Throughout life, cartilage in the spine wear out, lose moisture, which is why micro tears appear. There is a change in the height of the intervertebral discs and the vertebrae begin to irritate the cerebrospinal nerve, which is why pain attacks occur. Cervical osteochondrosis is a problem associated primarily with a deficiency of muscle loads, "says the neurologist of the highest category of Sharipov. In fact, "cervical osteochondrosis" is a very general diagnosis, behind which various pathologies are hidden. This can be non-specific pain in the neck due to sudden movement or hypothermia, osteoarthritis of small joints and, in fact, true cervical osteochondrosis. The latter is considered the most dangerous variety of the disease, since the cervical vertebrae are very mobile and even a small load can cause their displacement.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The most obvious sign of cervical osteochondrosis is pain in the neck. Usually she overcomes a person closer to the evening, especially if he spent a working day in a static position. Other alarming symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are the weakness of the muscles of the arm, hand, numbness of the fingers, goosebumps. In the cervical spine, the vertebral artery passes, which provides blood to the brain. When the vertebrae is displaced, the artery is squeezed, which is why the brain no longer receives a sufficient amount of blood. The consequence of this is headaches, flickering black dots ("flies") in the eyes, hearing impairment and noise in the ears. They must also alert a conscious patient.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
Noticing one or more symptoms, you should immediately sign upFor an appointment with a neurologist. He will select the optimal treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. If the disease managed to notice in a timely manner, then most likely the treatment will be conservative. It will be enough for the patient to take prescribed drugs, engage in physiotherapy, therapeutic gymnastics, go to massage and acupuncture, and, of course, avoid physical exertion, especially weight lifting. First of all, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is aimed at removing pain attacks, analgesics and local painkillers are prescribed for this. Then anti -inflammatory, antispasmodic, antioxidant therapy is performed. After you need to restore normal blood circulation, "says the neurologist Sharipova. When drug treatment is completed, and inflammation is removed, you can and should go to the classroom physical education. In principle, exercises can be performed at home on your own, but it is optimal to work out with a specialist first, and then work out at home. Reflexotherapy (acupuncture), massage, magnetotherapy and trips to the pool are no less effective. If the ailment was launched, he went into a difficult form, the doctor can prescribe an operation. Surgical intervention is required very rarely, in cases where osteochondrosis proceeds against the background of other back diseases (scoliosis, complicated hernias of discs, injuries or vertebral displacement). Pain in the muscles, or myalgia, are often found after unusual physical activity, training, injuries. By nature, they can be pulling, spastic, can be localized in various parts of the body. Pain can manifest itself when touching and when moving
First aid
If it suddenly enters the back, the first thing you need to ensure the immobility of the spine - lie on an even hard surface. The pain syndrome can decrease in a stomach position with a pillow put under it, while it is good to stretch your hands a little forward. In other cases, the pose on the back with rollers located under the lower back and knees will be more comfortable, so that the legs are bent at an angle of about 90 degrees. Gels and ointments with anti -inflammatory drugs will help to relieve pain during an attack. In the acute period, products with a warming effect are contraindicated, since they have an irritating effect, increase blood flow and can strengthen the local edema and compression of nerve roots. Particular caution should be observed in the cervical region, since the use of such means can lead to an increase in blood pressure, "explains the neurologist Sharipova. It is not recommended to carry out massage during exacerbation. As soon as the neck stops reducing, you should consult a doctor, in the end it may turn out to be something worse than osteochondrosis.
When to go to the doctor?
If you have the first symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and they never passed within 2-3 days, and even worse, new ones were added, it is worth it to contact a neurologist. Among the alarming additional symptoms are weakness in the legs, numbness of the body below the chest, urination and fever. If available, it is necessary to exclude a more serious pathology. There are many diseases that can manifest itself in the neck and imitate cervical osteochondrosis, but at the same time are serious and even fatal. These are tumors, abscesses, tuberculosis of the spine, stenosis of the spinal canal, "says a neurologist, candidate of medical sciences. Only the doctor can determine what exactly caused the pain in the neck. If necessary, he will appoint an MRI of the cervical spine. In fact, "cervical osteochondrosis" is a very general diagnosis, behind which various pathologies are hidden.
Can I contact a masseur?
If there are no contraindications, then it is even necessary. It is not recommended to do massage to those who have severe pain in the neck, there are signs of compression of nerve roots, shortness of breath and a number of other disorders. If the doctor assured that you do not have these problems, you can go to the massage. But health should not be trusted with an abundance specialist, he must have a diploma of a masseur and work in a medical institution. The skillful hands of a professional will help improve blood supply in the muscles and ligaments, accelerate tissue regeneration, reduce pain and eliminate muscle spasm. But alas, alas, is not capable of curing the disease.
Why is an orthopedic pillow is needed?
Modern man, as a rule, is inactive for most of the working day, which is why it is then tormented by pain in the back. The unfortunate spine can take a break from the load only at night, provided that a person sleeps on the right pillow. A full -fledged dream on an orthopedic pillow and an orthopedic mattress is necessary to reduce the load and restore the maximum physiological position of the spine at least during sleep, "explains the neurologist, candidate of medical sciences. It is better to entrust the choice of an orthopedic pillow or mattress. With osteochondrosis, for example, a medium rigidity mattress and a healing pillow with one or two rollers along the edges that are placed under the neck are suitable. Pillows with a recess for the shoulder are shown to people with a large body weight. The acceptable height of the pillow can be determined as follows: it should be equal to the width of the shoulder from the head of the shoulder joint to the base of the neck.
Gymnastics for cervical osteochondrosis at home
You can improve blood circulation in the cervical spine at home and at work, sitting in front of the computer. Gymnastics for cervical osteochondrosis consists of a series of simple exercises
- 1. Standing or sitting slowly turns his head to the right and left. Repeat 5-10 times.
- 2. We lower your head down, as if trying to press the chin to the chest. More 5-10 times.
- 3. We take your head back, simultaneously drawing the chin. 5-10 times.
- 4. We sit down and put the palm on the forehead. We begin to tilt our heads forward, creating resistance with your palm. In this confrontation we spend 10 seconds, then we rest. Repeat 10 times.
- 5. Similarly to the previous exercise, only now we put the palm on the temple and "interfere" with the head to lean sideways. Counting the movement of the head within 10 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
For the prevention of the disease, it is enough to perform swimming movements daily, turn and tilt your head from time to time, and even better - do the overall charging in the morning.