Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is a degenerative process of damage to the intervertebral discs and cartilage tissue, which gradually spreads to the vertebrae. In an untreated state, osteochondrosis leads to such terrible diseases as radicular syndrome, humeroscapular periarthrosis, etc.
At the moment, cervical osteochondrosis, the causes of which can be very different, affects every third person. But, despite his massive character, he is extremely insidious and does not forgive a careless attitude towards himself. How to treat cervical osteochondrosis, regardless of the stage of development? First you need to understand what kind of disease it is - cervical osteochondrosis and the reasons that caused it.
Causes of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
The main reason for the development of the disease is the same as for other parts of the spine - a sedentary, more sedentary lifestyle. This also applies to the younger generation over the age of 20 and to people who have just crossed the border of 40 years: with age, the consequences of an unbalanced diet, lack of vitamins and calcium in the body, metabolic disorders, salt deposition. they feel more acute.
Add here infectious, toxic, endocrine diseases and genetic predisposition, and now your head hurts from osteochondrosis, it is difficult to turn your neck to the side, a dull aching pain does not allow you to think about anything else. This causes an increase in pressure and damage to nerve endings. There is a state of numbness, tingling, heaviness - symptoms that turn into a headache with osteochondrosis, which begins to be felt. By the way, cervical osteochondrosis and pressure, especially elevated pressure, is a natural process, because the arteries become blocked and obstruct the outflow.
Initially, the development of cervical osteochondrosis begins with the intervertebral discs: under the influence of negative factors, the nucleus pulposus begins to lose moisture, elasticity and microcracks form. As a result, the disc's shock-absorbing functions deteriorate and the load on the underlying vertebrae increases. Microcracks also form in them and osteophytes (bone growths) appear so that the vertebra can cope with the increased load. But the extra mass of the osteophytes starts to put pressure on the nerve roots or compresses the vertebral artery. And headache in cervical osteochondrosis is the first symptom you need to pay attention to.
In the future, subluxations will occur in the intervertebral joints, the neck muscles must be in tension all the time in order to keep the vertebrae in their previous state. But the muscles get tired from the tension and the load again falls on the spines, which worsens the development of osteochondrosis.
If you have a headache with osteochondrosis, feel a constant spasm of the neck muscles, occasionally want a massage - consult a doctor. Clinics offer qualified medical care in many areas, including treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, manual therapy and massage.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
If you began to suffer from dizziness, numbness in the muscles of the neck and back, headache - hurry to the doctor, there are obvious signs of manifestations of osteochondrosis. Cervical-brachial osteochondrosis, which is manifested by the above symptoms, is an unpleasant disease if it is not treated.
The risk group is:
- experienced drivers;
- people who sit at the computer all the time;
- persons with spinal diseases;
- students.
All these people spend most of their time in a position with a fixed position of the muscles, which leads to their spasms.
Cervical osteochondrosis of the 1st degree is characterized by sharp pain, lumbago. Similar back pain occurs in patients with lumbosacral osteochondrosis. Due to a sedentary lifestyle, untrained muscles do not receive enough food and begin to age. It can happen at the age of 20 or 50. Degenerative destruction of the vertebrae then turns into osteochondrosis of the cervical region of the 2nd degree.
Signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in stage 2 are inflammatory processes, capsule rupture and the appearance of osteophytes. This process can last for several years, then die off, then flare up again, at the same time causing "head drop syndrome", when the patient is forced to squeeze his head with his hands to reduce the headache. Another symptom that indicates cervical osteochondrosis is dizziness, which cannot be treatedstart.
Previously, only an external examination and an X-ray were needed to establish a diagnosis. But in this case, the diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis would not be reliable, because X-rays cannot show a complete picture of the development of the disease. This requires CT and MRI - procedures that indicate foci of inflammation, circulatory disorders, pathologies and neoplasms.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
The treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine begins with the diagnosis, first of all, by restoring the tone of the spasmodic muscles. Pain in cervical osteochondrosis in the initial stage of the disease is not so strong and does not require treatment. It will be enough to take a course of special massage or manual therapy, review working conditions and switch to a healthier lifestyle: sit less at the computer, move more and engage in light physical work.
But if your head is spinning, osteochondrosis does not allow you to turn your neck and the pain does not give you rest - you need comprehensive and medical treatment. In this case, for pain relief, the doctor prescribes analgesics (in the acute phase - injections), then tablets, ointments and gels with a warming effect. Professionally performed massage for cervical osteochondrosis will also bring great relief and relieve pain for a short time.
The main stages in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are:
- removal of pain syndrome;
- removal of edema;
- normalization of blood circulation;
- strengthening muscles and increasing tone;
- restoration of tissue regeneration.
Comprehensive treatment of cervical osteochondrosis consists of treatment with drugs and acupuncture techniques, acupuncture and reflexology, manual therapy and massage, folk remedies and homeopathic preparations.
All medical prescriptions and therapeutic procedures can be obtained in clinics, where offices equipped with modern equipment, hospitals and professional doctors with extensive experience will be at your disposal. In order to make the diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis correctly and undertake the appropriate treatment, a whole team of doctors with narrow specialties will be needed: a vertebrologist and a surgeon, a massage therapist and a neurologist, a physiotherapist.
Prevention of osteochondrosis of the cervical region
Cervical osteochondrosis, headache, dizziness, back pain, burning pain in the neck and shoulders are symptoms that prevent a person from living a normal life. But all this can be avoided if you stick to simple things: a proper and healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, more physical activity and therapeutic exercises.