Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is one of the most dangerous types of neurological diseases. What is this disease, how does it manifest itself? What steps 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 is a degenerative modification of the intervertebral cartilaginous disc, which subsequently affects bone tissue and the nervous system. What happens to this disease? In the cartilaginous disc, which performs a shock -absorbing function in the structure of the spinal space, dehydration, or simply dehydration, begins due to metabolic failure. The nucleus begins to press on the ring that surrounds it, and the disc extends beyond the vertebrae. This phenomenon is called protrusion. If the membrane ruptures, then an intervertebral hernia appears, which is even more dangerous.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a disease that brings a lot of pain and discomfort to a person’s life. Unlike the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the cervical vertebrae are easier to move, they are the smallest and are always under the influence of pressure. The disease often attacks this part of the spine. A large number of nerve and blood branches are concentrated in the cervical spine. Important large vertebral arteries pass through here, carrying nutrients to the brain. This condition of vessel narrowing is dangerous by the development of spinal cord or cerebral ischemia, as well as stroke. If these arteries and nerve fibers passing through the cervical spine are affected, then the person loses proper coordination of movements, hearing and vision are impaired, frequent dizziness and various neurological disorders are observed, which will be discussed below.
Because
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine occurs even at a young age. What causes the development of this disease? What causes the onset of this 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:
- hypodynamia, or an inactive lifestyle;
- malnutrition.
As a result, there are violations of metabolism (metabolism) throughout the body, especially in bone and cartilage tissue, salt levels in the blood increase, and they, not finding a way out of the bloodstream, find "protection" in the tissues of the kidneys, liver andcervical spine. An unbalanced diet causes a lack of nutrients in the cartilage, as a result of which pathological changes in the intervertebral disc begin. Osteochondrosis is very susceptible to people at risk.
Let's mention the factors, the presence of which increases the likelihood of developing this disease:
- descent;
- age after 40 years;
- overweight;
- frequent hypothermia (not anything they say "don't get cold in your neck! ");
- damage to the endocrine system, disrupting metabolism;
- spinal cord injury;
- systemic lupus erythematosus;
- rheumatism;
- nature of the activity - drivers, office workers, cashiers, athletes, hard -working people.
Symptoms
How does cervical osteochondrosis manifest itself? The symptoms of the disease and the nature of the pain that arises depend on which segment is damaged. In this case, the following situations can develop:
- vertebral artery syndrome;
- hypertension syndrome;
- radicular syndrome;
- cervical migraine syndrome.
Let's look at each one. With vertebral artery syndrome, severe headaches appear at an early stage. A person is often dizzy, walking becomes shaky, and visual clarity decreases. Sudden head movements can cause loss of consciousness. Radicular syndrome is characterized by a variety of manifestations. This includes:
- cervicalgia, or severe neck pain;
- crackles when turning his head;
- weakness and tinnitus;
- numbness and pain in the arms;
- hearing and visual impairment;
- tinnitus;
- cervicobrachialgia, or pain that spreads from the neck to the arms;
- swelling and numbness of the tongue.
Cervical migraine syndrome is characterized mainly by circulatory disorders in brain tissue, which cause hypertension and the development of symptoms such as noise and ringing in the ears, congestion, dizziness, fast pulse. The danger of this condition is the possibility of having a spinal stroke. Hypertensive syndrome is accompanied by headache, exacerbated by head movements, nausea and vomiting (especially in the morning), restlessness, sudden changes in pressure, the appearance of dark circles under the eyes, dizziness.
Hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the developing brain. Cervical osteochondrosis is often manifested by cardiac arrhythmias, in which a uniform heart rhythm is lost. Because of pinching of the lateral vertebral arteries, vegetative-vascular dystonia develops.
Diagnostics
The first step in diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis is examination of the patient. A neuropathologist visually examines the condition of the spinal space, back muscles and posture, and determines the presence of a prominent rotational process by performing an examination. During palpation, the doctor, with the patient’s reaction, will be able to understand which part is affected by the pain. From the hardware diagnostic methods used:
- radiography;
- computed tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- dopplerography.
The first method often involves the introduction of a contrast agent into a specific tissue (discography, angiography, etc. ). This is needed to obtain more accurate information on the course characteristics of the disease.
Treatment
Your doctor will tell you how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and not harm the body. Here 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 performed using a variety of methods. Among them:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- traditional medicine;
- training.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is most dangerous, because of the important arteries that carry blood to the brain tissue through vertebral processes in this place. Therefore, taking medications and fulfilling doctor’s prescriptions must be approached responsibly.
Drug therapy
How to treat cervical spine osteochondrosis using medication? Drug therapy for this disease includes the following methods:
- pain medication;
- anti-inflammatory;
- vitamin;
- chondroprotectors.
Analgesics help relieve the manifestations of pain during exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis and are used in a short time. The attending physician may prescribe the medications Tramadol, Tolperisone hydrochloride, and Etorikoxib as anesthetics. If there is very severe pain, it is possible to use an injection of Lidocaine.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are designed to reduce inflammation, among which are the drugs Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Piroxicam. Such funds are also used externally. These are various ointments and gels: "Diclofenac", etc. Of those vitamins, the most valuable vitamin in terms of preservative therapy for osteochondrosis is vitamin B, which can reduce tissue sensitivity and weaken the neurological manifestations of the disease.
Chondroprotectors
They are formulated by pharmacologists to restore cartilage tissue. There are two active ingredients that make up the drug - glucosamine and chondroitin. Both compounds can be included in one preparation or used separately. Examples of chondroprotectors: glucosamine patches, Chondroitin sulfate ointment, and others. These funds should be used for a long time, at least 3-6 months, otherwise you may not achieve the desired result.
Restrictions
If the pain is severe, injection of the drug directly into the lesion site helps relieve the patient's condition. This injection is called a blockage. Drug mixtures are usually used as medicine. One of them has an analgesic effect, the other is designed to eliminate inflammation. Blockers can only be performed by a qualified doctor, and do not do this procedure yourself! This can not only endanger the health of the patient, but also be a threat to his life. This injection is done in two ways:
- drug injection into the ligaments and tissues around the joint;
- direct injection into the intervertebral disc.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapeutic procedures are very effective in cervical osteochondrosis. They speed up recovery, having a beneficial effect on the whole body as a whole. Before discussing it, we list the contraindications for physiotherapy:
- tumors, oncological diseases;
- blood diseases;
- acute dermatological diseases;
- taking medications that can enhance the effects of physiotherapy.
How to treat cervical spine osteochondrosis using physiotherapy? In this case, the use of many methods has a good effect. For example, shock wave therapy is the application of acoustic waves to a lesion. It reduces inflammation, swelling, pain, stimulates collagen synthesis, and increases tissue metabolism. Also used are laser therapy, magnetotherapy, ultrasound treatment, vibration therapy. Effects on the pain site with low -voltage impulse currents, or diadynamic therapy, reduce pain severity. Electrophoresis with the drug "procaine" provides an analgesic effect during exacerbations. Additional physiotherapy methods are ultraviolet irradiation of the affected area and spinal traction, or detensor therapy.
Physiotherapy training
Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine allows you to achieve tangible results. It is important to use only in the final stages of treatment, because active movement in the neck area is strictly prohibited in the first and middle stages. Gymnastics is performed with a supportive cotton-gauze collar worn in the cervical region. Endurance training is performed with the help of a doctor who tries to tilt the patient’s head with his palms, and he, in turn, tries to overcome the doctor’s actions. This strengthens the muscular corset in the neck. Head holding exercises are also beneficial. It is as follows. The patient, lying on the couch, raised his head and held it in this position for 5 seconds. This time increases to 40-60 seconds if the pain and neurological syndrome have been overcome. Therapeutic gymnastics provides the execution of each exercise no more than 5 times in one approach.
Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is designed to:
- increases blood supply to the affected area;
- to strengthen the back and neck muscles;
- reduces the load on the spine;
- normalizes joint movement;
- accelerates glucose metabolism for active nutrition of intervertebral cartilage discs.
In diseases such as cervical osteochondrosis, massage is required. This refers to a method of manual therapy and aims to stretch the muscles, improve blood circulation and lymphatic movement at the lesion site.
Traditional medicine
Treatment of diseases such as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, folk remedies are considered an adjunctive action and are not the main therapy. The number of recipes that use a variety of ingredients and products is enormous. They use a lot of products such as lemon, garlic, burdock or radish leaves (as a compress), dandelion root, St. John's wort. John's wort, yarrow, lavender, and more. The patient himself is responsible for his health when using traditional medicine.
Nutritional Features
How to cure cervical osteochondrosis? This question is asked by many parties. But how to eat with this disease, what foods will be useful? Let's list them:
- dairy products;
- lean meats and fish;
- meat jelly;
- marmalade;
- jelly;
- fresh fruits and vegetables;
- sources of B vitamins - liver, walnuts, brown rice, broccoli, buckwheat, brewer's yeast, green vegetables, kidneys;
- complex carbohydrates - whole wheat bread, cereals, vegetables;
- vegetable fats - olive, sunflower, flaxseed oil.
Don't forget about products that can be detrimental to the treatment of osteochondrosis. Don't overuse sweets, toast, alcohol, smoked meats and salty foods, spicy foods, animal fats, coffee and concentrated tea. Remove sugar, potatoes and white bread from the menu.
Prevention
Don't neglect your morning workouts, as well as stretching your neck while working out. It helps improve blood circulation, thus ensuring the supply of nutrients to cartilage tissue, and relaxes muscles. Going further - regular jogging, fitness classes are considered an important step for the prevention of osteochondrosis. Being overweight often leads to the development of disease, so try to follow the arrows on the scales. Don’t overeat, don’t consume too much high calorie foods, fatty and sugary foods. Get rid of all chronic infections in your body. Particular attention should be paid to the correct body position during sleep and rest - the neck muscles should not be squeezed.
For example, every patient should have an orthopedic pillow for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, and its use is also useful in disease prevention. Lying 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 undergo a variety of diets, which are sometimes so cruel and low in calories that the body begins to use its own tissue nutrients as a source of energy. Remember that any diet should be balanced, contain the minimum necessary nutrients, especially protein, and be accompanied by an intake of vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, you risk not only becoming the owner of obsolete 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.