Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease characterized by a degenerative disease change in the intervertebral disc tissue, resulting in a decrease in height, damage to the joints between the vertebrae, and squeezing blood vessels and nerve roots.
Pathology was previously considered a disease for patients over 40 years of age, but today osteochondrosis is already significantly younger and is often diagnosed as the first diagnosis for school children and students. The disease causes many complications. First, the blood supply to the brain deteriorates. Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is a long-term process, including medication and non-cooperative therapies.
Causes of disease development
There are many reasons for the development of cervical osteochondrosis. First, the disease occurs due to false-subtype dynamics, sitting, overweight. At the same time, the main cause of osteochondrosis in the cervical area is the invasion of blood circulation in this area. As a result, the nutrition of the fabric of the intervertebral disc deteriorates, which requires changes in its structure. Several factors contribute to the development of this disease:
- hypoemia;
- Muscular back corset;
- Too much weight;
- Neck injury;
- pressure;
- Low temperature;
- Systemic disease of connective tissue (lupus red, rheumatoid arthritis).
Hypoemia is one of the most important factors in the development of spinal diseases. People who spend a lot of time in sitting positions face osteochondrosis due to lack of physical exercise. It depends largely on the posture and muscles of the back. Incorrect position of the neck during prolonged work leads to food that invades the disc, and over time, food from the disc pours into the degeneration of the cartilage and the development of osteocartilage. Therefore, the disease is often diagnosed with students and students because their daily activities are associated with many hours of sitting on a table or next to a table. Additionally, osteochondrosis is often diagnosed with office staff and all those who spend a lot of time on computers.
Usually, the development of osteochondrosis occurs under the influence of several initiators. Many doctors believe that bone soft criminals are not independent diseases, but natural consequences of lifestyle mistakes. Continuous fatigue, stress, incorrect position of the body during sleep or working on a computer, excessive weight and bad habits - all of which harm the health of the spine. As you know, a strong back is the key to health and longevity. Although osteochondrosis is not life-threatening, this violation can significantly worsen general health conditions and cause the development of other diseases, so it is important to detect the disease promptly and receive complex treatments.
Symptoms of the disease and the degree of osteochondrosis
Pain syndrome occurs in the context of disease progression. The growth of symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men and men is a long process. The tissue changes from the tissue of the disc (before the first sign of cervical osteochondrosis) may take more than a year to appear. There was no difference in symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men, women and children. The only difference is: At a young age, the symptoms are not expressed as clearly as those in the elderly. This is a lubrication symptom caused by difficulty in treating cervical osteochondrosis. A person will not see a doctor until symptoms of an unwell disease are caused. This occurs at least 5 years after degeneration of the intervertebral cartilage tissue. In the early stages of development, osteochondrosis in the cervical spine does not actually have clinical manifestations. Numbness in the upper back may have only a slight numbness during sleep or short-term muscle spasms. To understand the signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men and women, the extent of this disease, which is characterized by the severity of pathological processes in the disc, should be considered.
The first (preclinical) disease: symptoms and characteristics
Due to 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. Only at this stage can the disc changes visualized by osteochondrosis-X-rays (not always) on MRI and CT can be identified by hardware diagnosis. In the first stage of the disease, the disc violates the nutrition (nutrition) of the disc. As the disease progresses, the elastic cartilage tissue is compacted. The disk becomes more difficult and the vertebrae loses mobility. Therefore, the degenerative nutrition process begins, resulting in violation of the function of the cervical spine. Usually, symptoms have become apparent in the second stage of disease development, but are expressed so weakly that it rarely disturbs a person. The first degree of the disease will occur after a few years.
Symptoms of Second-Level Osteochondrosis
The second degree of cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by increased muscle tone in the injured area. How you cure cervical osteochondrosis - it depends on the severity of the disease. If the preclinical stage is not usually noticed by the patient, then the second degree of the disease will show some symptoms, which should be reminded and asked to see a doctor. Whether it is possible to cure cervical osteochondrosis completely - depends on the severity of the pathological process. The earlier the therapy is started, the more favorable the prognosis is. In the second stage of the disease, the disc between the vertebrae is compressed. The neck loses mobility, but in ordinary life, this does not actually interfere with the patient. The characteristic symptom is an increase in muscle tone in the affected area. With prolonged physical exercise, rapid head movements, numbness and muscle hypertension can be observed after prolonged sleep. Sudden exercise leads to acute pain. This is because spastic muscles compress nerves, causing severe pain. In the lower limbs, the shoulder blade, neck, and neck can be given less pain. This variability in pain syndrome is caused by a large number of nerve roots located in the cervical area.
The first sign of cervical osteochondrosis is the following symptoms:
- Fatigue;
- Headache;
- Dizziness after sleeping;
- Sudden movement of pain in the cervical area;
- Local numbness of the skin in the cervical area.
Usually, during the second stage of the disease, symptoms only occur from time to time. This is usually due to severe overwork or strengthened physical fatigue. Most patients are not suitable for relaxed discomfort, which can expect discomfort. Overall, this is how this happens, and the symptoms rarely get to bother a person longer than a few hours without taking special medications.
The third level of osteochondrosis
The symptoms of third degree cervical osteochondrosis are very obvious. If the change begins in the first stage of the disease, the second degree is characterized by compaction of the intervertebral disc, and then in the third degree in the osteocartilage, the annulus of the disc have cracks and microwaves. Perhaps it is the formation of hernia - the loss of the syrup nucleus in the intervertebral disc space. This is accompanied by behavior that invades the cerebral circulation, as flat intervertebral discs strongly compress the spinal arteries. Typical symptoms are severe headaches, frequent dizziness, and flies flashing in front of your eyes. Due to the third degree of osteochondrosis, the heaviness of the neck has always existed. The muscles are almost always spastic and a person feels heavy and painful. Staying in one position for a long time, tension in the neck muscles or sleeping on an uncomfortable pillow can cause a strong attack of skin numbness or pain. You can feel the change with the form of palpation - the neck muscles become strong and stress can cause severe pain. The signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men are severe pain under load (female spinal less burden in daily life).
Level 4 features
The suffocating nerves disrupt blood circulation and cause severe neck pain. The fourth stage of the disease is the most difficult. At the same time, irreversible changes occurred in the disk structure. The pathological process spreads from the annular fibrous fibril to the vertebrae. In this case, the signs of cervical osteocartilage degeneration are described by several syndromes - these are chicken, reflex, spinal syndrome. Severe pain, disturbances in the brain circulation, were observed along the suffocating nerves. At this stage, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis vary. Myalgia (muscle), neuralgia, and migraine often occur. The pain extends to the chest and the patient may experience discomfort in the heart, relative to the background of the left osteocartilage bone.
How to cure osteochondrosis?
This spinal disease requires the intervention of a doctor
How to best deal with cervical chondrosis - Only doctors can answer this question. There is no universal treatment for cervical osteochondrosis, all of which depends on the characteristics of the disease process of a particular patient. Patients are usually interested in which doctors treat cervical osteochondrosis. Typically, the initial diagnosis is performed by a therapist or neurologist, and the patient complains about pain in the cervical area. For diagnosis, it is necessary to perform neck X-rays in three predictions and MRI, check for the presence of NERI symptoms. The treatment of cervical osteochondrosis depends on the test results, and the treatment was chosen by a neurologist. How to accurately relies on the stages of changes in disc degeneration. In the early stages of the disease, special physical education will help get rid of the symptoms of osteochondrosis in the cervical vertebrae and prevent further spread of the pathological process.
The treatment methods for osteochondrosis are different. Complex therapies include:
- Drug treatment;
- exercise therapy;
- Physical therapy procedures;
- Manual therapy.
The symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis depend on the severity of pathological changes in the cervical spondylosis. Doctors should prescribe treatment for cervical osteochondrosis. Self-assessment will not lead to results and may be dangerous.
drug
The first thing to do with cervical osteochondrosis is to eliminate pain and muscle cramps. This is the first aid for the patient. For this purpose, non-replacement anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics and muscle relaxants are used. Usually, this allows you to relieve your discomfort in a few hours. Relief of muscle spasms is an effective treatment in itself because it restores nerve conductivity and blood circulation in the cervical area. How to treat cervical osteochondrosis in the future depends on the degree of development of pathological changes. Doctors often prescribe:
- B vitamin restores nerve conduction;
- Cartilage protectors to improve nutrition of intervertebral cartilage fabrics;
- Promote intelligence to improve brain circulation;
- Products that improve blood rheology characteristics;
- A sedative to relieve stress.
It is not recommended to use all listed drug groups at different stages of the disease. Doctors will choose the exact method to treat cervical osteochondrosis.
Exercise therapy
Media physical education responds well to osteochondrosis in the initial stages of development. Medical sports are the most effective treatment for cervical osteochondrosis in the initial stages. Osteochondrosis in children and adults occurs due to weak back muscles, so this treatment is designed not only to eliminate symptoms but also to eliminate the causes of the disease. Therapeutic exercise category is performed in the special office of the clinic. Each person chooses the exercises individually and performs them under the supervision of a doctor. Whether to treat cervical osteochondrosis - depends on how quickly a person contacts the doctor. The first degree of illness can be cured only by gymnastics. After reduced muscle spasm, symptoms of cervical osteocartilage degeneration occur after several categories.
physiotherapy
Chronic osteochondrosis (which may not actually bother a person) is treated with physical therapy. This method is designed to restore normal nutrition of intervertebral disc fabrics. Niacin electrophoresis is usually used to expand blood vessels and improve blood circulation. This treatment can relieve symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis with plasmotomy syndrome and migraine because it reduces nerve compression and improves brain circulation. The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis can be eliminated through magnetic therapy or thermal exposure. Only 10-15 procedures normalize nutrition in the cervical region and eliminate symptoms of the disease.
forecast
Whether cervical osteochondrosis is solidified - depends on the severity of the disease. In the initial stage, the pathological process turns completely. The disc recovers in the right way, but slowly. Treatment is designed to prevent the progression of the disease and restore the elasticity of the cartilage. With the late form of the disease, it is almost impossible to restore the previous mobility of the neck. In this case, a comprehensive treatment of osteochondrosis in the cervical spine allows you to get rid of the symptoms and prevent the complications from developing. In severe cases, patients must receive prophylactic treatment twice a year.