In the article, we will consider the symptoms and treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis. What pathology is this? How does this manifest?
Osteochondrosis is practically the most common disease in the world. Many people over the age of 30 suffer from this condition in various ways. There is also a tendency to rejuvenate the disease, that is, to lower the age threshold. This may be due to the fact that there are now more and more people who are primarily engaged in work, where a person spends most of their time sitting and leading a sedentary life. In fact, this disease is dangerous, and each person should know what cervical osteochondrosis is, how it presents itself, 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 lead to the vertebrae being compressed more and more over time, thus allowing the bone and cartilage tissue to gradually degrade and deform.
The spine always starts in the cervical region, which has seven vertebrae. This is a particularly vulnerable part, as there is greater mobility in this area. This cervical spine disease is reflected, first of all, in the discs themselves, because they are a weak point in the spine.
The frequency of degenerative disc disease in 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, insufficient blood supply to cartilage tissue affects the development of the 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 recognize the cause. Although a connection between a sedentary lifestyle and osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine has been found, 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 various weights (dumbbells, weights), which lead to deformation of the discs. So everything needs a measure.
In the elderly and the elderly, as a rule, this degradation of vertebral structures is an inevitable process, which in turn is associated with the aging of the body and the weakening of its defenses. But there can also be a pathological type of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, whose symptoms appear due to internal or external negative factors. These include:
- multiple back injuries;
- rachiocampsis;
- heavy weight;
- inappropriate posture;
- hypodynamics;
- hard physical work;
- disturbed metabolic processes;
- hypothermia;
- overwork, stress;
- infectious diseases;
- heredity;
- congenital pathologies or special features of the body structure.
Stages of cervical spine osteochondrosis
The pathology has four stages. It is sometimes quite difficult to determine what stage of the disease a patient is at, according to the general analysis, as most of the time the degree of bone tissue degradation may not match 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 still not very pronounced. People may not notice them or may not associate these signs with a disease of the spine, which they call trivial stress or overwork.
the second stage of the disease
As noted above, the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are closely related.
At this stage, there is a noticeable thinning of the disc and cracks appear on its surface. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis at this stage are seen in constant pain, facial numbness, weakness.
third stage
How do cervical spine osteochondrosis symptoms manifest at this stage? Disc herniations occur, cervical vessels and muscles are affected. The person notices dizziness and pain in the back of the neck.
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, resulting in compression 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 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 cervical spine osteochondrosis can present 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 met them for the first time hardly diagnoses cervical osteochondrosis. In that case, he can turn to several doctors - cardiologists, neuropathologists, therapists, surgeons. And a reliable diagnosis at the end can be identified with a significant delay.
pathology hazard
Not everyone knows the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
The earliest symptoms of osteochondrosis can appear as early as the age of 20, while the pain and discomfort are mild, so many people decide to wait, in the hope that the symptoms will pass, postpone the appointment to the doctor and not start treatment. Symptoms at an early stage of osteochondrosis may actually go away on their own, but this disease does not go away in a person. If prevention and therapy are not carried out, osteochondrosis starts 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, 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 serious and dangerous complications. The consequences of a neglected stage are a condition in which a person cannot perform their duties. This can often be accompanied by injuries to adjacent departments. This abandoned osteochondrosis will lead to very dangerous consequences, followed by disability.
In addition, it can develop:
- bulge of intervertebral discs;
- protrusions and intervertebral hernias;
- loss of disks;
- lumbago or sciatica;
- spines of the vertebral canal.
In special cases, the diseases listed above are forced to undergo surgical intervention, and the consequence of the advanced stage is disability.
The problems listed above are characteristic of osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine.
Disease complications
The danger of the disease lies in the fact that the cervical region is connected to the vessels that supply blood to the brain. The consequences of cervical osteochondrosis disease are sleep disturbances, migraines, vision problems, dizziness. With an advanced illness, the symptoms listed will become more noticeable. With cervical osteochondrosis, there is the 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 cervical spine pathology
The symptoms and treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis are of interest to many.
For a correct diagnosis, you should consult a therapist. He will provide referrals to other specialists - neurologist, vertebrologist, orthopedist.
To diagnose the disease, the following types of studies are attached:
- Computed tomography;
- radiography;
- Magnetic resonance;
- Doppler Scan.
X-ray reveals the presence of growths, displacement of vertebrae, salt deposits and osteophytes, disc seals. With the help of CT scan, you can get a pretty voluminous view of the organs, in this case the cervical spine. This will allow us to detail the stage of the pathological process, as well as the nature of the nerve impingement, 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 was caused by the disease.
Treatment of this disease
The symptoms and treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis 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 full recovery is unlikely, especially in old age. But it is also important to emphasize that it is possible to interrupt and delay pathological processes in the spine at any stage of the disease.
In the early stages of the disease, treatment methods for cervical spine osteochondrosis are mostly conservative. Several methods can be used for therapy:
- physiotherapy;
- medicines;
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- special devices to secure the spine.
If this disease has reached an extreme stage while the osteochondral structure of the spine is destroyed, then surgical intervention should be used to cure osteochondrosis of the neck.
Medicines for the therapy of the pathology
Medicines needed for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- analgesics;
- vitamins;
- chondroprotectors;
- anti-inflammatories;
- antispasmodics.
When an acute pain syndrome, which is associated with osteochondrosis, occurs, the most important task is to remove it. In such cases, oral pain relievers are taken, but if their effect is not noticeable, novocaine blockade can be used.
The symptoms and treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis often remain controversial for many.
Antispasmodics are often used. Muscle relaxants are more effective in osteochondrosis. As pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, the patient can use ointments that contain non-steroidal medications.
If there are signs associated with compromised blood supply to the brain and vertebral artery syndrome, medications that remove its unpleasant manifestations are needed - medications that lower blood pressure and nootropic medications.
The symptoms and treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis are no longer a secret.
physiotherapy exercises
Physical therapy is the simplest and most affordable type of therapy and prevention of cervical osteochondrosis, and it is also very effective. Physical therapy can also be done at home. In cervical osteochondrosis, saturation of classes does not play a big role, only regularity is required. First, physical education aims to strengthen the muscles in the neck, whose job it is to compensate for the lack of functionality in the spine and help support weakened vertebrae. The treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine must be regular.
Daily exercise is necessary to strengthen your muscles. These exercises can be very simple, including turning and tilting your head in different directions, and quite complex, involving the hands to help the cervical muscles. They can be done at home and at work. For example, if you have to work all the time while sitting, then it is very useful to perform several exercises every hour while sitting at the table and monitor. But it is only necessary to do this 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 treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine to strengthen the musculature of the shoulder girdle, for example, using light dumbbells for regular exercise. However, lifting weights such as kettlebells or dumbbells is contraindicated. Regular swimming activities can be helpful as it relieves spinal stress.
We examine the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.