Cervical osteochondrosisis a disease that is a process of malnutrition or the gradual destruction of cartilage tissue of intervertebral joints and neck discs.
How to carry your head on your shoulders easily?
If you find it difficult to turn your head when someone calls you on the street, if your neck really can't stand it and just causes you pain, then it's time to check yourself for osteochondrosis.
It is the part of the cervix that is most susceptible to injury, because it is the most mobile and at the same time has a weak muscular corset.The body creates a large load on the small mobile vertebrae.And the spinal canal itself is quite narrow.It easily pinches under any pressure on it.
Thousands of people feel a heaviness in the back of their head or tingling in their hands every day.And, not realizing the danger, they call physiological manifestations such as fatigue, and sometimes the common cold.The neck area contains many blood vessels and nerve endings.With osteochondrosis, the vertebral artery is compressed, which provides nutrition to the cerebellum, medulla oblongata and the posterior part of the brain.As a result, the coordination of a person's movements becomes ineffective, the sense of balance may be lost, vision decreases, hearing deteriorates, and sometimes this phenomenon leads to a stroke.
Facts.According to WHO statistics, people aged 30 to 40 years are increasingly suffering from cervical osteochondrosis.Doctors explain this trend with a large decrease in physical activity.And the prevalence of this disease in industrialized countries is equal to 60-80%.
Syndromes and symptoms of osteochondrosis
- Stenosis (spinal canal narrowing syndrome): compression of the spinal canal by a herniated intervertebral disc, osteophyte (growth of bone tissue) or thickened spinal ligaments.As a result, blood circulation in the affected area is disrupted.The person begins to feel constrained and has significant pain in the cervical spine.Numbness and tingling are detected in the upper and lower parts
- Radicular syndrome: compression of the nerve root by the intervertebral disc.This leads to a headache, which is expressed in painful, burning or throbbing impulses, sometimes the sensation is similar to the symptoms of hypertension.With this syndrome, speech defects and disturbances in the sense of smell, hypertrophy of the facial muscles, damage to the sensitivity of the tongue muscles, and the feeling of "clogged" throat with a lump may occur.Breathing becomes intermittent, a person experiences snoring, and his nose is often, as if for no reason, "blocked."
- Vertebral artery syndrome: formed by compression (squeezing) of the vertebral artery.Its main companion is throbbing pain.Attacks can involve the parietal lobe, the area above the eyebrows, the temporal and occipital lobes.
- Cardiac syndrome:resembles an angina attack, but lasts longer.Pain is reflected in the diaphragm.This phenomenon in some individual cases is accompanied by high blood pressure and arrhythmia.
The main reason for the development of this disease
- Metabolic problems;
- Lifestyle with low physical activity;
- Hereditary tendencies;
- age-related ossification;
- Clamps on the muscles, as a result of which the posture changes;
- Lack of fluids and vitamins in the daily diet;
- Staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time, which increases the pressure on the disc and spine;
- Excess body weight or strain on the spine due to wearing heels;
- All types of spinal injuries;
- Lifting weights regularly;
- Autoimmune disease (self-destructive process of the immune system), which leads to the degeneration of cartilage tissue;
- Pressure, which leads to muscle spasms and impaired blood flow to the intervertebral disc;
- Hypothermia.
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis
The doctor can make a preliminary diagnosis of "osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic region" or only the cervical region during the initial examination of the patient.The specialist will determine:
- Human body type;
- Postural position;
- Spinous process line;
- Cervical side contour and shoulder blade angle;
- Localization of pain points and pain level;
- Range of spinal flexibility
- Muscle relief.
All this together will tell you exactly how the disease develops.Next, the doctor will order several tests:
- Digital radiography;
- CT (computed tomography);
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging);
- Doppler ultrasound of the main artery of the brain: a special ultrasound sensor determines the state of blood flow and vessel walls.
Methods of treatment for cervical osteochondrosis
The doctor will help you choose the most optimal solution for the problem.And he will offer various treatment methods: medicine in combination with physiotherapy, or he will prescribe a gentle operation on your body.
Conservative treatment– This is, first of all, drug therapy.It relieves pain, relieves muscle tension and extinguishes inflammation.For such purposes, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics are prescribed.The list of prescriptions also includes chondroprotectors to activate regenerative processes in joint cartilage tissue, as well as B vitamins and external preparations: gels and ointments containing NSAIDs.
Physiotherapy, in turn, saturates the nutrient medium of intervertebral disc cartilage tissue and promotes cartilage regeneration.The doctor will also prescribe exercises for therapeutic gymnastics - to strengthen the muscle corset and develop the flexibility of the ligamentous apparatus.He can conduct an introductory lesson with you so that you can do the exercises properly yourself in the future.
Surgical treatmentIt is desirable if medications and physical interventions are unavoidable.People turn to him if the patient's spinal canal has become catastrophically narrowed.The surgical intervention is called an anterior cervical discectomy.The surgeon immobilizes the affected spinal segment and removes the intervertebral hernia, which presses on the spinal nerves.Over time, the vertebrae between the discs are removed and become fused.This is called spondylodesis.For larger adhesions, specialists can perform an operation with stabilization with a cage - that is, the intervertebral space is filled with an artificial insert.
After 3-5 days, the operated patient will leave the hospital for outpatient treatment.Recovery takes about 3 months on average and depends on the implant installed and the professional activity of the patient.
What is the best way to build a lifestyle for someone diagnosed with neck osteochondrosis?
The daily routine should include mandatory walking, while jumping and running should be avoided.Spending time in a sitting position for a long time is contraindicated;swimming is beneficial - it not only strengthens muscle tone, but also relieves spasms that constrain the body.In the evening, it is a good idea to take a hot shower (except for the period of treatment of the cervical spine during the exacerbation of the disease).It is also important to monitor your diet.Eat foods rich in magnesium and calcium - legumes, dairy and seafood, legumes.You need to give up alcohol.
Is it possible to visit the sauna during exacerbation of osteochondrosis?
Warming usually benefits the patient, but after a strong steaming you should avoid immersion in cold water.You shouldn't run out of cold either.Otherwise, the disease will get worse.Cervical osteochondrosis is sensitive to any temperature changes, including climate.For example, the autumn cold can negatively affect a person's well-being.
What complications may arise after cervical osteochondrosis?
If you do not start a course of treatment on time, when the first signs of the disease appear, then your neck may stop listening to you in the literal sense of the word.And the complications of this disease are quite serious.There is a risk of protrusion - the so-called "protrusion" of the intervertebral disc outside the spine, which can then take the form of a hernia.Nerve roots in the neck area may be injured.Or osteophytes (bone growths on vertebrae) may appear.Complications often include muscle weakness or paresis - a condition where the head begins to hang sideways or forward.In this part, in the process of the cervical vertebrae, there is a vertebral artery that supplies the brain with blood.This circulatory disorder is one of the most serious phenomena.Refusal to undergo treatment can cause neuralgia, deafness and even vision loss.But if you deal with this problem in the early stages of its development, this disease can be prevented.
Why do you need a Shants collar?
This is an orthopedic brace made of flexible material, which is used to immobilize the neck in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.But you should not wear such a device to fix the neck for a long time, because the muscles may weaken over time, and you will get used to accidentally tilting your head to the side without additional support.The Shants collar does not allow the vertebrae to move and maintains the corrective effect after the massage session.It takes the weight of the head and distributes it evenly to the collarbone and base of the neck.At the same time, the head remains in the correct position.