Cervical region osteochondrosis is a disease associated with a violation of metabolic processes, namely the accumulation of salts in the blood and lymph, which leads to the pathological transformation of the structure of intervertebral discs, vertebrae and joints between the vertebrae.The loss of tissue of the cartilage of elasticity contributes to the displacement of vertebrae, pitches of arteries and other dystrophic changes.
Due to joint deformation, the height of the intervertebral discs decreases.It should be noted that in the cervical region the vertebrae are located closer to each other than in other parts of the spine and therefore the discs are in a healthy state.
Osteophytes (bone growths) form on the sides of the vertebrae, which irritate the muscles, causing their tension.Osteophytes also squeezed the roots of the spinal nerve, the vertebral artery and small blood vessels, of which brain cells do not receive sufficient blood.The brain degraded and dies.
Due to the frequency of occurrence of second place in the neck after the lower back.The first signs of the disease may appear at school age, after 25 years in one way or another, this disease is observed in almost everyone.In women from 45 to 65 years old, additional symptoms appear - dying in the area of hands during sleep at the bottom of pain and numbness.
The reasons for the development of neck osteochondrosis
Hypodynamamia - A sedentary and sedentary lifestyle, mainly leads to cervical osteochondrosis.As a rule, they are suffered by people whose work involves a long stay in one position: computer work, office workers, drivers and so on.Osteochondrosis should be expected if a person has an inappropriate posture or holding the body in an abnormal position for a long time, for example, holds a phone or cell phone with one shoulder.
The incorrect posture on the computer leads to cervical osteochondrosis!
Excessive back and neck stress causes unusual excessive physical activity for the body, for example, raising weights.The same effect is obtained with physical exercise exercises incorrectly.
The degeneration and dystrophy of the cervical region are due to constant tension and stress, prolonged or temporary hypothermia of the body, unbalanced and scarce infections.
The increased risk group belongs to people with a hereditary predisposition to osteochondrosis, with defects in the development of the spine, with a traumatic spine or back in general.The danger is chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system (rheumatism, scoliosis, systemic lupus erythematosus).The disease is favored by hormonal imbalance with overweight, boring feet, progressive nightclubs.
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and the factors that cause them
The main symptom of osteochondrosis is pain in the occipital neck segment.If the nerve roots are affected, the pain extends to the shoulders, forearms.With impaired muscles and blood circulation spasms, the pain is felt in the ears, eyes, teeth, forehead.You can give in to the papstones, chest, gallbladder, lumbar region.The painful sensations increase even with minimal loads, long sitting, inclinations or head curves.The pain basically manifests itself after sleep and disappears if you develop muscles.Frequent departments occur - sharp pains, along with hardening and muscle difficulties in the movement.
Standard of arms and legs occurs, burns and tingling.Damaged roots with engine nerves weaken the strength of the limbs muscles.Blood pressure can rise, take the heart.
The cervical department with sophisticated intervertebral discs, osteophytes in the vertebrae and affected intervertebral joints have grinded and crushed if you play it abruptly or turn your head.
The tense arteries and the worsening blood supply for the occipital fraction of the brain and the cerebellum leads to neurotic disorders, which manifests itself in the form of irritability, anxiety, mood variability, resentment and insomnia.There are outbreaks of anger, anorexia nervous, fear, longing.
For the same reason, the tongue and tips of the fingers are narcotic, a squeaky voice, hearing and vision diminish, rust in the ears, darkens in the eyes, fainting occurs.Almost always, especially in women, continuous, even stronger headaches are observed if you turn your neck suddenly.
The affected vestibular device leads to disorientation in space, impaired coordination, dizziness and nausea and vomiting associated with these phenomena.
Stems of development of neck osteochondrosis
Cervical osteochondrosis develops stays, each of the stages has its own clinical picture.
In the first (pre -clinical) stage, the muscles are slightly tense, the pain is weak, when rotating or tilting the head, can increase.The rapid fatigue of the spinal and lumbar muscles is characteristic.At this stage, the disease is treated without medication.
The second stage occurs with a decrease in the height of the intervertebral disc and the pinch of nerve endings.In addition to the neck, the shoulder and hand hurt.Fast fatigue, headache, distraction appears, work is difficult and performance is reduced.
The third stage marks the formation of intervertebral disc hernias.Then the muscles of the hands are weakening and numb, constant pain gives in to the arm or shoulder.The general weakness is accompanied by dizziness.
In the fourth stage, the vertebral artery is affected, the destroyed intervertebral disc is replaced by connective tissue.Coordination is disturbed, severe dizziness and the noise in the ears is worried.
Cervical osteochondrosis symptoms by type and affected vertebrae
Various types of cervical osteochondrosis are distinguished.
- Rook Syndrome- Due to the pinch of nerve endings, the pain of high intensity, besides the neck, covers the shoulder, the forearm, is felt in the shoulder blade and in the lower back.
- Vail Artery Syndrome- is distinguished by a pulsating headache on the back of the head or temple.
- Irritating - Reflex Syndrome- The fiery pain in the neck and nape gives the chest and shoulder, when turning his head, coughing, in a dream that intensifies.
- Cardial syndromeIt occurs due to damage to the vertebral spine of the diaphragmatic nerve or large thoracic muscle.Pressing pains appear in the heart of the heart, they last several hours, when moving or breathing deeply, they intensify.
The defeat of different cervical vertebrae is manifested by their symptoms.
An impressive 1st and 2nd cervical vertebra (CI-II) causes pain in the neck and crown.The nerve root bite (C3) leads to neck numbness, tongue sensitivity decreases, speech is disturbed.If the nerve spine of C4 is affected, the collarbone or shoulder is numb, the breath is disturbed, the pain in the heart appears.The dystrophy of the 5th department vertebra has a violation of the sensitivity of arms, legs and shoulder pain.The compression of the roots of C6 and C7 is accompanied by pain in the neck, forearm, blade, lower back and back, weakening the sensitivity of the hands and fingers.The affected nerve root of C8 causes neck, back, elbow and lower ends.Small fingers are numb in your hands, skin sensitivity decreases to zero.Due to the weakening of blood flow, the legs and hands become cyanotic.
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis
The diagnosis of neck osteochondrosis begins with the collection of information about the lifestyle of a person and their work, the analysis of complaints and symptoms, it should also be discovered if this disease was for relatives.
Then an external examination of the back and neck is performed in different positions, allowing you to see if there are posture violations.Palpation of painful zones reveals the degree of pain and tension of muscles and vertebrae.
The main role in the diagnosis is played by instrumental research methods.
The longest instrumental method - X -ray allows you to identify the general condition of vertebrae and vertebrates, but in the later stages of the disease is ineffective.
Computed tomography has much better diagnostic resources, but this method does not allow a complete idea of the presence and size of intervertebral hernias.It is unclear if there is a compression of the spinal cord hernia.
The highest efficiency is shown by magnetic resonance imaging (RM).Not only are bone formations perfectly tracked, but also other important structural elements of the spine: intervertebral discs, hernias, their parameters and how they develop.Of course in what condition the soft tissues are.Duplex scan by vertebral vessel ultrasound allows you to make an idea of its structure, permeability for blood flow and its speed, violations and abnormalities of the walls.
Having established damaged intervertebral discs and the degree of violation, you can prescribe proper treatment.Otherwise, not only osteochondrosis will progress, but different complications are also possible.
Complications for cervical osteochondrosis
Complications for cervical osteochondrosis arise due to the effect at:
- discs, nerves, nerve endings, plexus (neurological diseases);
- spinal cord;
- brain.
Nerve ends and blood vessels closely, with the slightest disturbance, are compressed, which in turn interrupts brain circulation, causes various disorders and disease: migraine, hypertension, heart impairment, hearing problems, vision and attention coordination.
Neglegated cervical osteochondrosis is full of the development of vertebral artery syndrome, cerebral ischemia, stroke and other mortal pathologies.Vertebra (radiculopathy) growths lead to the complete or partial loss of body sensitivity and mobility.Staring at the spinal cord causes a fatal result.
Treatment of spine osteochondrosis
With degenerative lesions of intervertebral discs, I use different treatment methods, depending on symptoms.
Drug treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
An osteochondrosis expert is a neuropathologist, an expert directly in the spine is a vertebrologist.
Drug treatment aims to eliminate pain, relieve inflammation, improve blood circulation, supporting the body as a whole.
The most disturbing, severe, sometimes unbearable syndrome can be removed using non -esteroid anti -inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).The same drugs relieve aseptic inflammation and swelling of the damaged nerve roots.If the pain is weak, just have a painkiller.
You should know that most NSAIDs negatively affect the stomach mucosa membrane, so it is not recommended to take them for a long time.
Anesthesia and simultaneously that the affected areas can be ointments and gels.A pepper adhesive can be applied to the painful point, but its effect is limited to heating the inflamed area.
Diuretics and herbal infusions are suitable for combating edema.
In the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, B vitamins of B (B1, B6, B12) are certainly used.The vitamins of this group improve metabolic processes in nervous tissue.Effective oral tablets for intramuscular administration are effective, but injection administration is painful and may have complications.
The most important therapeutic task is the restoration of cartilage on the intervertebral disc.It is resolved using chondroprotectors.It should be borne in mind that all these drugs are biologically active additives with vague effectiveness.
Pathology characteristics require the use of medicines that improve blood properties, blood flow to the brain and the nutrition of damaged nerve roots.
Muscle cramps can be removed by using muscle relaxants.
The medications introduced into the body through intramuscular injection affect nerve endings faster.Blocks are performed directly in the affected area, which immediately provides the necessary effect.
The duration of taking certain medications depends on the stage of osteochondrosis, patient complaints and their related diseases.
Physiotherapeutic procedures
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis without failure includes physiotherapeutic procedures.
Under the influence of electric current (electrophoresis), the drug immediately enters the destruction site.
The ultrasound anesthesia effect, relieves inflammation, improves metabolic processes.Magnetotherapy relieves tissue edema and therefore reduces pain.Laser therapy has an anti -inflammatory effect and improves blood circulation.
To improve blood supply to the brain, cervical massage is very useful.A special place in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is occupied by therapeutic exercises, especially if limb numbness is observed.The patient's condition improves improving blood circulation and reducing muscle stress.In the acute phase of the disease, gymnastics is not recommended, this should be done during recovery.
If conservative treatment does not provide a positive result within 6 months, the pain does not pass and damaged nerve roots do not restore, or myelopathy has manifested, you can resort to surgical intervention.
With the unlimited root cause of cervical region osteochondrosis, and this is, in most cases, a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle, drug treatment will have a short -term effect.For irrevocable recovery, regular physical activities and nutrition are needed that do not contribute to the development of the disease.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folkloric methods
For the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, products of plant and animal origin are used.They can be taken inside and applied outside.
For internal use, you can prepare a celery infusion, a 4-5 g compartment of plants with a liter of boiling water and insisting for 2-4 hours.
The compress can be prepared from:
- honey (1-2 teaspoons) and mummy;Heat, place a hot wool fabric and secure the affected area of the spine at night;
- nonsense;Grate the root in a grater, heat a little, wrap the gauze to be applied to a painful point and tie it with a hot cloth to maintain the heat;
- burdock(Rinse the leaves with hot water, apply to a painful point and wrap with a curative when the leaves dry, replace the new ones).
To rub, you can use chamomile and oil (preferably olive), although the sunflower is also suitable.30 g of flowers and 0.5 liters of oil over low heat to boil, insist in 2 days, strain and apply in painful areas.For the chamomile, you can add dead from St. John, Calendula, Celandine.
For the same purposes, you can prepare a tooth decoction -leon, birch sprouts, mint, coriander leaves (combine the mixture with steep boiling water in a 1: 1 proportion, insist an hour, after rubbing, apply a hot bandage).A half -rubbing medium (50 g of flowers spills 0.5 liters of vodka, insists in 2 weeks).
To get rid of the symptoms of osteochondrosis, leeches - hirudotherapy have been used for a long time.In the early stages, 6 sessions are enough.But leeches can cause allergies and, of course, treatment ceases.
Popular remedies show efficacy only at the early stage of the disease, if the disease progresses, the basis of treatment should be medicine methods.
Prevention of cervical spine osteochondrosis
The main preventive measure of this disease is physical activity (including walking, swimming) and gymnastics (aerobic, yoga), but you cannot increase excessive severity.Bodybuilding can cause the cervical disc protrusion.Support at the proper level of weight is full of this measure.When sitting, you need to monitor the posture, after each hour take five minutes, knead your neck every 2 hours.But clear movements of the head should be avoided.If you regularly do massage, it will be possible to prevent the development of excessive muscle tension.
Food should be rich in vitamins, minerals (calcium, magnesium) and other beneficial substances.Poridge, Eggs, Vegetables, Mushrooms, Low -Fat Meat Are Recommended (Beef, Chicken, Rabbit), Seafood (Fish, Crab, Oysters, LobSters, Mussels), Dairy Products (Milk, Cottage Cheese), Fresh Fruits, Fresh Vegetables (Cabbage,Carrots, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper, beets, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, bow, broccoli.
If neck osteochondrosis is accompanied by atherosclerosis, it is necessary to limit the use of products that contain cholesterol - animal fats, greasy meat, fatty dairy products.Limited consumer products also include flour, sugar, salt products.
Alcohol is harmful in this, falling into the blood, destroys the cells, which worsens the already poor blood circulation.Smoking also fits the ban.
To protect osteochondrosis, stress should be avoided.A healthy sleep is made to prevent the development of the disease.You need to sleep in a solid mattress and the low pillow, the neck should not double more than 15 °.
Hot shower, a sauna and a bathroom help remove the spasms from the neck.
If there is a predisposition to osteochondrosis, the doctor should be shown from time to time.