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 practically the most common in the world. A lot of people after 30 years old 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 are mainly engaged in work, where a person spends most of the time sitting and leads a sedentary lifestyle. By the way, such a disease is dangerous, and every person must know what is cervical osteochondrosis, how it appears, how to treat it and how to be able 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 spinal column can lead to the fact that the vertebrae will be squeezed more and more over time, thereby allowing the bone and cartilaginous tissue to gradually degrade and deform.
The spine always begins 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, on the discs themselves, because they are a weak point in the spine.
Factors such as the small size of the vertebrae and the relative weakness of the neck muscles help the frequency of degenerative disc disease of the cervicothoracic spine. In addition, poor blood supply to the cartilage tissue affects the developing ailment. 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 recognize the cause. Although a connection has been revealed between a sedentary lifestyle of a person and osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine, 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, weights), which leads to deformation of the discs. So everything needs a measure.
In older people and the elderly, as a rule, such 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 can 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 weight;
- improper posture;
- hypodynamia;
- hard physical work;
- disturbed metabolic processes;
- hypothermia;
- overwork, stress;
- infectious diseases;
- heredity;
- congenital pathologies or special features of the body structure.
Stages of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Pathology has four stages. Sometimes it is quite difficult to determine what stage of the disease is present in a patient, according to the 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 cervical osteochondrosis are not yet very pronounced. People may not notice them or do not 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 stage, a noticeable thinning of the disk occurs, and cracks appear on its surface. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis at this stage are observed in constant pain, facial numbness, weakness.
Third stage
How do the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifest themselves at this stage? Herniated discs occur, cervical vessels and 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 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 pains in the shoulders and neck.
- Weakening of muscles.
- Increased sweating.
- Impaired coordination.
- Numbness in the hands.
- Dizziness.
- Hypertension.
- Decreased hearing and vision.
- Headache.
These frequent symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can manifest themselves 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 a reliable diagnosis in the end can be identified with a significant delay.
Danger 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, postpone the visit to the doctor and do not start treatment. Symptoms at an early stage of osteochondrosis can really go away by themselves, but this disease will not go away from 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 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 at the beginning of development, this can lead to dangerous, serious complications. The consequences of a neglected stage are a condition in which a person cannot perform his functions. This can often be accompanied by lesions in adjacent departments. Such an abandoned osteochondrosis will lead to very dangerous consequences, followed by disability.
In addition, may develop:
- bulging of intervertebral discs;
- protrusions and intervertebral hernias;
- loss of discs;
- lumbago or sciatica;
- spinoses of the spinal canal.
In special cases, the diseases listed above are forced to carry out surgical intervention, and the consequence of an 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 the disease of cervical osteochondrosis are sleep disturbances, migraines, vision problems, dizziness. With an 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.
Diagnostics of the pathology of the cervical spine
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are of interest to many.
For a correct diagnosis, you must 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 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 of the organs, in this case, of the cervical spine. It will allow detailing the stage of the pathological process, as well as the nature of nerve clamping, the height of the discs, and the structure of osteophytes. Magnetic resonance imaging provides an even more detailed picture of the structure of the spine. An ultrasound scan 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 ailment
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are interrelated.
In order for a person to be able to resist illness, medicine develops many methods. There are also therapies you can use 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 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;
- medications;
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- special devices for fixing the spine.
If such a disease has passed into an extreme stage, while the osteochondral structure of the spine is destroyed, then surgical intervention should be used to cure the osteochondrosis of the neck.
Drugs for the therapy 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 pain relievers are taken, but if the effect of them is not noticeable, novocaine blockade can be used.
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 pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, the patient can use ointments that contain 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 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.
Physiotherapy exercises
Physiotherapy is the simplest and most accessible type of therapy and prevention of cervical osteochondrosis, as well as quite effective. Physiotherapy can 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 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 in supporting weakened vertebrae. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine should be regular.
Daily exercise is essential to harden the muscles. Such exercises can be very simple, including turning and tilting the head in different directions, and quite complex, which involve hands to help the cervical 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 make the condition worse.
It is also effective in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder girdle, for example, using light dumbbells in regular exercises. However, lifting weights such as kettlebells or barbells is contraindicated. Regular swimming activities can be helpful, as it relieves the stress on the spine.
We examined the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.