More and more people are choosing jobs that do not require special physical activity. This inevitably affects human health. So one of the most common diseases is cervical osteochondrosis.
As a result of this disease, articular cartilage and bone tissue change. Previously, this term united a large number of diseases, now it means exclusively degenerative conditions of the spine.
Why is the cervical region most commonly affected? It is he who has increased mobility and a large number of neurons and blood vessels. Before you learn how to treat cervical osteochondrosis, eliminate the cause of the disease.
Causes of the disease
Not always osteochondrosis occurs with acute symptoms. Due to anatomical features, changes in the intervertebral discs do not always cause pain or the like. Therefore, the disease often goes unnoticed.
Cervical osteochondrosis often develops for several reasons:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- lack of physical activity, salt deposits develop in the liver, kidneys, vertebrae;
- metabolic disease.
In addition, risk factors should be considered. They may not necessarily lead to a disease, but under adverse circumstances, they may well manifest themselves:
- the body undergoes inevitable changes with age;
- whether there was cervical osteochondrosis in ancestors;
- often hormonal disorders lead to metabolic disorders;
- some chronic diseases, such as lupus erythematosus or rheumatism, can lead to thinning of cartilage;
- hypothermia.
Stages of the disease
Cervical osteochondrosis, like many other diseases, includes several stages of development.
- So at the first stage, destruction of the intervertebral discs is noted, the danger of this moment is that there is no severe pain, maximum discomfort in the neck. Due to changes in the structure of the disc, compression of the nerve roots occurs - this is the source of the disease. As a rule, with timely diagnosis, it is possible to completely cure the disease. It is important to correctly prescribe the treatment and follow all the recommendations of the doctor.
- At the second stage, in addition to the destruction of the discs, displacements of the cervical vertebrae begin. If the treatment was not successful or the diagnosis was not made earlier, osteochondrosis becomes chronic. The patient may have "tilted head syndrome", when you need to keep your head in a certain position to relieve pain. A typical symptom is severe pain.
- The third stage is the development of hernias and protusions, as well as the effect on internal organs. Since with such a development of the disease, the cervical vertebrae compress blood vessels, disturbances in the flow of blood to the brain. Because of this, headaches, nausea, dizziness and the like appear. In rare cases, numbness in the limbs may appear. With a bad development of events, a stroke is possible. The danger of this stage of the disease is that pain is not so intense. Many people are sure that the disease is over, everything is cured, and in the meantime, the destruction in the spine continues. It's all about the cartilaginous tissue, since it is she who is the cause of the pain, but in the third stage - it is completely destroyed. Sometimes hearing and coordination disorders develop.
There are also specific features of the course of cervical osteochondrosis. Depending on which parts of the spine are damaged, there are several syndromes. Each of them has a different kind of pain.
Syndromes of cervical osteochondrosis
For example, cervical osteochondrosis can cause migraines. It happens with hypertension. As a result of its appearance, intracranial pressure increases, which brings pain. Due to high blood pressure, there is a risk of developing a stroke.
Also, headache is often due to compression of the vertebral arteries.
With this syndrome, there is a decrease in visual acuity, dizziness, impaired coordination. All this is due to a lack of oxygen supply to the brain. With sudden movements of the head, fainting is possible.
Compression of the spinal roots is much more dangerous, since this syndrome has a complex of symptoms. First of all, the pain is localized in the neck and radiates to the forearm, sometimes it can radiate to the hands. In the early stages of the disease, a crunch when turning the neck may alert. With further pinching of the roots, respiratory disorders appear, sensations of a coma in the throat. Due to the fact that the nerves in the cervical vertebrae are tightly connected with the face, when the roots are pinched, numbness of the tongue or impaired mobility can be observed.
If the spine is not treated in a timely manner, the symptoms will only increase and become more pronounced. Due to the lack of oxygen in the brain, malfunctions begin and this can lead to a number of mental illnesses (depression, anxiety disorder, hyperventilation, and so on).
It is important to distinguish between cervical osteochondrosis and epilepsy in a timely manner. They are often confused due to the tension of the whole body and brief loss of consciousness.
For this, modern diagnostic methods are used. Due to changes in the work of the cervical and thoracic vertebrae, a violation occurs in the work of the heart, as a result, symptoms of tachycardia and arrhythmia appear. Another not obvious manifestation of the disease is swelling under the eyes. They arise due to compression of the lateral vessels of the spine.
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis
Before starting treatment of the spine, you need to go to a neurologist to clarify the diagnosis. Thanks to modern methods of studying the body, medicine is armed with a large arsenal of techniques for finding the disease. More recently, the maximum that a neurologist could offer was an x-ray and an external examination. As a rule, such methods did not give an effective result, which is why osteochondrosis was often detected at serious stages of development. The disadvantage of x-rays is the inability to see the whole picture of the disease. She is currently scheduled for a CT scan or MRI. These are fast, high-quality studies with virtually no contraindications.
After receiving the images, you need to consult a doctor.
Medical assistance
The question "how to treat cervical osteochondrosis" will be answered by a doctor-verterbrologist. This is a narrow focus of neurology, which studies the spine and related diseases. Before prescribing medication, the doctor must prescribe a set of measures to restore blood circulation and relieve swelling. There is no unequivocal opinion about non-traditional methods of treatment. As a rule, in addition to consulting a neurologist, the patient will need the help of a surgeon, masseur, physiotherapist. In severe stages of the disease, the recovery period takes longer.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis during exacerbation?
In such a pathological condition as an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms manifest themselves in the form of pain, limited mobility, various disorders of sensitivity and tissue trophism. The first step is to relieve pain. For this purpose, there are different medicines. For example, you can use a pepper patch. Due to the warming action, he does an excellent job with the task. Any analgesics would be helpful. To get rid of edema - take any diuretic. As home remedies, you can brew cranberries or lingonberries or special herbal preparations.
If medications do not help, you can use a needle applicator. Due to the point effect, it helps to relieve pain, reduce swelling and improve blood flow. The main thing to remember is that after providing first aid, you must always consult a doctor.
The treatment of dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis is not so paramount. It is important to eliminate the primary cause of the disease. To maintain the condition, the doctor prescribes medications that can thin the blood and restore blood flow in the brain. An additional bonus of these drugs: improving memory and normalizing sleep.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine consists not only in taking medications, but also in massage and physical education. In order to prevent the occurrence of diseases of the cervical spine any more, it is necessary to form the correct muscular corset of the back. In some cases, self-massage can also be effective. For him, you can apply such simple techniques as rubbing and stroking, as well as vibration.
Alternative medicine
One of the types of non-traditional treatment of osteochondrosis is manual therapy. Its essence is in the impact on certain points of the body, allowing you to set the bones and joints. In danger? The fact that a non-specialist can seriously injure a client, since nerves are a delicate matter. Any careless movement can provoke paresis or paralysis. How to treat osteochondrosis in other ways?
Ambiguous opinion develops around acupuncture. Unlike manual therapy, the impact on diseased areas is carried out pointwise, through needles. Its danger is that ignorance of the injection zones can seriously worsen the patient's condition. The applicator works on the same principle.
Even more controversy is the appointment of homeopathy. Its advantage is that drugs have side effects and should not be taken frequently. Homeopathic remedies do not have this disadvantage. But their benefits have not been scientifically proven.
In any case, if you experience pain in the spine or neck, contact your doctor as soon as possible. It is better to treat any disease in the first stages, then the success of its cure is quite real forever. Do not refuse to take the medicine in moments of exacerbation.