Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease characterized by degenerative-distrofic changes in the tissues of the intervertebral discs, which leads to a decrease in their height, damage to the joints between the vertebrae, squeezing the blood vessels and the roots of the nerves.
Previously, pathology was considered a disease of people over 40, but today osteochondrosis has significantly younger, and is often diagnosed for school students and students for the first time. The disease leads to a number of complications. First of all, blood supply to the brain deteriorates. Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is a long -term process, and includes both medicines and non -united therapy.
Causes of the development of the disease
The reasons for the development of cervical osteochondrosis are different. First of all, the disease occurs due to the wrong hypodynamia of living, sitting, overweight. At the same time, the leading cause of osteochondrosis of the cervical region is a violation of blood circulation in the area. As a result, the food of the intervertebral discs deteriorates, which includes a change in their structure. There are several factors that contribute to the development of this disease:
Hippodynamia is one of the most important factors in the development of spinal column diseases. Due to the lack of physical activity, people who spend a lot of time in a sitting position have faced osteochondrosis. Much also depends on behavior and back muscles. The improper position of the neck during the long -term work on the table leads to a violation of intervertebral discs, which over time flows into the degeneration of the cartilage and the development of osteochondrosis. For this reason, the disease is often diagnosed with students and students, as their daily activity is accompanied by many hours sitting on the table or on the table. Also, osteochondrosis is often diagnosed with office workers and all people who spend a lot of time on the computer.
As a rule, the development of osteochondrosis occurs under the influence of some provocative factors immediately. Many doctors consider osteochondrosis not an independent disease, but with a natural consequence of the style of the wrong life. Continuous fatigue, stress, incorrect body position during sleep or working on a computer, excess weight and bad habits - all of this damages the health of the spinal column. As you know, a strong spine is the key to good health and longevity. Despite the fact that osteochondrosis does not threaten life, this violation is able to significantly exacerbate general well -being and cause the development of other diseases, so it is important to detect the disease in a timely manner and undergo complex treatment.
Symptoms of the disease and the degree of osteochondrosis
Pain syndrome occurs against the background of progression of the disease. Increasing the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in women and men is a long process. Since changes in intervertebral discs, before the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis, can receive more than a year at the appearance of intervertebral discs. There is no change in the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men, women and children. The only difference: At a young age, symptoms are not expressed as clearly as in the elderly. Symptoms are lubricated symptoms that are due to difficulties in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. A person does not see a doctor until the symptoms of the disease that cause discomfort are highlighted. This occurs at least 5 years after the start of the degeneration of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc. In the early years of development, cervical spine osteochondrosis is practically not associated with clinical manifestations. Probably just a small feeling of numbness of the upper back after sleep or short -term muscle cramps in the moments of psycho -emotional overlap. To understand the signs of cervical osteochondrosis in men and women, the extent of this disease that characterizes the severity of the pathological process in intervertebral discs must be taken into account.
First (pre -clinical) degree of disease: symptoms and traits
With cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment depend on the stage of the pathological process. The first degree is called precinity, as there are no characteristic clinical symptoms. It is possible to recognize osteochondrosis at this stage only by the diagnosis of hardware - the changes in the discs are visible in an X -Ray (not always) and are well visualized in MRI and CT. In the first stage of the disease, there is a violation of the trophism (food) of the intervertebral disc. As the disease progresses, a elastic cartilage tissue is compressed. The discs become more difficult, as a result of which the beads lose movement. Thus, degenerative-district processes begin, leading to a violation of the cervical spine function. As a rule, the symptoms become visible already in the second stage of the development of the disease, but are so poorly expressed that they rarely disturb a person. The first rate of the disease goes on in several years.
Symptoms of second degree osteochondrosis
The second rate of cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by an increase in muscle tone in the damage area. How you can cure cervical osteochondrosis - it depends on the severity of the disease. If the pre -clinical phase often continues unnoticed by the patient, the second degree of the disease acquires some symptoms that need to warn the patient and make him see a doctor. Is it possible to fully cure the cervical osteochondrosis - it depends on the severity of the pathological process. The sooner the therapy begins, the more favorable the prognosis. In the second stage of the disease, the discs between the vertebrae are compressed. The neck loses mobility, but in ordinary life this practically does not interfere with the patient. A characteristic symptom is an increase in muscle tone of the affected area. With prolonged physical exercises, sharp head movements can be observed, after a long sleep, numbness and hypertension of muscles. Sudden movements lead to acute pain. This is due to the fact that spasmodic muscles compress the nerve, causing severe pain. Pain can be given to the shoulder blade, neck, less often - in the lower limbs. Such a variability of pain syndrome is due to a large number of nerve roots located in the cervical region.
The first signs of cervical osteochondrosis are the following symptoms:
As a rule, in the second stage of the disease, symptoms appear only occasionally. This is usually due to excessive hard work or intense physical exercise. Most patients do not pay close attention to easy regret, waiting for the embarrassment themselves. In general, so, symptoms rarely disturb a person longer than a few hours and pass without taking special medicines.
Characteristics of third -degree osteochondrosis
The symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are pronounced. If in the first phase of the disease only changes begin, the second rate is characterized by a compression of the drives, then in the third degree of osteochondrosis there are cracks and microwaves of the fibrous disc. Perhaps the formation of a hernia - the loss of a pulp nucleus in the intervertebral space. This is associated with a violation of cerebral circulation, as flattened discs strongly compress the spinal arteries. A typical symptom is a severe headache, frequent dizziness, flight flies before the eyes. With third -degree osteochondrosis, a severe feeling in the neck is constantly present. Muscles are almost always spasmodic, a person feels heavy weight and pain. Long -term stay in one position, neck muscle tension or sleeps on an unpleasant pillow leads to local skin numbness or a strong pain attack. You can feel changes with palpation - the neck muscles become solid to the touch, the pressure causes severe pain. A sign of cervical osteochondrosis in men is severe load pain (women less often load this spine in everyday life).
Fourth degree features
The embedded nerve disrupts blood circulation and causes severe pain in the neck. The fourth stage of the disease is the most difficult. At the same time, irreversible changes occur in the disk structure. The pathological process is spread from the fibrous rings to the beads. Signs of cervical osteochondrosis in this case are described by some syndromes - these are rock, reflex, spinal syndrome. Severe pain is observed along the embedded nerve, disturbances in the cerebral circulation. At this stage, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are varied. Frequent myalgia (muscles), neuralgia, migraines arise. The pain extends to the chest, the patient may encounter heart discomfort, which is associated with intercostal neuralgia against the background of left osteochondrosis.
How to cure osteochondrosis?
Such a spinal cord disease requires a doctor's intervention
The better you deal with the cervical osteochondrosis - only one doctor can answer this question. There is no universal treatment for cervical osteochondrosis, it all depends on the characteristics of the course of the disease in a particular patient. Patients are often interested in which doctors treat cervical osteochondrosis. Typically, the initial diagnosis is made by the therapist or neurologist, to whom patients complain of pain in the cervical region. To make a diagnosis, it is necessary to make an X radius of the neck in three projections and MRI, check the presence of a Neri symptom. The method of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis will depend on the results of the examination, the therapy is chosen by the neurologist. As exactly the cervical osteochondrosis is treated dependent at the stage of developing degenerative-district changes in the discs. In the initial stage of the disease, special physical education will help both get rid of the symptoms of osteochondrosis in the cervical region, and prevent further spread of the pathological process.
Treatment methods for osteochondrosis are different. Complex therapy includes:
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis depend on the severity of pathological changes in the cervical spine. The treatment of neck osteochondrosis should be prescribed by a doctor, self -medication will not result and can be dangerous.
medicaments
The first thing that has to do with cervical osteochondrosis is the elimination of muscle pain and spasm; This is the first aid to the patient. For this purpose, non -steroidal anti -inflammatory, analgesics and muscle relaxing are used. As a rule, this allows you to relieve the discomfort within hours. Relief of muscle spasm itself is an effective method of treatment, as it restores nerve conductivity and blood circulation in the cervical region. How to treat cervical osteochondrosis in the future depends on the degree of development of pathological changes. Doctors often describe:
Not all listed drug groups are advisable to use at different stages of the disease. Accurate methods of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis will be chosen by the doctor.
Exercise therapy
Physical media education faces osteochondrosis well in the initial stage of development. Physical medical education is the most effective treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the initial phase. Osteochondrosis in children and adults occurs due to weak back muscles, so this treatment is aimed at not only eliminating symptoms but also eliminating the cause of the disease. Classes of therapeutic exercise take place in the special office of the clinic. The exercises are individually selected for each person and performed under the supervision of a physician. If cervical osteochondrosis is treated - it depends on how quickly a person has contacted a doctor. The first rate of the disease can only be cured by gymnastics. Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae develop after some such classes, as muscle spasms decrease.
Physiotherapy
Chronic osteochondrosis, the symptoms of which can practically not disturb a person, are treated with physiotherapy. This method is aimed at restoring normal food foods of the intervertebral disc. Nicotinic acid electrophoresis is usually used to expand blood vessels and improve blood circulation. This method of treatment relieves the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome and migraine, as it reduces nerve compression and improves cerebral circulation. The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis can be eliminated by magnetotherapy or heat exposure. Only 10-15 procedures normalize trophic in the cervical region and eliminate the symptoms of the disease.
Predict
If cervical osteochondrosis cures - it depends on the severity of the disease. In the initial phase, the pathological process is completely returned. The intervertebral discs are returned with the right approach, but slowly. The treatment is aimed at preventing the progression of the disease and restoring the elasticity of the cartilage. With advanced forms of the disease, it is almost impossible to restore the former movement of the neck. Comprehensive treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis in this case allows you to get rid of the symptoms and prevent the development of complications. In severe cases, the patient will have to undergo preventive treatment twice a year.