Osteochondrosis is an illness that is one of the most common in the world.Most people after 35 years have osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in one form or another.Recently there has been a tendency to increase the number of suffering from a severe form of the disease and to rejuvenate the disease, which rejuvenates a decrease in its lower age.This is due to the fact that more and more people are doing work around the world and leading a seated lifestyle.In the meantime, the disease is quite dangerous, and every person should know what it is - osteochondrosis, how it manifests itself and how it is treated to recognize their symptoms and start the treatment in good time.
Causes
Osteochondrosis is one of the few diseases that are only characteristic of humans.This disease is not found in other animals.The reason for this is such a characteristic characteristic of a person as a radeability.The vertical arrangement of the spinal column means that the vertebrae presses together and gradually deteriorated and deformed the bone chryshabi fabric of the spine.
The human spine begins with the cervix region.In total there are seven vertebrae in this department - from the first to the seventh.The vertebrae are separated by intermediate slices.The cervical spine is a particularly endangered part of it, which is initially associated with increased mobility of the vertebrae in this area.In the cervix region, the disease initially reflects on disks that are a weak place in the structure of the spine.
The prevalence of cervical osteochondrosis is also facilitated by factors such as the small size of the vertebrae and the relative weakness of the neck muscles.The development of cervical osteochondrosis is also strongly influenced by the lack of blood supply to cartilage tissue.
The development of the disease is therefore a complex and extended process and has no cause.Although a connection between the sitting work of a person and the presence of cervical osteochondrosis has been established in it, the disease can often be found in trained people, especially for athletes who have increased an increased load on the cervical spine when lifting weights.
In older people, the deterioration of vertebrates is usually an inevitable process that is associated with the aging of the body and the weakening of its protective forces.However, the pathological type of cervical osteochondrosis is most frequently found in which external or internal negative factors play the main task.
Factors that contribute to the development of osteochondrosis of the neck:
- Violation of the attitude
- Craumatic of the spine
- Back injuries
- Overweight
- Hard physical work
- Sedentary work
- A sitting lifestyle
- Violation of metabolic processes
- Frequent hypothermia
- In an unpleasant pose in sleep
- Stress, revise
- Inheritance factors
- Infectious diseases
- Individual features of the structure of the body, for example too long or too short neck
The degree of development of the neck osteochondrosis
The disease has four levels.It is not always easy to determine the stage of the disease by analyzing the symptoms, since sometimes the degree of breakdown of the bone cheese may not corresponds to the symptoms observed in the patient.
The first degree
Destructive processes begin in the bone skin tissue of the vertebrae.As a rule, the symptoms are weakly expressed at this stage of the osteochondrosis of the cervix region.Patients or they do not notice at all or do not combine with diseases of the spine, but to stress and revise.
The second degree
A decrease in the height of the disc begins, cracks appear on the surface.The symptoms of the neck osteochondrosis at this stage are shown in constant pain, weakness and deafness of individual facial sections.
The third degree
Discs are formed, the cervical vessels and muscles are damaged.The patient has dizziness and pain in the occipital part of the head.
The fourth degree
Osteophytes occur - the growth of bone tissue that protects the vertebrae from the load, which leads to an injury to the nerves.This leads to the stiffness of the movements and damage to the neighboring joints.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- Pain in the neck and shoulders
- Muscle weakness
- Increased sweating
- Daubiness of the hands
- Violation of the coordination
- dizziness
- Varning and hearing deterioration
- Increase in blood pressure
- Headache
These osteochondrosis osteochonse typical of osteochondrosis can occur in all stages of the disease.In most cases, only a few symptoms are observed from the list, and the rest of the disease who first encounters such signs cannot always be suspected.Therefore, he can contact various doctors - therapists, cardiologists, neuropathologists, surgeons.And as a result, the correct diagnosis can be made with a significant delay.
Syndromes for cervical osteochondrosis
With cervical osteochondrosis, several syndromes are found, ie typical diseases that have a complex of characteristic characteristics.Depending on which nerves and arteries are affected due to the disease, they manifest:
- Vail arteries syndrome
- Cardial syndrome
- Hypertensive syndrome
- Rook syndrome
- Neck migraine syndrome
The syndrome of the spine arteries is one of the most unpleasant and dangerous complications in the neck osteochondrosis.It is due to the fact that the blood flow is reduced along the artery that passes the spine and the supply of the brain.The syndrome manifests itself in symptoms such as systemic or periodic dizziness.In some cases, fainting can occur.There are often a variety of syndrome that is that the blood flow in artery is normal in normal state.However, if he turns his head in one direction or the other, it can drop sharply.
Cardial syndrome develops when the roots of the nerves are squeezed, the innovation of the diaphragm or chest muscle.As a result, the patient can have pain that resembles cardialgia, although the heart does not occur in the heart.However, syndrome can be marked by phenomena such as tachycardia, hypotension and arrhythmia.
Hypertension syndrome is also one of the most dangerous complications.In contrast to the syndrome of the vertebral artery, it is not caused by pressing the arteries, but by the veins that make blood drainage out of the head.The syndrome leads to an increase in intracranial pressure, which can manifest itself in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headache.
In its etiology with classic migraines, the neck migraine syndrome has little in common.It manifests itself in the strongest pain in the occipital part of the head.The pain is paroxysmal painters, last up to ten hours and are accompanied by vomiting.
The rest syndrome is the most common syndrome for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.It is caused by compression of individual roots of nerves in the cervical vertebrae.In the event of pain in the neck, in the neck, in shoulder blades, in the shoulders, in the feeling of numbness and in the weakening of the tone of individual hands (up to the impossibility of carrying out a kind of manipulation) and expressing neck.
Very often several syndromes or individual symptoms can be observed at the same time.
As you can see, the manifestation of the disease with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is multifaceted and far from always the patient can correctly recognize the cause of their occurrence.If you are faced with similar symptoms, this is an opportunity to see a doctor.
Diagnosis
To install the diagnosis, it is recommended to contact the therapist.He will give a transfer to specialists - an orthopedic surgeon, a vertebrologist, a neurologist.
The following research types are used for the diagnosis:
- Radiography
- Computed tomography
- Magnetomography
- Ultrasound scan the vessels of the neck
With X -Ray you can determine the shifting of the vertebrae, the presence of growth -osteophytes and saline deposits, floppy disks.Computer tomography is to create a series of X -Ray images that in this case give a voluminous idea of the body over the cervical spine.It enables them to detail the degree of the pathological process - the type of compression of the nerves, the structure of the osteophytes, the height of the windows, etc. The magnetic resonance imaging is based on the physical effect of the nuclear magnetic resonance, which contains an even more detailed structural image of the vertebrae.The ultrasound of the neck of the neck helps to identify changes in blood flow in the neck vessels caused by the disease.
Treatment
How do you treat cervical osteochondrosis and are they treated at all?In order to combat the disease, medicine has developed many methods.Some treatment methods can be used at home.However, this process is a long and complete healing, which is unlikely, especially in old age.However, it is possible to slow down and stop destructive processes in the spine at every stage of the disease.
In the early stages of the disease, methods are usually conservative.Various options are used to treat cervical osteochondrosis:
- Medication
- Medical physical education
- Physiotherapy
- massage
- Special tools to remedy the spine
If the disease moves to the last stage and there is a serious destruction of the bone -carben structure of the spine, surgery can also be used to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Drugs
The following types of medication are used:
- Chondroprotectors
- Vitamins
- Analgesics
- Anti -inflammatory medication
- Anti -spasm
In acute pain syndrome associated with osteochondrosis, the priority task is to eliminate it.As a rule, oral preparations are used with their inefficiency, in severe cases the novocaine blockade is used.
Anti -spasmodics are used for muscle cramps.They show the greatest effectiveness for osteochondrosis.In anti -inflammatory and pain killer ointments that do not contain steroid medication can be used.
In the presence of syndromes that are associated with circulatory diseases and blood supply to the brain - hypertension and syndrome of vertebral artery, medication that relieves unwanted effects of these syndrome - medication that alleviates less pressure and nootropic active substances.
Medical physical education
Medical physical education is the simplest and most affordable type of treatment for osteochondrosis of the cervix and at the same time very effective.Sports lessons can also be carried out at home.With osteochondrosis, the intensity of the classes does not play a decisive role, only their regularity is necessary.First of all, physical education was developed to strengthen the neck muscles, which make up the inadequate functionality of the spine and help him maintain weakened vertebrae.
To strengthen the neck muscles, daily lessons are recommended.You can either be completely simple, consisting of curves and inclination of the head in different directions and more complex, including the help of the neck muscles from the hands.They can be carried out both at home and at work.For example, if the work is sitting, it is useful to do such exercises at a table or monitor after sitting.However, they can only be carried out outside of the time of worsening the disease and without pain.Otherwise you can only make the condition worse.
The strengthening of the muscles of the shoulder belt, for example, is no less effective, for example the use of regular classes with light dumbbells.However, lifting weights (weights, poles) is contraindicated.Regular swimming, unloading of the spine is also useful.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy is a treatment method that uses some physical fields and radiation to influence the body.A positive property of physiotherapy is that it has a minimum number of contraindications.
The following physiotherapy methods are used to treat osteochondrosis:
- Ultrasound exposure
- Laser therapy
- Exposure to the magnetic field
- Effect of the electrical current (electrophoresis)
The magnetic field has a positive effect on the damaged body tissue and has an anti -inflammatory and analgesic effect.Ultrasound improves the metabolic processes in tissues, relieves swelling.The same applies to laser therapy.Electrophoresis is most frequently used in a number of medicines, since the use of electrical current accelerates its absorption by the body.
massage
The massage reduces the increased muscle tone that causes cramp and reduces the lymphatic flow that causes swelling.The process helps improve blood circulation in the affected area, which stops the process of destroying the intervertebral discs.
Other treatment methods
To reduce the load in the neck area, a special device is used - a chantzz collar that attaches the neck to a constant normal position.It is recommended to wear it with pain syndrome or with a longer session during exacerbations.
To avoid exacerbations, you should also organize a place to sleep.The pillow should not cause curvature of the neck, and the mattress should be rigid and even.In some cases, special sleeping equipment can help - orthopedic mattress and pillows.