Cervical osteochondrosis is considered the most common disease of the spine in people of working age. The ongoing degenerative-dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs lead to pathological changes in the vertebrae and ligament apparatus.
The disease is rarely detected in the early stages of its development, as a sick person may mistake its symptoms for common fatigue or mental stress.
But it is precisely with the first violations that it is possible, through conservative treatment and lifestyle changes, to prevent a new pathological process in the cervical spine.
Symptoms that indicate cervical osteochondrosis
The most common signs of cervical osteochondrosis include:
- Pain. Painful sensations of varying severity can occur not only in the neck, but also in the hands and head.
- Weakness in the upper limbs. It occurs due to damage to the root of the motor nerves that innervate the muscles of the hands.
- Diminished sensation occurs when a sensory nerve is compressed and damaged.
- Restriction of neck movement.
- Dizziness.
- Loss of coordination in movements.
- With severe compression, the blood supply to the brain is significantly worsened, and this can lead to visual impairment, neurological disorders, and hearing loss.
Cervical osteochondrosis with a long course disrupts the functioning of the lungs and heart. The most characteristic symptoms of osteochondrosis in the cervical region are pain and dizziness, which have their own developmental characteristics.
Pain in cervical osteochondrosis
Painful manifestations in people with cervical osteochondrosis occur due to damage to peripheral parts of the nervous system. Painful sensations can be constant, they are designated in medicine by the term cervicalgia, and the pain can also appear suddenly, in an acute way, that is, a "cervical chamber" develops.
The main role in the development of pain is attributed to pain impulses that come from receptors present in the region of the pathologically altered part of the spine.
Pain in osteochondrosis has the following characteristics:
- Neck pain mostly occurs in the morning. Aggravated by turning over, clumsy movements, coughing. From the neck, the pain can spread to the shoulders, upper back, and chest. Gradually, at night, the pain becomes less pronounced.
- Periodically, a sick person may experience sharp pains, they are described as "shooting", "piercing".
- The pain often radiates to the arm and reaches the hand, where it manifests as numbness in the fingers.
- Cervical osteochondrosis is a common cause of recurrent pain in the occipital region of the head.
- Pain in the chest region is possible, such discomfort in its manifestations often resembles cardiac pathology.
Pain in cervical osteochondrosis leads to restriction of movement, muscle stiffness. In addition to pain, there is also a decrease in sensitivity in the neck, arm and shoulder girdle.
Dizziness
Dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis occurs due to a violation of the permeability of blood vessels that feed and deliver oxygen to different parts of the brain.
The degree of vascular compression affects the intensity and duration of vertigo. The manifestation of this symptom of osteochondrosis is often accompanied by:
- feeling of the ground shaking under your feet;
- loss of balance;
- nausea;
- buzz;
- deterioration of vision, shivering flies and flashes before the eyes.
Dizziness may stop after rest and immobility is guaranteed, but this phenomenon will completely disappear only after a course of treatment for osteochondrosis.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
The changes that occur in osteochondrosis in the cervical spine are due to malnutrition and blood circulation. A similar pathology develops under the influence of the following reasons:
- Disturbed metabolism.
- Hypodynamia, that is, insufficient physical activity.
- Transferred injuries.
- Constant forced body position. Prolonged strain of neck muscles often occurs in drivers, office workers.
- Anomalies in the development of the spine, including scoliosis, incorrect posture.
In recent years, there has been a trend towards an increase in the number of patients with cervical osteochondrosis among adolescents. Doctors attribute this to computer games and nervous tension.
Treatment
Drug treatment of patients diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis should begin as early as possible. This prevents further tissue changes in the spine and quickly improves overall well-being.
Below, we consider the main groups of drugs used in the treatment of osteochondrosis.
| Drug/group name | Enrollment |
|---|---|
| NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) | These medicines reduce inflammation and swelling, under the influence of which the pain disappears. |
| Vasodilators (antiplatelet agents) | Medicines that improve blood flow and nutrition to damaged nerves. |
| muscle relaxants | Medications that relieve muscle spasm. |
| B vitamins | Assign to improve the flow of metabolic processes in the body. |
| chondroprotectors | Medications that restore pathologically altered cartilaginous tissue. |
| Analgesics | Prescribed for severe pain. |
As NVPS has a number of side effects, the dosage of the drugs and the general course of their use must be selected with a physician individually for each patient. Be sure to consider all contraindications.
treatment at home
In the context of drug therapy and during the recovery period, treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is also carried out by other methods. The most common group includes herbal medicine, exercise therapy, physical therapy, adherence to a special diet. All these methods help to improve metabolic processes, normalize blood circulation, strengthen the muscle corset and reduce inflammatory reactions. Compliance with the entire complex of therapeutic measures allows you to get rid not only of uncomfortable sensations, but also to prevent further pathological changes in the discs and vertebrae.
Exercises
After relief of acute pain in patients with osteochondrosis, the doctor recommends doing physical exercises. Specially selected exercise therapy strengthens the neck muscles and the entire spine, improves disc nutrition and blood circulation.
In the early stages of the development of osteochondrosis, it is exercises that lead to the complete restoration of joint mobility.
The simplest exercises for cervical osteochondrosis are tilting your head sideways, forwards, backwards. A doctor who will take into account all the spinal changes identified during the patient's examination will help you choose the right set of exercises.
herbs
The use of herbs for osteochondrosis is aimed at relieving inflammation, swelling and improving metabolic processes in the body. The following recipes are popular:
- 10 grams of buckthorn, 40 grams of birch leaves and 50 grams of willow bark should be chopped and mixed well. The broth is prepared from two spoons of the collection and half a liter of water, all this is boiled for 10 minutes, infused and cooled. You need to drink this decoction in a glass twice a day for at least two weeks.
- Horseradish compress. A horseradish leaf must be dipped in boiling water, attached to the neck and fixed with a scarf. Such a compress is best done at night, when using it, a slight burning sensation will be felt.
Lifestyle
Adequate nutrition in osteochondrosis will contribute to the normalization of metabolism. Hard diets for this disease do not exist, except when you need to reduce weight, because disc changes often occur with obesity.
Make sure you have protein on the daily menu for people with osteochondrosis, they are found in meat, dairy, fish, poultry, vegetables, cereals. Protein is well absorbed if these products are combined with plant foods.
Strong coffee, tea, alcohol should be abandoned, as these drinks do not allow the absorption of important trace elements.
In addition to medication, exercise, diet, physiotherapy helps a person with osteochondrosis in treatment. Massage, swimming and yoga give excellent results in relieving pain and strengthening the muscular corset. Most importantly, the selected treatment methods should be carried out several courses a year, which will allow you to forget about exacerbations of osteochondrosis.
movement is everything
Osteochondrosis develops with physical inactivity, which means that in order to improve the functioning of the spine in this area, it is necessary to change your lifestyle. Physical activity, daily exercise, sparing sports allow you to forget about uncomfortable sensations in osteochondrosis. People engaged in sedentary work need to take periodic breaks during the workday to perform simple physical exercises.