In the modern world, the resonance of the disease with cervical osteochondrosis can hardly be overestimated. Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is much more common than in other spinal regions. Almost all people over the age of twenty-five have this disease, to one degree or another.
Cervical osteochondrosis develops mainly due to a sedentary lifestyle, which is particularly facilitated by the historical transition of a person from physical labor to mental labor, which, although moderate, is accompanied by work in a sitting position.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a degenerative-dystrophic disease of the cervical spine, leading to damage to the intervertebral discs, which is common for osteochondrosis. As this part of the spine is inherently quite mobile, but at the same time vulnerable due to a poorly developed muscular corset, therefore, any negative impact on the neck or back primarily affects the cervical region. Due to the fact that degenerative changes most often develop in the most mobile spinal areas, namely the nerve endings at the level of C5. . . C7 most often suffer in the cervical region.
As the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are very contradictory, they are not always considered only as symptoms of this disease, which often leads to seeking help from specialists in other fields of medicine. Let's look at them in a little more detail.
Symptoms
Due to the fact that the cervical spine is quite compact compared to its other departments, even slight tension in the muscles of the neck or displacement of the vertebrae of the cervical spine can cause compression or pinching of nerve roots, which can affect the vessels located in thisdepartment. Well, osteophytes - bone growths, in folk medicine, called "salt deposition" and formed in the conditions of the development of the disease with cervical osteochondrosis, result in only a significant deterioration in the course of the disease.
The clinical manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis, ie its symptoms, can be divided into reflex symptoms and radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.
Reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include the so-called "lumbago", which manifests itself in the appearance of acute sharp pain in the neck and noticeably intensifies with each movement. In view of this, patients often occupy a forced, most comfortable position of the head. In addition, it is quite possible to get a typical "crunch" when turning or other movements of the head.
In cervical osteochondrosis, patients often experience headaches that are compressive in nature and radiate to the eyeballs or temporal part of the head. In addition, sometimes at the same time, the sharpness of visual perception may decrease, as if "everything is in sight".
Vertebral artery syndrome can also develop with irritation of its nerve plexus, which is often misdiagnosed due to dizziness as a circulatory disorder of the brain. Such a symptom of cervical osteochondrosis can manifest itself with sudden movements of the head and be complicated by nausea and possible vomiting.
In addition to the above, the reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include a cardiac syndrome in which there are sensations similar to an angina attack. But such a manifestation of symptoms of osteochondrosis is usually combined with a complex of other signs of this disease, so it usually does not create difficulties in making a correct diagnosis.
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, as a rule, occur due to compression of the spinal nerve ending - the root. In this case, the sensory disturbances that affect motor functions depend entirely on which specific nerve root is damaged, namely:
- C1 - decreased sensitivity in the back of the head;
- C2 - the appearance of pain in the parietal or occipital region of the head;
- C3 - impaired sensitivity and pain in the neck, where the spinal root is injured, with a very possible impairment of speech function due to loss of sensitivity of the tongue and control over it;
- C4 - the appearance of pain and decreased sensitivity in the dorsal region of the humeroscapule, as well as pain in the heart and liver, with a simultaneous decrease in muscle tone of the neck and possible respiratory disorders of respiratory function;
- C5 - decreased sensitivity and pain on the outer surface of the shoulder;
- C6 - pain radiating from the cervical region to the shoulder blade, the outer surface of the shoulder, forearm and further from the wrist to the thumb;
- C7 - the same pain as in C6, but radiating from the shoulder blade to the posterior surface of the shoulder and further from the forearm to the 2nd to 4th finger, with a decrease in sensitivity in the area of pain;
- C8 - decreased sensitivity and pain from the neck to the shoulder, then from the forearm to the little finger.
Treatment
Cervical osteochondrosis is a rather complex and extremely unpleasant disease, the treatment of which requires consistency, duration and stages. The therapeutic treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, in the first place, is aimed at the complete cessation of pain symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and the elimination of inflammation in the neck affected by the disease.
In the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, patients are treated with classic analgesics, such as analgin, ketorol or baralgin. Although recently, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have also become widely popular in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, effectively relieving pain and reducing inflammatory activity.
Among other things, in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, chondroprotectors are used, which slow down the process of destruction of cartilage tissues and, according to many experts, also contribute to the process of their regeneration. In addition, patients are prescribed the use of B vitamins, which improve metabolic processes in the patient's body.
But the use of external gels or ointments for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is not effective, but it makes sense, because in the process of rubbing them into the skin is an additional massage of the cervical spine.
Physiotherapy procedures are further combined with the traditional medical treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, and in particular the use of magnetic therapy through special medical devices, which have earned a well-deserved reputation among specialists and patients, is particularly effective. In addition, therapeutic massage, physiotherapy exercises and manual therapy are used. However, in particularly severe cases of the disease, surgery may be necessary.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
Preventing cervical osteochondrosis alone is not difficult. It is recommended:
- maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle,
- sports or at least morning exercises,
- competent organization of the workplace,
- observance of the regime of work and rest,
- when working for a long time in a sitting position - during working hours, warm up several times and ensure the correct position of the head and posture during work.
It is also important to choose a comfortable pillow and sleeping mattress. But for those who already suffer from this disease, daily use of specialized orthopedic products for comfortable sleep is strongly recommended.