Cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the bone system that is characterized by changes in the cartilage tissue. As a result of the development of the disease, a person's work capacity decreases, blood circulation and the integrity of the spinal cord injuries are reduced. Most often, the disease develops as a result of obesity, physical inactivity, frequent use of time on the computer or driving a car.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis of the cervix as it develops is characterized by the following symptoms:

Neck pain with cervical osteochondrosis

• Continuous headache. Patients with osteochondrosis mainly experience headaches, which are aggravated by a sharp neck turn or a sudden movement of the head.
• Neck pain that may radiate to the shoulder area. Often appears in the morning, immediately after sleep, falls or disappears completely after warming up the neck muscles.
• Cervical lumbago, characterized by sharp pain in the neck, hardening of the muscles in the affected area and limited mobility.
• Pain in the sternum or gallbladder. Patients often suspect that they have a pathology of the cardiovascular system, but taking nitroglycerin does not relieve pain. When cervical osteochondrosis is manifested by pain in the sternum, patients complain of a decrease in muscle strength in the arms.
• In almost all patients with osteochondrosis, you may hear a characteristic crunch and squeak if you ask someone to tilt their head in different directions.
• Highness of voice.
• Osteochondrosis of the neck can be manifested by numbness in the tongue, fingertips (a symptom occurs as a result of compression of nerves and vessels located next to the intervertebral discs.
• High blood pressure.
• Paresis of the limbs, decreased muscle strength in the limbs.

The cause of the above symptoms is damage to connective tissue and intervertebral discs with their subsequent deformation. As a result of pathological processes, the discs become overgrown with bone formations, forming osteophytes that pinch and damage blood vessels and nerve pathways.

Stages of the disease

Osteochondrosis of the cervix develops in several stages. The more the patient's disease progresses, the more symptoms become, the more serious the complications of the disease become.

Grade 1 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by damage to the nucleus pulposus on the intervertebral disc. When metabolism is disrupted in the body, the nucleus pulposus, which is a structure of biopolymer compounds, is destroyed. First, it loses water, gradually dries out and therefore decreases in size. Its strength decreases markedly and it becomes more difficult for the spine to cope with physical activity. At this stage of the disease a person does not feel pain, does not seek medical attention. If you begin to identify osteochondrosis at this time, the patient will not need medication.

Grade 2 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by damage to the ring fiber in the intervertebral disc. Cracks and tears appear on the surface of the disc as a result of strong and uneven load on the spine. Due to the fact that the ring fiber becomes thinner, the core is completely squeezed out into the resulting tears and cracks, thereby expanding them. As a result, the disc increases in size, begins to protrude beyond the edges of the vertebrae. This phenomenon is called disc protrusion. Grade 2 cervical osteochondrosis is the stage of the disease in which a person first feels pain.

Grade 3 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by the formation of a hernia. The annulus fibrosus not only becomes thinner, but breaks so that the nucleus pulposus "flows" into the subglottic space and forms a herniated disc. As a result of the development of the process, all surrounding tissues - ligaments and muscles, nerves and blood vessels suffer.

Over time, the skeletal system of the vertebrae changes: the edges of the spines change shape, become ribbed and even sharp. The muscles around the altered bone system contract involuntarily, thereby limiting the mobility of the spine. All nerve fibers that run through the spinal cord are impaired, the conduction of nerve impulses from the brain to organs and tissues is disrupted. It is important that the symptoms of osteochondrosis appear depending on the location of the osteochondrosis.

Grade 4 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by degenerative spinal cord reconstruction. After destructive processes in the body, recovery processes begin to prevail. The duration of the fourth stage is about one year. During this time, the nature of bone growth in the deformed vertebra changes. The bone begins to grow in width, increasing the spine. Such growths in medicine are called osteophytes. Thanks to them, the mobility of the injured back is reduced and the destruction processes are suspended. Over time, the sedentary vertebra completely becomes a static bone column.

And if the pain syndrome subsides, the pinched nerves and blood vessels remain in place, they are pressed not only by the discs and vertebrae, but also by the osteophytes formed. Such processes must be properly treated to prevent the consequences of the disease.

Complications of cervical osteochondrosis

The main consequences of the development of cervical osteochondrosis are:

• Vascular disorders (artery compression)
• Formation of hernia of varying severity;
• Spinal Cord Injury;
• Osteophyte formation;
• Limited mobility of the spine.

What complications can cervicothoracic osteochondrosis cause? The most dangerous consequence is the deterioration of the blood supply to the brain. As a result of squeezing the arteries, less blood enters the brain and the gray matter is poorly supplied with oxygen.

If a patient develops vertebral artery syndrome - when the central bloodstream to the brain is squeezed, the person suffers from dizziness, fainting.

In addition to impaired consciousness, patients with cervical spine osteochondrosis experience impaired vision and hearing. In addition to numbness in the limbs, it is possible to develop Dupuytren's syndrome, which is characterized by stiffening of the hands. As a result of the development of the syndrome, the mobility of the fingers is lost.

Hypertension and vegetative-vascular dystonia (VVD) are considered frequent complications. A cosmetic defect that appears as a result of the development of osteochondrosis is the formation of the mane ("pile" of cartilage tissue on the back of the head).

Treatment methods

The choice of a method of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra depends on the stage of the disease. Medical treatment consists of prescribing non-steroidal drugs, analgesics and antispasmodics by a doctor. The dosage of the drug is adjusted at the discretion of the physician.

Physiotherapy is often prescribed to treat osteochondrosis of the uterine vertebrae. With the help of exercises, you can not only remove pain, but also reduce inflammation, strengthen your back muscles and reduce the risk of complications.

Massage has a general tonic effect. After a massage, a patient with osteochondrosis loses tension and pain, and the blood supply increases.

When medication is not helpful, doctors must prescribe surgery. During surgery, doctors remove parts of the intervertebral disc that compress the nerve roots.

The best treatment is a combination of several methods. Medical treatment must be combined with massage, physiotherapy and gymnastics.

Some doctors believe that acupuncture and herbal remedies are an effective treatment method.

Prevention

Simple methods can be used to reduce pain and prevent the development of osteochondrosis of the cervix. To begin with, each person must constantly be in a position that relieves the load on the spine. It is necessary to keep in mind exercises that knead muscles and support metabolic processes in the spine. To achieve a positive result, it is necessary to follow the doctor's recommendations.

Main recommendations:

• Distribute physical activity evenly on the spine. To do this, limit vertical loads, avoid sudden movements and exercises that can damage the spine. Falls or jumps from great heights should be avoided.
• Do not carry heavy objects by stretching your arms out in front of you. Before picking up an object from the floor, do not bend forward, but squat.
• You should not move objects in one hand, it is advisable to distribute the load on both limbs. If this is not possible, place the load in a suitcase on wheels or a backpack.
• If you need a heavy load, put on a wide belt or buy a special corset before work.
• Wear comfortable shoes.
• The best prevention of the disease is swimming, regular gymnastics, contrast shower.
• Stressful situations should be avoided.
• Remember the rules of a balanced diet.
• Get rid of bad habits.

It is necessary to understand that it is much easier to prevent a disease than to cure it for a long time and persistently. If surgery is not required in the early stages of the disease, the later stages of osteochondrosis require surgery.