Cervical osteochondrosis of the neck is a common pathology that is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms. The disease is characterized by degenerative-dystrophic processes in the spine. They are caused by incorrect body position, posture disorders, insufficiently active lifestyle. To reduce the symptoms of pathology, you should consult a doctor in time.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
This term refers to a progressive degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the intervertebral discs, located in the cervical spine. As a result, there is deformation and exhaustion of the vertebral bodies. This leads to impaired blood circulation and nerve conduction in the neck.
The disease can be isolated or combined with damage to other parts of the spine - lumbar or thoracic. According to ICD-10, cervical osteochondrosis of the spine is coded with the code M42.
Possible complications of the disease
Many people are concerned with the danger of cervical osteochondrosis. In the absence of timely and adequate therapy, the pathology can lead to negative health consequences. These include the following:
- protrusion of the intervertebral discs and formation of hernia;
- rupture of the disc with compression of nerves and blood vessels - if the spinal cord is pinched, there is a risk of death;
- radiculopathy;
- the appearance of osteophytes;
- paresis and paralysis.
The main symptoms and signs of cervical osteochondrosis
The disease develops gradually and is initially asymptomatic. Therefore, the diagnosis is often made in advanced cases. The main symptoms of the pathology include the following:
- Pain in the neck and occipital region that worsens with physical exertion or cough.
- Crunches on head movements.
- Loss of sensation in the hands, burning pain in the shoulder blade area.
- Headache localized in the occiput and spread to the temples.
- General weakness, increased fatigue.
- Decreased visual acuity.
- Tinnitus.
- Hearing impairment.
- Increased heart rate.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
The first signs of the disease usually appear after 35 years. However, in recent years, the pathology began to develop at a young age - 18-30 years. Most often, the problem is faced by people who have to be in the same position for a long time.
The main causes of cervical osteochondrosis include the following:
- hereditary tendency;
- violation of metabolic processes;
- infectious diseases, intoxication of the body;
- disorders in the diet - deficiency of fluids, vitamins, microelements;
- overweight;
- traumatic injuries of the spine;
- bad posture;
- spinal instability;
- insufficiently active lifestyle;
- flat feet;
- influence of unfavorable environmental factors;
- frequent changes in body position;
- being in an uncomfortable position for a long time;
- excessive physical activity;
- hypothermia;
- stressful situations;
- using the wrong sleeping pillows.
What are the different degrees of the disease?
The disease develops gradually. There are 4 degrees of cervical osteochondrosis, each of which has specific characteristics:
- The first is accompanied by the appearance of cracks in the intervertebral discs. This process is accompanied by mild aching pains, stiffness of movements. The pathology has a wavy course. With the deterioration of the immune system or an increase in the load, osteochondrosis worsens. If you don't act in time, there is a risk of aggravating the abnormal process.
- Second: at this stage, the destruction of the intervertebral discs continues and their protrusion is observed. This process is accompanied by pinching of the nerve endings. A person has constant pain that increases with movement. At this stage, there is a decrease in working capacity, numbness of the hands appears.
- The third is accompanied by the appearance of an intervertebral hernia. In such a situation, muscle tissue and nerve endings are involved in the pathological process. As a result, there is pain in the neck and occipital region, a feeling of weakness in the hands. With vascular lesions, there is a risk of decreased visual acuity, dizziness and tinnitus. Sometimes the disease leads to fainting.
- Fourth: this phase is accompanied by the growth of the bones. As a result, pressure on the nerve endings increases. With this form of osteochondrosis, the mobility of the neck decreases, the spine becomes less flexible. As a result, a person cannot perform simple head movements.
Why should you see a doctor immediately?
If symptoms of osteochondrosis appear, immediately consult a doctor - neurologist or orthopedist. Otherwise, the pathology will cause dangerous health consequences.
First of all, the doctor should assess physical activity and the intensity of neck pain. Also, the specialist is interested in loss of sensation and other ailments.
Based on the results of the preliminary examination, additional procedures are prescribed. First of all, x-ray is performed. It is performed in several projections. If a hernia is suspected, CT or MRI may be needed. If there is a violation of blood flow, it becomes necessary to conduct rheoencephalography and examination of the fundus.
Treatment is prescribed based on the results of the diagnostic examination. With the development of cervical osteochondrosis, the following categories of drugs are often used:
- Analgesics: help to cope with pain.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Eliminate inflammation and cope with swelling.
- Antispasmodics: helps relieve muscle spasms.
- Preparations to improve blood circulation.
- Chondroprotector: helps restore the structure of the intervertebral discs.
- B vitamins: improve the functioning of nerve tissues.
In addition to drug therapy, other methods are prescribed. These include massage, remedial gymnastics, physiotherapy. The use of osteopathy is highly effective. In this case, a mild effect is performed on the affected muscles and vertebrae. In some cases, the doctor is advised to wear a special orthopedic device - the Shants collar.
Manual therapy is considered an effective way to treat the disease. Its methods are selected individually. The procedure consists of a point effect on the musculoskeletal elements. Thanks to this, it is possible to activate blood flow, improve lymph movement and normalize metabolic processes. Manual therapy improves the mobility of the musculoskeletal system, strengthens the immune system and helps prevent complications of osteochondrosis.
Spine traction is often used. For stretching, special equipment is used. The procedure helps to increase the distance between the vertebrae to normal size and to address disturbances in the structure of the spine.
If acute cervical osteochondrosis is observed and intervertebral hernias appear, which cause a decrease in sensitivity and impaired blood circulation, surgery is required.
The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the osteochondrosis. Most often, the therapy is carried out in long courses. To improve your condition, you should definitely make changes to your lifestyle. To do this, you need to eat right, give up bad habits and play sports.
Prevention of osteochondrosis of the neck
To prevent the occurrence of cervical osteochondrosis, it is necessary to adhere to some recommendations:
- promptly eliminates the curvature of the spine;
- doing sports to train a muscle corset;
- eating foods that provide the body with calcium and magnesium;
- normalizes body weight;
- follow the recommendations of doctors when working on the computer.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a serious pathology that leads to negative health consequences. To cope with the violation, it is necessary to make the correct diagnosis in time. Therefore, any discomfort in the neck area should be a reason to see a doctor.
How is the treatment going?
Consultation of the doctor: taking of the anamnesis, myofascial diagnosis, functional diagnosis.
How are you doing?
Collect anamnesis - analyze the disease, identify limitations and contraindications, explain the principles of kinesitherapy, the characteristics of the recovery period.
Myofascial diagnostics is a method of manual diagnostics, in which the doctor assesses the range of motion of the joints, identifies painful seals, edema, hypo or hypertonicity of the muscles and other changes.
Functional diagnostics (performed in the rehabilitation room) - the doctor explains how to perform certain exercises on the equipment and observes: how the patient performs them, with what range of motion he can work, which movements cause pain, with what weight the patientcan work, how the cardiovascular system reacts. Problem areas are identified. The data is entered into the card. The emphasis is placed.
Based on the results of the initial examination by a physician and functional diagnostics, a preliminary individual treatment program is drawn up.
It is preferable to have with you:
- for pain in the spine - MRI or CT (magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography) of the problem area;
- for joint pain - X-rays;
- in the presence of concomitant diseases - extracts from the anamnesis or outpatient card;
- comfortable (sports) clothes and shoes
Start lessons with an instructor
At the beginning of the treatment course, the doctor together with the patient draws up a treatment plan, which includes the date and time of the treatment session, follow-up visits to the doctor (usually 2-3 times a week).
The basis of the treatment process consists of treatment sessions in the rehabilitation room on exercise equipment and sessions in the gym.
Rehabilitation simulators allow you to accurately dose the load on the individual muscle groups, providing an adequate mode of physical impact. The treatment program is compiled by the doctor individually for each patient, taking into account the characteristics of the organism. The check is carried out by qualified instructors. At all stages of recovery, it is important to observe the correct movement and breathing technique, know your weight standards when working on simulators, adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen and follow the recommendations of specialists.
Joint gymnastics sessions help restore visual coordination, improve joint mobility and elasticity (flexibility) of the spine and are an excellent preventive system for independent use.
Each course of treatment - 12 sessions. Each lesson is supervised by an instructor. The duration of a treatment session ranges from 40 minutes to 1. 5 hours. The instructor draws up a program taking into account the patient's comorbidities and condition on the day of training He teaches the technique of performing the exercises and monitors the correctness of the execution. Every 6 lessons, a second consultation with a doctor is carried out, changes and additions are made to the program, depending on the dynamics.
How many loops will it take?
This is individual for each person and depends on the progression of the disease.
Important to know:
- how long have you had this problem (stage of the disease);
- how your body is prepared for physical activity (do gymnastics, any kind of sport);
- what result you want to get.
If the disease is at an early stage and the body is prepared, one course of treatment is sufficient. (example - young people of 20-30 years playing sports. We focus their attention on the technique of performing exercises, breathing, stretching, excluding "wrong" exercises that are harmful to problem areas. Such patients are trained, they acquire the ability to "catch themselves"body care », Get advice in case of exacerbation and continue to do it yourself).
Each organism is individual and the program for each patient is individual.