A characteristic sedentary lifestyle of office workers and those who like to relax in front of the TV or behind the monitor screen often cause osteochondrosis. The first signs of this disease can manifest at the age of 25 and, if not, complications can lead to serious consequences.
In the article we will consider what is the osteochondrosis of the cervical column, the main causes of this disease, its symptoms and stages, treatment methods and answer other questions that occur in patients with osteochondrosis.
The causes of osteochondrosis
The main causes that can cause osteochondrosis:
- incorrect nutrition and excess weight;
- Posture violations, scoliosis, rheumatism, flat feet;
- Sedentary lifestyle: sedentary work (drivers, office workers), lack of physical effort, etc. ;
- neck injuries, column injuries;
- Too much physical activity, unusual for the body;
- nerve tension, frequent tensions;
- hereditary predisposition to the development of the disease;
- Incorrect development of the cervical column.
Most of the above reasons cause a burden on cervical vertebrae, as a result of which muscle spasm occurs. Due to this, the blood circulation process is altered, the effectiveness of metabolic processes is reduced, which causes degenerative changes. The structure of the intervertebral discs changes, they lose weight and deform, speaking beyond the spine.
Often, the cause of osteochondrosis is a progressive disc, extended to adjacent vertebrae or bone tissue. It occurs more frequently with a prolonged physical effort in lumbar and cervicals, almost never touching the chest.
Osteochondrosis development stages
In development, osteochondrosis goes through several stages characterized by certain signs and symptoms. We will consider these stages below.
First grade osteochondrosis of the cervical region (preclinical stage)
In general, in the initial stage of disease development, only a slight softened of the neck lordosis is observed, patients experience the pain that intensifies with the turns and the inclination of the head, the tension and the rapid fatigue of the muscles on the back and the lower part of the back. At this stage, osteochondrosis is cured without medications, it is sufficient to change nutrition, perform exercises and other events.
Osteochondrosis 2 degrees
In the second stage between the vertebrae, instability is observed, the patient begins to disturb a more intense pain, which periodically gives to his hands or shoulders, the pain also intensifies with turns and inclination of the head. This occurs as a result of nerve violation, since the height of the intervertebral discs decreases. Patients begin to notice rapid fatigue, absent mentality, reduction in performance level and headaches.
Osteochondrosis 3 degrees
At this stage, the pain begins to intensify, it constantly occurs not only in the neck, but also on the shoulders, it gives it to your hands. The muscles of the hand become weaker, numbness is observed, since they begin to form hernias of intervertebral discs. In this case, the diagnosis reveals the small mobility of the cervical region. Patients are concerned about dizziness and weakness.
Osteochondrosis 4 degrees
In the final stage, intervertebral discs are destroyed, which are replaced by connective tissue. The pathological process affects several segments of the crest at the same time, which can be in different stages of destruction. In patients, there is a violation of coordination, dizziness and pain are improved, there is noise in the ears and other disorders.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical column
Even the initial stage of the disease can be identified according to the following signs:
Headaches for osteochondrosis of the cervical region
- neck pain, neck, shoulders or arms;
- Hand weakness;
- Crunch and pain during head movements;
- General weakness, fatigue, deteriorated coordination, dizziness;
- Reduction of the acuity of vision and hearing, numbness of language.
One of the most common signs is the dizziness for the osteochondrosis of the cervical column. At the same time, dizziness symptoms can be accompanied by noise and sound in their ears (reduced auditory acuity), sensations of disorientation, migraines, as well as nausea and vomiting. The treatment of dizziness for cervical osteochondrosis does not require any special method and drugs and occurs in parallel with general therapy. In addition, he is the doctor who determines how to treat these symptoms that one should not try to get rid of dizziness with popular methods.
Another unpleasant consequence is frequent headaches, especially in women. Migraine can occur several times a day, causing unpleasant and painful sensations.
The signs of the disease of the cervical region are manifested slightly different from the osteochondrosis of another spine in relation to that the vertebrae in the neck are close to each other, the height of the intervertebral discs is small, which leads to complications even with minor degenerative changes.
Condrosis diagnosis of the cervical column
The following methods are used to diagnose the disease in medicine:
- Radiography. This method is ineffective, especially in the last stages of the development of osteochondrosis.
- Magnetic resonance images (MRI). A method that allows you to see bone structures, hernias of intervertebral discs, its size and development direction.
- Computed tomography. A less effective solution than a magnetic resonance, since the presence and size of hernias is difficult.
- Duplex scan of ultrasound. This method is used in cases where a violation of blood flow in the arteries is suspected. Using scan, you can determine the speed of blood flow and if there are obstacles.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical column
For the treatment of a disease such as osteochondrosis, several methods are used: medications, physiotherapy, massage of the crow-brother area for blood supply to the brain and therapeutic gymnastics, and the maintenance of adequate nutrition. It is the combination of all methods, how to treat cervical condrosis that will achieve a real result in the fight against the disease.
Although women are more susceptible to headaches and numbness of the limbs in this disease, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in women is no different from their treatment in men: the same medications and exercises are prescribed.
First aid for severe pain
With severe pain, analgesics can be used. If previous drugs do not bring relief, NSAIDs can be taken.
Often, the "distracting" media are used, for example, a pepper patch that they do not heal, but only listens to an inflamed area and distract from pain. In the case of edema in the inflammation zone, the patient can drink herbal infusion or a diuretic for 3-4 days. Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis with such methods? These measures are only temporary; For the treatment of causes, you must consult a doctor.
It should be noted which doctor treats osteochondrosis. If the suspicion arises that the causes of pain in the cervical column is the appearance of osteochondrosis, it must resort to a neuropathologist. It is this specialist who is dedicated to diseases of this type. In some medical institutions there are narrow minimum specialists involved in precise diseases of the spine. If your clinic has a vertebrologist, you must address the question of how to cure this disease, immediately to it.
Drug osteochondrosis treatment
By accepting the tablets of osteochondrosis, it should be remembered that the significant effect of pharmacological treatment with tablets will be only combined with other methods, including exercises. It should also be taken into account that the treating doctor must prescribe that treating the disease based on their stage and other signs.
Many doctors consider the treatment of effective cervical osteochondrosis injections, since this allows you to quickly affect the end of the nerves and causes a minimum of adverse reactions. At the same time, it is better to take vitamins in the form of tablets, since there is no difference for assimilation, but the introduction of injections can be painful.
Injections used for treatment:
- Intramuscular injections cause general strengthening and an anti -inflammatory effect;
- The blocks are introduced directly into the affected place, which leads to a rapid effect.
Exercise therapy for osteochondrosis
Therapeutic gymnastics brings the maximum effect and is the safest during recovery. When performing physiotherapy exercises, the patient should not experience pain or feel discomfort.
The exercises for the cervical column aim to strengthen the neck muscles, which will not only exceed the disease, but will also serve as prevention for its occurrence.
For more precise clarity and execution, we give an exercise video for the osteochondrosis of the cervical column:
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical column at home
Home treatment methods are only an addition to a complex prescribed by a doctor, and will not help to get rid of the disease. Before treating osteochondrosis at home, be sure to consult a doctor to make a diagnosis and prescribe the necessary medications. It is the doctor who must determine how to treat the osteochondrosis of the cervical column in the home
For treatment, the house is used: recipes for traditional medicine (designed to relieve pain and muscle tension, improve blood circulation), physiotherapy exercises, as well as the mandatory massage of the cervical cheese zone at home.
Popular recipes to eliminate pain in the neck area:
- Attach the spicy radish leaf inside the neck, fixed with a bandage or any respiratory cloth. Before using it, it is necessary to stead it with boiling water and cool to room temperature. It is advisable to act before bedtime and leave the bandage all night.
- Finely cut the potatoes and mix with honey in the same proportion. The mixture will be seen as an ointment in consistency. Use as a compress at least 1 time per week.
- Remove the pain of heating well. For this purpose, you can use mustard plates, a sandbag with heating, peppers or alcohol.
Often, patients begin to look for ways to treat or relieve pain in several forums and similar sources. It should be noted that not a single forum and its visitors can correctly diagnose the stage of the disease and the methods of its treatment. The question is whether the osteochondrosis is treated in its case and how it is necessary to do so, a qualified doctor must decide on the basis of the diagnosis.
Therapeutic massage for osteochondrosis of the cervical column
Massage is necessary to strengthen muscle tone and relieve pain. Depending on what stage the osteochondrosis is, the massage technique is selected. However, when making the neck massage, experts use all classic massage techniques: rub, stroke, knead, etc. In cases where the patient hurts only on the one hand, the massage begins in the healthy part of the neck, gradually moving to that part of the neck area where the pain occurs.
The massage can be done at home, but very carefully so as not to cause exacerbation and not damage the patient. The patient must take the position of bedtime, place his forehead on his hands and stretch his chin to the chest. At the same time, neck muscles must be completely relaxed. The prophylaxis of the appearance of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra
To prevent the occurrence and development of the disease, doctors recommend that simple rules adhere:
- practice sports (especially efficient swimming);
- Include diet products that contain a lot of magnesium and calcium (fish and other shellfish, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, dairy products and cheese, spinach, etc. , do not use spicy pepper, salty, grapes, sugar, flour products, smoked products);
- During the work sitting several times during the day, a warm;
- Choose comfortable pillows and mattresses.
The implementation of these simple recommendations can protect it from the appearance of osteochondrosis at any age.
The article examined the causes, symptoms and treatment of the osteochondrosis of the cervical column, from medical intervention to home techniques. This disease can be cured, even without surgery, but for this all methods must be used: take medications, perform exercises and massage.