Cervical osteochondrosis is considered the most common disease of the spine in people of working age. Ongoing degenerative-dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs constantly lead to pathological changes in the vertebrae and the ligamentous apparatus.
The disease is rarely detected in the early stages of its development, since a sick person may initially confuse its symptoms with normal fatigue or mental stress.
But it is precisely with the first violations that it is possible, through conservative treatment and lifestyle changes, to prevent further pathological process in the cervical spine.
Symptoms indicating cervical osteochondrosis.
The most common signs of cervical osteochondrosis include:
- Pain. Painful sensations of varying severity can be not only in the neck, but also in the hands and head.
- Weakness in the upper limbs. It occurs due to damage to the root of the motor nerves that innervate the muscles of the hands.
- Diminished sensation occurs when a sensory nerve becomes compressed and damaged.
- Restriction of movements in the neck.
- Dizziness.
- Loss of coordination in movements.
- With severe compression, the blood supply to the brain worsens significantly, and this can lead to visual impairment, neurological disorders, and hearing loss.
Cervical osteochondrosis with a prolonged course disrupts the functioning of the lungs and heart. The most characteristic symptoms of osteochondrosis in the cervical region are pain and dizziness, they have their own developmental features.
Pain in cervical osteochondrosis
Painful manifestations in people with cervical osteochondrosis occur due to damage to the peripheral parts of the nervous system. Painful sensations can be constant, they are designated in medicine by the term cervicalgia, and pain can also appear suddenly, sharply, that is, a "neck chamber" develops.
The main role in the development of pain is assigned to pain impulses that depart from receptors present in the region of the pathologically altered part of the spine.
Pain in osteochondrosis has the following characteristics:
- Neck pain occurs mainly in the morning. Aggravated by rolling over, clumsy movements, cough. From the neck, the pain can spread to the shoulders, upper back, and chest. Gradually, at night, the pain becomes less pronounced.
- Periodically, a sick person may experience sharp pains, they are described as "stinging", "piercing".
- The pain often radiates up the arm and into the hand, where it is manifested by numbness in the fingers.
- Cervical osteochondrosis is a common cause of recurrent pain in the occipital region of the head.
- Pain in the chest area is possible, such discomfort in its manifestations often resembles cardiac pathology.
Pain in cervical osteochondrosis leads to restriction of movement, muscle stiffness. In addition to pain, there is also decreased sensation in the neck, arm, and shoulder girdle.
Dizziness
Dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis occurs due to a violation of the patency of blood vessels that feed and supply oxygen to different parts of the brain.
The degree of vascular compression affects the intensity and duration of vertigo. The manifestation of this symptom of osteochondrosis is often accompanied by:
- feeling that the ground shakes under your feet;
- loss of balance;
- nausea;
- tinnitus;
- vision impairment, flickering flies and flashes before the eyes.
Dizziness can stop after rest, and immobility is ensured, but this phenomenon will completely disappear only after a course of treatment for osteochondrosis.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
The changes that occur in osteochondrosis in the cervical spine are due to malnutrition and blood circulation. A similar pathology develops under the influence of the following reasons:
- altered metabolism.
- Hypodynamia, that is, insufficient physical activity.
- transferred lesions.
- Constant forced position of the body. Prolonged tension of the neck muscles often occurs in drivers, office workers.
- Anomalies in the development of the spine, these include scoliosis, incorrect posture.
In recent years, there has been a trend to increase the number of patients with cervical osteochondrosis among adolescents. Doctors attribute this to computer games and nervous tension.
Treatment
Pharmacological treatment of patients diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis should begin as soon as possible. This prevents further changes in the tissues of the spine and quickly improves general well-being.
Next, we consider the main groups of drugs used in the treatment of osteochondrosis.
| Drug/group name | Request |
|---|---|
| NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) | These drugs reduce inflammation and swelling, under the influence of which the pain disappears. |
| Vasodilators (antiplatelet agents) | Medications that improve blood flow and nutrition to damaged nerves. |
| muscle relaxants | Medications that relieve muscle spasms. |
| B vitamins | Assign to improve the flow of metabolic processes in the body. |
| Chondroprotectors | Drugs that restore pathologically altered cartilage tissue. |
| Analgesics | Prescribed for severe pain. |
Since NVPS has a number of side effects, the dosage of drugs and the general course of their use should be selected with a doctor individually for each patient. Be sure to consider all contraindications.
home treatment
Against the background of drug therapy and during the recovery period, treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is also carried out by other methods. The group of the most common includes herbal medicine, exercise therapy, physiotherapy, adherence to a special diet. All these methods help to improve metabolic processes, normalize blood circulation, strengthen the muscle corset and reduce inflammatory reactions. Compliance with the entire complex of therapeutic measures allows you to get rid not only of uncomfortable sensations, but also to prevent further pathological changes in the discs and vertebrae.
Training
After relief of acute pain in patients with osteochondrosis, the doctor recommends doing physical exercises. Specially selected exercise therapy strengthens the muscles of the neck and the entire spine, improves disc nutrition and blood circulation.
In the early stages of the development of osteochondrosis, it is exercises that lead to the complete restoration of joint mobility.
The simplest exercises for cervical osteochondrosis are tilting the head to the sides, forward, backward. A doctor who will take into account all the changes in the spine identified during the examination of the patient will help him choose the right set of exercises.
Herbs
The use of herbs for osteochondrosis is aimed at relieving inflammation, swelling and improving metabolic processes in the body. The following recipes are popular:
- 10 grams of buckthorn, 40 grams of birch leaves and 50 grams of willow bark should be chopped and thoroughly mixed. The broth is prepared from two tablespoons of the collection and half a liter of water, all this is boiled for 10 minutes, infused and cooled. You need to drink this decoction in a glass twice a day for at least two weeks.
- Horseradish compress. A leaf of horseradish should be doused with boiling water, attached to the neck and fixed with a scarf. It is better to do such a compress at night, when using it, a slight burning sensation will be felt.
Lifestyle
Proper nutrition in osteochondrosis will contribute to the normalization of metabolism. Hard diets for this disease do not exist, except when you need to reduce weight, because changes in the discs often occur with obesity.
Be sure to have proteins in the daily menu for people with osteochondrosis, they are found in meat, dairy products, fish, poultry, legumes, cereals. Protein is well absorbed if these products are combined with plant foods.
Strong coffee, tea and alcohol should be abandoned, since these drinks do not allow the absorption of important trace elements.
In addition to medications, exercises, diet, physiotherapy helps a person with osteochondrosis in treatment. Massage, swimming and yoga give excellent results in relieving pain and strengthening the muscular corset. The most important thing is that the selected treatment methods should be carried out several courses a year, which will allow you to forget about exacerbations of osteochondrosis.
movement is everything
Osteochondrosis develops with physical inactivity, which means that in order to improve the functioning of the spine in this zone, it is necessary to change the lifestyle. Physical activity, daily exercises, moderate sports allow you to forget about uncomfortable sensations in osteochondrosis. People who do sedentary jobs need to take regular breaks during the working day to do simple physical exercises.