According to medical statistics, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a fairly common disease in recent years. Everyone has encountered its unpleasant symptoms at least once in their life.
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 is obtained.
The cervical region consists of 7 discs. Due to his weak muscles and constant loads, various injuries and work disturbances can occur on them. Due to all these factors, cervical osteochondrosis begins to develop.
Types of diseases
Osteochondrosis is an insidious disease that may not manifest itself for a long time. There are several stages in the development of this disease:
- 1st degree cervical osteochondrosis (manifested by initial disorders of the spine);
- 2nd degree cervical osteochondrosis (the distance between the discs of the cervical spine begins to decrease);
- 3rd degree cervical osteochondrosis (complete destruction of the intervertebral disc ring occurs and severe deformity of the entire spine begins);
- grade 4 cervical osteochondrosis (the last stage in the progression of the disease, which can lead to damage).
Causes of the appearance and development of the disease
Like any other disease, cervical osteochondrosis has its own causes and factors of development. Until a few decades ago, only the elderly were susceptible to this disease. Also, osteochondrosis of the neck affects men over the age of 40 who engage in heavy physical labor.
Nowadays, osteochondrosis of the neck is becoming more 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 overweight;
- improper posture and as a result of this curvature of the spine of 1 or 2 degrees;
- heavy physical work or professional sports, due to which various spinal injuries have been received;
- causes of stress and severe emotional stress;
- weak muscles of the cervicothoracic region;
- abrupt cessation of sports after prolonged training;
- work involving sitting in front of a computer or for a long time in one position.
If you find yourself with the listed reasons, then you are in the so-calledRisk group. In this case it is necessary to prevent osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Manifestation of the disease
In grade 1 osteochondrosis, a person feels virtually no symptoms of a developing disease. Only the initial pinching of the neck muscles begins.
Grade 2 cervical osteochondrosis usually presents as minor pain that may occur in the cervical and thoracic segments. This occurs due to compression of the nerve endings due to a reduction 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 seen 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 shoulder joint and arms. A characteristic 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 the curves of the head.
Disease syndromes
All the symptoms that appear in osteochondrosis can be incorrectly justified and as a result an incorrect diagnosis is possible. Therefore, in the presence of existing symptoms, it is necessary to establish all the reasons for their appearance. Thus, medicine knows several syndromes that distinguish the causes of their origin:
Radicular syndromes
In this case, the nerves are compressed and the person feels pain and tingling in one part of the neck. Unpleasant sensations can spread in the back, in the shoulder blade area, as well as in the arm;
Irritant reflex syndromes
It is manifested by severe, unbearable pain in the back of the head, which spreads to the neck. Most often this happens with a sudden movement or rotation of the head;
Spinal artery syndrome
In this case, the name speaks for itself. There is compression of the artery and the person feels a strong throbbing headache, which can lead to loss of consciousness or vomiting;
Heart syndrome
It manifests itself with increased heart rate, dizziness and loss of consciousness. Quite often in this case a misdiagnosis is made and treatment of angina pectoris begins.
Treatment
In osteochondrosis, immediate treatment is always indicated. His tactics are chosen depending on the degree of the disease. So at 1 or 2 degrees complete recovery is possible after 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 appear? You must first relieve the pain in the cervical-thoracic area. To do this, you need to take a regular analgesic, lie down or just relax.
The next step is to visit a doctor for a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Conservative treatment
In case of confirmed osteochondrosis, conservative treatment is usually prescribed. The patient has been shown to take anti-inflammatory, analgesic drugs. It is possible to use different gels or ointments to relieve swelling and inflammation. Also, the doctor may prescribe a course of massages, therapeutic exercises. In almost all cases, physiotherapy is prescribed for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Surgery
In rare cases, with highly advanced osteochondrosis, surgery may be performed. In this case, the patient is placed in 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 patient is manipulated, additional conservative treatment or physiotherapy is indicated.
Precautions
Due to the decreasing age of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, it is necessary for everyone to perform 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 let it bend;
- do not expose the spine to heavy loads;
- you cannot make sudden movements of the head;
- do not get nervous, avoid stress;
- do not catch a cold, do not overcool;
- get rid of bad habits, switch to proper nutrition.
Special exercises
To prevent such a disease, you need to do preventive exercises:
- place a palm to your forehead, tighten the muscles of the neck, then move your hand to the back of the head and repeat the exercise, you need to do it for 7 seconds in 3 sets;
- place a palm to your temple, then also tighten the muscles of the neck, 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 - this exercise should be done slowly, without sudden movements;
- bend your head back, first touch one shoulder with your ear, then the other, repeat the exercise 5 times.
If one or more symptoms of the disease appear, contact your doctor immediately. Maybe you will only be prescribed physiotherapy and that will be the end. Do not delay, do not start the disease.
Do your daily gymnastics. It is better to do basic exercises than to suffer from a disease later.
Ask your doctor how to sleep for cervical osteochondrosis. Follow all the rules, be healthy!