More and more people are choosing jobs that do not require a lot of physical activity. This undoubtedly 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 often 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.
Cause of disease
Osteochondrosis does not always occur with acute symptoms. Due to the anatomical features, changes in the intervertebral disc do not always cause pain or the like. Therefore, this 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 need to be considered. They may not necessarily lead to disease, but in bad conditions, they may show themselves:
- the body undergoes inevitable changes with age;
- whether there was cervical osteochondrosis in the ancestors;
- often hormonal disorders lead to metabolic disorders;
- some chronic diseases, such as lupus erythematosus or rheumatism, can cause cartilage thinning;
- hypothermia.
Disease stage
Cervical osteochondrosis, like many other diseases, includes several stages of development.
- So in the first stage, the destruction of the intervertebral disc is noted, the danger at this time is that there is no severe pain, maximum discomfort in the neck. Due to changes in the structure of the disc, nerve root compression 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 prescribe the treatment correctly and follow all the doctor's recommendations.
- In the second stage, in addition to the destruction of the disc, the displacement of the cervical vertebrae begins. If the treatment is not successful or the diagnosis is not made early, osteochondrosis becomes chronic. Patients may experience "tilted head syndrome", when you need to keep your head in a certain position to relieve pain. The typical symptom is severe pain.
- The third stage is the development of hernias and protrusions, as well as effects on internal organs. Because with the development of the disease, the cervical vertebrae compress the blood vessels, disrupting blood flow to the brain. Because of this, headaches, nausea, dizziness and so on appear. In rare cases, numbness in the limbs may appear. With the development of adverse events, a stroke is possible. The danger of this stage of the disease is that the pain is not so strong. Many people are convinced that the disease is over, everything is cured, and meanwhile, the destruction in the spine continues. It's all about cartilage tissue, because it is he who is the cause of 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 part of the spine is damaged, there are several syndromes. Each of them has a different type of pain.
Cervical osteochondrosis syndrome
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 having a stroke.
Also, headaches are often caused by compression of the vertebral arteries.
With this syndrome, there is a decrease in visual acuity, dizziness, coordination disorders. All this happens because of lack of oxygen supply to the brain. With sudden head movement, fainting is possible.
Spinal root compression is more dangerous, because this syndrome has complex symptoms. First of all, the pain is localized in the neck and radiates to the forearm, sometimes it can radiate to the hand. In the early stages of the disease, a crunch can be felt when turning the neck. By pinching the roots again, breathing disorders appear, a coma sensation in the throat. Due to the fact that the nerves in the cervical vertebrae are closely connected to the face, when the root is pinched, numbness of the tongue or impaired movement can be observed.
If the spine is not treated in time, the symptoms will only increase and become more pronounced. Due to the lack of oxygen in the brain, damage begins and this can lead to several mental illnesses (depression, anxiety disorders, hyperventilation, etc. ).
It is important to distinguish between cervical osteochondrosis and epilepsy in time. They are often confused due to full body tension and brief loss of consciousness.
For this, modern diagnostic methods are used. Due to changes in the work of cervical and thoracic vertebrae, violations occur in the work of the heart, as a result, symptoms of tachycardia and arrhythmia appear. Another obscure manifestation of the disease is swelling under the eyes. They arise due to compression of the lateral spinal canal.
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis
Before starting spine treatment, 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 to find diseases. Recently, the maximum that a neurologist can offer is an x-ray and an external examination. As a rule, such methods do not give effective results, which is why osteochondrosis is often detected at a serious stage of development. The disadvantage of x-ray is the inability to see the whole picture of the disease. He is now scheduled for a CT or MRI scan. This is a fast and high-quality study with almost no contraindications.
After receiving the image, you need to consult a doctor.
Medical assistants
The question "how to treat cervical osteochondrosis" will be answered by a verterbrologist. This is a narrow focus of neurology, which studies the spine and related diseases. Before prescribing the drug, the doctor must prescribe a set of measures to restore blood circulation and relieve swelling. There is no clear opinion about non-traditional treatment methods. As a rule, in addition to consulting a neurologist, the patient will need the help of a surgeon, masseur, physiotherapist. In the severe stage of the disease, the recovery period requires more time.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis during exacerbation?
In pathological conditions such as exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms are manifested in the form of pain, limited mobility, various sensitivity disorders and tissue trophism. The first step is to relieve the pain. For this purpose, there are different drugs. For example, you can use pepper paste. Due to the warm-up action, he coped with the task perfectly. Any analgesic will help. To get rid of edema - take any diuretic. As a home remedy, you can brew cranberry or lingonberry or a special herbal preparation.
If medicine does not help, you can use a needle applicator. Due to the point effect, it helps relieve pain, reduce swelling and increase blood flow. The main thing to remember is that after providing first aid, you must always consult a doctor.
Treatment of dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis is not so important. It is important to eliminate the main cause of this disease. To maintain the condition, doctors prescribe drugs that can thin the blood and restore blood flow in the brain. Additional bonus of these drugs: improve memory and normalize sleep.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine consists not only of taking drugs, but also of massage and physical education. To prevent the occurrence of cervical spine disease again, it is necessary to form the correct muscle corset in the back. In some cases, self-massage can also be effective. For him, you can use simple techniques such 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 effect on certain parts of the body, allowing you to fix bones and joints. In danger? The fact that non-specialists can seriously injure the client, because nerves are a complicated thing. Any careless movement can trigger paresis or paralysis. How to treat osteochondrosis in other ways?
Vague opinions develop around acupuncture. Unlike manual therapy, the effect on the diseased area is carried out in a direction, through needles. The danger is that ignorance of the injection zone can seriously worsen the patient's condition. The applicator works on the same principle.
More controversial is the appointment of homeopathy. The advantage is that the drug has side effects and cannot be taken regularly. Homeopathic medicines do not have this drawback. 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 at the first stage, then the success of the cure is quite real forever. Do not refuse to take medicine in moments of exacerbation.