Cervical osteochondrosisIt is a disease that is a process of malnutrition or gradual destruction of the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral joints and the discs of the neck.
How to carry your head on your shoulders easily?
If it is difficult for you to turn your head when someone calls you on the street, if your neck literally cannot stand and only causes pain, then it is time to check for osteochondrosis.
It is the cervical part that is most susceptible to injury, since it is the most mobile and at the same time has a weak muscular corset.The body creates a large load on the small moving vertebrae.And the spinal canal itself is quite narrow.It pinches easily under any pressure on it.
Thousands of people feel heaviness in the neck or tingling in their hands every day.And, not realizing the danger, they call these physiological manifestations fatigue and sometimes the common cold.The neck area contains many blood vessels and nerve endings.With osteochondrosis, the vertebral artery is compressed, which provides nutrition to the cerebellum, medulla oblongata and the posterior parts of the brain.As a result, the coordination of a person's movements becomes ineffective, the sense of balance may be lost, vision decreases, hearing deteriorates, and sometimes this phenomenon leads to a stroke.
Made.According to WHO statistics, people between the ages of 30 and 40 are increasingly suffering from cervical osteochondrosis.Doctors explain this trend by a massive decrease in physical activity.And the prevalence of this disease in industrialized countries is 60-80%.
Syndromes and symptoms of osteochondrosis.
- Stenosis (spinal canal narrowing syndrome): compression of the vessels of the spinal cord due to herniated intervertebral discs, osteophytes (growths of bone tissue) or thickened spinal ligament.As a result, blood circulation in the affected area is disturbed.The person begins to feel oppressed and experiences noticeable pain in the cervical spine.Numbness and tingling is detected in the upper and lower extremities.
- radicular syndrome: compression of the nerve roots by the intervertebral disc.This leads to headaches, expressed in painful, burning or throbbing impulses, sometimes the sensations are similar to the symptoms of hypertension.With this syndrome, speech defects and disturbances in the sense of smell, hypertrophy of the facial muscles, damage to the sensitivity of the muscles of the tongue, and a feeling of "clogging" of the throat with lumps may occur.Breathing becomes intermittent, a person suffers from snoring, and his nose is often, seemingly for no reason, "stuck."
- Vertebral artery syndrome: formed by compression (squeezing) of the vertebral artery.Its main companion is stabbing pain.Attacks can affect the parietal lobe, the area above the eyebrows, the temporal and occipital lobes.
- Cardiac syndrome:It is similar to angina attacks, but lasts much longer.The pain is reflected in the diaphragm.In some cases, this phenomenon is accompanied by high blood pressure and arrhythmia.
The main reasons for the development of the disease
- Metabolism problems;
- Lifestyle with low physical activity;
- Hereditary predisposition;
- Age-related ossification;
- Tightening of the muscles, as a result of which posture changes;
- Lack of fluids and vitamins in the daily diet;
- Staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time, which increases pressure on the discs and spine;
- Excess weight or stress on the spine due to wearing heels;
- All types of spinal injuries;
- Regular weight lifting;
- Autoimmune diseases (the process of self-destruction of the immune system), leading to degeneration of cartilage tissue;
- Stress, which causes muscle spasms and impaired blood flow to the intervertebral discs;
- Hypothermia.
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis.
The initial diagnosis of “osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic region” or simply of the cervical region can be made by the doctor during the initial examination of the patient.The expert will determine:
- Human body type;
- Postural position;
- Line of the spinous processes;
- Lateral cervical contours and angle of the shoulder blades;
- Location of painful points and level of pain;
- Spinal flexibility range
- Muscle relief.
All of this together will tell you exactly how the disease progresses.Next, the doctor will order a series of tests:
- digital radiography;
- CT (computed tomography);
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging);
- Doppler ultrasound of the main arteries of the brain - a special ultrasound sensor determines the state of blood flow and vessel walls.
Treatment method for cervical osteochondrosis.
The doctor will help you choose the most optimal solution to the problem.And he will offer you a variety of treatment methods: medication in combination with physiotherapy, or prescribe an operation that is gentle on your body.
Conservative treatment– It is, above all, a pharmacological therapy.Relieves pain, relieves muscle tension and extinguishes inflammation.For such purposes, analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are prescribed.The list of prescriptions also includes chondroprotectors to activate regenerative processes in the cartilaginous tissue of the joint, as well as vitamins of group B and external preparations - gels and ointments containing NSAIDs.
Physiotherapy, in turn, saturates the nutritional medium of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc and promotes cartilage regeneration.The doctor will also prescribe therapeutic gymnastics exercises to strengthen the muscular corset and develop the flexibility of the ligamentous apparatus.He can teach an introductory lesson with you so that you can perform the exercises correctly on your own in the future.
Surgical treatmentIt is appropriate in the event that medication and physical intervention are unavoidable.People turn to it if the patient's spinal canal has become catastrophically narrowed.The surgical intervention was called anterior cervical discectomy.The surgeon immobilizes the affected spinal segment and removes the intervertebral hernia that is pressing on the spinal nerve.Over time, the vertebrae between which the disc was removed fuse.This is called spondylodesis.For greater adhesion, a specialist can perform an operation with stabilization with a cage, that is, the intervertebral space is filled with an artificial insert.
After 3 to 5 days, the operated patient is discharged from the hospital for outpatient treatment.Rehabilitation lasts an average of about 3 months and depends on the implant installed and the patient's professional activity.
What is the best way to build a lifestyle for a person diagnosed with osteochondrosis of the neck?
The daily routine should include mandatory walking, while jumping and running should be avoided.Prolonged sitting is contraindicated;Swimming is beneficial: it not only strengthens muscle tone, but also relieves spasms that constrict the body.In the evening, it would be a good idea to take a hot shower (except during the period of treatment of the cervical spine during an exacerbation of the disease).It is also important to monitor your diet.Eat foods rich in magnesium and calcium: nuts, dairy products, seafood and legumes.You will have to give up alcohol.
Is it possible to visit the sauna during an exacerbation of osteochondrosis?
Heating usually benefits the patient, but after intense steam, immersion in cold water should be avoided.You shouldn't run out into the cold either.Otherwise, the disease will worsen.Cervical osteochondrosis is sensitive to any temperature changes, including climatic ones.For example, the autumn cold can negatively affect a person's well-being.
What complications can arise after cervical osteochondrosis?
If you do not start treatment on time, when the first signs of the disease appear, your neck may stop listening to you in the literal sense of the word.And the complications of this disease are quite serious.There is a risk of protrusion, the so-called "protrusion" of the intervertebral disc beyond the spine, which can subsequently take the form of a hernia.Nerve roots in the neck area can be injured.Or osteophytes (bony growths on the vertebrae) may appear.Complications often include weakening of the muscles or paresis, a condition in which the head begins to hang to one side or forward.In this section, in the processes of the cervical vertebrae, are the vertebral arteries that supply blood to the brain.The alteration of this blood circulation is one of the most serious phenomena.Reluctance to undergo treatment can lead to neuralgia, deafness and even vision loss.But if the problem is addressed at an early stage of its development, the disease can be prevented.
Why do you need a Shants necklace?
This is a brace made of flexible material that is used to immobilize the neck in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.But you cannot use such a device to fix the neck for a long time, since the muscles can weaken over time and you will get used to involuntarily tilting your head to the sides without additional support.The Shants collar does not allow the vertebrae to move and retains the corrective effect after a massage session.It takes the weight of the head and distributes it evenly between the collarbone and the base of the neck.At the same time, the head remains in the correct position.