Cervical osteochondrosis

Prompt treatment of a disease can increase the chances of a quick and successful recovery. But in any case, it is better to prevent the development of a disease, especially a serious one such as cervical osteochondrosis.

Definition of cervical osteochondrosis

Cervical osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease that recently affects more and more young people. The disease affects the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine. Often, the development of the pathological process of degenerative-dystrophic changes is facilitated by an incorrect body position, for example, due to long computer work.

Among other things, the problem can be triggered due to genetic predisposition, poor posture, uncomfortable place to sleep and a sedentary lifestyle. Despite the fact that this type of osteochondrosis develops rather slowly, it tends to progress.

In elderly patients, this disease is mainly associated with other degenerative processes, for example:

• interspinous arthrosis;
• spondylosis;
• uncovertebral arthrosis and so on.

Symptoms

As for the most characteristic symptoms, first of all, it can be noted the appearance of sharp pains that arise from pinching of the nerve endings. Pain is often concentrated in the lumbar, cervical and back regions. Also, you can find other syndromes:

• heart syndrome- consists of several symptoms that are similar in manifestation to angina pectoris. This syndrome develops during irritation of the roots of the pectoralis major muscle or the phrenic nerve. For this reason, a person experiences painful sensations of a pressing nature in the area of ​​the heart muscle, which can periodically arise and continue for several hours. Sneezing or sudden head movements often make the pain worse. Also, during painful attacks, no changes in the cardiogram can be detected;
• root syndrome- occurs when nerve endings in the cervical spine are pinched. At this time, pain is felt, which can radiate not only to the forearm, shoulder or shoulder blade, but also to the lumbar region. The patient may feel a slight tingling or more pronounced sensations, depending on the amount of osteochondrosis started;
• irritative reflex syndrome- manifests itself as a burning sensation in the occiput and neck. Such symptoms often appear after waking from sleep, during sudden turns of the head, coughing and sneezing. In addition, pain can manifest itself not only in the shoulder area, but also in the chest area;
• vertebral artery syndromeis ​​one of the typical manifestations of the disease, which is characterized by the occurrence of a burning or throbbing headache, more localized in the temporal or occipital region. Often with this syndrome, it is constant pain that occurs, but it can sometimes come and go.

Be careful!In the presence of symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, experts note the increased fatigue of the person, which can cause hearing and vision damage.

As for the other main symptoms of the disease, these include:

• Compression of blood vessels, which causes an increase in blood pressure;
• severe headaches that occur due to impaired blood circulation in the brain. This type of pain can cause the patient to use analgesics regularly;
• problems with vision and hearing;
• aching and rather intense pain in the neck and shoulders, which can sometimes be exacerbated by acute and very unpleasant "back pain";
• grind and munch when tilting your head or turning to the side;
• decreased muscle strength in the arms due to pain in the chest area;
• dizziness.

Important!As soon as the first symptoms of this disease have been noticed, it is necessary to seek help from a neurologist as soon as possible.

Reasons

The main causes of osteochondrosis are the following:

1. Metabolic disorders that adversely affect the normal condition of the cartilage in the intervertebral discs.
2. Insufficient mobility of the cervical vertebrae, as a result of which a loss of fluid occurs, which in turn adversely affects the elasticity of the cartilage.
3. Microtrauma of the cervical spine, during tilts, turns of the head and so on.
4. Poor inheritance, due to which the safety margin of the disks is very small.

Treatment

The therapeutic process directly depends on the stage of the disease and is based on an integrated approach. On average, the treatment lasts from 1 to 3 months, after which it is necessary to support the elimination of symptoms with preventive measures for about 1 year more.

The main treatment is carried out in 2 directions, depending on the patient's state of health and the level of neglect of the disease. As for conservative treatment, this includes taking medication and exercising. Treatment by surgical intervention is carried out only if the conservative did not give any effect.

It is importantto follow a diet and be sure to follow the recommendations regarding therapeutic exercises.

Conservative treatment is aimed at relieving pain, restoring and normalizing the functioning of the spine and preventing adverse changes. In such therapy, a whole range of therapeutic measures are used:

• Spinal traction (traction). With the use of special medical equipment, the spine is stretched to increase the distance between the vertebrae;
• drug therapy. The use of medicines during this disease is mainly aimed at relieving pain, relieving inflammation and general normalization of metabolic processes in the body;
• physiotherapy. Thanks to such procedures, it is possible not only to reduce pain, but also to improve the effect of taking medications. Such methods are also used during the rehabilitation period. In this case, laser beams, ultrasonic waves, low-frequency current, work with magnetic fields, and so on, are often used;
• kinesitherapyand exercise-based physical therapy;
• manual therapy. Such treatment is selected individually for each patient;
• massage. Thanks to massage, you can accelerate blood circulation in the tissues, remove forceps and muscle spasms, in general, improve blood supply to the tissues of the whole body.

Despite the fact that drugs alone cannot cure osteochondrosis, they can help restore blood supply to tissues. Therapy should be complete, only in this case we can talk about the effectiveness of the treatment. In addition to taking medications, it is imperative to engage in physiotherapy exercises, follow a diet and give up bad habits.

In the absence of pain or pronounced dystrophic changes, taking medications without a prescription is inappropriate. The following types of medicines are used to treat this disease and relieve pain:

• means for the regeneration, as well as for the prevention of the degeneration of cartilage tissue: hyaluronic acid and analogues;
• to relieve inflammation;
• preparations for improving blood supply to tissues: vitamins of group B;
• antispasmodics;
• antioxidants: vitamins N, E and C.

Medicines can be prescribed not only as tablets and capsules for oral administration, but also as injections or topical ointments / creams. If there are acute complications, drugs are used to block the nerve endings.

Along with drug therapy, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition is very important. Drink at least 1. 5 liters of water per day.

One and a half liters of water a day is the recommended norm for the health of the joints and the whole body.

Of course, you can also use herbal teas, fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes or mineral water. Coffee, strong black tea, alcohol and carbonated drinks should be eliminated from the daily diet.

Prevention

The main causes of osteochondrosis ignore the requirements of the body, heavy loads and improper nutrition. That is why prevention should be based on the complete elimination of negative effects on the spine and prevention of the occurrence of pathological changes. For these purposes, it is enough to adhere to the usual rules of a healthy lifestyle (healthy lifestyle):

• only moderate physical activity during sports: exercise in the morning, gymnastics, athletics, if the types of wrestling, then contactless, swimming is an excellent option;
• in the case of a long stay in one position, for example, when working sedentary, it is very important to take breaks, at least once every 45-60 minutes. During this period, it is necessary to give the body 5-15 minutes for some warm-up, which will restore normal blood circulation. In addition, it is very important to pay attention to the correct choice of office chairs or armchairs, giving preference to those that will support the spine, check the correct position of the hands at the table and feet on the floor. Try to independently monitor your posture (shoulders should be in a relaxed position, and back should be straight);
• It is important to try to control your emotionality in case you experience a spasmodic reaction during stress. To this end, it is necessary to learn relaxation methods and systematically attend massage for general body strengthening;
• For sleeping, it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress with a flat surface. Of course, it will not be as soft as a feather bed, but its elasticity will ensure the correct position of the body;
• Drinking plenty of water and proper nutrition helps not only to maintain metabolism, but also to strengthen the whole body:

The mental state also has a negative effect on the condition of the joints.

• in case you need to move or lift heavy objects, it is very important to do it as smoothly as possible, without sudden lunges and sprints from the half squat position. It will not be superfluous to use a special support belt;
• an important point is the choice of high-quality orthopedic shoes without high heels, with sufficient foot width. It is also possible to reduce the load on the spine through the timely replacement of worn shoes, which is especially important for women. In the summer, in the countryside, by the sea, if possible, it is necessary to walk barefoot on different surfaces, thereby strengthening the foot muscles.

It is important to rememberthat prevention is much better and easier than subsequent treatment of the disease.

Exercises

Under no circumstances should you start doing physical activities and exercises without a doctor's prescription or before the pain syndrome is relieved. The specialist must first relieve any acute symptoms. In the presence of painful symptoms, gymnastics will be painful.

There are some simple and effective exercises. They can be performed not only at home, but also anywhere, including at work or even on the go.

Starting to perform the exercises, in all cases the initial posture is sitting on a chair, hands crossed on the knees:

It is worth starting with a warm-up:

1. In the starting position, you must slowly turn your head to one side until it stops, and then to the other. At this time, you need to feel how the neck muscles are stretched. As soon as the neck is turned to the side to the stop, it is necessary to rotate it a few more degrees as carefully as possible, avoiding sudden movements and fix it in this state for 5 seconds. Experts recommend starting any exercise with a warm-up to strengthen the neck muscles. In each direction, 5 turns are enough to develop neck strength and flexibility.
2. Next, you need to tilt your head so that your ear approaches your shoulder. It is worth noting that at this point the shoulder must remain immobile. At the closest approach, it is necessary to fix the position. Be careful to ensure that the actions do not cause discomfort or pain. It is enough to perform such inclinations 5 times for each side.

Next, move on to the main exercises:

1. Now, after the end of the warm-up, you can move on to specific exercises that can give you a good result. In the starting position, you need to place your hand on your right temple. Now you need to try to tilt your head to the right side and your hand at this moment should prevent it. The effort should be such that it is heavy, but the head still gradually inclined in this direction. For each side 10 tracks will be enough. Of course, the hand must also be changed.
2. Next, you have to grab the occipital region of the head and, creating resistance, try to tilt your head back 5 times.
3. Exactly the same exercise must be done in the case of placing the palms on the forehead. Through resistance, you have to pull your chin towards your chest. It will be enough for 5 forward bends.
4. The conclusion of the training can be the warm-up of the trapezius, which is done by lowering and raising the shoulders. At the highest point, you need to block for a couple of seconds, then lower them and completely relax. Enough for 10 repetitions.
5. Finish the exercise by stretching the neck in different directions. This set of exercises must be done every day. This is a great option for warming the neck with osteochondrosis.

In addition to strength training, neck flexibility exercises can be included. They will help not only strengthen the neck muscles, but also the tendons. Warming up will make the neck more mobile.

Exercises are recommended by specialists not only for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, but also for all people over the age of 30. The problem is that at this age the muscle fibers lose their flexibility, so it is important to maintain them, along with the overall health of the body.

1. The chin is pulled towards the chest and at this moment help the head with the hands.
2. Very carefully, with your hands you have to tilt your head to the side to touch your shoulder with your ear.

Only the correct treatment at the first symptoms of osteochondrosis will allow you to deal with this problem as quickly as possible and return to normal life, without pain and discomfort.

Next, you need to perform several circular movements of the head in one direction and then in the other. 8 turns will be enough for each side. The exercise must be performed very carefully. For safety reasons, you can hold your head with your hands.