Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is one of the most dangerous types of neurological diseases. What kind of disease is it, how does it manifest itself? What measures help prevent it? How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine? You will find the answers to these questions in this article.
Characteristics of the disease
Osteochondrosis is generally a degenerative modification of the intervertebral cartilage discs, which subsequently affects the bone tissue and nervous system. What happens to this disease? In the cartilaginous disc, which in the structure of the spinal column performs the function of absorbing shock, 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 bulging. 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. Unlike the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the cervical vertebrae are more mobile, the smallest, and are constantly affected by stress. The disease most often affects those segments of the spine. A large number of nerve and blood branches are concentrated in the cervical spine. An important large spinal artery passes here, which carries nutrients to the brain. The condition of narrowing of this vessel is dangerous with the development of ischemia of the spinal cord or brain, as well as stroke. If these arteries and nerve fibers that pass in the cervical spine are affected, then the person loses exact coordination of movements, hearing and vision are weak, frequent dizziness and various neurological disorders are noticed, which will be discussed below.
Reasons
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine occurs even in youth. What causes the development of the disease? What causes the disease, even in people under the age of 30? Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, which takes a lot of time and patience to treat, stems from two main factors:
- hypodynamics or sedentary lifestyle;
- malnutrition.
As a result, there is a violation of metabolism (metabolism) throughout the body, especially in bone and cartilage tissues, the level of salt in the blood rises, and they, not finding a way out of the bloodstream, find "refuge" in the tissues of the kidneys, liver and neckspine. An unbalanced diet leads to a lack of nutrients in the cartilage, resulting in pathological changes in the intervertebral discs. Osteochondrosis is especially susceptible to at-risk individuals.
List the factors whose presence increases the likelihood of developing the disease:
- inheritance;
- age after 40 years;
- overweight;
- frequent hypothermia (do not say in vain "do not cool your neck! ");
- endocrine system disorders that disrupt metabolism;
- spinal injuries;
- systemic lupus erythematosus; rheumatism;
- nature of activities - drivers, office workers, cashiers, athletes, people engaged in heavy physical work.
Symptoms
How does cervical osteochondrosis manifest itself? The symptoms of the disease and the nature of the pain that occurs depend on which segments are damaged. In this regard, the following countries may develop:
- spinal artery syndrome;
- hypertensive syndrome;
- radicular syndrome;
- cervical migraine syndrome.
Let's look at each of them. With vertebral artery syndrome, severe headaches appear in the early stages. The person is often dizzy, gait becomes shaky, and visual acuity decreases. Sudden head movements can lead to loss of consciousness. Radicular syndrome is characterized by a number of manifestations. These include:
- cervical pain or severe neck pain;
- crunching when turning head;
- weakness and tinnitus;
- numbness and pain in hand;
- hearing and visual impairment;
- tinnitus;
- cervicobrachialgia or pain that spreads from neck to arms;
- feeling of swelling and numbness of the tongue.
Cervical migraine syndrome is characterized primarily by impaired blood circulation in brain tissues, which causes hypertension and the development of symptoms such as noise and ringing in the ears, congestion, dizziness, rapid pulse. The danger of this condition is the possibility of developing a spinal stroke. Hypertensive syndrome is accompanied by headaches, increased head movements, nausea and vomiting (especially in the morning), nervousness, sudden changes in pressure, the appearance of dark circles under the eyes, fainting.
Hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the brain develops. Cervical osteochondrosis is often manifested by a cardiac arrhythmia, in which a uniform heart rhythm is lost. Due to the constriction of the lateral spinal arteries, vegetative-vascular dystonia develops.
Diagnostics
The first step in diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis is to examine the patient. The neuropathologist visually examines the condition of the spine, back muscles and posture, and probing determines the presence of protruding spinous processes. By palpation, the doctor will be able to understand which parts of the pain are affected by the patient's reaction. Of the hardware methods, diagnostic methods are used:
- radiography;
- computed tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- dopplerography.
The first method often involves the introduction of a contrast agent into a particular tissue (discography, angiography, etc. ). This is necessary to obtain more accurate information about the characteristics of the course of the disease.
Treatment
Your doctor will tell you how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and not harm the body. Below are the basic rules and recommendations for dealing with this nasty disease, but the beginning of successful treatment is a visit to a neurologist. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is carried out by a number of methods. Among them:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- traditional medicine;
- exercises.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is the most dangerous, because important arteries that bring blood to the brain tissue pass through the processes of the spine at this site. Therefore, taking medication and complying with a doctor's prescription must be approached with all responsibilities.
Drug Therapy
How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with medication? Drug therapy includes the following agents:
- painkillers;
- anti-inflammatory;
- vitamins;
- chondroprotectors.
Analgesics help alleviate the manifestations of pain during the worsening of cervical osteochondrosis and are used for a short time. Your doctor may prescribe Tramadol, Tolperisone hydrochloride and Etoricoxib as anesthetics. In case of very severe pain, it is possible to use lidocaine injections.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are designed to reduce inflammation, among them are Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Piroxicam. Such funds are also used externally. These are various ointments and gels: "Diclofenac", etc. Of the vitamins, the most valued vitamins in terms of osteochondrosis maintenance therapy are B vitamins, which can reduce tissue sensitivity and weaken the neurological manifestations of the disease.
Chondroprotectors
Pharmacologists formulate them to restore cartilage tissue. There are two active substances that make up such drugs - glucosamine and chondroitin. Both compounds can be included in one preparation or used separately. Examples of chondroprotectors: glucosamine patches, chondroitin sulfate ointment, etc. These funds should be used for a long time, at least 3-6 months, otherwise you may not achieve the desired result.
Block
In case of severe pain, injections of medication directly at the site of the lesion help alleviate the patient's condition. This injection is called a blockade. A mixture of drugs is usually used as a medicine. One of them has an analgesic effect, the other is designed to relieve inflammation. The blockade can only be done by a highly qualified doctor, in no case do not do this procedure yourself! This can not only harm the health of the patient, but also become a threat to his life. This injection is given in two ways:
- injecting the drug into the ligaments and tissues surrounding the joint;
- injection directly into the intervertebral disc.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapeutic procedures are very effective in cervical osteochondrosis. They speed up recovery, have a beneficial effect on the whole body as a whole. Before we talk about them, we will list the contraindications for physiotherapy:
- tumors, oncological diseases;
- blood diseases;
- acute dermatological diseases;
- taking medications that can enhance the effect of physiotherapy.
How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with physiotherapy? In this regard, 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 improves tissue metabolism. Laser therapy, magnetotherapy, ultrasound treatment, vibration therapy are also used. Influence on the painful place with low voltage pulse currents or diadynamic therapy reduces the severity of pain. Electrophoresis with the drug "procaine" gives an analgesic effect during exacerbations. Additional methods of physiotherapy are ultraviolet radiation of the affected area and spinal traction or detention therapy.
Physiotherapy exercises
Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine allows you to achieve tangible results. It is important to apply it only in the final phase of treatment, because active movements in the neck area are strictly forbidden in the first and middle phase. Gymnastics is performed with a support collar made of cotton gauze worn on the cervical area. Resistance exercises are performed with the help of a doctor who tries to tilt the patient's head with his palm, and he in turn tries to overcome the doctor's procedures. This strengthens the muscular corset of the neck. The head holding exercise is also useful. It's as follows. The patient, lying on the couch, raises his head and holds it in this position for 5 seconds. This time increases to 40-60 seconds if pain and neurological syndrome have already been overcome. Therapeutic gymnastics allows you to perform each exercise a maximum of 5 times in one approach.
Gymnastics for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is intended for:
- improve the blood supply to the affected area;
- to strengthen back and neck muscles;
- reduce the load on the vertebrae;
- normalize joint mobility;
- accelerate glucose metabolism for active nutrition of intervertebral cartilage discs.
In such a disease as cervical osteochondrosis, massage is required. It refers to methods of manual therapy and is aimed at relaxing muscles, improving blood circulation and lymph movement at the site of the lesion.
Traditional medicine
Treatment of such a disease as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, folk remedies are considered an ancillary measure, and in no case the main therapy. The number of recipes that use various herbs and products is very large. They widely use products such as lemon, garlic, burdock or horseradish leaves (as a poultice), dandelion root, St. John’s wort, yarrow, lavender and many others. The patient is responsible for his own health when he uses traditional medicine.
Nutritional Features
How to cure cervical osteochondrosis? This question is asked by many. But how to eat with this disease, what foods will be useful? Here are:
- dairy products;
- lean meat and fish;
- jelly meat;
- jam;
- jelly;
- fresh fruits and vegetables;
- sources of B vitamins - liver, nuts, brown rice, broccoli, buckwheat, brewer's yeast, green vegetables, kidneys;
- complex carbohydrates - whole grain bread, cereals, vegetables;
- vegetable fats - olive, sunflower, flaxseed oil.
Don't forget about products that can be harmful in the treatment of osteochondrosis. Do not overdo it with sweets, bakery products, alcohol, smoked meat and salty foods, spicy foods, animal fats, coffee and strong tea. Remove sugar, potatoes and white bread from the menu.
Prevention
Do not neglect morning exercises, as well as stretching the neck during the working day. It helps to improve blood circulation, ensuring the supply of nutrients to the tissues and relaxing the muscles. Move more - regular running, fitness classes are considered an important measure for the prevention of osteochondrosis. Being overweight often provokes the development of the disease, so try to follow the arrow on the scales. Do not overeat, do not consume excessively high-calorie foods, fatty and sweet foods. Eliminate all chronic infections in your body. Special attention should be paid to the correct position of the body 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. Resting on it relaxes the neck muscles, and the blood vessels do not feel strong pressure.
Cartilage health and nutrition
I would separately mention the tendency of girls and women to experience a variety of diets, which are sometimes so cruel and low in calories that the body begins to use its own tissue substances as a source of energy. Keep in mind that every diet should be balanced, contain the necessary minimum of nutrients, primarily protein, and be accompanied by the intake of vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, you risk not only becoming the owner of worn-out cartilage, which is very difficult and expensive to renew in the future, but also of numerous unpleasant diseases. And do not forget 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.