Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease of the cervical spine, in which the joint and intervertebral discs are destroyed. This disease affects ¾ world populations older than 35 years.
Cervical osteochondrosis causes much more suffering than its counterparts from the lumbar, sacral or thoracic region, because it contains more nerve fibers.
Classification of characteristics
The symptoms of this disease are related to the three main systems of the human body.
- The spinal cord is a violation of its integrity and compression.
- Peripheral nervous system - damage to its fibers.
- The vertebral artery is a violation of blood flow and oxygen supply to the brain.
Violation of these systems affects human health. The first symptoms are severe headaches.
Pain syndrome
Frequent headaches radiating to the neck are the first signs of the disease. Sometimes the pain migrates to the back of the head or to the shoulders. Unlike ordinary migraine, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine cannot be eliminated with the help of painkillers alone. This problem requires complex treatment.
Lack of air
Symptoms of shortness of breath often accompany cervical osteochondrosis. This is due to irritation of the phrenic nerve. A person who suffers from migraine of the cervical spine finds it difficult to breathe deeply, it is especially difficult to breathe. At night, patients may have short pauses in breathing, followed by snoring. If the room in which the patient is located is not ventilated, hypoxia occurs, which leads to impaired memory and concentration.
Nausea
Symptoms of nausea occur in diseases such as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, due to impaired blood circulation in the brain. Sometimes the symptoms of nausea are accompanied by vomiting, which occurs when walking, turning and tilting the head. This is due to the lack of oxygen in the inner ear - the place where the center of balance is located.
Change in blood pressure
A person who has been diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis must constantly suffer from fluctuations in blood pressure. Similar symptoms can be manifested in both hypertension and hypotension. This is due to the poor oxygen supply of the vasomotor center located in the medulla oblongata.
Ringing and tinnitus
These symptoms are associated with damage to the inner ear, because the vestibular apparatus is controlled from there. Sometimes there is general hearing loss. Such symptoms are called cochlear syndrome by doctors.
unconsciousness
Loss of consciousness or fainting are common symptoms in people suffering from diseases such as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. The cause of this phenomenon is a pronounced spasm of the arteries, which is a consequence of irritation of the curved bone processes of the vertebrae, nerve endings.
Pharyngeal symptoms
Similar symptoms manifest as itching, dryness, or a foreign body sensation in the throat. This phenomenon is associated with a lesion that comes from the spinal cord of nerve trees.
Reduced vision
The eyes also suffer from the appearance of such a disease as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Similar symptoms, such as reduced vision, occur due to damage to the spinal cord of neurovascular trees.
Methods of treatment
To date, you can cure neck migraines in the following ways:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy treatment;
- treatment with folk remedies.
Medical therapy
Such treatment of cervical migraine includes the use of tablets and injections of analgesics. This is necessary to eliminate pain in the neck, head and shoulders. The advantage of analgesic injections is that they are fast.
In addition, injections and antispasmodic tablets should be used. These drugs are most effective in relieving cramps that occur in the arteries of the spine.
Thus, antispasmodic drugs protect the patient from fainting. Moreover, antispasmodic injections are used to treat pregnant women. Because these injections are safe for the mother and the unborn child.
Vascular drug-based treatment is also effective.
They help restore blood circulation in the affected areas of the neck. These injections relieve pain and partially help to get rid of other symptoms.
No less effective is drug treatment based on the use of chondroprotectors. These drugs stop the progressive osteochondrosis of the neck, restoring the cartilaginous tissue of the joints. The most effective preparations, which include collagen hydrolyzate. Because this substance helps in the regeneration of cells destroyed by the disease.
Physiotherapy
Currently, the treatment of osteochondrosis of the neck with the help of physiotherapeutic procedures is widely used. Most commonly used:
- ultraviolet radiation (UVI);
- impact of vibration;
- electrotherapy.
Ultraviolet radiation treatment helps to stop migraines in the neck, thanks to the analgesic, bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effects of the air. Ultraviolet radiation is used for migraine of the cervical spine on the back of the neck, in the subclavian region or the upper part of the shoulder blades.
Vibration exposure, as well as UVI, perfectly eliminates osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Best of all, vibrations relieve pain.
Electrotherapy treatment allows you to get rid of pain, improve blood circulation, supply brain cells with oxygen. The most effective procedure is transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation.
Folk remedies
From ancient times, grated potato and honey compresses have been used to treat cervical migraines. A mixture of radish juice, aloe and liquid honey was also an effective remedy for osteochondrosis of the neck.
Many healers prepared a balm based on hop cones and lard. However, the most effective folk remedy for such a disease as osteochondrosis of the neck is a decoction of oregano, chamomile, parsley, nettle and burdock.
These plants are poured over boiling water and infused in a dark place for 3 days. Drink this decoction one teaspoon twice a day.
Such alternative treatments help relieve pain, improve blood circulation and saturate the brain with the oxygen it so desperately needs.