Cervical osteochondrosisis a disease in which the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral joints and cervical discs is not nourished or is gradually destroyed.
How to easily carry your head on your shoulders?
If you find it difficult to turn your head when someone calls you on the street, if your neck literally does not stop and only gives you pain, then it is time to check yourself for osteochondrosis.
The cervical part is the most susceptible to injuries, because it has the most mobile and at the same time weak muscle corset.The body creates a large load on the small moving vertebrae.And the spinal canal itself is quite narrow.It is easily compressed under any pressure.
Every day, thousands of people feel a heaviness in the back of the head or tingling in the hands.And, unaware of the danger, such physiological manifestations are called fatigue, and sometimes a general cold.There are many blood vessels and nerve endings in the neck region.With osteochondrosis, the vertebral artery is compressed, which feeds the cerebellum, medulla oblongata and the back of the brain.As a result, the coordination of a person's movements becomes ineffective, he may lose his sense of balance, his vision decreases, his hearing deteriorates, and sometimes this phenomenon results in a stroke.
Fact.According to statistics of the World Health Organization, people aged 30-40 years suffer from cervical osteochondrosis more often.Doctors explain this trend with a massive 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 spinal cord vessels by ruptured intervertebral discs, osteophytes (growth of bone tissue) or thickened spinal ligament.As a result, blood circulation in the affected area is disturbed.The person begins to feel tightness and feels a noticeable pain in the neck.Numbness and tingling are detected in the upper and lower extremities
- Radicular syndrome: compression of the nerve roots by the intervertebral disc.This leads to headaches, expressed in aching, burning or pulsating impulses, sometimes the sensations are 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 a feeling of "clogging" of the throat with lumps may occur.Breathing is interrupted, the person suffers from snoring, and the nose is often "stuffed" for no reason.
- Vertebral artery syndrome: caused by compression (compression) of the vertebral artery.His main companion is throbbing pain.Attacks can involve the parietal lobe, the area above the eyebrows, the temporal and occipital lobes.
- Heart syndrome:similar to angina attacks, but their duration is longer.Pain is reflected in the diaphragm.In some individual cases, this phenomenon is accompanied by high blood pressure and arrhythmia.
The main reasons for the development of the disease
- Metabolism problems;
- Lifestyle with low physical activity;
- Hereditary tendency;
- Age-related ossification;
- Clamps in the muscles, as a result of which the posture changes;
- Lack of liquid and vitamins in the daily diet;
- Being in an uncomfortable position for a long time, which increases the pressure on the discs and the spine;
- Excessive weight or strain on the spine due to wearing heels;
- All types of spinal injuries;
- lifting weights regularly;
- autoimmune diseases that cause degeneration of cartilage tissue (the process of self-destruction of the immune system);
- Stress that leads to muscle spasms and disruption of blood flow to the intervertebral discs;
- Hypothermia.
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis
During the initial examination of the patient, the doctor can make a preliminary diagnosis of "osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic region" or simply the cervical region.The expert will determine:
- Human body type;
- Standing position;
- line of spinous processes;
- Cervical lateral contours and the angle of the shoulder blades;
- Location of pain points and pain level;
- The range of flexibility of the spine
- Muscle relief.
All this together will explain exactly how the disease develops.Then the doctor will prescribe a series of examinations:
- Digital radiography;
- CT (computed tomography);
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging);
- Doppler ultrasound of the main arteries of the brain: a special ultrasound sensor determines the blood flow and the state of the vessel walls.
Method of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
The doctor will help to choose the most optimal solution to the problem.And he will suggest various treatment methods: medicines together with physiotherapy or he will prescribe a gentle operation on your body.
Conservative treatment- This is, first of all, drug treatment.It relieves pain, relieves muscle tension and extinguishes inflammation.For these purposes, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics are prescribed.The prescribed list also includes chondroprotectors to activate regenerative processes in the cartilage tissue of the joint, as well as B vitamins and external preparations: gels and ointments with NSAIDs.
Physiotherapy, in turn, saturates the nutrient environment of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc and promotes cartilage regeneration.The doctor will also prescribe exercises for therapeutic gymnastics - to strengthen the muscle corset and develop the flexibility of the ligament apparatus.He can give you a familiarization lesson so that you can perform the exercises correctly on your own in the future.
Surgical treatmentIt is suitable in cases where drugs and physical intervention are unavoidable.People turn to him if the patient's spinal canal is catastrophically narrowed.The surgical intervention was called anterior cervical discectomy.The surgeon immobilizes the affected spinal segment and removes the intervertebral hernia pressing on the spinal nerve.Over time, the vertebrae from which the disc is removed become fused.This is called spondylodesis.For more adhesion, a specialist can operate with stabilization with a cage - that is, the intervertebral space is filled with an artificial insert.
After 3-5 days, the operated patient is discharged from the hospital for outpatient treatment.Rehabilitation takes about 3 months on average and depends on the installed implant and the professional activity of the patient.
What is the best way to build a lifestyle for a person diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis?
Compulsory walking should be included in the daily regime, jumping and running should be avoided.It is contraindicated to spend time in a sitting position for a long time;swimming is useful - it not only strengthens muscle tone, but also removes spasms that limit the body.It would be good to take a warm shower in the evening (except during the 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 - nuts, dairy and seafood, legumes.You will have to give up alcohol.
Is it possible to visit the sauna during exacerbation of osteochondrosis?
Warming usually benefits the patient, but cold water immersion should not be avoided after intensive steaming.You should not run into the cold either.Otherwise, the disease will worsen.Cervical osteochondrosis is sensitive to any temperature changes, including climate changes.For example, autumn coolness can have a negative effect on human well-being.
What complications can arise after cervical osteochondrosis?
If you do not start the course of treatment on time, when the first signs of the disease appear, your neck can literally stop listening to you.And the consequences of this disease are quite serious.There is a risk of protrusion - the "protrusion" of the intervertebral disc outside the spine, which can later take the form of a hernia.Nerve roots in the neck may be damaged.Or osteophytes (bone growths in the vertebrae) may be seen.Complications often include muscle weakness or paresis - a condition in which the head begins to hang sideways or forward.In this section, the processes of the cervical vertebrae contain the vertebral arteries that supply the brain with blood.This blood circulation disorder is one of the most serious events.Reluctance to undergo treatment can lead to neuralgia, deafness and even vision loss.But if you solve the problem at an early stage of its development, the disease can be prevented.
Why do you need a Shants collar?
This is an orthopedic brace made of elastic material used to immobilize the neck in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.But you can't wear such a device to straighten the neck for a long time, because the muscles can weaken over time, and you will get used to tilting your head to the side involuntarily without additional support.The Shants collar does not allow movement of the vertebra and maintains its corrective effect after the massage session.It takes the weight of the head and distributes it evenly to the collarbone and the base of the neck.At the same time, the head remains in the correct position.