A sedentary lifestyle, office work, lack of sufficient physical activity and the peculiarities of modern nutrition lead to the spread of a large number of diseases inherent in our urbanized society.
The lead among them is rightfully occupied by cervical osteochondrosis.
And all because the weak muscular corset and the fact that these 7 discs have more mobility than any other part of the spine receive constant physical activity in the form of the need to constantly keep the head in the desired position, tilt and turn.
Causes of disease
Previously, osteochondrosis was considered a disease of adulthood, and people who lived for more than 40 years suffered from it. But each year the age limit of the disease drops and "gets younger", which has led to a predisposition to the disease of young people aged 18 to 20.
The main reasons for the appearance of such pathologies:
Violation of posture in adolescence.Young people now do not want to monitor their posture, which leads to their violation.
overweight.The appearance of excess weight increases the load on the spine.
Back curvature.The risk of osteochondrosis with a curvature of the back increases.
Back injury.A back injury causes irreparable damage to any part of the spine.
Metabolic disease.In case of metabolic disorders, there is also a high probability of developing osteochondrosis.
Heavy physical work.Very heavy physical work also leaves indelible marks on the health of the spine in general and the cervical region in particular.
Low fitness level.The fitness level also affects the condition of the spine, and the lower it is, the weaker the spine.
Errors when performing complex exercises.Athletes can have problems with osteochondrosis during training with gross errors at work.
Stress.Modern man's nervous tension and constant stress also cause disorders in the cervical vertebrae.
Sedentary lifestyle.A sedentary lifestyle or inactivity greatly affects the vertebrae.
Past illnesses.Osteochondrosis can develop after infections and hypothermia.
The disease is actually the result of muscle spasm, which does not allow the cervical vertebrae to move easily, worsening the blood supply to the tissues, while posture is disturbed, resulting in dystrophic processes in the vertebrae themselves, as well as in the intervertebral discs, begin to activate, causing narrowing of the intervertebral orifices and compression of the nerve roots.
main symptoms
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are a little different from other parts of the spine.
A tighter fit of the vertebrae leads to the fact that even the slightest change in one of them compresses or displaces any nerve or vessel, and also compresses the spinal cord.
That is why a violation of the functions of the body can be registered: a disturbance in the sensitivity of the skin, dizziness.
Clinical manifestations:
- Pain in the neck and shoulders, which also extends to the back of the neck, the region of the ears and eyes, and does not go away even at night.
- Pain in the upper extremities, which increases with exertion.
- Decreased sensitivity of upper limbs, muscle weakness, movements become difficult.
- In the morning, the neck muscles are tense and the head is tense, it feels like the neck is "rested".
- Turning or tilting the head, sensations of pain in the neck.
- From time to time, the limbs become numb, there is a burning or tingling sensation.
- An unpleasant throbbing pain periodically appears in the neck and back of the neck.
- Violent head movements cause blurred vision, dizziness, or can cause fainting.
- The occurrence of tinnitus.
- Decreased visual acuity and hearing.
- There is a numbness of the tongue.
- There are heart pains that do not respond to trinitroglycerin, but their intensity changes due to a change in body position.
- The headache occurs in the occiput, crown and temples.
- In the region of the cervical region, the so-called "withers" appear, that is, the connective tissues grow.
Signs of cervical osteochondrosis
Cervicalgia (neck pain and muscle tension)
Neck pain is a painful syndrome in which pain and tension of the neck muscles are characteristic, the cervical region loses its mobility, dizziness may occur, clarity of vision is impaired, autonomic dysfunction may appear.
The pain can be tingling, throbbing, and can also "go through".
It is worth making the slightest movement, sneezing or coughing - as soon as the muscle tension is given by the pain.
There are also problems with turning the head or tilting it to the side, when the patient has to do this with the whole body.
In addition, patients experience dizziness, occipital pain, tinnitus, numbness in the back of the head, and numbness of the hands.
The reasons for its occurrence can be:
- Hypothermia.
- Uncomfortable head position during sleep.
- Sedentary work, which forces you to keep your head in an uncomfortable position for a long time.
- Physical activity that leads to muscle tension in the neck region, including sports training in the gym.
- Cervical spine injuries.
- Tissue infections or tumors.
Pain in the back of the neck, shoulders, and arms, as well as pain when turning the head, indicate the presence of the early stage of a chronic disease, such as osteochondrosis.
Cervicocranialgia or posterior cervical symptom (pain in the cervico-occipital region)
Cervicocranialgia is pain in the cervico-occipital region, the occurrence of which is closely associated with an injury to the cervical spine, a degenerative lesion or its inflammation.
Its distribution frequently affects the frontotemporal lobe, shoulder and arm, and it can also be unilateral. In this case, the parts do not change.
The intensity of this pain is moderate, its intensification is observed with head movements, palpation of the cervico-occipital muscles, as well as with prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position for the head.
Usually, the causes of these pains can be osteoarthritis or osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
In these cases, the pain may press, shoot, or throb. Mild head movements, coughing, muscle tension can cause flare-ups of pain.
The main complaints that patients complain about:
- Inability to turn and tilt the head, for which it is necessary to move the whole body.
- Numbness of the occipital region and hands.
- Noise in the ears.
- Dizziness.
- Pain in the occipital area, etc.
Cervicobrachialgia or shoulder-shoulder syndrome (brachiaglia)
Cervicobrachialgia is detected with numbness of the hands along with deep breaks and often excruciating pain in the hands or forearms, as well as a feeling of weakness in the upper limbs.
This usually happens at night.
The disease can develop reflexively, most often those who are involved in heavy physical work, and 9 out of 10 are women, are affected by the disease.
In this case, vegetative-vascular, muscle-tonic and neurodystrophic manifestations can be observed.
For reflex syndromes, a very characteristic feature is the presence of tonic-muscular reactions, such as muscle spasm.
Treatment
Treatment must be comprehensive.
At the same time, it is necessary to apply principles of drug and non-drug treatment, not forgetting the prevention of possible diseases.
By drug treatment, we mean the use of drugs that relieve pain and inflammation, as well as drugs that improve cerebral circulation.
If there is a pathology in the form of muscle tension, it is recommended to take relaxing drugs and vitamin and mineral complexes in therapeutic doses.
An important role in treatment is given to physiotherapy methods:
- water procedures.
- Paraffin applications.
- Electrophoresis.
- Magnetotherapy.
The widespread use of alternative therapies also helps to fight this disease. But despite everything, therapeutic exercises remain the most effective means of treatment.
Prevention
In order for all problems related to osteochondrosis to ignore you, you need to remember all the reasons that drive the appearance of the disease.
Since the main reason is a sedentary lifestyle, don't forget about morning exercise and walking, and make sure you include neck muscle exercises in your daily gymnastics. And don't forget that circular head movements can lead to neck injuries, so you shouldn't include them in the exercises.
Also, do not forget that preventive examination of school-age children by an orthopedist is mandatory.
Form a strong muscular corset, be athletic.
Eat the foods that can replenish the body with minerals like calcium and magnesium, vitamins.