving the hands to help the neck muscles. They can be done both at home and at work. For example, if you need to work in a sitting position all the time, then it is very useful to perform various exercises every hour while 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 make the situation worse.
It is also effective in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder girdle, for example, use light dumbbells during regular exercise. However, lifting weights such as kettlebells or dumbbells is contraindicated. Regular swimming activities can be helpful as it relieves stress on the spine.
We looked at the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.