Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine using the latest highly effective techniques, using modern equipment and under the guidance of experienced specialists.
Diseases of the spine can deliver a lot of unpleasant sensations to a person, especially if they affect the cervical region: there is a danger of damage to the spinal cord and brain. In addition, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine often leads to headaches, causes disturbances in the functioning of internal organs and contributes to the deterioration of blood circulation. Fortunately, today several therapeutic techniques have been developed that allow you to eliminate unpleasant symptoms and restore a healthy state of the spine.
In this article, we will tell you in detail about the features of cervical osteochondrosis and describe the main methods of its treatment. We hope that after reading it you will be able to choose the most effective way to deal with this ailment and be able to avoid radical surgery.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease in which the soft pulp ossifies, which performs a cushioning function between the vertebrae. At the same time, blood vessels and nerve roots are involved in the mechanism of development of the disease.
A characteristic feature of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is the occurrence of pain in the shoulders, occiput, neck and head. In addition, patients note the appearance of dizziness, increased blood pressure, oxygen starvation, loss of sensitivity on one side of the tongue, and other symptoms characteristic of cardiovascular pathologies. This becomes the reason for referring to doctors of other specialties and significantly slows down the process of diagnosing the disease.
Most often, persons of the middle and older age categories are prone to ossification of the tissues of the upper part of the spinal column. This is due to the incorrect distribution of dynamic and static loads on the human skeleton.
However, if previously cervical osteochondrosis and itssymptomswere diagnosed in people over 45-50 years old, but now the age of patients suffering from this ailment is significantly younger. Today it affects young people aged 20-40 years, which is associated with a deterioration in diet and physical inactivity.
Currently, there is a twofold approach to the problem of the cervical spine: it is considered as a combination of physiological and pathological factors. In the first case, we are talking about the aging of the body under the influence of inevitable natural phenomena, in the second, it is assumed that the destruction of intervertebral formations occurs against the background of inflammatory and dystrophic processes caused by an improper lifestyle.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Problems with the diagnosis of this ailment are due to the absence of pain in some situations and the implicit nature of the symptoms. In addition, a person may not feel the signs of illness while regularly taking strong pain relievers to minimize overall discomfort. All this can lead to serious disorders in the area of the cervical joints.
Among the obvious symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, causing the need fortreatment,include: headache, high blood pressure, frequent dizziness. We will talk about them further.
Dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis
Dizziness may not always manifest itself against the background of problems with the cervical spine. In some cases, it indicates disorders of the brain, malfunctions of blood vessels and the heart, inflammatory processes in the ear and nasopharynx, the presence of malignant neoplasms or any pathological conditions of the nervous system.
Dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis and the need for its treatment may have a non-systemic or systemic etiology.
In the first case, a person can state a feeling of stunning, uncertainty while standing and some semi-faint. At the same time, there is no sense of circular rotation.
As for systemic dizziness, then, most often, it is evidence of any vestibular disorders, malfunctioning of the visual analyzers and other changes that have arisen against the background of osteochondrosis. In this case, the patient can feel the circular rotation of the body or nearby objects.
If dizziness is present and the patient simultaneously develops symptoms such as acute pain in the head, numbness in the upper chest, fainting or impaired coordination of movements, he must be urgently hospitalized.
Headache with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
The appearance of a headache can signal the presence of a wide variety of ailments. Most often, it occurs in women against the background of hormonal disruptions, stressful situations, increased intracranial pressure, spasms in the brain, pinched nerve endings, inflammatory processes and other diseases.
can signal the presence of a wide variety of ailments. Most often, it occurs in women against the background of hormonal disruptions, stressful situations, increased intracranial pressure, spasms in the brain, pinched nerve endings, inflammatory processes and other diseases.
Pain andnoise in the headwith cervical osteochondrosis, causing the need for treatment, is often confused with symptoms of acute disturbance of the blood supply to the brain, arterial hypertension or coronary heart disease. Most often, such signs occur in older people suffering from the above diseases.
To determine the exact cause of headaches, you should consult an experienced specialist. In this case, it is recommended to undergo an ECG and exclude the presence of cardiovascular disorders.
Pain of other localization, characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis
Pain in the back of the head and head is not always a sign of cervical osteochondrosis. In some cases, discomfort can spread from the neck to the arms and shoulders. Such symptoms are sudden in nature and can occur against the background of sudden movements, after a sharp sneeze, or staying in one position during a night's sleep.
If the cause of the pain syndrome is chondrosis of the cervical spine, then it usually disappears after a certain time or disappears after manual therapy in the cervical spine.
It should be noted that massage in this area is carried out only after a thorough examination of the patient. With a non-professional approach, there is a high risk of worsening the patient's condition, up to and including his disability.
If we are talking about osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and the need for its treatment, then patients note the following pain sensations:
- The appearance of a crunch during head rotation;
- The presence of pain syndrome inside the neck;
- Deterioration of sensitivity and the appearance of muscle weakness in various areas of the body.
Increased blood pressure with problems with the cervical spine
Since the cervical vertebrae are directly connected with blood vessels and nerve endings, any disruption in this area can trigger an increase in blood pressure. However, such leaps are temporary in nature, manifest as short-term spasms and are not symptoms of hypertension.
Also, if there is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, in addition to an increase in pressure, the patient may experience other symptoms, and treatment in this case includes the use of special anesthetic drugs. These include:
- The appearance of pain in the head area;
- Loss of sensitivity in the collar;
- Pain in the chest, arms and legs;
- A sharp increase in blood pressure after stressful situations, prolonged stay in one position, excessive muscle tension and other similar situations.
A strong deterioration in the patient's condition and a sharp rise in pressure indicate an urgent need to see a doctor.
Stages of development of cervical osteochondrosis
As it develops, the above ailment goes through several stages, accompanied by specific symptoms. We'll talk about them in more detail below.
Initial stage osteochondrosis
As a rule, if there is a 1st degree of the disease, patients may experience only minor discomfort. They can show pain only with sudden movements, tilting and rotating the head. Many patients report increased fatigue in the lumbar spine and back, and a constant feeling of tension. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at the initial stage does not involve takingdrugs. . . To recover, the patient only needs to performgymnasticswith cervical osteochondrosis and change the daily diet.
The second stage of the disease: features
For the second stage of pathology, more intense pain sensations are characteristic, radiating to the upper limbs, and increasing with bending and rotating the head. The reasons for increased discomfort include: a reduction in the size of the height of the intervertebral discs and, as a result, pinching of the nerve endings. At the same time, the patient notes a deterioration in working capacity, the appearance of absent-mindedness, increased fatigue and the occurrence of pain in the head.
Osteochondrosis of the third degree
It is accompanied by an increase in pain with irradiation to the area of the upper extremities, as well as the shoulders and neck. In this case, numbness in the muscles of the hands may be observed, which is associated with the appearance of an intervertebral hernia. In addition, patients may complain of severe weakness and dizziness.
The last stage of the disease
At the final stage, deep degenerative processes in the area of intervertebral discs and their replacement by pathological tissue make themselves felt. The need for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosisin the stage of exacerbationmay be due to the defeat of several segments of the spine. In this case, patients state the presence of tinnitus, increased pain syndrome, the appearance of severe dizziness and impaired coordination of movements.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
Most often, the development of this pathology is due to everyday sedentary work, in which a person does not control the correct position of the body in the chair, and his head is constantly tilted forward. The same can be said about a prolonged stay of the head in a thrown back state, which is typical for employees of construction specialties, when performing repair activities.
As a rule, excessive stress on the cervical spine inevitably leads to degenerative disorders in the area of the vertebral discs. In addition, cervico-vertebral osteochondrosis, the symptoms of this ailment and the need for its treatment may be due to the following factors:
- Violation of calcium metabolism;
- Causes of a genetic nature;
- Thermal irritants;
- When practicing extreme sports (treatment of sports injuries);
- Hypodynamia;
- Long stay of a person in one position due to professional affiliation;
- Obesity;
- Prolonged stressful situations;
- Injury to the neck and back of the head;
- Autoimmune processes that can provoke the destruction of cartilage tissue.
The transition to a healthy diet and moderate physical activity can minimize the likelihood of developing osteochondrosis.
Syndromes with cervical osteochondrosis
Syndromes are represented by the simultaneous manifestation of several symptoms of the disease at once. As for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, it is characterized by the following syndromes: vertebral, vertebral arteries, cardiac and radicular. It is about them that will be discussed below.
What is vertebral syndrome?
In the presence of the above syndrome, degenerative processes directly concern the cartilage and bone tissue. In this case, the simultaneous manifestation of the following three signs is observed:
- Painful sensations when it is necessary to turn the neck;
- Inability to rotate the neck;
- The presence of a disorder in the intervertebral region or in the vertebral body, which are morphological in nature (to determine this symptom, X-rays are taken).
If the patient lacks at least one of the above signs, then it makes no sense to talk about vertebral syndrome.
Characteristics of the vertebral artery syndrome
The essence of the above syndrome is damage to the vertebral arteries that provide blood supply to the brain. It is characterized by the simultaneous manifestation of the following symptoms:
- Against the background of squeezing the artery, the patient may feel dizziness, rise in blood pressure, tinnitus, nausea, etc. ;
- Due to irritation of the nerve roots, there may be a loss of sensitivity, the appearance of "flies" in the eyes, acute pain in the head and numbness;
- Lack of oxygen can provoke severe pain in the head area, excessive sleepiness, deterioration in activity and a decrease in concentration.
Signs of cardiac syndrome
In addition to the symptom of the vertebral artery in cervical osteochondrosis, the need for patient treatment also arises in the presence of cardiac syndrome. Many patients report a condition that is characteristic of coronary heart disease, or resembles the symptoms of myocardial infarction. In this case, the following signs take place:
- A burning sensation and acute pain syndrome in the sternum area;
- Tachycardia;
- The appearance of severe weakness, excessive fatigue and shortness of breath.
Radicular syndrome: features
It is characterized by a deterioration in neuromuscular conduction. In the presence of radicular syndrome, the patient may feel loss of sensitivity or, conversely, severe pain syndrome. Also, its features include:
- Pain in the back of the head or, conversely, numbness in this area;
- Difficulty chewing food, numbness in the area behind the ear, a feeling of fullness in the tongue;
- The appearance of symptoms of sore throat, hiccups, pain in the clavicle;
- Difficulty moving the upper limbs, discomfort in the shoulder area;
- Violations in the area of the forearm and shoulder blades;
- Loss of sensitivity in the area of the fingers.
Diagnostics
The main and most informative methods for diagnosing osteochondrosis include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI scans with a high degree of detail reflect the state of not only the bone tissue of the spine, but also the soft tissue - muscles, cartilage, blood vessels, nerves and intervertebral discs. If there are contraindications to MRI (the presence of metal prostheses, pacemakers), computed tomography is prescribed, but the information content of the method is much lower in terms of diagnosing osteochondrosis.
Is it possible to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?
When it comes to cervical osteochondrosis, effective treatment of this ailment is possible only with a comprehensive revision of the lifestyle, constant prevention and sanatorium recovery. In practice, only a few achieve this, especially in the climate of our country, when it is almost impossible to completely avoid hypothermia and new inflammatory processes. Nevertheless, you can significantly alleviate your condition, including in the most advanced cases, and lengthen the periods of remission.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
At the first stage of osteochondrosis, the patient will be helped by conservative, drug-free treatment. You should correct your posture, pay attention to the equipment of the workplace, interrupt work for a few minutes every day to perform an uncomplicatedremedial gymnasticswith cervical osteochondrosis, which can be done right at the desk in the office. Swimming, increased physical activity, and the intake of vitamin and mineral complexes will have a positive effect on the entire musculoskeletal system.
Benefits of Shockwave Therapy
If the patient has osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and its symptoms, a new method of treatment is considered the most effective - with the help of shock waves. This procedure is notable for its affordable cost. In addition, if a medical institution has special equipment, you can take the UHT course completely free of charge.
The advantages of UHT include:
- Maximum efficiency;
- Lack of discomfort during the procedure;
- The minimum likelihood of side effects;
- Reducing the need for invasive treatments
- Reducing the need for medication.
Medication for cervical osteochondrosis
If you have cervical osteochondrosis and are interested in treatmentmedicinalandeffective,you can find information on suitable drugs on the Internet. However, despite the variety of medicines and the absence of the need to obtain prescriptions, self-medication is not recommended. Most drugs have side effects and contraindications, it is also important not to overdose.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).They are used to relieve swelling and pain.
Muscle relaxants, sedatives
They are prescribed additionally to alleviate the general condition of the patient and reduce the dose of NSAIDs. By relieving muscle spasms and nervous tension at the same time, you can achieve the best therapeutic effect.
At the end of the course of treatment, doctors usually recommend purchasing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the home first-aid kit, since neck pain can return when the weather changes, overexertion, and stress.
Physiotherapy approaches
In cases where drug therapy is contraindicated or does not have the desired effect, and sometimes for a complex effect, physiotherapy methods are used, which are available in both classical and alternative medicine. All of them are aimed at relieving muscle spasms, inflammation and pain.
Acupuncture. The essence of the method is to "awaken" biologically active points by introducing special thin needles into them to a depth of several centimeters. The procedure is painful in itself, but it helps relieve pain in the spine. Several sessions are required.
Manual therapy. This method is effective if the patient haspinchingnerves of the cervical spine, the corresponding symptoms were diagnosed and the need for treatment was identified. Nerves and blood vessels trapped by deformed vertebrae can be released by manually stretching the spine.
Hirudotherapy (leeches). Relieves inflammation and swelling due to biologically active substances that are secreted by leeches. Strengthens blood circulation.
Shock wave therapy. Restores blood circulation and destroys osteophytes, helps the cartilage tissue return to its normal structure. The patient already after 1-2 sessions feels a decrease in pain and swelling. The course of shock wave therapy includes up to ten procedures, it can be prescribed as part of complex non-invasive therapy and during the rehabilitation period after surgery. It has a number of contraindications and is used only after a comprehensive examination by several specialists, including a neurologist, cardiologist, and vertebrologist.
Exercises for cervical osteochondrosis
If a person has cervical osteochondrosis, dailyexercises,developed for the treatment of this ailment, will help to strengthen the muscle corset, which means - to reduce the load on the cervical spine. Exercise therapy is indicated at all stages of the disease, as well as as a preventive measure. During exacerbations, a set of exercises should be performed with caution.
Typical exercises for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- head turns to the sides;
- head tilts forward and backward;
- lifting the shoulders with relaxed or fixed hands, holding them in this position for 15-20 seconds;
- alternate tension of the flexors and extensors of the neck with a stationary head position.
The exercises must be repeated 5-7 times. The duration of the lesson is 15–20 minutes.
Surgical intervention
In the absence of a positive effect after 6 months of conservative treatment, spinal fusion may be indicated. The procedure is aimed at immobilizing the affected vertebral segment. It includes the removal of the intervertebral disc, decompression of the nerve root and the placement of an implant or the creation of a physiological height of the disc space. The operation has a lot of contraindications and side effects. For example, spinal fusion can lead to vertebral disability. That is why surgical intervention is indicated only in extreme cases.
Nutrition and lifestyle
After surgical treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, in the early rehabilitation period, wearing a fixing collar is required. During conservative treatment and in the late rehabilitation period, a diet rich in calcium and vitamins, correction of habitual postures and posture in general, a daily set of therapeutic exercises for the neck, orthopedic pillows are recommended.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home
If you are diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis and its symptoms, and you want to undergohome treatment,it should be remembered that such an independent intervention can only be practiced in combination with the procedures prescribed by a specialist.
Some experts recommend usingorthopedic pillowwith cervical osteochondrosis, and use such warming agents as pepper plaster, mustard plasters and alcohol compresses. According to others, only specialexercisesfor treatment andprevention. . .
You can also resort to the help of traditional medicine recipes, which are based on the use of honey-potato compresses and dressings with natural ingredients. More information about such tools can be found on the Internet. However, only an experienced and highly qualified doctor can diagnose cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, identify its symptoms and prescribe the most effective treatment.
Preventive measures for cervical osteochondrosis
An examination by the attending physician is required once a year. A course of shock wave therapy may be prescribed. Hypothermia and infectious diseases, prolonged work at the computer in one position should be avoided. If you are traveling on a long plane or bus, use a neck support pillow to help relieve muscle tension and prevent congestion. For daily sleep, use special orthopedic pillows that ensure the correct position of the head.