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 itself?
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 rejuvenate the disease, ie to reduce 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 leading a sedentary lifestyle. By the way, such a disease is dangerous and everyone should know what cervical osteochondrosis is, how it manifests itself, how to treat it and how to be able to identify its symptoms.
The main causes of the disease
Man is designed in such a way that the vertical position of the spine can lead to the fact that the vertebrae will be compressed more and more over time, thus allowing the bone and cartilage 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, as there is increased mobility in this area. Such a disease of the cervical spine affects primarily the discs themselves, because they are a weak spot in the spine.
The incidence 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, the 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 a long and complex process in which it is very difficult to identify the cause. Although a link has been established between a sedentary lifestyle and osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine, such a disease is common in trained people, especially athletes, due to the fact that they have an increased load on the cervical spine. They lift different weights (bars, weights), which leads to deformation of the discs. So everything needs a measure.
In the elderly and the elderly, as a rule, such decomposition of the spinal 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 occur due to internal or external negative factors. They include:
- various back injuries;
- rachiocampsis;
- heavy weight;
- improper posture;
- hypodynamia;
- heavy physical work;
- impaired metabolic processes;
- hypothermia;
- fatigue, stress;
- infectious diseases;
- heredity;
- congenital pathologies or features of the body structure.
Stages of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
The 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, because most often the level of bone 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 still not very pronounced. People may not notice them or associate these symptoms with a disease of the spine, 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 is observed 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 do the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifest themselves at this stage? Disc herniations appear, the cervical vessels and muscles are affected. The person notices dizziness and pain in the back of the head.
The fourth stage of the disease
In osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, osteophytes often appear - a proliferation 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:
- Acute pain in the shoulders and neck.
- Muscle weakening.
- 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 characters from this list are visible, while the rest may be completely missing. The patient who encounters them for the first time practically does not diagnose cervical osteochondrosis. In this case, he can turn to various doctors - cardiologists, neurologists, therapists, surgeons. And a reliable diagnosis can ultimately be identified with a significant delay.
Danger of pathology
Not everyone knows the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
The earliest symptoms of osteochondrosis can appear as early as age 20, while the pain and discomfort are mild, so many people decide to wait, hoping that the symptoms will go away, postpone a visit to the doctor and do not start treatment. The symptoms in the early stages of osteochondrosis may indeed go away on their own, but this disease will not go away. If prophylaxis 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?
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 at the beginning of development, it 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 abandoned osteochondrosis will lead to very dangerous consequences, followed by injury.
In addition, the following may develop:
- protrusion of the intervertebral discs;
- protrusions and intervertebral hernias;
- disc loss;
- lumbago or sciatica;
- spinoses of the spinal canal.
In special cases, the diseases listed above are forced to undergo surgery, and the consequence of an advanced stage is injury.
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 cervical osteochondrosis are sleep disorders, migraines, vision problems, dizziness. In advanced disease, the listed symptoms will become more noticeable. In cervical osteochondrosis there is a possibility of concomitant problems:
- high or low blood pressure and vascular dystonia;
- thyroid disease;
- vestibular disorders;
- hypertension or hypotension;
- blow;
- epicondylitis;
- humeroscapular periarthrosis.
Diagnosis of 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 should consult a therapist. He will provide guidance to other specialists - neurologist, vertebrologist, orthopedist.
The following types of tests are used to diagnose the disease:
- CT scan;
- radiography;
- NMR;
- Doppler scan.
X-ray examination 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 comprehensive picture of the organs, in this case the cervical spine. This will allow to detail the stage of the pathological process, as well as the nature of the nerve compression, the height of the discs and the structure of the osteophytes. Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging gives an even more detailed picture of the structure of the spine. An ultrasound scan can help determine how blood flow to the large vessels in the neck has changed as a result of the disease.
Treatment of this disease
The 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 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 mostly conservative. Several methods can be used for therapy:
- physiotherapy;
- medicines;
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- special devices for fixing the spine.
If such a disease has passed into a final stage, while the osteochondral structure of the spine is 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;
- chondroprotectors;
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- antispasmodics.
When acute pain syndrome occurs, which is associated with osteochondrosis, the most important task is to eliminate it. In such cases, oral painkillers are taken, but if the effect is not noticeable, novocaine blockade can be used.
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often remain controversial to many.
Antispasmodics are often taken. Muscle relaxants show the greatest effectiveness in osteochondrosis. As analgesics 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 spinal artery syndrome, it is necessary to use drugs that eliminate 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.
Physiotherapeutic exercises
Physiotherapy is the simplest and most affordable type of therapy and prevention of cervical osteochondrosis, and is also quite effective. Physiotherapy can also be performed at home. In 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, whose task is to compensate for the lack of functionality of the spine and to support the weakened vertebrae. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine should be regular.
Daily exercise is needed to strengthen muscles. Such exercises can be very simple, including turning and tilting the head in different directions, and quite complex, involving the 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 while sitting, then it is very useful to perform different exercises every hour of sitting at a table and monitor. But this is necessary to do only when there is no exacerbation of the disease and no pain syndrome. Otherwise, these same exercises can only worsen the condition.
It is also effective in treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder girdle, for example, use light dumbbells with regular exercise. However, lifting weights such as dumbbells or barbells is contraindicated. Regular swimming activities can be helpful as they relieve stress on the spine.
We looked at the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.