How does cervical osteochondrosis manifest?

Osteochondrosis is understood as a degenerative disease of the intervertebral cartilage layer. Today, this problem has spread all over the world.

In Europe alone, approximately 60% of adults suffer from cervical osteochondrosis. Doctors associate this fact with people’s static nature, mobility problems, and sedentary work types.

If it hadn’t been long ago that the disease developed around the age of 50, it’s impossible not to notice that the disease has regained vitality significantly-the average age threshold here has dropped to 24 years.

But more and more 18-year-old children are going to the hospital because of this problem. When it comes to cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment cannot be ignored, because many people are interested in these problems.

How does cervical osteochondrosis develop-causes and initial symptoms?

As we all know, vertebrae are formed by bony vertebrae, between them there is a "cushion" of cartilage-intervertebral discs. Due to impaired blood flow and malnutrition, the cartilage tissue here cannot absorb complex nutrients. This leads to changes in the cartilage structure, its deformation and contraction. They gradually lose their previous elasticity and become less durable.

As the shock-absorbing intervertebral layer dries, the vertebrae squeeze each other. As a result, nerve endings and blood lines are squeezed, causing pain and numbness in muscles, migraines, and many other symptoms. Over time, cartilage tissue is destroyed and becomes fibrous tissue. Gradually, neighboring blood vessels, nerve fibers and bone structures participate in this pathological process.

Main factors for the development of cervical osteochondrosis

The main cause of the development of osteochondrosis is considered to be the change of degenerative dystrophy. There are many factors that contribute to this. Consider the main causes of cervical osteochondrosis:

1. Congenital susceptibility.
2. The body is aging.
3. The metabolic process is interrupted.
4. Overweight and obese.
5. Mistakes in the diet-lack of minerals and systemic lack of water.
6. trauma.
7. Skeletal muscle weakness, poor posture, and flat feet.
8. Lack of exercise, sedentary.
9. When you have to work in an uncomfortable position, your body's overload (a special situation in this industry) can exhaust your muscles.
10. The end of sports business and related termination/reduction of electrical load.
11. Psychological and emotional pressure.
12. Nicotine addiction.
13. The appearance of tumor structures.

It should be pointed out that, so far, the causes of pathological cartilage changes in the cervical spine have not been fully studied. But it is reliable to know that standing or sitting for a long time without too much exercise, the bed is too soft, the upper limb back and the untrained muscles of the waist belt, and the lack of nutrition will provide an ideal combination for the development of cervical spine chondropathy.

Disease development

Osteochondrosis does not appear suddenly. It has gradually developed over a long period of time (from a few years to several decades). The initial dystrophic changes in the spine will not show up in any way. They can only be found accidentally by X-ray or CT scan.

In the next stage of disease development, a decrease in the thickness of the cartilage layer is observed. Microcracks appear on the intervertebral cartilage. There may be numbness in certain areas of the muscles. Over time, protrusions will appear and hernias are possible. The patient suffers from headache and muscle pain.

In the final stage of disease development, bone tissue grows pathologically, nerve endings are damaged, and chronic pain syndrome develops. Due to cervical osteochondrosis, there may be curvature of the upper spine, sciatica, and stenosis (stenosis of the spinal canal).

Cervical Osteochondrosis-Symptoms and Treatment

We checked the initial signs of osteochondrosis, now let's talk directly about the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.

symptom

For cervical osteochondrosis, it has the following symptoms:

• Numbness and cramps of the neck, shoulders and upper back muscles.
• Tugging and pain in the back and neck area.
• The hands may feel pain.
• Headache, especially in the occipital region, migraine.
• Dizziness, tinnitus, visual abnormalities (defocus, appearance of "flies" and colored spots).
• The toes of the upper limbs are often numb.
• Head movement is stiff, turning and tilting are limited, accompanied by pain and pulling sensation.
• Soreness when touching the vertebral area.
• There is a tendency to increase blood pressure.

Due to muscle weakness, coordinated movement may be possible. In the presence of heart problems, the condition may be aggravated by the spasm of the vertebral artery. The pain spreads to the space between the breastbone and posterior breastbone.

As you can see, the symptoms are many and varied. This leads to the fact that people will ask the wrong experts (cardiologists, orthopedic doctors, trauma specialists) for help after discovering certain deviations in themselves. This complicates the diagnosis and timely detection of cervical osteochondrosis.

Which doctor should I contact to treat osteochondrosis?

If there is a complicated situation of osteochondrosis symptoms described above, you should seek medical help immediately. You need to make an appointment with a therapist or neurologist. After investigating, examining the patient and palpating the affected area, the clinical image is initially clarified, and then the doctor will refer him for examination and prescribe another examination.

You may want to check the following:

• X-ray film
• CT examination.
• MRI.
• EMG.

Radiography will help determine the location of the lesion and the degree of neglect of the disease. Tomography will help to assess the condition of adjacent tissues and myometography-the conductivity of muscle fibers and their innervation. All of this will make it possible to correctly diagnose and outline effective treatment options. This process will be very long and requires patience and do it yourself.

It is impossible to completely restore the cartilage structure, but it is a completely feasible task to significantly improve the quality of life and get rid of chronic pain. You will have to return to the exam multiple times.

After all, it is necessary to monitor the progress of the disease, adjust the treatment plan, predict possible complications or improve the situation. Therefore, even if the pain has been relieved, this is not a reason to refuse to perform repeated diagnostic measures.

How is cervical osteochondrosis treated?

In order to release the disease, various methods should be used. In most cases, active treatment takes several months. However, this largely depends on the patient's enthusiasm, conscientiousness and willpower. In some cases, surgery is required. When starting treatment, you must observe the following principles.

1. Medical advice should be followed unswervingly. All changes in conditions and adverse reactions should be reported to the attending physician.
2. You need to learn how to distribute the load and avoid excessive muscle activity and overwork of the cervical spine muscles.
3. It is necessary to give up the exercise load and change jobs if necessary.
4. Physical therapy is a prerequisite. They should be done systematically, preferably once a day. Special neck gymnastics should be selected individually according to the patient's ability and the degree of neglect of the disease. A series of exercises are carried out under the guidance of the coach.
5. The use of anti-inflammatory and analgesics should be reasonable and strictly dosed. All medicines, especially hormone medicines, are prescribed by doctors.
6. It is important to maintain anatomically correct body posture. Even in a dream. Therefore, the mattress must be strong enough. For orthopedic pillows, they can be determined by the direct fitting method.
7. If necessary, you should sit for a few hours at regular intervals to warm up your neck briefly. Although you can also sit, it is recommended that you get up at the same time.

Why do I need to warm up?

This simple method will enable you to:

• Restore normal blood flow;
• Stretch stiff muscles;
• Eliminate numbness, tingling, and pulling sensations;
• Relieve muscle tension;
• Prevent muscle cramps and muscle groups;
• Avoid overloading the cervical spine.

All exercises are as simple as possible. They have been familiar with everyone since they were young and don't need to spend a lot of time. A few minutes is enough. They can be done both at home and in the workplace. Are you ashamed of the views of witty employees?

Retire on the stairs or in the toilet stall. You can even exercise caution during transportation to avoid unnecessary attention. All exercises should be performed with the back straight. It is recommended to open your shoulders and slightly protrude your chest. Turn your head to the side as far as possible.

Proceed with caution and don't be fanatical, so as not to hurt the weakened spine. After that, lower your head to one shoulder or the other alternately several times. Now you can perform several rotation movements-10-15 in each direction.

Another good exercise. Stretch the spine as much as possible, as if hanging from the top of the head. Now, slowly tilt your head forward and try to press the edge of your chin toward your chest. Then you need to perform the opposite operation slowly and very carefully. In the presence of some damage, you cannot tilt your head back! Please consult your doctor.

The order of the exercises does not matter. The action set and the number of repetitions are individually selected. When stretching your neck, don't forget your chest. They are closely related. It is recommended to try to put the shoulder blades together from time to time. You may hear harsh sounds.

Don't be afraid-these are the vertebrae in place. After that, it usually feels relieved. In order to reduce the tension of the trapezius muscles, you should raise your shoulders as much as possible, and then force them to lower them as low as possible. The action was performed several times. Then move your shoulders and shake hands.

drug

For cervical osteochondrosis, several types of drugs are used. These drugs are used during the worsening of the disease. They are designed to solve many tasks:

• Eliminate pain;
• Resist inflammation;
• Enhance the metabolic process of affected tissues.

In addition, drugs that stimulate the recovery of cartilage tissue, including hormones and vitamin preparations, are also used.

Other ways to treat pain

In addition to exercise therapy and drugs, the following multiple treatments are also included in a variety of treatments to eliminate the manifestations of osteochondrosis in the cervical area.

1. As the spine stretches, the intervertebral space increases. To this end, a certain load can be applied. The impact takes place in different ways, including the use of special tables. This measure allows you to restore the spine to its previous length, give the spine the correct shape, and release tense nerves. Some patients are desperate to find effective ways to get rid of chronic pain, and instead accept setters. Here, the spine was attacked. If it involves professionals with medical education, this method can help.
2. Massage can also bring good results. This process helps to disperse the blood, improve the nutrient and gas exchange of cartilage tissue, reduce tension and muscle clamping, and relieve pain. If possible, you should also use self-massage. But you need to pass proper instructions to be competent for the job. You can massage the neck, shoulders, scalp, arms and collar area yourself. Use friction, kneading, and slight pressure. Shiatsu massage is effective when it affects the active parts of the body. But this requires special knowledge and rich experience. Therefore, only a professional chiropractor should be consulted.
3. Physical therapy involves the use of various means: magnetic fields, lasers, ultrasound, low-frequency currents. Drugs are often used here. This method of introducing them has a local effect, enhances their effectiveness, and avoids many side effects. Physical procedures help fight pain, inflammation, and accelerate post-traumatic and postoperative recovery.
4. Acupuncture is like manual therapy, which enhances or inhibits various processes in the human body by acting on the so-called biologically active points on the human body. Reflexology can help you correct your metabolism, increase blood flow, and relieve pain. However, although this method is effective, it is not suitable for everyone because it involves the use of needles, which some patients do not accept at all.

When these measures are used in a single complex under medical supervision, the maximum efficiency of these measures can be achieved. To a large extent, the success of treatment depends on the patient's determination and desire to deal with osteochondrosis.