According to medical statistics, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a fairly common disease in recent years. Every person at least once in their entire life has encountered its 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 consists of 7 discs. Due to his weak muscles and constant loads on them, various injuries and disruptions in work can occur. Due to all these factors, cervical osteochondrosis begins to develop.
Disease types
Osteochondrosis is an insidious disease that may not manifest itself for a long time. There are several stages in the development of this disease:
- cervical osteochondrosis of the 1st degree (manifested by initial disorders of the spine);
- cervical osteochondrosis of the 2nd degree (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);
- cervical osteochondrosis of the 4th degree (the final stage of the progression of the disease, which can lead to disability).
Causes of the onset and development of the disease
Like any other ailment, cervical osteochondrosis has its own causes and development factors. Until a few decades ago, only the elderly were susceptible to this disease. Also, osteochondrosis of the neck struck men after 40 years of age who are engaged in heavy physical labor.
Nowadays, osteochondrosis of the neck is increasingly common, affecting 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 of 1 or 2 degrees;
- hard physical labor or professional sports, due to which various spinal injuries were received;
- reasons causing stress and severe emotional stress;
- weak muscles of the cervicothoracic region;
- abrupt cessation of sports after prolonged training;
- work associated with sitting at a computer or being in one position for a long time.
If you find yourself with the listed reasons, 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.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine of the 2nd degree usually manifests itself as minor pains that can occur in the cervical and thoracic segment. This happens due to pinching of 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 that a person experiences.
The main and more common symptoms of this disease include:
- severe persistent headaches;
- ringing 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, the pain can spread to the area of the shoulder joint and arms. A feature of this symptom, which distinguishes it from other diseases, is that the discomfort changes its strength and concentration depending on the position of the neck and head turns.
Disease syndromes
All symptoms that appear in osteochondrosis can be incorrectly substantiated and, as a result, an incorrect diagnosis is possible. That is why, with the existing symptoms, it is necessary to find out all the reasons for their appearance. Thus, 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, to the area of the scapula, as well as to the arm;
Irriate 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 feels a severe throbbing headache, which may result in loss of consciousness or vomiting;
Cardiac syndrome
Manifested by increased heart rate, dizziness and loss of consciousness. Quite 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 depending on the degree of the disease. So, at 1 or 2 degrees, complete recovery is possible after the therapy. In the later stages, medical correction is usually aimed at preventing complications as well as improving the quality of life.
First aid
What to do when the first symptoms of the disease occur? First you need to relieve pain from the cervicothoracic region. To do this, you need to take a regular analgesic, 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, analgesic drugs. It is possible to use various gels or ointments to relieve swelling and inflammation. Also, the doctor can prescribe a course of massages, therapeutic exercises. Physiotherapy for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is prescribed in almost all cases.
Surgery
In rare cases, with severely advanced osteochondrosis, it is possible to perform an operation. 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 the manipulation, the patient is shown further conservative treatment or physiotherapy.
Preventive measures
Due to the decrease in the age of occurrence 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 movements of the head;
- 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
In order to protect yourself from such an ailment, you need to do preventive exercises:
- put your palm to your forehead, tighten your neck muscles, then move your hand to the back of your head and repeat the exercise, you need to do it for 7 seconds in 3 sets;
- put your palm to your temple, then also strain your neck muscles, repeat a similar action on the other hand, the time, the number of approaches is the same as in the first paragraph;
- take 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, immediately consult a doctor. Perhaps you will only be prescribed physiotherapy and this will be the end of it. Do not delay, do not start the disease.
Do your daily gymnastics. It is better to do elementary exercises than to suffer from illness later.
Ask your doctor how to sleep for cervical osteochondrosis. Follow all the rules, be healthy!