Cervical osteochondrosis of the neck is a common pathology with unpleasant symptoms. The disease is characterized by degenerative-dystrophic processes in the spine. They are caused by a bad position of the body, postural disorders, an insufficiently active lifestyle. To reduce the symptoms of the pathology, you need to see a doctor in time.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
This term is understood as 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 associated with damage to other parts of the spine - lumbar or thoracic. According to ICD-10, cervical osteochondrosis of the spine is coded under the code M42.
Possible complications of the disease
Many people are interested in the danger of cervical osteochondrosis. In the absence of timely and adequate treatment, the pathology can have negative consequences on health. These include the following:
- protrusion of the intervertebral discs and formation of a 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 are as follows:
- Pain in the neck and occipital region which gets worse with physical exertion or coughing.
- Crunching on the movements of the head.
- Loss of feeling in the hands, burning of the shoulder blades.
- Headache localized in the occiput and spreading 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 younger age - 18-30 years. Most often the problem is faced with people who need to be in the same position for a long time.
The main causes of cervical osteochondrosis are as follows:
- hereditary tendency;
- violation of metabolic processes;
- infectious diseases, intoxication of the body;
- eating disorders - deficiency of fluids, vitamins, microelements;
- overweight;
- traumatic injuries of the spine;
- bad posture;
- vertebral instability;
- insufficiently active lifestyle;
- flat feet;
- influence of adverse environmental factors;
- frequent changes in body position;
- being in an awkward position for a long time;
- excessive physical activity;
- hypothermia;
- stressful situations;
- using the wrong pillows.
What are the different degrees of illness?
The disease develops gradually. There are 4 degrees of cervical osteochondrosis, each with specific characteristics:
- The first is accompanied by the appearance of cracks in the intervertebral discs. This process is accompanied by light painful pain, stiffness of movement. The pathology has a hilly course. With the deterioration of the immune system or an increase in the load, osteochondrosis worsens. If you do not 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 damage, there is a risk of reduced visual acuity, dizziness and tinnitus. Sometimes the disease leads to fainting.
- Fourth - this stage is accompanied by the growth of bones. As a result, the 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, you should immediately consult a doctor - neurologist or orthopedist. Otherwise, the pathology will lead to dangerous consequences for health.
First of all, the doctor should assess physical activity and the intensity of the neck pain. In addition, the specialist is interested in loss of sensitivity and other disorders.
Based on the results of the preliminary examination, additional procedures are prescribed. First, an x-ray is taken. This is done in several projections. If a hernia is suspected, a CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging may be needed. If there is a violation of blood flow, it becomes necessary to conduct rheoencephalography and a fundus examination.
Treatment is prescribed based on the results of the diagnostic test. With the development of cervical osteochondrosis, the following categories of drugs are most often used:
- Analgesics - helps to cope with pain.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - eliminate inflammation and resist puffiness.
- Antispasmodics - help relieve muscle spasms.
- Preparations for improving blood circulation.
- Chondroprotectors - help restore the structure of the intervertebral discs. B vitamins
- - improve the functioning of nervous tissue.
In addition to drug therapy, other methods are prescribed. These include massage, remedial gymnastics, physiotherapy. The use of osteopathy is very effective. In this case, a slight effect on the affected muscles and vertebrae is carried out. In some cases, the doctor is advised to wear a special orthopedic device - the Shants collar.
Manual therapy is considered to be an effective way to treat pathology. Its methods are selected individually. The procedure consists of a one-time effect on the musculoskeletal elements. Thanks to this, it is possible to activate blood flow, improve the movement of lymph and normalize metabolic processes. Manual therapy improves the mobility of the musculoskeletal system, strengthens the immune system, and helps prevent complications from osteochondrosis.
Spinal traction is often used. For stretching, special equipment is used. The procedure helps to increase the distance between the vertebrae to a normal size and to cope with the disorders of the structure of the spine.
If acute cervical osteochondrosis is observed and intervertebral hernias appear, which causes decreased sensitivity and impaired blood circulation, surgery is necessary.
The duration of treatment depends on the severity of the osteochondrosis. Most often, therapy is carried out in long cycles. To improve your condition, you absolutely have to adapt to your lifestyle. To do this, you need to eat well, give up bad habits and play sports.
Prevention of osteochondrosis of the neck
To avoid the appearance of cervical osteochondrosis, you should adhere to certain recommendations:
- timely eliminate the curvature of the spine;
- playing sports to form a muscle corset;
- eat foods that provide the body with calcium and magnesium;
- normalize body weight;
- follow doctors' recommendations when working at a computer.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a serious pathology that has 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 carried out?
Medical consultation: taking an anamnesis, myofascial diagnosis, functional diagnosis.
How is it going?
Collect anamnesis - analyze the disease, identify limits and contraindications, explain the principles of physiotherapy, features of the recovery period.
Myofascial diagnosis is a method of manual diagnosis, 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 (carried out 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 movement he can work, what movements cause pain, with what weight the patient can work, howthe cardiovascular system reacts. Problem areas are identified. The data is entered into the card. Emphasis is placed.
Based on the results of the initial examination by a doctor and the functional diagnosis, a preliminary individual treatment program is established.
It is desirable 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 medical history or from an outpatient card;
- comfortable (sports) clothing and shoes
Start lessons with an instructor
At the start of the treatment cycle, the doctor establishes a treatment plan with the patient, which includes the date and time of the treatment session, follow-up visits to the doctor (usually 2-3 times per 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 individual muscle groups, providing an adequate physical impact mode. The treatment program is established by the doctor individually for each patient, taking into account the characteristics of the organism. The control 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 is an excellent preventative system for independent use.
Each treatment cycle - 12 sessions. Each lesson is supervised by an instructor. The duration of a treatment session is 40 minutes to 1. 5 hours. The instructor develops a program taking into account the comorbidities and the patient's condition on the day of the course. Teaches the technique of performing exercises and monitors the accuracy of execution. Every 6th lesson, 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 you gymnastics, any kind of sport);
- which result you want to achieve.
If the disease is at an initial stage and the body is prepared, one cycle of treatment is sufficient. (example - young people from 20 to 30 years old, playing sports. We focus their attention on the technique of exercises, breathing, stretching, excluding "bad" exercises harmful to problem areas. These patients are trained, acquirethe ability to "take care of their body" ", Receive recommendations in case of exacerbation and continue to do it themselves)
Each organization is individual and the program for each patient is individual.