cervical osteochondrosisIt is a disease that is the process of malnutrition or gradual destruction of the intervertebral joints and discs in the neck.
How to easily carry your head on your shoulders?
If you find it difficult to turn your head when someone calls you on the street, and if your neck doesn't hold up at all and only causes you pain, it's time to get yourself checked out for osteochondrosis.
The neck is the most vulnerable area to injury because it has the most mobility and weak muscles.The body places a large load on the small mobile vertebrae.And the spinal canal itself is quite narrow.Easily squeezed under any pressure.
Thousands of people experience a heaviness in the back of their head or tingling in their hands every day.And, unaware of the danger, they call this physiological manifestation fatigue and sometimes the common cold.The neck area contains many blood vessels and nerve endings.In osteochondrosis, there is compression of the vertebral arteries, which provide nutrients to the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, and the back of the brain.As a result, a person's motor coordination becomes poor and they may lose their sense of balance, suffer vision loss, and hearing loss, which can sometimes lead to a stroke.
fact.According to statistics from the World Health Organization, the proportion of people aged 30 to 40 suffering from cervical osteochondrosis is increasing.Doctors explain this trend by a significant reduction in physical activity.The prevalence of this disease in industrialized countries is equivalent to 60-80%.
Osteochondrosis syndromes and symptoms
- Stenosis (Spinal Stenosis Syndrome): Herniated discs, osteophytes (growths of bone tissue), or thickened spinal ligaments compress blood vessels in the spinal cord.As a result, blood circulation in the affected area is disrupted.The patient began to feel restricted and experienced significant pain in the cervical spine.Numbness and tingling in the upper and lower limbs
- radiculopathy syndrome: The intervertebral disc compresses the nerve roots.This can lead to headaches that appear as pain, burning, or throbbing impulses, sometimes similar to the symptoms of high blood pressure.With this syndrome, you may experience speech defects and anosmia, facial muscle enlargement, impaired tongue muscle sensitivity, and a feeling that your throat is "clogged" with a lump.Breathing becomes choppy, the person snores, and the nose often becomes "blocked" for no apparent reason.
- vertebral artery syndrome: Formed by compression (squeezing) of the vertebral artery.Its main accompaniment is throbbing pain.Seizures may involve the parietal lobes, the area above the eyebrows, the temporal lobes, and the occipital lobes.
- Heart syndrome:Similar to an angina attack, but lasts much longer.The pain is reflected in the diaphragm.This phenomenon is accompanied by hypertension and cardiac arrhythmias in some individual cases.
The main cause of the disease
- metabolic problems;
- lifestyle with low physical activity;
- genetic predisposition;
- age-related ossification;
- Clamping of muscles, causing changes in posture;
- Lack of fluids and vitamins in daily diet;
- Maintaining uncomfortable postures for long periods of time increases pressure on the intervertebral discs and spine;
- Excessive weight or pressure on the spine due to wearing high heels;
- Various spinal injuries;
- Lift weights regularly;
- Autoimmune diseases (the process by which the immune system destroys itself), leading to the degeneration of cartilage tissue;
- Stress, causing muscle spasms and impaired blood flow to the discs;
- Low temperature.
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis
When doctors conduct a preliminary examination of the patient, they can make a preliminary diagnosis of "cervicothoracic osteochondrosis" or only the neck.Experts will determine:
- body type;
- postural position;
- spinous process line;
- cervical spine lateral contour and scapula angle;
- Locate pain points and pain levels;
- spinal flexibility range
- Muscle relief.
All of this will tell you exactly how the disease is progressing.Next, the doctor will arrange a number of tests:
- digital radiography;
- CT (computed tomography);
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging);
- Doppler ultrasound of the cerebral aorta: Special ultrasound sensors determine blood flow and the condition of the vessel wall.
Treatment methods for cervical osteochondrosis
Your doctor will help you choose the best solution for your problem.He'll offer a variety of treatments: medication combined with physical therapy, or he'll prescribe a procedure that's gentle on your body.
Conservative treatment– This starts with medication.It relieves pain, relieves muscle tension, and eliminates inflammation.For this purpose, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and analgesics are used.The prescription list also includes chondroprotectants for activating the process of regeneration of articular cartilage tissue, as well as B vitamins and topical preparations: gels and ointments containing NSAIDs.
physical therapyThis in turn saturates the nutrient medium of the intervertebral disc cartilage tissue and promotes cartilage regeneration.Doctors also prescribe therapeutic gymnastics exercises - which strengthen the muscle bundles and develop the flexibility of the ligamentous apparatus.He can give you an introductory lesson so that you can later perform the exercises correctly on your own.
surgical treatmentIf pharmacologic and physical intervention is unavoidable, then this is appropriate.People turn to him if a patient has severe spinal stenosis.The surgical intervention is called an anterior cervical discectomy.The surgeon immobilizes the affected spinal segment and removes the intervertebral hernia that is compressing the spinal nerves.Over time, the vertebrae where the discs were removed can fuse.This is called spinal fusion.To achieve greater adhesion, experts can perform stabilization surgery using cages - in which the intervertebral spaces are filled with artificial inserts.
After 3-5 days, surgical patients are discharged to outpatient care.Recovery takes about 3 months on average, depending on the implants installed and the patient's professional activities.
What is the best way to establish a lifestyle for someone diagnosed with osteochondrosis of the neck?
Walking should be mandatory in daily life and jumping and running should be avoided.Sitting for long periods of time is contraindicated; swimming is beneficial - it not only increases muscle tone, but also relieves cramps that bind the body.It is best to take a hot bath at night (except during exacerbation during cervical spine treatment).It is also important to pay attention to your diet.Eat foods rich in magnesium and calcium – nuts, dairy products, seafood, beans.You must stop drinking.
Can I go to a sauna while osteochondrosis is getting worse?
Heat is usually beneficial to the patient, but you must avoid immersion in cold water after intense steaming.You also shouldn't run out into the cold.Otherwise, the condition will worsen.Cervical osteochondrosis is sensitive to any temperature change, including climate change.For example, autumn cold can have a negative impact on people's health.
What complications may occur after cervical osteochondrosis surgery?
If you don't start treatment promptly, your neck may literally stop listening to you when the first signs of the disease appear.And the complications of this disease are quite serious.There is a risk of herniation - a so-called "herniation" of the disc beyond the spine, which may subsequently form a hernia.Nerve roots in the neck area may be injured.Or osteophytes (bone growths on the vertebrae) may develop.Complications often include muscle weakness or paralysis - a condition that occurs when the head begins to droop to one side or forward.In this section, in the process of the cervical vertebrae, there is the vertebral artery that supplies blood to the brain.Disruption of blood circulation is one of the most serious phenomena.Reluctance to undergo treatment can lead to nerve pain, deafness, and even blindness.But the disease is preventable if you address the problem in its early stages.
Why do you need Shants collars?
This is an orthopedic brace made of flexible material used to immobilize the neck to treat cervical osteochondrosis.But you can't wear such a neck-immobilizing device for long periods of time, because over time the muscles may weaken and you'll get used to involuntarily tilting your head to the sides without additional support.The Shant collar does not allow vertebrae to move and retains the correction effect after massage.It takes the weight of the head and distributes it evenly to the collarbone and base of the neck.At the same time, the head remains in the correct position.