Cervical spine osteochondrosis - symptoms and treatment at home

The cervical region osteochondrosis

Osteocondrosis is a disease that is one of the most common in the world.Most people after 35 years perform osteocondrosis of the cervix in some form.Recently, it has been prone to increase the suffering of the disease in severe form and the renewal of the disease, a lower age threshold.The reason for this is the fact that more and more people from all over the world are engaged in sitting work and leads a sedentary lifestyle.Meanwhile, the disease is quite dangerous and anyone should know what - osteochondrosis, how it manifests and how it is treated to recognize its symptoms and start treatment on time.

Reasons

Osteocondrosis is one of the few diseases that are typical of humans.In other animals this disease is not found.The reason for this is a distinctive feature of man as clear.The vertical arrangement of the spinal column leads to the fact that the vertebrae are trapped and the bone chryshabi tissue of the spine gradually deteriorates and deformed.

The human spine begins with the cervical region.There are a total of seven vertebrae in this class - the first to the seventh.The vertebrae are separated by intervertebral discs.The cervical spine is a particularly vulnerable part of it, which is primarily associated with the increased mobility of the vertebrae in this area.In the cervical region, the disease is primarily reflected in discs, which are weak in the structure of the spine.

The prevalence of osteocondrosis of the cervix is also facilitated by factors such as the small size of the vertebrae and the relative weakness of the cervical muscles.In addition, the development of osteochondrosis of the cervix is greatly influenced by the lack of blood supply to the cartilage tissue.

Thus, the disease develops a complex and extended process and there is no only reason.Although a relationship has been established between a person's sedentary work and the presence of osteochondrosis of the cervix, the disease is often common in trained people, especially for athletes to increase the cervical spine.

In older people, the degradation of vertebrates is usually an inevitable process that results in the aging of the body and the weakening of the protective force.However, the pathological type of osteochondrosis of the cervix is most often found in which external or internal negative factors play the main role.

Factors contributing to the development of osteochondrosis of the neck:

  • A violation of posture
  • The curvature of the spine
  • Back injuries
  • Overweight
  • Hard physical work
  • Sitting work
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • A violation of metabolic processes
  • Frequent hypothermia
  • In an uncomfortable pose while sleeping
  • Stress, overtime
  • Hereditary factors
  • Infectious diseases
  • Unique characteristics of body structure, such as too long or too short

The degree of development of osteochondrosis of the cervix

The disease has four stages.It is not always easy to determine the stage of the disease by analyzing the symptoms, since sometimes the degree of degradation of bone-tissue is not in line with the symptoms observed in the patient.

The first grade

The devastating processes begin in the bone tissue of the vertebrae.As a general rule, at this stage of osteochondrosis of the cervical region, the symptoms are poorly expressed.Patients, either do not notice them at all, or are not associated with spinal diseases, but attributed to stress and overtime.

The second grade

The decrease in the height of the disk begins and cracks appear on its surface.Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis at this stage occur in constant pain, weakness and numbness of certain sections of the face.

The third grade

The formation of discs is formed and the cervical blood vessels and muscles are damaged.The patient has dizziness and pain in the occlital part of the head.

The fourth grade

Osteophytes appear - the increase in bone tissue, which protects the vertebrae from the load, which leads to nerve violations.This leads to stiffness of movement and damage to adjacent joints.

Symptoms

Main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:

  • Pain in the neck and shoulders
  • Muscle weakness
  • Increased sweating
  • Numbness
  • A violation of coordination
  • Dizziness
  • Deterioration of vision and hearing
  • Increasing blood pressure
  • Headache

Osteochondrosis of the spine osteochondrosis, the symptoms may be present at all stages of the disease.In most cases, there are only a few symptoms from the list, and others may be missing from a person who first encountered such signs of the disease, does not always suspect the cervix osteochondrosis.Therefore, you can contact various doctors - therapists, cardiologists, neuropathologists, surgeons.And as a result, the correct diagnosis can be made with a significant delay.

Syndromes for the cervix osteochondrosis

In the case of cervical osteochondrosis, many syndromes are found, that is, typical conditions that have a characteristic complex.These illnesses and arteries are manifested as a result of the disease:

  • Vail artery syndrome
  • Cardiac
  • Hypertonic syndrome
  • coordinated syndrome
  • migraine syndrome

Spinal artery syndrome is one of the least unpleasant and most dangerous complications of the cervix with osteochondrosis.This is due to the fact that blood flow is reduced along the artery passing through the spine and along the brain care.Syndrome manifests itself in symptoms such as systemic or periodic dizziness, behavior and vision.In some cases, fainting may occur.Often there are various syndrome, which consists of normal blood flow in the artery, but when turning the head in one direction, it can suddenly decrease.

Cardial syndrome develops when pressing the roots of the nerves, which are the innervation of the membrane or chest muscle.As a result, the patient may have pain in cardiac, although the heart does not occur in the heart.However, syndrome can be characterized by phenomena such as tachicardia, hypotension and arrhythmia.

Hypertension syndrome is also one of the most dangerous complications.Unlike spinal artery syndrome, it is not the arteries, but the blood vessels that complicate blood outflow from the head.The syndrome leads to an increase in intracranial pressure, which may occur in symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and headache.

Cervical migraine syndrome has few common features in the etiology of classical migraine.It manifests itself in the strongest pain of the octicle of the head.The pains are paroxysmal, lasting up to ten hours and is accompanied by vomiting.

The resting syndrome is the most common syndrome for osteocondrosis of the cervix.This is caused by the compression of the roots of the nerves in the vertebrae of the cervix.It can be expressed in cervical pain, sun, shoulder blades, shoulders, numbness and weakening of the sounds of the hands (to the impossibility of performing cervical manipulation) and neck.

Very often, syndromes or individual symptoms typical of different syndromes can be observed at the same time.

As you can see, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a variety of manifestation of the disease, and far from always the patient is able to correctly recognize the cause of the occurrence.If you face similar symptoms, this is the opportunity to seek medical attention.

Diagnosis

To install the diagnosis, it is recommended that you contact the therapist.It gives a transfer to professionals - an orthopedic, a spinal doctor, a neurologist.

The following type of research is used to diagnose:

  • Radiography
  • Computer tomography
  • Magnetic tomography
  • Ultrasound scanning of neck vessels

The X -Ray allows for the displacement of the vertebrae, the presence of growth - to determine the seals of osteophytes and salty deposits and plates.Computer tomography consists of making a series of X -Ray images that, in this case, gives a large picture of the body, the spine of the cervix.This allows the pathological process - the nature of the nerve compression, the structure of osteophytes, the height of the discs, etc.The imaging of magnetic resonance, the physical effect of nuclear magnetic resonance, is an even more detailed structural picture.The ultrasound of the neck of the neck helps to identify changes in blood flow in the main vessels of the neck caused by the disease.

Treatment

How to treat the cervix osteochondrosis and are treated at all?Medicine has developed many methods to fight the disease.Some treatment methods can be used at home.But this process is long and the total cure is unlikely, especially in old age.However, at any stage of the disease, you can slow down the destructive processes of the spine and stop it in the spine.

In the initial stages of the disease, methods are generally conservative.Many methods are used to treat cervical osteochondrosis:

  • Drugs
  • Medical physical education
  • Physiotherapy
  • Massage
  • Special tools to fix the spine

If the disease has moved to the final stage and there is a severe destruction of the spine of bone-tanning structure, surgery can also be used to treat osteocondrosis of the cervix.

Drugs

The following types of drugs are used:

  • Chondropotectors
  • Vitamins
  • Painkillers
  • Anti -inflammatory drugs
  • Collision

In the acute pain syndrome associated with osteochondrosis, the priority task is to eliminate it.As a general rule, oral formulations are used with their efficiency, and novocaine blockade is used in severe cases.

Muscle cramps are used for antispasmodic.The greatest efficiency of osteochondrosis is presented.Ointments containing anti -inflammatory and analgesics can be used with non -steroidal drugs.

In the presence of syndromes associated with circulatory disorders and blood supply to the brain - spinal artery hypertension and syndrome, drugs that alleviate the undesirable effects of these syndromes - take drugs that reduce pressure and nootropic drugs.

Medical physical education

Medical physical education is the simplest and cheapest type of treatment for cervical osteochondrosis and at the same time quite effective.Physical education can also be done at home.In the case of osteochondrosis, the intensity of the classes does not play a decisive role, but they only need their regularity.Above all, physical education is designed to strengthen the cervical muscles that make the spine in insufficient functionality and help maintain weakened vertebrae.

Daily classes are recommended to strengthen the cervical muscles.They can be perfectly simple, which consist of the turns and inclinations of the head and are more complex, including the help of hand -from cervical muscles.They can be sold both at home and at work.For example, if the work is sitting, it is useful to do such exercises after sitting at a table or monitor.However, these can only be performed when the disease is worsened and in the absence of pain.Otherwise, they can only aggravate the condition.

It is no less effective to strengthen your shoulder muscles, for example using the usual classes with lightweight dumbbells.However, weights (weights, rods) are contraindicated.Regular swimming and spine unloading are also useful.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy is a treatment method that uses certain physical fields and radiation on the body.The positive feature of physiotherapy is that it has a minimal number of contraindications.

The following physiotherapy methods are used to treat osteochondrosis:

  • Ultrasound exposure
  • Laser therapy
  • Exposure to the magnetic field
  • Effect of electrical current (electrophoresis)

The magnetic field positively affects the body's damaged tissues and has anti -inflammatory and analgesic effects.Ultrasound improves the metabolic processes of tissues and relieves swelling.The same can be said about laser therapy.Electrophoresis is most often used in a lot of drugs because the use of electricity accelerates the absorption of the body.

Massage

Massage reduces increased muscle tone, which causes cramps and reduces the flow of lymph, which causes swelling.The procedure facilitates the improvement of blood circulation in the affected area, which stops the process of destruction of intervertebral discs.

Other treatment methods

A special tool is used to reduce the load on the cervical compartment - a Chantzz collar that fixes the neck in a constant normal position.It is recommended that the pain be worn during aggravation with syndrome or longer seats.

You also need to organize your sleep space to avoid aggravations.The pillow should not cause the neck curvature and the mattress should be stiff and even.In some cases, special sleeping devices can help - orthopedic mattress and pillow.