Cervical osteochondrosis is a common pathology accompanied by unpleasant symptoms. The disease is characterized by degenerative-dystrophic processes of the spine. They are caused by incorrect posture, postural disorders, insufficient active lifestyle. You should see a doctor in time to reduce the symptoms of the pathology.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
This term is understood as a progressive degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the intervertebral discs localized in the cervical spine. As a result, the vertebral bodies deform and become exhausted. This leads to impaired blood circulation and nerve conduction in the neck.
The disease can be isolated or combined with damage to other parts of the spine, such as the lumbar or chest. According to ICD-10, cervical osteochondrosis of the spine is encoded by code M42.
Possible complications of the disease
Many people are interested in the risk of osteochondrosis of the neck. In the absence of timely and appropriate therapy, the pathology can have negative health consequences. These are:
- protrusion of intervertebral discs and hernia formation;
- rupture of the disc by squeezing nerves and blood vessels - if the spinal cord is constricted, there is a risk of death;
- radiculopathy;
- appearance of osteophytes;
- paresis and paralysis.
Main Symptoms and Signs of Cervical Osteochondrosis
The disease develops gradually and is initially asymptomatic. Therefore, the diagnosis is often made in advanced cases. The main symptoms of the pathology are:
- Pain in the neck and occipital region that is exacerbated by physical exertion or coughing.
- Crunch of head movements.
- Loss of sensitivity of hands, burns in the area of the shoulder blades.
- A headache localized in the neckline that spreads to the temples.
- General weakness, increased fatigue.
- Decreased visual acuity.
- Tinnitus.
- Hearing loss.
- Increased heart rate.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
The first signs of the disease usually appear after 35 years. In recent years, however, the pathology began to develop at a younger age - 18-30 years. Most often, the problem is faced by people who need to be in a position for a long time.
The main causes of cervical osteochondrosis are:
- hereditary predisposition;
- violation of metabolic processes;
- infectious diseases, poisoning of the body;
- eating disorders - lack of fluids, vitamins, trace elements;
- overweight;
- traumatic injuries of the spine;
- poor posture;
- spinal instability;
- insufficient lifestyle;
- flat feet;
- Impact of adverse environmental factors;
- frequent posture changes;
- is in an awkward position for a long time;
- excessive physical activity;
- hypothermia;
- stressful situations;
- is using unsuitable sleeping pads.
What are the different degrees of the disease?
The disease develops gradually. Cervical osteochondrosis has 4 stages, each with its own characteristics:
- The first is accompanied by the appearance of cracks in the intervertebral discs. This process is accompanied by mild aching pains and stiffness of movements. Pathology has a fluctuating process. Osteochondrosis worsens as the immune system deteriorates or the load increases. If no action is taken in time, there is a risk that the abnormal process will worsen.
- Second - at this stage, the destruction of the intervertebral discs continues and their protrusion can be observed. This process is accompanied by tightening of nerve endings. The person has constant pain that increases with movement. At this stage, the ability to work decreases, numbness of the hands appears.
- The third is associated with the appearance of an intervertebral hernia. In such a situation, the muscle tissue and nerve endings are involved in the pathological process. This results in pain in the neck and occipital region, a feeling of weakness in the hand. There is a risk of decreased visual acuity, dizziness and tinnitus in the case of vascular lesions. Sometimes the disease leads to fainting.
- Fourth - this stage is accompanied by bone growth. As a result, the pressure on the nerve endings increases. With this form of osteochondrosis, neck mobility is reduced and the spine becomes less flexible. As a result, one is unable to perform simple head movements.
Why see a doctor right away?
If you develop symptoms of osteochondrosis, see a doctor - neurologist or orthopedist - immediately. Otherwise, the pathology will cause dangerous health consequences.
First, the doctor should assess the physical activity and intensity of the neck. The person skilled in the art is also interested in loss of sensitivity and other disorders.
Based on the results of the preliminary investigation, additional procedures will be prescribed. First, an X-ray is taken. It happens in several projections. If hernia is suspected, CT or magnetic resonance imaging may be required. If blood flow is violated, reoencephalography and fundus examination become necessary.
Treatment is prescribed based on the results of a diagnostic test. With the development of osteochondrosis of the cervix, the following categories of drugs are most commonly used:
- Painkillers - help cope with pain.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - eliminate inflammation and cope with swelling.
- Anticonvulsants - help relieve muscle cramps.
- Preparations to improve blood circulation.
- Chondroprotectors - help restore the structure of intervertebral discs.
- B vitamins - improve nerve tissue function.
In addition to drug therapy, other methods are prescribed. These include massage, physiotherapy, physiotherapy. The use of osteopathy is extremely effective. In this case, they have a mild effect on the affected muscles and vertebrae. In some cases, the doctor is advised to wear a special orthopedic device - Shants collar.
Manual therapy is considered an effective way to treat pathology. Your methods are selected individually. The procedure consists of a point effect on the locomotor elements. As a result, it is possible to activate blood flow, improve lymph movement, and normalize metabolic processes. Manual therapy improves the mobility of the musculoskeletal system, strengthens the immune system, and helps prevent the complications of osteochondrosis.
Spinal traction is often used. Special equipment is used for stretching. The procedure helps to increase the distance between the vertebrae to normal size and to cope with abnormalities in the structure of the spine.
If acute cervical osteochondrosis is observed and intervertebral hernias appear, resulting in decreased sensitivity and circulatory damage, surgery is required.
The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the osteochondrosis. Most often, therapy is done in long courses. To improve your condition, you should definitely change your lifestyle. To do this, you need to eat right, give up bad habits, and exercise.
Prevention of neck osteochondrosis
To prevent the occurrence of osteochondrosis of the neck, you should follow certain recommendations:
- eliminates spinal curvature in time;
- exercise to form a muscle bandage;
- Eat foods that provide calcium and magnesium to the body;
- normalizes body weight;
- Follow your doctor's recommendations when working on a computer.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a serious pathology with negative health consequences. In order to cope with the violation, the correct diagnosis must be given in time. Therefore, discomfort in the neck area should be the cause of a doctor.
How is the treatment going?
Medical consultation: history, myofascial diagnosis, functional diagnostics.
How are you?
Collection of anamnesis - analysis of the disease, identification of limitations and contraindications, description of the principles of physiotherapy, the characteristics of the recovery period.
Myofascial diagnosis is a method of manual diagnosis in which the physician assesses the range of motion of the joints, identifies painful seals, edema, muscle hypo- or hypertension, and other changes.
Functional diagnostics (performed in the rehabilitation room) - the doctor explains how to perform certain exercises on the device and observes: how the patient performs them, what range of movements he can work in, what movements cause pain, how much weight the patient can work withhow the cardiovascular system responds. They identify problem areas. The data is written to the card. You get emphasis.
Based on the results of the initial examination performed by the physician and the functional diagnostics, a preliminary individual treatment program is prepared.
It's desirable to be with you:
- for spinal pain - the problem area is MRI or CT (magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography);
- in case of joint pain - x-ray;
- in the presence of concomitant diseases - medical history extracts or outpatient card;
- comfortable (sports) clothing and shoes
Start classes with an instructor
At the beginning of the treatment cycle, the doctor together with the patient prepares a treatment plan, which includes the date and time of treatment, follow-up visits to the doctor (usually 2-3 times a week).
The treatment process is based on movement in the rehabilitation room, on training equipment and in the gym.
rehabilitation simulators allow accurate dosing of the load of each muscle group, ensuring a proper physical mode of action. The treatment program is drawn up by the doctor for each patient, taking into account the characteristics of the body. Inspection is performed by trained instructors. It is important to follow proper movement and breathing techniques at all stages of recovery, to know your weight standards, to follow the prescribed treatment regimen and to follow the recommendations of specialists when working on simulators.
Joint exercise helps restore visual coordination, improves joint mobility and spinal flexibility, and is an excellent preventive system for independent use.
Each treatment cycle - 12 sessions. Each lesson is supervised by an instructor. The duration of a treatment is between 40 minutes and 1. 5 hours. The instructor will develop a program taking into account the comorbidities and the patient’s condition on the day of training. It teaches the techniques of performing the exercises and monitors the correctness of the execution. Every 6 hours, a second consultation is held with a physician, depending on the dynamics, changes and additions are made to the program.
How many loops do I need?
This is unique to each person and depends on the progression of the disease.
Important to know:
- how long has this problem been (stage of the disease);
- how your body prepares to exercise (exercise or do any sport);
- what results you want to achieve.
If the disease is in its infancy and the body is prepared, one treatment cycle is sufficient. (example - young people aged 20-30, who want to play sports. We pay attention to the technique of performing exercises, breathing, stretching, excluding "improper" exercises that are harmful to problem areas. Such patients are trained and learn how to take care of their bodies. "and continue to do so yourself)
Each organization is unique, and each patient's program is unique.