Osteochondrosis is a disease that is one of the most common in the world.Most people after 35 years have osteochondrosis of the cervical back in one form or another.Recently, there has been a tendency to increase the number of suffering from a severe form of the disease and renew the disease, a decrease in its lower age threshold.This is due to the fact that a growing number of people around the world are engaged in sitting work and directs a sedentary lifestyle.Meanwhile, the disease is quite dangerous, and every person should know what it is - osteochondrosis, how it manifests and how it is treated, be able to recognize its symptoms and begin treatment in a timely manner.
Causes
Osteochondrosis is one of the few diseases that are characteristic of humans only.In other animals, this disease is not found.The reason for this is such a special feature of a person as the director.The vertical arrangement of the spinal column leads to the fact that the vertebrae crushes on each other and the bone-chryshabi tissue of the spine is gradually degraded and deformed.
The human back begins with the cervical region.In total, there are seven beads in this department - from first to seventh.The vertebrae is separated from one another by intervertebral discs.The cervical spine is a particularly tangible part of it, which is associated, first of all, with increased movement of vertebrae in the area.In the cervical region, the disease is reflected, first of all, on discs, which are a weak place in the spine structure.
The prevalence of cervical osteochondrosis is also facilitated by factors such as the small size of the vertebrae and the relative weakness of the neck muscles.Also, the development of cervical osteochondrosis is greatly affected by the lack of blood supply to the cartilage tissue.
Thus, the development of the disease is a complex and prolonged process and there is no single cause.Although a link between a person's sedentary work was established and the presence of cervical osteochondrosis in it, however, the disease is often found in trained people, especially athletes-they seek increased load on the cervical spine when lifting weights.
In older people, as a rule, vertebrate degradation is an inevitable process associated with aging and weakening its protective forces.However, the pathological type of cervical osteochondrosis is most often found, in which negative external or internal factors play the main role.
Factors that contribute to the development of neck osteochondrosis:
- Violation
- Curvature of the spine
- Back injuries
- Excess weight
- Hard work
- Sedentary work
- A sedentary lifestyle
- Violation of metabolic processes
- Frequent hypothermia
- In an unpleasant pose during sleep
- Stress, excessive work
- Hereditary
- Infectious
- Individual characteristics of body structure, for example, neck too long or too short
The degree of development of cervical osteochondrosis
The disease has four stages.It is not always easy to determine the stage of the disease by analysis of symptoms, as sometimes the degree of bone tissue degradation may not correspond to the symptoms observed in the patient.
First degree
Destructive processes begin in the bone skin tissue of the vertebrae.As a rule, at this stage of osteochondrosis of the cervical region, symptoms are poorly expressed.Patients either do not notice them or are not associated with spinal diseases, but attribute stress and excessive work.
The second degree
A decrease in disc height begins, the cracks appear on its surface.Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis at this stage manifest in persistent pain, weakness, numbness of individual facial sections.
The third degree
Discs points, vessels and uterine muscles are formed.The patient has dizziness, pain in the occipital part of the head.
Fourth degree
Osteophytes appear - the increase in bone tissue that protects the beads from the load, which leads to nerve violations.This leads to the rigidity of the movements and damage to the neighboring joints.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of cervical back osteochondrosis:
- Pain in the neck and shoulders
- Muscle weakness
- Growing sweating
- Numbness
- Coordination
- Dizziness
- The vision and deterioration of hearing
- Increased blood pressure
- Headache
These spinal osteochondrosis typical of osteochondrosis, symptoms may be present at all stages of the disease.In most cases, only a few symptoms are observed from the list, and the rest may be absent from a person who has first encountered such signs of the disease, does not always suspect in the cervical osteochondrosis.Therefore, he can contact various doctors - therapists, cardiologists, neuropathologists, surgeons.And the correct diagnosis as a result can be made with a significant delay.
Syndromes for cervical osteochondrosis
With cervical osteochondrosis, there are some syndromes, that is, typical conditions that have a complex of characteristic features.They manifest depending on what nerves and arteries are affected as a result of the disease:
- Vail artery syndrome
- Cardiac syndrome
- Hypertensive syndrome
- novice syndrome
- migraine syndrome
Spinal artery syndrome is one of the most unpleasant and dangerous complications with cervical osteochondrosis.This is due to the fact that the blood flow decreases along the artery that passes along the spine and the supply of the brain.Syndrome manifests itself in symptoms such as systemic or periodic dizziness, coating and vision.In some cases, dimming may occur.Often there is a variety of syndrome, which consists in the fact that in normal state the blood flow to the artery is normal, however, when you turn your head in one direction or another, it can fall significantly.
Cardial syndrome develops when squeezing the nerves roots that the intrigue of the diaphragm or chest muscles.As a result, the patient may have pain that resembles cardialgia, although the heart does not occur in the heart.However, the syndrome can be characterized by phenomena such as tachycardia, hypotension and arrhythmia.
Hypertension syndrome is also one of the most dangerous complications.Unlike vertebral artery syndrome, it is caused by not squeezing of the arteries, but the veins, which complicate the outflow of blood from the head.The syndrome leads to an increase in intracranial pressure, which can manifest in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headaches.
Cervical migraine syndrome has little in common in its etiology with classical migraine.It manifests itself in the strongest pain in the occipital part of the head.The pains are paroxysmal in nature, last up to ten hours and are associated with vomiting.
REST Syndrome is the most common syndrome for cervical back osteochondrosis.It is caused by the compression of the individual roots of the nerves in the cervical vertebrae.It can be expressed in neck pain, napes, shoulder blades, shoulders, numbness and weakening of the tone of individual hand sections (until the inability to perform some kind of manipulation) and neck.
Very often some individual syndromes or characteristic symptoms of different syndromes can be observed immediately.
As you can see, with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the manifestation of the disease is multifaceted and far from always the patient is able to recognize the cause of their appearance correctly.If you have faced similar symptoms, then this is a case to see a doctor.
Troubleshooting
To install the diagnosis, it is recommended to contact the therapist.It will give a referral to specialists - an orthopedic, an vertebologist, a neurologist.
The following types of research are used for diagnostics:
- Radiograph
- Calculated tomography
- Magnetic tomography
- Ultrasound scan of neck vessels
X -Ray allows you to determine the displacement of vertebrae, the presence of growth - osteophytes and salty deposits, disk seals.The calculated tomography consists of creating a series of X -Rrry photographs that give a voluminous body idea, in this case, about the cervical spine.This allows you to detail the degree of the pathological process - the nature of the compression of the nerves, the structure of osteophytes, the height of the discs, etc.Magnetic resonance imaging, based on the physical effect of nuclear magnetic resonance, gives an even more detailed structural appearance of the spine.Neck ultrasound helps identify changes in the bloodstream in the main vessels of the neck caused by the disease.
Treatment
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis and is treated at all?To combat the disease, medicine has developed many methods.Some treatment methods can be used at home.But this process is a long and complete cure is not likely, especially in old age.However, it is possible to slow down and stop the devastating processes in the back at any stage of the disease.
In the early stages of the disease, the methods are usually conservative.Some ways are used to treat cervical osteochondrosis:
- medicaments
- Physical education
- Physiotherapy
- Massage
- Special tools for adjusting the spine
If the disease is moved to the last stage, and there is a serious destruction of the careful bone structure of the spine, then surgery can also be used to treat the cervical spine osteochondrosis.
drug
The following types of medicines are used:
- Chondroprotectors
- Vitamin
- Analgesic
- Anti -inflammatory drugs
- Antispasmodics
In the acute pain syndrome associated with osteochondrosis, the priority task is to eliminate it.As a rule, oral preparations are used, however, with their inefficiencies, the Novocaine blockade is used in severe cases.
With muscle cramps, antispasmodics are used.They demonstrate the greatest effectiveness for osteochondrosis.As anti -inflammatory and painkillers against pain, ointments containing non -steroidal medicines can be used.
In the presence of syndromes associated with circulatory disorders and blood supply to the brain - hypertension and vertebral artery syndrome, medicines that relieve the undesirable effects of these syndromes, are taken - drugs that lower pressure and nootropic agents.
Physical education
Physical medical education is the simplest and most affordable type of treatment for cervical osteochondrosis and, at the same time, quite effective.Physical education can also be completed at home.With osteochondrosis, the intensity of the classes does not play a crucial role, only their regularity is needed.First of all, physical education is designed to strengthen the neck muscles, which constitute the inadequate functionality of the spine and help it maintain weakened vertebrae.
To strengthen the neck muscles, daily classes are recommended.They can be either completely simple, consisting of curves and slopes of the head in different directions, and more complex, including the help of the neck muscles from the hands.They can be performed both at home and at work.For example, if the work is sedentary, it is useful to do such exercises after sitting on a table or monitoring.However, they can only be performed outside the period of worsening of the disease and in the absence of pain.Otherwise, they can only exacerbate the situation.
No less effective is the strengthening of the shoulder band muscle, for example, using regular classes with light dumbbells.However, lifting weights (weights, rods) is contraindicated.Regular swimming, discharge of the spine, is also useful.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is a treatment method that uses some physical fields and radiation to effect on the body.A positive property of physiotherapy is that it has a minimum number of contraindications.
The following methods of physiotherapy are used to treat osteochondrosis:
- Ultrasound
- Laser therapy
- Exposure to magnetic field
- Effect of electricity (electrophoresis)
The magnetic field positively affects the damaged tissues of the body and has an anti -inflammatory and analgesic effect.Ultrasound improves metabolic processes in tissues, facilitates swelling.The same can be said for laser therapy.Electrophoresis is most often used in a band of medicines, as the use of electric current accelerates their absorption by the body.
Massage
Massage reduces the increased muscle tone that causes spasm and reduces the flow of lymph that causes swelling.The procedure helps improve blood circulation in the affected area, which stops the process of destroying intervertebral discs.
Other methods of treatment
To reduce the load on the cervical separation, a special device is used - a chantzzz collar, which adjusts the neck in a normal constant position.It is recommended to wear it during irritation with pain syndrome or prolonged landing.
To avoid irritations, you should also arrange a place to sleep.The pillow should not cause neck bending, and the mattress should be rigid and even.In some cases, special sleeping equipment can help - orthopedic mattress and pillow.