Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is one of the most dangerous types of neurological diseases. What is this ailment, how does it manifest itself? What measures help prevent it? How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine? You will find answers to these questions in this article.
Characteristics of the disease
Osteochondrosis in general terms is a degenerative modification of the intervertebral cartilaginous discs, which subsequently affects the bone tissue and the nervous system. What about this ailment? In the cartilaginous disc, which plays a shock absorbing function in the structure of the spine, dehydration begins, or simply dehydration, due to metabolic failure. The nucleus begins to press on the surrounding annulus and the disc extends beyond the vertebrae. This phenomenon is called protrusion. If the membrane ruptures, an intervertebral hernia appears, which is even more dangerous.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a disease that causes a lot of pain and discomfort in a person's life. Unlike the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the cervical vertebrae are the most mobile, they are the smallest and are constantly under the influence of stress. The disease most often affects these particular segments of the spine. A large number of nerve and blood branches are concentrated in the cervical spine. An important large vertebral artery passes here, carrying nutrients to the brain. The constricted state of this vessel is dangerous from the development of ischemia of the spinal cord or brain, as well as from cerebrovascular accident. If this artery and the nerve fibers passing through the cervical spine are affected, the person loses precise coordination of movements, his hearing and vision are weakened, frequent dizziness and various neurological disorders are observed, which will be discussed below.
Reasons
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine occurs even at a young age. What causes the development of the disease? What causes contribute to the onset of the disease, even in people under 30 years of age? Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the treatment of which requires a lot of time and patience, arises from two main factors:
- Hypodynamic or sedentary lifestyle;
- malnutrition.
As a result, there is a violation of metabolism (metabolism) throughout the body, in particular bone and cartilage tissues, the level of salt in the blood rises, and not finding an outlet from the bloodstream, they find "shelter"in the tissues of the kidneys, liver and cervical spine. An unbalanced diet leads to a lack of nutrients in the cartilage, as a result of which pathological changes in the intervertebral discs begin. Osteochondrosis is especially susceptible to people at risk.
Let's name the factors, whose presence increases the probability of developing the disease:
- inheritance;
- age after 40 years;
- overweight;
- frequent hypothermia (it's not for nothing that they tell you "don't cool your neck! ");
- endocrine system malfunction, disrupting metabolism;
- spinal injuries;
- systemic lupus erythematosus;
- rheumatism;
- nature of the activity: drivers, clerks, cashiers, athletes, people who perform intense physical work.
Symptoms
How is cervical osteochondrosis manifested? The symptoms of the disease and the nature of the pains that arise depend on the damaged segments. In this sense, the following states can develop:
- vertebral artery syndrome;
- hypertensive syndrome;
- radicular syndrome;
- cervical migraine syndrome.
Let's take a look at each of them. With vertebral artery syndrome, severe headaches appear in the early stages. A person often becomes dizzy, gait becomes unsteady, and the clarity of vision decreases. Sudden head movements can cause loss of consciousness. Root syndrome is characterized by a variety of manifestations. These include:
- cervicalgia or severe neck pain;
- cracking when turning head;
- weakness and tinnitus;
- numbness and pain in the arm;
- disturbance of auditory and visual functions;
- tinnitus;
- cervicobrachialgia, or pain that extends from the neck to the arms;
- sensation of swelling and numbness of the tongue.
Cervical migraine syndrome is mainly characterized by an alteration of blood circulation in the brain tissues, which causes hypertension and the development of symptoms such as noise and buzzing in the ears, their congestion, dizziness, rapid pulse. The danger of this condition is the possibility of developing a stroke. Hypertensive syndrome is accompanied by headaches, aggravated by head movements, nausea and vomiting (especially in the morning), nervousness, sudden pressure changes, the appearance of dark circles, dizziness.
Hypoxia (lack of oxygen) of the brain develops. Cervical osteochondrosis is often manifested by cardiac arrhythmia, in which a steady heart rate is lost. Due to pinching of the lateral vertebral arteries, vegetative-vascular dystonia develops.
Diagnosis
The first step in diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis is examining the patient. A neuropathologist visually examines the condition of the spine, back muscles, and posture, and determines the presence of protruding spinous processes by probing. On palpation, the doctor, by the patient's reaction, will be able to understand which parts are affected by pain. Hardware diagnostic methods are used:
- radiography;
- computed tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- dopplerography.
The first method often involves the introduction of a contrast agent into a particular tissue (discography, angiography, etc. ). This is necessary in order to obtain more accurate information on the characteristics of the course of the disease.
Treatment
Your doctor will tell you how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and not harm the body. Below are the basic rules and recommendations for dealing with this unpleasant disease, but the beginning of successful treatment is a visit to a neurologist. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is carried out using a wide range of methods. Among them:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- traditional medicine;
- exercises.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is more dangerous, since the important arteries that carry blood to the brain tissues pass through the processes of the vertebrae in this place. Therefore, taking medication and complying with the doctor's prescriptions should be approached with all responsibility.
Drug therapy
How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with drugs? Drug therapy of the disease includes the following means:
- painkillers;
- anti-inflammatory;
- vitamins;
- chondroprotectors.
Analgesics help relieve pain manifestations during an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis and are used for a short time. The treating physician may prescribe the medications Tramadol, Tolperisone Hydrochloride, and Etorikoxib as anesthetics. In severe pain, lidocaine injections can be used.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are designed to reduce inflammation, among them are the drugs Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Piroxicam. These funds are also used externally. These are various ointments and gels: "Diclofenac", etc. Of the vitamins, the most valuable vitamins in terms of maintenance therapy for osteochondrosis are the B vitamins, which can reduce the sensitivity of tissues and weaken the neurological manifestations of the disease.
Chondroprotectors
They are formulated by pharmacologists to restore cartilage tissue. There are two active substances that make up these drugs: glucosamine and chondroitin. Both compounds can be included in one preparation or each used separately. Examples of chondroprotectors: glucosamine patches, chondroitin sulfate ointment, etc. These funds need to be used for a long time, at least 3-6 months, otherwise you may not achieve the desired result.
Lock
In case of severe pain, injections of medication directly into the injury site help alleviate the patient's condition. This injection is called a blockage. Usually a mixture of drugs is used as medicine. One of them has an analgesic effect, the other is designed to relieve inflammation. Blocking can only be done by a highly qualified doctor, in no case do this procedure yourself! This can not only harm the health of the patient, but it can also become life threatening. This injection is done in two ways:
- injection of medication into the ligaments and tissues surrounding the joint;
- injection directly into the intervertebral disc.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapeutic procedures are very effective in cervical osteochondrosis. They accelerate recovery, have a beneficial effect on the whole body in general. Before talking about them, we list the contraindications of physical therapy:
- tumors, oncological diseases;
- blood diseases;
- acute dermatological diseases;
- taking medicines that can enhance the effect of physical therapy.
How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine through physiotherapy? In this regard, the use of many methods has a good effect. For example, shock wave therapy is the application of acoustic waves to an injury. Reduces inflammation, swelling, pain, stimulates collagen synthesis and improves tissue metabolism. Laser therapy, magnetotherapy, ultrasound treatment, vibration therapy are also used. Impact on the sore spot with low voltage impulse currents, or diadynamic therapy, reduces the severity of pain. Electrophoresis with the drug "procaine" produces an analgesic effect during an exacerbation. Additional physical therapy methods are ultraviolet irradiation of the affected area and spinal traction, or detector therapy.
Physiotherapy exercises
Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine allows you to achieve tangible results. It is important that it is applied only in the final stage of treatment, since active movements in the neck area are strictly prohibited in the first and middle stages. Gymnastics is performed with a supportive cotton gauze collar that is placed in the cervical region. Resistance exercises are performed with the help of a doctor who tries to tilt the patient's head with the palm of his hand, and he, in turn, struggles to overcome the actions of the doctor. This strengthens the neck muscle corset. A head holding exercise is also helpful. It is as follows. The patient, lying on the table, raises his head and holds it in this position for 5 seconds. This time increases to 40-60 seconds if the pain and neurological syndrome have already been overcome. Therapeutic gymnastics provides for the implementation of each exercise no more than 5 times in one approach.
Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is designed to:
- improve blood supply to the affected area;
- to strengthen the muscles of the back and neck;
- reduce the load on the vertebrae;
- normalizes joint mobility;
- accelerates glucose metabolism for active nutrition of intervertebral cartilaginous discs.
In a disease such as cervical osteochondrosis, massage is required. It refers to manual therapy methods and aims to relax the muscles, improve blood circulation and lymphatic movement at the site of injury.
Traditional medicine
Treatment of an ailment such as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, folk remedies are considered an auxiliary measure, and in no case the main therapy. The number of recipes using various herbs and products is very large. They widely use products such as lemon, garlic, burdock or horseradish leaves (as a compress), dandelion root, St. John's wort, yarrow, lavender and many others. The patient himself is responsible for his health when using traditional medicine.
Nutritional characteristics
How to cure cervical osteochondrosis? Many ask this question. But how to eat with this disease, what foods will be useful? Let's list them:
- dairy products;
- lean meat and fish;
- jellied meat;
- jam;
- jelly;
- fresh fruits and vegetables;
- sources of vitamin B: liver, walnuts, brown rice, broccoli, buckwheat, brewer's yeast, green vegetables, kidneys;
- complex carbohydrates: whole wheat bread, cereals, vegetables;
- vegetable fats: olive oil, sunflower, linseed.
Do not forget about the products that can be harmful in the treatment of osteochondrosis. Don't abuse sweets, baked goods, alcohol, smoked meats and salty foods, spicy foods, animal fats, coffee, and strong tea. Remove sugar, potatoes, and white bread from the menu.
Prevention
Don't neglect your morning exercises, as well as stretching your neck during your workday. It helps to improve blood circulation, thus ensuring the supply of nutrients to the cartilage tissue and to relax the muscles. Move More: Fitness classes and regular jogging are considered an important measure for the prevention of osteochondrosis. Excess weight often provokes the development of the disease, so try to follow the arrow on the scale. Do not overeat, do not abuse high-calorie foods, fatty and sugary foods. Eliminate all chronic infections from your body. Particular attention should be paid to the correct position of the body during sleep and rest; the neck muscles should not be tightened.
For example, every patient should have an orthopedic pillow for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, and its use is also useful in the prevention of the disease. Resting on it relaxes the neck muscles and the blood vessels do not experience strong pressure.
Cartilage health and diet
Separately, I would like to mention the tendency of girls and women to experiment with various diets, which are sometimes so cruel and low in calories that the body begins to use substances from its own tissues as a source of energy. Remember that any diet must be balanced, contain the necessary minimum of nutrients, mainly proteins, and be accompanied by the intake of vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, you risk not only becoming the owner of worn cartilage, which is very difficult and expensive to restore in the future, but also a number of unpleasant diseases. And remember that the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine will be successful only if the patient follows all the recommendations and prescriptions of the attending physician.