The cervical spine is the narrowest part, but the daily load that supports the head, ensures its rotation and shoulder joint mobility is much higher than its other parts.In view of dietary habits, sedentary and smoking lifestyle errors, middle-aged people have a three-fold increase in the risk of cervical osteochondrosis.
Although this disease is very common, its symptoms are very diverse and are not related to spine problems at first glance. It is difficult to recognize cervical osteochondrosis at an early stage. Considering that the reasons for poor health are completely different, a person mayI can't see a doctor for many years. disease.
Causes of diseases
To ensure the mobility of the vertebrae, there are intervertebral discs composed of cartilage tissue between them. They can absorb shocks during exercise and provide flexibility to the spine. The service life of natural intervertebral discs exceeds 120 years, but changes in blood chemical composition can cause rapid dehydration of cartilage tissue and salt deposition, which in turn leads to rapid wear of the intervertebral discs and changes in its dystrophy.
The cause of changes in blood composition is improper nutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, in which human cells do not need too much salt, but are deposited in bone tissue, liver and kidneys.In a sedentary lifestyle, the largest amount of salt is deposited on the neck.
Cervical osteochondrosis may also occur due to vibration, for example, in drivers, as a result of forced incorrect positions of the head or tension in the neck that cause working conditions and occupational details.
What is the harm of cervical osteochondrosis
In the neck area, that is, near the cervical spine, there are nerve roots and vertebral arteries whose task is to supply oxygen to the brain. As the cervical intervertebral discs become dehydrated, they will deform, which will narrow the gap between the vertebrae and cause them to be injured during exercise.In addition, the deposition of salt helps to form bone spurs-osteophytes, which may invade nerve roots and arteries.
In development, the disease leads to impaired sensitivity of the neck, shoulder bones, limbs, and nape, or on the contrary, the pain in these areas depends on the nerve roots clamped.
The compression of the vertebral artery is full of insufficient oxygen supply to the brain, which leads to the development of various obstacles to its activity. The most dangerous consequences of cerebral hypoxia are hearing loss, vision loss, stroke, partial and complete paralysis, and mental disorders.
Cervical osteochondrosis is the most dangerous form of the disease, because it has many irreversible consequences, and people in the advanced stages of the disease usually seek help.Symptoms
The cervical spine is composed of 6 parts, and various nerve roots pass through these parts, and their invasion is manifested in various symptoms. Depending on which vertebra in the neck is prone to osteochondrosis, the disease can be expressed in multiple symptoms. Therefore, nerve root syndrome is characterized by the following symptoms:
- violates the sensitivity of the neck, shoulder s bones, fingertips, mostly unilateral. Severe neck pain, radiating to the back or back of the head.
- Burning pain in the chest, shoulder, and one finger of the hand, depending on the affected nerve.
- Heart areaPain is characterized by its duration and the tension during sudden movements.
Compression of arteries and small blood vessels may result in brain diseases. The symptoms can be listed as follows:
- Visual impairment, "flies" appear in front of my eyes, and the image is blurred.
- If the cerebellum is undernourished, dizzy, and nauseous, there may be disturbances in consciousness and the soil will disappear from under the feet.
- If the brain’s blood supply is disturbed, there is a threat of hypoxia, and the body’s response is to increase the pressure required to increase blood flow.
- may impair coordination and hearing.
- When the lymphatic circulation is impaired, intracranial pressure will appear, which is manifested by headaches in the parietal and occiput, eyeballs, and tinnitus pressure.
The various symptoms and various single manifestations of this disease usually do not immediately indicate back problems, especially because there may be no pain and stiffness in the early stages. Only when excellent experts have made a differential diagnosis and ruled out other diseases with the same symptoms can cervical osteochondrosis be identified.
Treatment
The treatment of osteochondrosis is a long process, including various methods of traditional and folk medicine. The main tasks set by doctors when choosing treatment methods are to relieve pain, restore mobility and metabolic processes of vertebrae, restore the vitality of cartilage tissue, and eliminate swelling and inflammation of the soft tissues of the neck. There are different ways to achieve the above goals, including medication, rubbing with ointments, physical therapy and special gymnastics. Pseudo-therapy, acupuncture and traditional medical recipes are used as other treatment methods.
The main component of the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is the patient's initiative and strict compliance with the doctor's prescription.
Let us take a closer look at how to treat cervical osteochondrosis and the functions of these techniques:
Drugs
Distinguish the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis during exacerbation and remission. Therefore, if acute pain occurs, the doctor may prescribe the following:
- AnalgesicsIn the form of tablets and injections, its task is to relieve the symptoms of acute pain.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of injectionscan alleviate the inflammatory process. However, the side effects associated with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs do not allow them to be used for a long time.
- Muscle relaxantsRelieve muscle spasms and release compressed blood vessels, nerves and arteries.
- Novocaine blocked.This method is used for acute attacks with neck stiffness and pain. Treat under the guidance of a doctor.
During remission, the main treatment is to ingest chondroprotective agents produced in the form of powders and capsules, suspensions and ointments. The chondroprotective agent based on glycosaminoglycan and chondroitin sulfate has many positive effects on the cartilage tissue of the spine, that is, restores the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc, eliminates the pain syndrome and stops the development of the disease.
The ointment prescribed by the doctor for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at the discretion of the doctor has various effects, including:
- painkillers;
- Restore cartilage structure;
- Anti-inflammatory;
- Warming;
- Complex.
In addition, cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by compression of nerve roots and arteries, leading to a variety of symptoms in order to eliminate the need for prescription appropriate drugs.
Physical Therapy
In addition to the main treatment methods, physical therapy procedures are also prescribed, the purpose of which is to eliminate pain, improve microcirculation in soft tissues and restore metabolic processes. Some methods, such as electrophoresis, are used with ointments to achieve the maximum efficacy of the drug at the same time.
In addition to electrophoresis, shock wave therapy, laser therapy, ultraviolet and magnetic therapy are also used.
Manual massage or acupuncture can achieve similar results. The prerequisite for this type of treatment is high-quality and medical education by experts in these fields.
Cervical osteochondrosis in remission can be treated with physical therapy exercises. The correct choice of exercises can eliminate pain symptoms and help eliminate salt deposits.
Folk remedies
Among the official medically approved methods of treating cervical osteochondrosis, there are many folk recipes based on the healing properties of plants. These recipes have anti-inflammatory, warm and metabolic functions.
Among various explanations, the most common active ingredients are horseradish, Adam root, aloe, ginger, garlic, hops, pine nuts, honey and lemon. They are used in the preparation of rubs, ointments, tins, dressings, mixtures for digestion, and medicinal baths. Traditional methods can perfectly relieve symptoms and restore neck mobility.