Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease characterized by degenerative-distributional changes in intervertebral disc tissue, which leads to a decrease in its height, joint damage between vertebrae, squeezing blood vessels and nerve roots.
Previously, pathology was considered a disease of people over 40, but today osteochondrosis has remarkably younger and is often diagnosed for school -age children and students for the first time. The disease leads to various complications. First of all, the blood supply to the brain gets worse. Cervical osteochondrosis treatment is a long -term process and includes drug and united therapy.
The causes of disease development
The reasons for the development of cervical osteochondrosis are diverse. First of all, the disease appears due to the wrong lifestyle-hypodinamia, sitting, overweight work. At the same time, the main cause of cervical region osteochondrosis is a violation of blood circulation in this area. As a result, the nutrition of intervertebral discs worsens, which implies a change in its structure. There are several factors that contribute to the development of this disease:
- Hypodinamia;
- weak scarce of the muscles;
- Overweight;
- neck lesions;
- stress;
- hypothermia;
- Systemic diseases of connective tissue (red lupus, rheumatoid arthritis).
Hypodinamia is one of the most important factors in the development of spinal spinal diseases. Due to the lack of physical activity, people who spend a lot of time in a sitting position are confronted with osteochondrosis. Much also depends on the posture and muscles of the back. The inappropriate position of the neck during long -term work at the table leads to a violation of intervertebral disc food, which over time sheds in the degeneration of cartilage and the development of osteochondrosis. For this reason, the disease is often diagnosed with students and students, as its daily activity is associated with many hours of sitting at the table or table. In addition, osteochondrosis is often diagnosed with office employees and all people who spend a lot of time on the computer.
As a rule, the development of osteochondrosis occurs under the influence of several provocative factors at the same time. Many doctors consider osteochondrosis not an independent disease, but for a natural consequence of the wrong lifestyle. Constant fatigue, stress, incorrect body position during sleep or work on a computer, overweight and bad habits - all impair the health of the spine from the spine. As you know, the strong back is the key to good health and longevity. Despite the fact that osteochondrosis does not threaten life, this violation is able to significantly worsen the general well and cause the development of other diseases; Therefore, it is important to detect the disease in a timely manner and have complex treatment.
Symptoms of the disease and the degree of osteochondrosis
Pain syndrome occurs at the bottom of disease progression. The growth of cervical osteochondrosis symptoms in women and men is a long process. From the moment changes in intervertebral disc tissues, before the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis, can take more than a year in the appearance of intervertebral discs. There is no difference in the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men, women and children. The only difference: At a young age, symptoms are not expressed as clearly as in the elderly. They are lubricated symptoms due to difficulties in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. A person does not see a doctor until the pronounced symptoms of the disease bring discomfort. This happens at least 5 years after the onset of intervertebral disc cartilage degeneration. In the early years of development, cervical spine osteochondrosis is hardly accompanied by clinical manifestations. Perhaps just a slight numbness of the back of the back after sleep or short -term muscle cramps in times of psycho -emotional overvoltage. To understand the signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men and women, one should consider the degree of this disease that characterizes the severity of the pathological process in intervertebral discs.
The first (pre -clinical) degree of disease: symptoms and characteristics
With cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment depend on the stage of the pathological process. The first degree is called preclinical because it has no characteristic clinical symptoms. It is possible to recognize osteochondrosis at this stage only by hardware diagnoses - alterations in discs are visible at an x root (not always) and are well visualized in magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. In the first stage of the disease, there is a violation of trophicism (nutrition) of intervertebral discs. As the disease advances, an elastic cartilage tissue is compacted. Discs become more difficult as a result of which vertebrae lose mobility. Thus, degenerative-distribution processes begin, leading to a violation of the cervical spine function. As a rule, symptoms become visible in the second stage of the development of the disease, but they expressed so weakly that they rarely bother a person. The first degree of the disease is as follows in a few years.
Second degree osteochondrosis symptoms
The second degree of cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by an increase in muscle tone in the area of damage. How you can cure cervical osteochondrosis - depends on the severity of the disease. If the pre -clinical stage usually goes unnoticed by the patient, the second degree of the disease acquires some symptoms that should alert the patient and make him consult a doctor. It is possible to completely cure cervical osteochondrosis - depends on the severity of the pathological process. Earlier therapy will begin, more favorable prognosis. In the second stage of the disease, the discs between the vertebrae are compacted. The neck loses mobility, but in common life this hardly interferes with the patient. A characteristic symptom is an increase in muscle tone of the affected area. With prolonged physical effort, clear movements of the head can be observed after a long sleep, numbness and muscle hypertension. Sudden movements lead to acute pain. This is due to the fact that the spasmodic muscles compress the nerve, causing intense pain. Pain can be given to the paplate, neck, less frequently - in the lower limbs. This variability of pain syndrome is due to a large number of nerve roots located in the cervical region.
The first signs of cervical osteochondrosis are the following symptoms:
- fatigue;
- headache;
- dizziness after bed;
- Pain in the cervical region with sudden movements;
- Local numbness of the cervical region.
As a rule, in the second stage of the disease, symptoms appear only from time to time. This is usually due to severe work or intensive physical exertion. Most patients do not pay proper attention to evil -easy to look up, waiting for their own discomfort. In general, this is how it happens, symptoms rarely bother one person for more than a few hours and pass without special drugs.
Characteristics of third degree osteochondrosis
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the third degree cervical spine are pronounced. If in the first stage of the disease the changes begin only, the second degree is characterized by a disc compaction of the discs, then, in the third degree of osteochondrosis, there are cracks and microwaves of the fibrous ring of the disc. Perhaps the formation of a hernia - the loss of a pulpee nucleus in the intervertebral space. This is accompanied by a violation of brain circulation, as flattened discs strongly compress the spinal artery. A typical symptom is a severe headache, frequent dizziness, shaking flies in front of the eyes. With third degree osteochondrosis, a weight sensation in the neck is constantly present. The muscles are almost always spasmodic, one person feels weight and painful pain. The long -term stay in a position, the tension of the neck muscles or the sleep on an uncomfortable pillow leads to local skin numbness or a strong pain attack. You may feel changes with palpation - the neck muscles become solid to the touch, the pressure causes intense pain. A sign of cervical osteochondrosis in men is an intense load pain (women less often carry this spine in everyday life).
Fourth degree resources
The suffocated nerve interrupts the blood circulation and causes intense neck pain. The fourth stage of the disease is the most difficult. At the same time, irreversible changes occur in the structure of the discs. The pathological process spreads from the fibrous ring to the vertebrae. The signs of cervical spine osteochondrosis in this case are described by various syndromes - these are Rooser, reflex and spinal syndrome. Intense pain is observed along the suffocated nerve, disturbances in the brain circulation. At this stage, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are diverse. Frequent myalgia (muscles), neuralgia and migraine emerge. The pain extends to the chest, the patient may find discomfort in the heart, which is associated with intercostal neuralgia against the backdrop of the left side.
How to cure osteochondrosis?
This spine disease requires the intervention of a doctor
What is the best way to deal with cervical osteochondrosis - only a doctor can answer this question. There is no universal treatment for cervical osteochondrosis, it all depends on the characteristics of the disease in a particular patient. Patients are usually interested in which doctors treat cervical osteochondrosis. Normally, the initial diagnosis is made by the therapist or neurologist, to whom patients complained of pain in the cervical region. To make a diagnosis, it is necessary to make an x -ray in the neck in three projections and magnetic resonance imaging, check the presence of a symptom of Neri. The method of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis will depend on the results of the exam, therapy is selected by the neurologist. As exactly cervical osteochondrosis is treated depends on the stage of development of degenerative-distribution changes in discs. At the early stage of the disease, special physical education will help get rid of the symptoms of osteochondrosis in the cervical region and prevent the additional spread of the pathological process.
Treatment methods for osteochondrosis are different. Complex therapy includes:
- drug treatment;
- Therapy with exercise;
- Physiotherapeutic procedures;
- Manual therapy.
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis depend on the severity of pathological changes in the cervical spine. The treatment of neck osteochondrosis should be prescribed by a doctor, self -medication will not bring a result and can be dangerous.
Medication
The first thing to do with cervical osteochondrosis is to eliminate muscle pain and spasm; This is the first punch to the patient. For this purpose, non -anti -inflammatory drugs, analgesic and muscle relaxing are used. As a rule, this allows you to relieve the discomfort in a matter of hours. The relief of muscle spasm itself is an effective method of treatment as it restores nerve conductivity and blood circulation in the cervical region. How to treat cervical osteochondrosis in the future depends on the degree of development of pathological changes. Doctors often prescribe:
- Vitamins B to restore nerve conduction;
- Condroprotectors to improve intervertebral disc cartilage fabric;
- Nootropic to improve brain circulation;
- Products that improve the rheological properties of the blood;
- Sedatives to relieve stress.
Not all listed drug groups are advisable to use at different stages of the disease. The exact methods for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis will be selected by the doctor.
Exercise therapy
Media Physical Education deals well with osteochondrosis at the early stage of development. Medical Physical Education is the most effective treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at the early stage. Osteochondrosis in children and adults occurs due to weak back muscles; Therefore, this treatment is intended not only to eliminate symptoms but also to eliminate the cause of the disease. Therapeutic exercise classes take place at the special office of the clinic. The exercises are individually selected for each person and are performed under the supervision of a doctor. If cervical osteochondrosis is treated - it depends on the speed with which a person has contacted a doctor. The first degree of disease can be cured only by gymnastics. The symptoms of cervical vertebrae osteochondrosis occur after several classes as muscle spasm decreases.
Physiotherapy
Chronic osteochondrosis, whose symptoms may virtually do not disturb a person, are treated with physical therapy. This method aims to restore normal nutrition of intervertebral discs tissues. Usually used electrophoresis with nicotinic acid to expand blood vessels and improve blood circulation. This method of treatment relieves the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis with root syndrome and migraine as it reduces nerve compression and improves brain circulation. The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis can be eliminated by magnetotherapy or exposure to heat. Only 10 to 15 procedures normalize trophies in the cervical region and eliminate the symptoms of the disease.
Forecast
If cervical osteochondrosis is healed - it depends on the severity of the disease. In the early stage, the pathological process is completely turned. Intervertebral discs are restored with the correct approach, but slowly. Treatment aims to prevent disease progression and restore cartilage elasticity. With advanced forms of the disease, it is almost impossible to return the old neck mobility. The comprehensive treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis in this case allows you to be free from symptoms and avoid the development of complications. In severe cases, the patient will have to undergo preventive treatment twice a year.