Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease characterized by degenerative changes in the tissue of the intervertebral discs, which leads to a decrease in its height, damage to the joints between the vertebrae, squeezing the blood vessels and the roots of the nerves.
Previously, the pathology was considered a disease of people over 40, but today the osteochondrosis is remarkably younger, and often diagnoses schoolchildren and students for the first time. The disease leads to a series of complications. First, the blood supply to the brain worsens. The treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is a long -term process and includes drug and not united therapy.
The causes of disease development
The reasons for the development of cervical osteochondrosis are diverse. First, the disease appears due to incorrect lifestyle hypodinamia, the work of sitting, overweight. At the same time, the main cause of the osteochondrosis of the cervical region is a violation of blood circulation in this area. As a result, the nutrition of intervertebral discs tissues worsens, which implies a change in its structure. There are several factors that contribute to the development of this disease:
- hypodinamia;
- Corsé of the weak muscle;
- Overweight;
- neck injuries;
- stress;
- hypothermia;
- Systemic connective tissue diseases (red lupus, rheumatoid arthritis).
Hypodinamia is one of the most important factors in the development of spine diseases. Due to the lack of physical activity, people who spend a lot of time in a sitting position face osteochondrosis. Much also depends on the posture and muscles of the back. The inadequate position of the neck during long -term work at the table leads to a violation of the food of the intervertebral discs, which over time pours in the degeneration of the cartilage and the development of the osteochondrosis. For this reason, the disease is often diagnosed with students and students, since their daily activity is associated with many hours of sitting at the table or on the desk. In addition, osteochondrosis is often diagnosed with office workers and all people who spend a lot of time on the computer.
As a general rule, the development of osteochondrosis occurs under the influence of several provocative factors at the same time. Many doctors consider that osteochondrosis is not an independent disease, but for a natural consequence of incorrect lifestyle. Constant fatigue, stress, incorrect position of the body during sleep or work on a computer, excess weight and bad habits: all this harms the health of the spine. As you know, a strong back is the key to good health and longevity. Despite the fact that osteochondrosis does not threaten life, this violation can significantly worsen the general well and cause the development of other diseases, therefore, it is important to detect the disease in a timely manner and experience a complex treatment.
Symptoms of the disease and the degree of osteochondrosis
Pain syndrome occurs in the context of disease progression. The growth of the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in women and men is a long process. From the moment when changes in intervertebral discs tissues, before the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis, they can take more than a year in the appearance of intervertebral discs. There is no difference in the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men, women and children. The only difference: at an early age, symptoms are not expressed as clearly as in the elderly. It is due to the lubricated symptoms that are due to the difficulties in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. A person does not see a doctor until the pronounced symptoms of the disease that bring discomfort. This happens at least 5 years after the start of the degeneration of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs. In the first years of development, the osteochondrosis of the cervical column is practically not accompanied by clinical manifestations. Perhaps only a slight feeling of numbness of the top of the back after sleep or short -term muscle cramps in times of psycho -emotional survival. To understand the signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men and women, one must consider the degree of this disease that characterizes the severity of the pathological process in the intervertebral discs.
The first grade (preclinical) of disease: symptoms and characteristics
With cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment depend on the pathological process stage. The first degree is called preclinical, since it has no characteristic clinical symptoms. It is possible to recognize the osteochondrosis at this stage only by the diagnosis of hardware: the changes in the discs are visible in an X (not always) line and are well visualized in MRI and CT. In the first stage of the disease, there is a violation of trophism (nutrition) of intervertebral discs. As the disease progresses, an elastic cartilage fabric is compacted. The discs become more difficult, as a result of which the vertebrae lose mobility. Therefore, degenerative-disconficent processes begin, which leads to a violation of the function of the cervical column. As a general rule, the symptoms already become notable in the second stage of the development of the disease, but expressed so weakly that they rarely bother a person. The first degree of the disease is the following in a few years.
Second degree osteochondrosis symptoms
The second degree of cervical osteochondrosis is characterizedfor an increase in muscle tone in the damage area. How can cervical osteochondrosis cure? It depends on the severity of the disease. If the preclinical stage often goes unnoticed by the patient, the second degree of the disease acquires some symptoms that should alert the patient and make a doctor see. Is it possible to completely cure cervical osteochondrosis? It depends on the seriousness of the pathological process. The sooner the therapy begins, the more favorable the prognosis is. In the second stage of the disease, discs between the vertebrae are compacted. The neck loses mobility, but in ordinary life this does not virtually interfere with the patient. A characteristic symptom is an increase in the muscle tone of the affected area. With prolonged physical effort, acute head movements can be observed, after a long sleep, numbness and muscular hypertension. Sudden movements lead to acute pain. This is due to the fact that spasmodic muscles compress the nerve, causing severe pain. The pain can be given to the shoulder blade, the neck, less frequently, in the lower extremities. Such variability of pain syndrome is due to a large number of nerves of the roots located in the cervical region.
The first signs of cervical osteochondrosis are the following symptoms:
- fatigue;
- headache;
- dizziness after sleep;
- pain in the cervical region with sudden movements;
- Local numbness of the skin of the cervical region.
As a general rule, in the second stage of the disease, the symptoms appear only from time to time. This is generally due to severe excess work or intensive physical effort. Most patients do not pay due care to easy discomfort, waiting for discomfort in themselves. In general, this is how it happens, the symptoms rarely bother a person more than a few hours and spend without taking special medications.
Characteristics of third grade osteochondrosis
The symptoms of the osteochondrosis of the cervical column of the third grade are pronounced. If only the changes begin in the first stage of the disease, the second grade is characterized by a compaction of discs of the discs, then in the third degree of osteochondrosis there are cracks and microwave of the fibrous ring of the disc. Perhaps the formation of a hernia: the loss of a nucleus of octopos in the intervertebral space. This is accompanied by a violation of brain circulation, since flattened discs strongly compress the spinal artery. A typical symptom is a severe headache, frequent dizziness, flashing flies in front of the eyes. With third degree osteochondrosis, a sensation of heaviness in the neck is constantly present. The muscles are almost always spasmodic, a person feels heaviness and painful pain. The long -term stay in a position, the tension of the neck or sleep muscles in an uncomfortable pillow leads to the local numbness of the skin or a strong attack of pain. You can feel changes with the palpation: the neck muscles become solid to the touch, the pressure causes severe pain. A sign of cervical osteochondrosis in men is severe pain in loads (women less frequently load this column in everyday life).
Fourth Grade Characteristics
The stifled nerve interrupts blood circulation and causes severe pain in the neck. The fourth stage of the disease is the most difficult. At the same time, irreversible changes occur in the structure of the discs. The pathological process extends from the fibrous ring to the vertebrae. Several syndromes describe the signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical column in this case: these are Rooser, reflex, spinal syndrome. Severe pain is observed along the stifled nerve, disturbances in brain circulation. At this stage, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are diverse. Frequent myalgia (muscles), neuralgia, migraines arise. The pain extends to the chest, the patient can find discomfort in the heart, which is associated with intercostal neuralgia in the context of osteochondrosis with left sides.
How to cure osteochondrosis?
Such column disease requires the intervention of a doctor
The best way to deal with cervical osteochondrosis: only a doctor can answer this question. There is no universal treatment for cervical osteochondrosis, everything depends on the characteristics of the disease course in a particular patient. Patients are often interested in which doctors treat cervical osteochondrosis. Typically, the initial diagnosis is made by the therapist or neurologist, whom patients have complained about pain in the cervical region. To make a diagnosis, it is necessary to make an X -rays of the neck in three projections and a magnetic resonance, verify the presence of a neri symptom. The method to treat cervical osteochondrosis will depend on the exam results, the neurologist selects the therapy. How exactly is cervical osteochondrosis depends on the stage of development of degenerative-dystophical changes in the discs. In the initial stage of the disease, special physical education will help get rid of the symptoms of osteochondrosis in the cervical region and prevent additional propagation of the pathological process.
The treatment methods for osteochondrosis are different. Complex therapy includes:
- Pharmacological treatment;
- Exercise therapy;
- physiotherapeutic procedures;
- Manual therapy
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis depend on the seriousness of the pathological changes in the cervical column. The treatment of neck osteochondrosis should be prescribed by a doctor, self -medication will not bring a result and can be dangerous.
Medications
The first thing to do with cervical osteochondrosis is to eliminate pain and muscle spasm; This is the first aid for the patient. For this purpose, non -steroidal, analgesic and muscle relaxing anti -inflammatory medications are used. As a general rule, this allows you to relieve the discomfort in a matter of hours. The relief of muscle spasm itself is an effective method of treatment, since it restores nerve conductivity and blood circulation in the cervical region. How to treat cervical osteochondrosis in the future depends on the degree of development of pathological changes. Doctors often prescribe:
- B vitamins to restore nerve conduction;
- Condroprotectors to improve the nutrition of the cartilage of intervertebral discs;
- Nootropics to improve brain circulation;
- products that improve the rheological properties of blood;
- Sedatives to relieve stress.
Not all groups of drugs listed are advisable to use in different stages of the disease. The doctor will select exact methods to treat cervical osteochondrosis.
Exercise therapy
Media physical education faces osteochondrosis in the initial development stage. Medical Physical Education is the most effective treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the initial stage. Osteochondrosis in children and adults occurs due to weak back muscles, so this treatment is aimed not only to eliminate symptoms, but also to eliminate the cause of the disease. Therapeutic exercise classes take place in the Clinic Special Office. The exercises are selected individually for each person and are carried out under the supervision of a doctor. If cervical osteochondrosis is treated, it depends on how fast a person has contacted a doctor. The first degree of disease can be cured only by gymnastics. The symptoms of the osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae take place after several of these classes, as muscle spasm decreases.
Physiotherapy
Chronic osteochondrosis, whose symptoms can virtually not bother a person, are treated with physiotherapy. This method aims to restore normal nutrition from intervertebral discs fabrics. In general, electrophoresis with nicotinic acid is used to expand blood vessels and improve blood circulation. This method of treatment relieves the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis with root and migraine syndrome, since it reduces nerve compression and improves brain circulation. The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis can be eliminated by magnetotherapy or exposure to heat. Only 10-15 normalize trophic procedures in the cervical region and eliminate the symptoms of the disease.
Forecast
If cervical osteochondrosis is cured, it depends on the severity of the disease. In the initial stage, the pathological process is completely rotated. Intervertebral discs are restored with the right approach, but slowly. The treatment aims to prevent the progression of the disease and restore the elasticity of the cartilage. With advanced diseases of the disease, it is almost impossible to return the previous mobility of the neck. The integral treatment of the osteochondrosis of the cervical column in this case allows you to get rid of symptoms and prevent the development of complications. In severe cases, the patient will have to undergo preventive treatment twice a year.