A sedentary lifestyle feature of office workers and those who like to relax in front of the TV or behind the monitor screen usually cause osteochondrosis. In the article, we will consider what is cervical spine osteochondrosis, the main causes of this disease, its symptoms and internships, treatment methods, and answer other questions that occur in patients with osteochondrosis.
The osteochondrated process affects any of the spine or several at once. Lombar and cervical vertebrae are more affected by pathologies, such as the most susceptible to cargo due to the anatomy of the human skeleton. The consequences of spinal osteochondrosis in the cervical region cause the greatest inconvenience and possible complications, because the neck is an area rich in neuromusive highways, many of which directly feed the brain. In addition, nerve roots, which provide sensitivity and motor activity of the hand and waist of shoulder, when squeezing with destroyed vertebrates can give a variety of symptomatic scenes.
Signs of neck osteochondrosis depend on which body systems are affected by the pathology:
- The interrupted blood circulation due to pressure from the vertebral arteries determines most brain symptom complexes.
- The compression of the roots that leave the vertebrates gives an image of the peripheral nerves injury.
- The pinch of spinal cord areas is associated with serious neurological pathologies found in advanced cases.
Below, consider the general clinic of cervical spine osteochondrosis. Pain in the back of the head, neck and collar area. This is the most common symptom. The location of the pain can be expanded, affecting the shoulders, the region of the collarbone, chest, turning into intense migraines of the head. The nature of pain depends on the location of the injury and the severity of the pathology. At first, pain can be rapidly transient, gradually becoming chronic, painful. In times of exacerbations, the pain becomes throwing, with an increased tone of the neck muscles and limited movement of the head. Often, pain with cervical osteochondrosis can be located behind the sternum; In this case, many patients take this symptom for angina pectoris.
Noise, touch, feeling of congestion on the ears
These symptoms usually join a decrease in hearing. These phenomena are associated with a decrease in blood flow of vertebral arteries to the vestibular apparatus. The complex of these symptoms is called cochlear syndrome or snail, and is always far from determining its connection with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. A specific feature for differentiation is that noise, congestion and the touch of the ears are felt when changing the position after a long stay in one position.
Dizziness
The dizziness is also due to a violation of blood flow to the inner ear organs, which ensures body balance. Nystagmus usually joins with dizziness - arbitrary fluctuations on the ocular pupils to the sides.
Shortness of breathe
This sensation appears due to irritation of the ends of the diaphragmatic nerve. It is a component of the cervical nervous beam and is involved in the regulation of breathing, its depth and frequency. Patients complain about the inability to breathe in the full chest. In some cases, the symptom aggravates the serious misconduct of breathing and asphyxiation. For the same reason, breathing for at night and snoring. The disadvantage of oxygen due to breathing problems is ultimately the cause of increased fatigue, a decrease in concentration and memory problems.
Nausea
It is accompanied by shots of air. Also due to problems with blood circulation in some areas of the brain and the inner ear. Sometimes nausea is observed with indomitable vomiting caused by head and body movements. The consequence of frequent nausea and vomiting is a decrease in appetite, weight loss, food insufficiency.
Vision Problems
"Flies" in the eyes, a decrease in visual acuity, fog in front of the eyes - these are all symptoms due to the ischemia of the brain area that is responsible for vision. Patients with osteochondrosis complain less of vision, since the lack of blood supply of vertebral vessels is compensated by the blood flow of the carbon artery system. Glasses and therapeutic gymnastics for eye muscles do not solve the problem, usually vision improves after treatment of osteochondrosis.
Green symptoms
It can often be the only signal that indicates cervical osteochondrosis. They are expressed as a perspiration, dryness and a throat node sensation, difficulties with swallowing. Symptoms are associated with nervous plexus compression responsible for pharyngeal innervation. It is necessary to differentiate such manifestations from a similar clinic for inflammation or neoplasms.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis
The described state of the spine is a very serious pathology, which, negligently, leads to disability and as a result of deep disturbances of brain circulation and death. For this reason, by self -medication, if these symptoms appear, you should not do. Osteochondrosis is treated in a hospital and at home, exclusively prescribed by a doctor. In the early stages, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is conservative, which includes medicines prescriptions: non -steroid anti -inflammatory drugs, anesthetics, hormonal drugs, vitamin complexes, all these relief, pain, improve soft and ridiculous treats.
In the acute period, the medications are prescribed in the form of injections as the pain disappears, the patient goes to the tablets. Physiotherapy, massage, exercise exercises, usually prescribed in the remission phase, join drug courses. In difficult cases, osteochondrosis is treated with surgery.
The cervical column diagram
Cervical spine osteochondrosis (osteohondoz) is a degenerative-distribution lesions of intervertebral discs, which damage the wheels, vertebrae and joints of the cervical region, observes a decrease in the height of the intervertebral disc. The disease progresses if it is not treated and can lead to headaches, circulatory disorders and even hernias. As osteoporosis, the disease occurs due to a violation of mineral metabolism as a result of which bones and joints become less durable. Osteochondrosis can cause cervical spine instability (symptoms and treatment are similar to chondrosis, but have several characteristics), which are usually accompanied by a displacement of the vertebrae. In turn, this accelerates the development of osteochondrosis, destroying the vertebrate.
The main causes that can cause osteochondrosis:
- Inadequate nutrition and overweight;
- Posture violations, scoliosis, rheumatism, flat feet;
- Sedentary lifestyle: sedentary work (drivers, office workers), lack of physical effort, etc. ;
- neck lesions, spine lesions;
- a lot of physical activity, unusual for the body;
- nervous tension, frequent tensions;
- Hereditary predisposition to the development of the disease;
- Incorrect development of the cervical spine.
Most of the above reasons cause a load on cervical vertebrae as a result of which muscle spasm occurs. For this reason, the process of blood circulation is disturbed, the effectiveness of metabolic processes is reduced, which causes degenerative changes. The structure of intervertebral discs changes, they are tuned and deformed, speaking beyond the spine. Often the cause of osteochondrosis is a progressive disc, spread to adjacent vertebrae or bone tissue. It occurs more often with prolonged physical effort in the lumbar and cervical, almost never touching the chest. Development, osteochondrosis goes through various stages characterized by certain signs and symptoms. Let's consider these stages below.
Osteochondrosis of the 1st degree of the cervical region (pre -clinical stage)
Generally, at the early stage of disease development, only a slight smoothness of neck lordosis is observed, patients experience pain intensifying with turns and headlighted, feel tension and rapid fatigue of the muscles in the back and lower back. At this stage, osteochondrosis is cured without medicines, just change nutrition, exercise and other events.
Osteochondrosis 2 degrees
In the second stage between the vertebrae, instability is observed, the patient begins to disturb a more intense pain, which periodically gives it to hands or shoulders, the pain is also intensified with turns and tilt of the head. Patients begin to notice a fast fatigue, absent from worms, reduction in performance level and headaches.
Osteochondrosis 3 degrees
At this stage, the pain begins to intensify, constantly occurs not only in the neck but also on the shoulders, gives your hands to your hands. The muscles of the hand become weaker, numbness is observed, as intervertebral disc hernias begin to form. In this case, the diagnosis reveals the small mobility of the cervical region. Patients are concerned about dizziness and weakness.
Osteochondrosis 4 degrees
In the final phase, intervertebral discs are destroyed, which are replaced by connective tissue. The pathological process affects various segments of the mountain range at once, which may be in different stages of destruction. In patients, there is a violation of coordination, dizziness and pain are improved, there is noise in the ears and other disorders. Until the early stage of the disease can be identified according to the following signs:
- Headaches for osteochondrosis from the cervical region
- Pain in the neck, nape, shoulders or arms;
- weakness of the hands;
- crispy and pain during head movements;
- General weakness, fatigue, impaired coordination, dizziness;
- Reducing the sharpness of vision and hearing, numbness of language.
One of the most common signs is the dizziness of cervical spine osteochondrosis. At the same time, the symptoms of dizziness can be accompanied by the noise and touch of the ears (hearing of hearing acuity), the sensations of disorientation, migraines, as well as nausea and vomiting. In addition, it is the doctor who determines how to treat these symptoms that one should not try to get rid of dizziness with folkloric methods. Another unpleasant consequence is frequent headaches, especially in women. Migraine can occur several times a day, causing unpleasant and painful sensations. Signs of cervical disease manifest themselves slightly differently from the osteochondrosis of another column in connection that the vertebrae in the neck are close to each other, the height of intervertebral discs is small, which leads to complications, even with minor degenerative changes.
Cervical osteochondrosis symptoms that occur in the brain
With the development of osteochondrosis, blood flow to the brain trunk through the arteries, which are compressed by the protruding edges of the vertebrae, decreases. As a result, there is a violation of the blood circulation of the brain. In patients, neurotic disorders are observed: irritability, anxiety, frequent mood change, resentment, insomnia, the ability to concentrate is reduced. In some cases, outbreaks of anger, fear and longing may occur. Vascular spasms can lead to fainting, headache, noise in the ears, the appearance of points in front of the eyes. In this case, the following symptoms of exacerbation appear: dizziness, a feeling of instability, nausea, in some cases vomiting.
Treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis
For the treatment of a disease such as osteochondrosis, various methods are used: medicines, physiotherapy, massage from the cervical zone to blood supply to the brain and therapeutic gymnastics and the maintenance of proper nutrition. Despite the fact that women are more susceptible to headaches and dormancy of limbs in this disease, the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in women is no different from their treatment in men: the same medications and exercise are prescribed.
Diagnostic methods
An experienced doctor easily diagnose cervical osteochondrosis, since the disease has a characteristic clinical picture. To determine the stage, negligence and prevalence of the pathological process, several additional examinations are prescribed for the patient:
- Radiography - A change in mobility and vertebrae arrangement, a decrease in intervertebral cracks, are certain saline deposits;
- Computed tomography - makes it possible to see gaps, disk height changes, vertebrae instability, nerve fiber compression and spinal cord;
- Magnetic resonance imaging generates you to accurately see pathological changes, determine blood flow and the condition of nerve roots.
Generally, only cervical spine radiography is sufficient, more expensive methods are used in confusing and clear cases.
Medical Physical Education
Exercises for cervical osteochondrosis can do strictly during remission, acute phase movements can lead to deterioration in the patient's condition. All physical therapy exercises are reduced to head curves and inclinations. It is important to perform actions slowly without sudden movements. In the case of pain - stop the lesson and look for advice on a specialist.
If a person tends to develop pathology, they need to periodically visit a specialist and go through research. This will help identify the disease at an early stage and start treatment on time. For example, cervical osteochondrosis, whose symptoms are described in the article, affects cervical vertebrae and begins to destroy them literally. What will come from this is easy to guess.