According to medical statistics, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a fairly common disease in recent years. Every person at least once in his life has encountered his unpleasant symptoms.
The disease itself is a malfunction of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine. After all, it is on this part of the human spine that the maximum constant load occurs.
The cervical region is made up of 7 discs. Due to its weak muscles and constant loads on them, various injuries and work stoppages can occur. Due to all these factors, cervical osteochondrosis begins to develop.
Types of disease
Osteochondrosis is an insidious disease that may not manifest itself for a long time. There are several stages in the development of this disease:
- 1st degree cervical osteochondrosis (manifested by initial disorders of the spine);
- 2nd degree cervical osteochondrosis (the distance between the discs of the cervical spine begins to decrease);
- cervical osteochondrosis of the 3rd degree (complete destruction of the ring of intervertebral discs occurs and severe deformation of the entire spine begins);
- 4th degree cervical osteochondrosis (the final stage of disease progression, which can lead to disability).
Causes of the onset and development of the disease
Like any other ailment, cervical osteochondrosis has its causes and developmental factors. Until a few decades ago, only the elderly were susceptible to this disease. In addition, osteochondrosis of the neck has affected men after the age of 40 who are engaged in heavy physical work.
Nowadays, osteochondrosis of the neck is increasingly common and affects young people over the age of 20. There are many reasons for the development of diseases of the cervical and thoracic spine:
- existing excess weight;
- incorrect posture and, as a result, curvature of the spine by 1 or 2 degrees;
- hard physical work or professional sports, as a result of which various spinal injuries were received;
- reasons that cause stress and severe emotional distress;
- weak muscles of the cervicothoracic region;
- sudden stopping of sports after prolonged training;
- work associated with sitting at the computer or staying in one position for a long time.
If you find yourself with the reasons listed, then you are in the so-called risk group. In this case, it is necessary to prevent osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Manifestation of the disease
With osteochondrosis of 1 degree, a person practically does not feel any symptoms of a developing disease. Only the initial pinching of the neck muscles begins.
2nd degree osteochondrosis of the cervical spine usually manifests itself as mild pains that can occur in the cervical and thoracic segments. This happens due to pinching of the nerve endings due to a decrease in the distance between the discs of the spine.
Grades 3 and 4 of the disease cannot go unnoticed. In this case, the deformity of the spine can be noticeable with the naked eye, not to mention the sensations a person experiences.
The main and most common symptoms of this disease include:
- persistent severe headaches;
- buzzing in the head;
- impaired movement and coordination;
- deterioration of vision and dental health;
- cerebrovascular accident, insomnia and various neurological problems.
At 1, 2, 3, or 4 degrees of the disease, pain can spread to the shoulder and arm joint area. A feature of this symptom, which distinguishes it from other diseases, is that the discomfort changes strength and concentration depending on the position of the neck and the turns of the head.
disease syndromes
All symptoms that appear in osteochondrosis can be incorrectly motivated and, as a result, misdiagnosis is possible. That is why, with the existing symptoms, it is necessary to find out all the reasons for their appearance. Therefore, medicine knows several syndromes that distinguish between the causes of their origin:
Radicular syndromes
In this case, the nerves are pinched and the person feels pain and numbness in one part of the neck. Unpleasant sensations can spread to the back, shoulder blade area and arm;
Sore reflex syndromes
Manifested by severe unbearable pain in the back of the head, which spreads throughout the neck. Most often it occurs with a sharp movement or turn of the head;
Vertebral artery syndrome
In this case the name speaks for itself. There is a pinching of the artery and the person experiences a severe throbbing headache, which can result in unconsciousness or vomiting;
Cardiac syndrome
Manifested by increased heart rate, dizziness and loss of consciousness. Most often, in this case, a wrong diagnosis is made and treatment of angina pectoris begins.
Treatment
With osteochondrosis, a person is always shown immediate treatment. His tactics are chosen based on the degree of the disease. Then, at 1 or 2 degrees, full recovery after therapy is possible. In the later stages, medical correction is usually aimed at preventing complications and improving the quality of life.
First aid
What to do when the first symptoms of the disease appear? First you need to relieve pain from the cervicothoracic region. To do this, you need to take a regular pain reliever, lie down or just relax.
The next step is to visit a doctor for the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Conservative treatment
With confirmed osteochondrosis, conservative treatment is usually prescribed. The patient is shown taking anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs. Various gels or ointments can be used to relieve swelling and inflammation. Also, the doctor can prescribe a course of massage, therapeutic exercises. Physiotherapy for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is prescribed in almost all cases.
Surgery
In rare cases, with severely advanced osteochondrosis, an operation can be performed. In this case, the patient is put into a state of sleep with the help of general anesthesia, after which the removal of bone formations between the discs of the cervicothoracic spine is performed. After manipulation, the patient is shown further conservative treatment or physiotherapy.
Preventive measures
Due to the decrease in the age of onset of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, it is necessary for each person to carry out its prevention. This is especially true for those people who are at risk.
Important rules
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis consists in following simple but very important rules:
- watch your posture, do not allow it to bend;
- do not expose the spine to heavy loads;
- you can not make sudden head movements;
- do not be nervous, avoid stress;
- do not catch a cold, do not overcool;
- get rid of bad habits, switch to proper nutrition.
Special exercises
To protect yourself from such ailment, you need to do preventive exercises:
- put your palm on your forehead, contract your neck muscles, then move your hand behind your head and repeat the exercise, you need to do it for 7 seconds in 3 sets;
- put the palm to the temple, then also tighten the neck muscles, repeat a similar action on the other hand, the time, the number of approaches is the same as in the first paragraph;
- bring your head back, then slowly reach your chin to the chest area, you need to do the exercise 3 times;
- turn your head in different directions - you need to do this exercise slowly, without sudden movements;
- tilt your head back, first touch one shoulder with your ear, then the other, repeat the exercise 5 times.
If you experience one or more symptoms of the disease, contact your doctor immediately. Maybe you will only be prescribed physiotherapy and that will be the end. Do not delay, do not start the disease.
Do your daily gymnastics. It is better to do elementary exercises than to suffer from illness afterwards.
Ask your doctor how to sleep for cervical osteochondrosis. Follow all the rules, be healthy!