Osteochondrosis is a disease when the vertebrae are damaged, which causes compression of the intervertebral discs. This leads to pain due to pinched nerve fibers. Narrowed blood flow leads to disruption of the internal organs. When this disease manifests itself in the cervical spine, it affects the blood supply to the soft tissues of the head and brain, disrupts the passage of nerve impulses to the central nervous system.
Why does cervical osteochondrosis occur?
This condition can be caused by:
- Hereditary predisposition to a decrease in the volume of intervertebral discs.
- Back, neck or limb injuries.
- Weakening of skeletal muscles.
- Difficult working conditions.
- Incorrect or excessive weight training.
- Infectious diseases.
- Shoes that provoke changes in gait, which increases the load on the spine.
- Unbalanced diet.
- Genetic diseases.
Most of the causes that provoke cervical osteochondrosis and its symptoms can be prevented.It is required to create the right conditions for work, as well as choose physical activities that strengthen the muscles that support the spine. But this is not always possible to do in time, because a person rarely thinks about a problem that does not yet exist. Therefore, you need to know what are the most common signs of osteochondrosis of the neck:
- decreased range of motion;
- constant or throbbing pain;
- cracking of the vertebrae when moving the head;
- headaches that do not go away with medication;
- numbness of one or more limbs;
- trembling of the limbs or involuntary muscle contraction;
- dizziness, loss of coordination of movements or consciousness;
- tinnitus (ringing or squeaking in the ears);
- problems remembering or using learned information;
- loss of memories;
- problems with the work of the sphincters of the rectum and bladder neck.
Each osteochondrosis of the neck is unique, and affects different functions of the body, so some of the symptoms may be absent. But patients always experience difficulties in turning their heads, pain, and when the condition worsens, headaches and dizziness.
How to determine the disease at home
Pain from osteochondrosis can be both pulsating, short-term, and long and constantly disturbing a person. When the neck is affected, discomfort extends to the shoulder girdle, and is most often located on the side of the working arm. In this case, the pain can be both in the neck and between the shoulder blades, and affect the entire arm.
The complexity of diagnosis arises from the fact that discomfort can change over time, due to changes in body position, stress, or other reasons. Therefore, the first signs of osteochondrosis can be attributed to overstrain or muscle strain. But over time, attacks of pain and tightness become more frequent and intense, which requires determining the cause and starting treatment.
It is quite difficult to independently determine the cause of pain in cervical osteochondrosis at home.In order for suspicions of osteochondrosis to become justified, it is necessary to exclude other options. Most often, pain is caused by muscle strain, incorrect posture in sleep or at work. Therefore, it is necessary to improve these conditions in order to understand whether they are the primary source of unpleasant sensations.
If problems with the neck continue, then this is a serious symptom that can speak of both osteochondrosis and other diseases, such as:
- tumors;
- infections;
- compression of the nerve roots.
Therefore, you should consult a doctor and take an x-ray. This will let you know if there are injuries or other signs of external influence.
After it became known that the neck is affected by osteochondrosis, regardless of the methods of obtaining information, it is still unclear what caused the disease. You can independently determine only violation of working conditions, power loads and injury. The rest of the diseases can be recognized only after passing a complete examination - this is necessary, because an infection that affects the spinal column, or other similar disorders pose a serious danger to health and life.
How to treat osteochondrosis with medicines and folk remedies
After making a diagnosis, you should adopt a treatment plan that the doctor will develop, or create it yourself. When choosing its points, it is important to emphasize an integrated approach in the choice of means and the systematic implementation of all recommendations.
What to do with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- apply medicines;
- apply folk remedies;
- conduct physiotherapy;
- change lifestyle so as to eliminate the underlying cause of the disease.
Medicines include:
- Oral and topical preparations that relieve pain and reduce inflammation, but do not contain steroid substances.
- Painkillers that contain corticosteroids.
- Muscle relaxants.
- Antidepressants (if the work of the central nervous system is depressed, which caused a violation of the emotional background).
- Anti-inflammatory ointments.
- Plasters for pain relief.
Folk methods include:
- Herbal decoctions and infusions used orally. The effect of funds depends on the raw materials used for them. These can be both general strengthening compounds that saturate the body with useful substances, as well as painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Compresses - most often warming, in order to relieve spasm of the neck muscles and allow the spine to return to its original position.
- Rubbing - rubbing folk remedies into the skin, often combined with massage or self-massage. It has a different focus of action, but is most often used for pain relief, warming and relaxing muscles.
Physiotherapy includes:
- Massage performed by a medical professional - medical procedures have a beneficial effect on the spinal column and back muscles. In case of violations in the neck, you can not use the services of a massage therapist who specializes in conducting only relaxation sessions.
- Self-massage - correctly performed actions help to warm up the muscles of the neck, relieve spasms and restore blood circulation in the cervical and shoulder regions.
- Improving working conditions, choosing the right furniture to maintain the right posture, and in sedentary work - frequent breaks during which physical movements are performed.
- Increasing the number of walks, using shoes with shock-absorbing soles. Walking helps to create the correct load on the back, especially on the lumbar region, due to which the clamps in the skeletal muscles are removed, and the spine returns to the anatomically correct position.
- Conducting a warm-up in the morning, including both exercises for the neck and shoulder girdle, and affecting other parts of the body. In this case, all movements are done only with their own weight, or in rare cases, light dumbbells are allowed.
- Sauna or bath - a visit to the steam room with a course of 10-12 times can significantly reduce tension in the back muscles and activate the body's metabolic processes.
- Procedures prescribed by a doctor and carried out with the help of special equipment (electrophoresis, etc. ).
In addition, swimming in the pool is a good way to maintain optimal muscle tone, relieve spasms and eliminate atrophy. This must be done constantly, and should be started as soon as the inflammation stops. The first visits should be given a moderate load on the shoulder girdle, after which it should be gradually increased until swimming becomes a full-fledged workout.
Subject to the recommendations of the doctor, remission occurs quickly enough if the disease has not turned into a moderate or severe form. But it is important to remember that even the complete disappearance of symptoms is not a sign of a cure.