Osteochondrosis refers to degenerative diseases of the spine that includes
Dystrophy, deformation and gradual deletion of vortex disks.This can lead to pain, a variety of unpleasant consequences and in advanced cases even disability.It is important to pay attention to your health and immediately consult a doctor if suspicious symptoms appear.
Cervical and thorax spine is affected less frequently than the lumbar spine, but the occurrence of osteocondrosis in these areas can be filled with serious consequences.Due to the vicinity of the cervical spine to the head, a violation of the blood supply to the brain sometimes develops, which involves many complications.In addition, the changes can lead to damage to the nerve roots, causing the patient to feel severe pain and numbness.
Causes of appearance
Osteocondrosis occurs in a very large number of people, especially in these days when urban dwellers are massively lacking adequate physical activity, proper nutrition and posture.Causes that can provoke the development of osteochondrosis in the cervicals and thorax regions include:
- Age -related changes;
- Genetic disposal;
- sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity;
- attitude disorders;
- severe excess weight;
- Damage;
- overload;
- flat feet and other imperfections of the musculoskeletal system;
- stress and bad habits;
- Hypothermia of the back and prolonged exposure to the cold.
Recently, osteocondrosis has increasingly begun to be observed in adolescents, which is primarily associated with an unhealthy lifestyle.
Symptoms of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis
Like most chronic diseases, osteocondrosis in cervical and thorax regions is quite insidious and does not appear immediately.In the early stages, the patient may not notice anything but periodic discomfort in the spine, but as the disease progresses, the symptoms are worsened:
- Head or neck pain that sometimes falls to the shoulder band and upper limbs, and depending on the course of the disease, can be acute and painful or sore, dull, manifest for periods;
- Dizziness, visual impairment and hearing, coordination of movements;
- numbness, burning or tingling in the upper limbs;
- Asthenia, fatigue, loss of normal work ability;
- Intercostal neuralgia, heart pain, pressure decreases.
Most of the negative symptoms are caused by the fact that deforming areas of the spine squeeze blood vessels and nerve roots, as a result, their normal function is disturbed.Subsequently, such complications can lead to serious malfunctions in the body and even disability if you do not start timely treatment.
Diagnostics and treatment
The doctor begins to suspect osteocondrosis of the patient on the basis of his complaints and the collected Anamnesis.To confirm or refute the diagnosis, the specialist prescribes diagnostic measures whose most important is the radiography of the spine in a direct and lateral projection.To get more detailed information, CT and MRI are performed: They help track complications in time.
With osteocondrosis of cervical and thorax spine, the treatment is prescribed extensive.As a rule, it includes several main directions:
- Drug therapy is primarily painkillers and anti -inflammatory, which allows to reduce pain;In addition to them, muscle spasms, chondroprotectors to strengthen cartilage tissue and B vitamins are often prescribed to remove the condition of nerve tissue;
- Physiotherapy includes massage and other procedures (ultrasound, magnetotherapy, etc.) aiming to improve the spine and remove the restriction of mobility;
- Therapeutic physical exercise allows you to activate blood flow, strengthen the muscles, and thereby remove excess strain on the spine, bring the body to tone and adjust the attitude;It also helps reduce pressure on the roots of nerves.
The procedure for stretching the spine is used regularly for the purpose of returning the original form to it.