Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is one of the most dangerous neurological diseases. What is this disease, how does it manifest itself? What measures will help prevent it? How to treat cervical spine osteochondrosis? You will find the answers to these questions in this article.
Characteristics of the disease
Osteochondrosis is usually a degenerative modification of the intervertebral discs that later affects the bone tissue and nervous system. What happens to this disease? In the disc, which has a shock-absorbing function in the structure of the spine, dehydration or simply dehydration begins due to a metabolic failure. The core begins to press on the surrounding ring and the disc extends beyond the vertebrae. This phenomenon is called protrusion. If the membrane ruptures, an intervertebral hernia appears, which is even more dangerous.
Cervical spine osteochondrosis is a disease that causes a lot of pain and discomfort in a person’s life. Unlike the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the cervical vertebrae are more agile, the smallest, and are constantly under stress. The disease most often affects these sections of the spine. A large number of nerve and blood branches are concentrated in the cervical spine. An important large vertebral artery passes here, carrying nutrients to the brain. The condition of narrowing of this blood vessel is dangerous for spinal or cerebral ischemia as well as the development of stroke. If this artery and nerve fibers passing through the cervical spine are involved, the person loses precise coordination of movements, hearing and vision are impaired, frequent dizziness and various neurological disorders are discussed, which are discussed below.
Causes
Occurs in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine even at a young age. What causes the disease? What are the causes of the disease, even in people under 30? There are two main factors that cause osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, which requires a lot of time and patience to treat:
- hypodynamics or sedentary lifestyle;
- malnutrition.
As a result, the metabolism (metabolism) is damaged throughout the body, especially in the bone and cartilage tissues, blood salt levels rise, and because they find no way out of the bloodstream, they find a “refuge” in the tissues of the kidneys, liver, and cervical spine. . An unbalanced diet leads to a lack of nutrients in the cartilage, resulting in the onset of pathological changes in the intervertebral discs. Osteochondrosis is particularly susceptible to vulnerable people.
Name the factors that increase the likelihood of developing the disease:
- inheritance;
- age after 40 years;
- overweight;
- frequent hypothermia (not in vain they say “don’t get cold on your neck! ”);
- disorders of the endocrine system that disrupt metabolism; spinal injuries;
- systemic lupus erythematosus;
- rheumatism;
- The nature of the activity - drivers, office workers, cashiers, athletes, people doing hard physical work.
Symptoms
How does cervical osteochondrosis manifest itself? The symptoms of the disease and the nature of the pain that occurs depend on which segments are injured. In this regard, the following conditions may occur:
- vertebral artery syndrome;
- hypertensive syndrome;
- radical syndrome;
- cervical migraine syndrome.
Let's take a look at each. With vertebral artery syndrome, severe headaches occur at an early stage. One often becomes dizzy, the gait becomes unstable, and the clarity of vision decreases. Sudden movement of the head can lead to loss of consciousness. Radical syndrome is characterized by various manifestations. These include:
- cervicalgia or severe neck pain;
- crackle when turning head;
- weakness and tinnitus;
- numbness and pain in the arm;
- hearing and visual impairment;
- tinnitus;
- cervicobrachialgia or neck-to-arm pain;
- Feeling of swelling and numbness of the tongue.
Cervical migraine syndrome is primarily characterized by impaired blood circulation to brain tissues, which causes high blood pressure and the development of symptoms such as noise and ringing in the ears, congestion, dizziness, and rapid heartbeat. The danger of this condition is the possibility of spinal cord formation. Hypertensive syndrome is associated with headache, exacerbated by head movements, nausea and vomiting (especially in the morning), nervousness, sudden changes in pressure, appearance of dark circles under the eyes, lightness.
Hypoxia (starvation of oxygen) in the brain develops. Cervical osteochondrosis often manifests as arrhythmia in which a uniform heart rhythm is lost. Vegetative-vascular dystonia develops due to pinching of the lateral vertebral arteries.
Diagnostics
The first step in diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis is to examine the patient. The neuropathologist visually examines the condition of the spine, back muscles, and posture and probes for the presence of protruding spinous processes. When touched, the doctor will be able to understand which parts are affected by the pain by the patient's reaction. Hardware-based diagnostic methods are used:
- radiography;
- computed tomography;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- dopplerography.
The first method often involves applying a contrast agent to a specific tissue (discography, angiography, etc. ). This is needed to obtain more accurate information about the characteristics of the course of the disease.
Management
Your doctor will tell you how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and not damage it. Below are the basic rules and recommendations for treating an unpleasant disease, but the beginning of successful treatment is a visit to a neurologist. Treatment of cervical spinal osteochondrosis is performed using a wide variety of methods. Including:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- traditional medicine;
- exercises.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is most dangerous because in this area, the important arteries that carry blood vessels to the tissues of the brain pass through the processes of the vertebrae. Therefore, taking medications and meeting medical prescriptions should be approached with full responsibility.
Medication
How to treat cervical spine osteochondrosis with drugs? Drug therapy for the disease includes the following tools:
- analgesics;
- anti-inflammatory;
- vitamins;
- chondroprotectors.
painkillers help relieve pain during worsening cervical osteochondrosis and are used for a short time. Your doctor may prescribe Tramadol, Tolperizone Hydrochloride and Etoricoxib as anesthetics. In case of very severe pain, it is possible to use Lidocaine injections.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are designed to reduce inflammation, including Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Piroxicam. Such funds are also used externally. These are various ointments and gels: "Diclofenac" etc. Of the vitamins, the most valuable vitamins for maintenance therapy of osteochondrosis are B vitamins, which can reduce tissue sensitivity and weaken the neurological manifestations of the disease.
Chondroprotectors
Pharmacologists formulate cartilage tissue repair. Two active ingredients make up such drugs - glucosamine and chondroitin. Both compounds may contain a composition or may be used separately. Examples of chondroprotectors: glucosamine patches, chondroitin sulfate ointment, etc. These funds should be used for a long time, at least 3-6 months, otherwise you may not achieve the desired result.
Blocking
In severe pain, injecting the drug directly into the lesion site will relieve the patient's condition. This injection is called a blockade. Mixtures of drugs are commonly used as drugs. One of them has an analgesic effect and the other is used to relieve inflammation. The blockade should only be performed by a highly trained doctor, under no circumstances should you do this procedure yourself! This can not only damage the patient’s health, but can also endanger his or her life. This injection is done in two ways:
- drug injection into the ligaments and tissues surrounding the joint;
- injection directly into the intervertebral disc.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy procedures are very effective in cervical osteochondrosis. They speed up healing, have a beneficial effect on the whole body. Before we talk about them, here are some contraindications to physiotherapy:
- tumors, oncological diseases;
- blood diseases;
- acute dermatological diseases;
- Taking medications that may increase the effects of physiotherapy.
How can osteochondrosis of the cervical spine be treated with physiotherapy? In this respect, the application of many methods has a good effect. For example, shock wave therapy is the application of acoustic waves to a lesion. It reduces inflammation, swelling, pain, stimulates collagen synthesis and improves tissue metabolism. They also use laser therapy, magnetotherapy, ultrasound treatment, vibration therapy. With low-voltage pulse currents, the effect on the painful site or diadynamic therapy reduces the severity of the pain. Electrophoresis with the drug "procaine" gives an analgesic effect during exacerbation. Other physiotherapy methods include ultraviolet irradiation of the affected area and spinal traction, or detector therapy.
Physiotherapy exercises
Gymnastics of cervical spine osteochondrosis allows you to achieve tangible results. It is important to use it only in the last stage of treatment, as active movements in the neck area are strictly forbidden in the first and intermediate stages. Gymnastics is performed with a cotton-gauze collar worn in the neck region. Resistance exercises are performed with the help of a doctor who tries to tilt the patient’s head with the palm of his hand and he tries to overcome the doctor’s actions. This strengthens the muscular corset of the neck. Head practice is also helpful. This is the next one. The patient lying on the couch raises his head and holds this position for 5 seconds. This time increases to 40-60 seconds once the pain and neurological syndrome have been overcome. Therapeutic gymnastics ensures that each exercise is performed up to 5 times in one approach.
The purpose of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is to:
- improves the blood supply to the affected area;
- to strengthen the muscles of the back and neck;
- reduces the load on the vertebrae;
- normalizes joint mobility;
- accelerates glucose metabolism for active nutrition of intervertebral discs.
In diseases such as cervical osteochondrosis, massage is required. It refers to the methods of manual therapy and is aimed at relaxing the muscles, improving blood circulation and lymph movement at the site of the lesion.
Traditional Medicine
For a disease such as the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, folk remedies are considered an adjunct and by no means a major therapy. The number of recipes containing a variety of herbs and products is very large. Products such as lemon, garlic, burdock or horseradish leaves (as a compress), dandelion root, St. John’s wort, yarrow, lavender and many others are widely used. In traditional medicine, the patient himself is responsible for his own health.
Nutritional characteristics
How to cure osteochondrosis of the neck? This question is asked by many. But how to eat with this disease, what foods will be useful? List them:
- dairy products;
- lean meat and fish;
- jelly meat;
- jam;
- gel;
- fresh fruits and vegetables;
- Vitamin B source - liver, nuts, brown rice, broccoli, buckwheat, brewer's yeast, vegetables, kidneys;
- complex carbohydrates - whole wheat bread, cereals, vegetables;
- vegetable fats - olive, sunflower, flaxseed oil.
Remember products that can be harmful in the treatment of osteochondrosis. Do not overuse sweets, baked goods, alcohol, smoked meats and salty foods, spicy foods, animal fats, coffee and strong tea. Remove sugar, potatoes and white bread from the menu.
Prevention
Don’t neglect morning exercises as well as stretching your neck during the work day. It helps improve blood circulation, thereby providing nutrients to cartilage tissue and relaxing muscles. Move more - regular jogging and fitness classes are important measures to prevent osteochondrosis. Being overweight often provokes the development of the disease, so try to follow the arrow on the scales. Don’t overeat, don’t overeat calorie foods, fatty and sugary foods. Eliminate all chronic infections in your body. Particular attention should be paid to the correct position of the body during sleep and rest - the neck muscles should not be compressed.
For example, all patients should have an orthopedic pillow for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, and its use is also useful in preventing the disease. The rest relaxes the neck muscles and the blood vessels do not experience strong pressure.
Cartilage Health and Diet
I would like to specifically mention the willingness of girls and women to experience a variety of diets that are sometimes so cruel and low in calories that the body begins to use materials from its own tissues as a source of energy. Remember that every diet should be balanced, contain the minimum amount of nutrients you need, especially protein, and be accompanied by the intake of vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, you run the risk of becoming not only the owner of worn cartilage, which is very difficult and expensive to recover in the future, but also many unpleasant diseases. And keep in mind that treatment for cervical osteochondrosis will only be successful if the patient follows all the recommendations and prescriptions of the treating physician.