Today, cervical osteochondrosis has become much younger. The reason for this is considered to be the increase in living conditions, a significant decrease in mobility during work and rest, and the craze for fast food. They lead to a metabolic imbalance and increase trauma to the cervical intervertebral discs, even with minimal physical effort or blows.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there are many requests on the Internet: osteochondrosis of the cervical spine: symptoms and treatment. We present a brief description of these questions, as they are always individual in nature and can only be answered by a vertebrologist or neurologist during an appointment.
Characteristics of the disease.
With osteochondrosis of the neck, the discs in the intervertebral space are destroyed. Normally, they perform a cushioning and protective function.
Being between the vertebrae, they prevent the vertebral bodies from touching each other. When walking and performing more active movements, they can be compressed, giving flexibility to the spine. In addition, thanks to the disc-ligamentous apparatus, conduits are created for the nerves leaving the spinal cord.
When the discs and ligaments are destroyed, the vertebrae begin to rub against each other. Friction causes pain and other discomfort in the neck. As the vertebrae move closer together, the nerves become compressed and additional symptoms appear in those parts of the body for which the affected neurons are responsible. Neurological symptoms occur.
Osteochondrosis can affect any part of the spine and symptoms will vary. Disc destruction can occur in several areas at once.
A greater amount of load falls on the lumbar spine, meaning that the discs and ligaments here are often subject to change. But it is osteochondrosis of the cervical region that causes the most suffering in humans. After all, the main vessels that supply the brain pass through the neck and there are many nerves and nerve endings.
Statistics show that the cervical region is the most affected. Of all the parts of the spine, it is the most mobile. In a video on the Internet you can see how the disease develops and its complications.
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in women do not fundamentally differ from the symptoms that occur in men. There is a difference: the most common symptom of the disease in women is a headache.
Causes
Classic causes of the development of cervical osteochondrosis include:
- low mobility, lack of adequate physical activity;
- alterations in metabolic processes;
- salt deposits, especially in the cervical region;
- unbalanced diet;
- Incorrect body position when working at a computer, driving a car or during other static activities.
If you are predisposed to deforming joint diseases or salt deposits, the risk of developing a disease due to an unhealthy lifestyle increases.
Classification of clinical manifestations.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, symptoms and treatment of pathology are closely related, but complex therapy is prescribed only after instrumental clarification of the diagnosis. Currently, there is the following classification of manifestations.
Radicular syndromes or cervical radiculitis
Radicular syndromes are the medical term for a group of symptoms that occur due to impingement of the nerve roots found between the vertebrae in the neck. Initially, such compression manifests itself in the form of paresthesia: numbness, tingling sensation and a feeling of "goosebumps" on the skin.
Ignoring and not treating such manifestations leads to further progression of the disease. Acute pain occurs (rapid or delayed), which turns into chronic pain syndrome.
The characteristic manifestations of cervical radiculitis depend on the localization of the degenerative processes, i. e. between which vertebrae the nerve roots were pinched:
irritative reflex syndrome
Pain in irritative reflex syndrome when the roots of the lower cervical vertebrae are pinched occurs between the shoulder blades.
This syndrome is characterized by diffuse, burning, sharp pain in the neck, nape of the neck, or upper back. They occur after sleeping or during the beginning of movement after a long static maintenance of a position. The pain may painfully radiate to the heart or shoulder joint.
Vertebral artery syndrome
Osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine, symptoms (and their treatment) can manifest as combined signs of vertebral artery syndrome:
- headaches: punctual, throbbing or burning, spreading diffusely;
- locations: above the eyebrows, on the temples, crown, on the back of the head;
- the pain is constant, but sometimes it comes in the form of attacks;
- the intensity of pain increases after the first movements from static positions;
- in weakened people, nausea may appear, coordination of movements may be impaired, and dizziness and fainting may occur;
- Possible decrease in auditory and visual acuity, "bunnies" in the eyes, tinnitus, snoring.
On a note! Very often, the only signs of osteochondrosis of the neck are pharyngeal symptoms. These include: pain, dryness and/or difficulty swallowing. However, the cost of ignoring these symptoms can be enormous. These symptoms are inherent to some inflammatory diseases that can turn into cancer.
cardiac syndrome
Preliminary diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is often complicated by the presence of cardiac syndrome in the patient.
It is characterized by:
- incrise of cardiac frecuency;
- attacks or prolonged pain in the heart area, which are often confused with angina;
- Chest pain worsens after sudden movements or lifting heavy objects.
That is why, if angina is detected, an experienced doctor will send the patient for an X-ray of the cervical and thoracic vertebrae, since with a parallel diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment at home will be specific.
For example, a vertebrologist is obliged to warn the patient that if the "heart pain" is not relieved by nitroglycerin or another coronary dilating drug, they should not be taken several times in a row in a short period of time. It is enough to drink ibuprofen or nurofen forte.
For your information! There is another way to distinguish a true angina attack from a coronary painful syndrome. With the latter, the patient can walk quickly.
Minor symptoms
Nausea
The feeling of nausea and belching are the result of problems with blood circulation in the brain. Often, patients associate this symptom with errors in nutrition, begin to limit the amount of food they eat and make changes to their diet.
Nausea and belching can reduce appetite. All these phenomena lead to the fact that a person begins to lose body weight and the balance of nutrients in the body is disturbed.
An attack of nausea can lead to vomiting, which also occurs when carelessly turning the head, tilting the body, or engaging in intense physical activity. In this case, poor circulation leads to insufficient nutrition of the inner ear and the balance center.
Feeling of suffocation
A feeling of shortness of breath occurs when the phrenic nerve in the cervical area of the spine is pinched. This important nerve is an element of the cervical plexus and regulates the depth of breathing and the frequency with which respiratory movements are performed.
Patients complain of difficulty breathing with all their might. Shallow breathing causes a decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the blood, difficulty breathing and, in difficult cases, suffocation.
At night, breathing may stop, which often occurs along with an attack of snoring. Nighttime problems are caused if a person is in an uncomfortable position and the head and neck are not in the anatomically correct position.
If these problems are accompanied by unsatisfactory hygiene of the room where a person sleeps, when the room is stuffy, dusty and there is no flow of clean air at night, the patient experiences hypoxia. The lack of oxygen occurs in all tissues of the body, when the patient wakes up he will not feel rested.
Tinnitus sensation
Tinnitus occurs due to problems with the blood supply to the vestibular apparatus. The blood vessels that reach it pass through the cervical vertebrae of the spine.
Alterations in the parts of the inner ear cause sensations of various sounds:
- background hiss;
- ringing, screeching.
A complex of this type of discomfort is often called cochlear or cochlear syndrome.
Important: If the patient does not consult a doctor with these symptoms, a decrease in hearing acuity occurs over time.
Patients often think that these disorders are associated with the auditory analyzer itself. Even a doctor may find it difficult to understand the situation, especially if there are no clear signs of osteochondrosis.
However, when there are problems with the vertebrae, there are specific auditory symptoms. Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra can be distinguished by the features of its occurrence, so sounds arise when a person remains in one position for a long time.
throat problems
Often, osteochondrosis can manifest itself only through a complex of pharyngeal symptoms:
- Sore throatoccurs without connection with food intake, the difference between the appearance of symptoms and sudden movements of the head and neck can be traced.
- Sensation of a foreign body in the throat.appears and disappears.
- There are complaints of itching and dryness of the throat., strong unpleasant sensations can provoke the patient's desire to cough. The cough will cause an increasingly dry and rough sensation. These discomforts are a consequence of damage to the nerve fibers and blood vessels at the same time.
Important: such symptoms can be observed with inflammation in the area of the cervical vertebrae and with the appearance of tumors.
Eye sight problems
Impaired visual function is less common; It occurs more often in people with atherosclerotic lesions of the blood vessels of the head and with a decrease in general pressure.
The vessels that supply the eyes also pass through the cervical vertebrae; In case of osteochondrosis, the following complaints arise:
- the appearance of a "veil" in the eyes;
- decreased clarity and visual acuity;
- the appearance of black dots or rods;
- difficulty focusing on a specific topic.
The symptoms are not constant. Patients notice that vision sometimes worsens and sometimes improves.
A distinctive symptom of osteochondrosis is the inability to influence the state of vision with the help of glasses, medications and gymnastics. Elimination of symptoms is only possible after treating the root cause of the problem.
Loss of consciousness
Disturbance of blood supply to the brain can cause unconsciousness or syncope. This happens when blood flow to the brain is temporarily interrupted.
In this case, the impingement does not necessarily occur in the cervical region, but irritation due to the deformed structures of the vertebrae is sufficient. In response to this effect, significant spasm occurs in the arteries.
Consciousness returns to a person quite quickly. This is facilitated by changing body position. A person who has lost consciousness should lie in a horizontal position with his legs raised. This way, blood from the lower body will help restore blood supply to the affected brain.
As a rule, these short-term conditions do not entail complications or consequences. If the interruption of blood flow to the brain is stronger, there may be consequences.
Important: after loss of consciousness, the patient should consult a doctor to undergo an examination and prevent recurrent attacks.
Despite the short duration of the condition, a person who has lost consciousness should call an ambulance.
Blood pressure problems
The presence of osteochondrosis in the cervical spine causes sudden increases in blood pressure. For middle-aged and older people, this can be especially noticeable. This is because the center responsible for the vascular response to changes in the external environment is located in the brain and also suffers from insufficient blood supply.
The presence of irritating factors in the form of a deformed vertebra aggravates the situation. This is how VSD symptoms arise against the background of cervical osteochondrosis. Depending on the person's predisposition, hypertensive or hypotonic crises occur. Often one type of crisis gives way to another.
Temperature fluctuations
Temperature fluctuations are not a specific symptom of osteochondrosis. If the body temperature rises, it means that a focus of infection or a neoplasm has arisen in the body. The immune system responds in the form of temperature.
However, patients may feel warming and even burning of the skin at the problem site, that is, along the back of the neck.
When several symptoms combine, a person begins to feel unwell. General health worsens, mood drops, irritability and inattention arise. A patient with severe pain or blurred vision finds it difficult to perform everyday tasks and engage in productive work activities.
Important: If any complaints, even not related to problems with the spine, prevent you from leading a normal, normal lifestyle, you should consult a specialist as soon as possible and determine the cause of the problem.
Danger of illness
Cervical osteochondrosis represents a great danger, since the affected area is the most important vascular pathways that supply the brain and spinal cord with numerous nerve branches. All symptoms of osteochondrosis have a significant negative impact on the patient's well-being and quality of life.
But this disease has life-threatening complications:
- Intervertebral hernia is considered the next stage in the development of osteochondrosis. It occurs in the absence of treatment. People who suffer from neck or back pain for a long time without consulting a doctor receive precisely such a diagnosis.
- Compression of the spinal cord processes damages them and radiculopathy develops. Along with this, growths and osteophytes form on the vertebrae. All this threatens the patient with loss of mobility and sensitivity in the areas for which the affected nerve fibers are responsible.
- One of the most dangerous complications is vertebral artery syndrome with cervical osteochondrosis. This artery supplies important parts of the brain: the medulla oblongata and the cerebellum. When this vessel is compressed by osteochondrosis, ischemia of the spinal cord and brain occurs. There is a risk that the condition will end in a stroke.
- If the disease is not treated for years, in the presence of spinal deformities, there is a possibility of damaging the spinal cord itself, located within the spine. The cost of lack of treatment is damage to organs incompatible with life.
If a person discovers symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, he or she should consult a specialist as soon as possible. Deformation of the vertebrae can cause severe trauma to the spinal cord and this is very dangerous for humans.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
Symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home require approval from treating specialists. The video for this article with a series of exercises for the neck muscles is not published. There are many of them on YouTube.
However, you should know that the instructions for exercise therapy with this diagnosis prohibit:
- jog;
- perform any jumping movements;
- Stimulate the muscles of the shoulder girdle and neck with dynamic exercises, especially with weights or resistance.
Important! If there is an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment with physical exercises, self-massage and physiotherapy procedures are suspended. In the acute period, it is also prohibited to visit a chiropractor. Rest and pharmacological therapy with analgesics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets and ointments are indicated.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folk remedies is not very effective and is possible as an auxiliary method of therapy at the rehabilitation stage. However, vertebrologists praise treatment with leeches and categorically do not recommend treatment with bee stings, which will also help in therapy.
Allergy is an insidious disease, the onset of which is impossible to predict, and an acute allergic reaction - Quincke's edema can cause anaphylactic shock and be fatal.
Among non-traditional methods for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, we can recommend:
- dynamic and static yoga classes;
- Wushu, Taiji and Qigong gymnastics;
- acupuncture and Su-Jok.
In addition to daily physical exercise, it is necessary to abandon bad habits, monitor the daily drinking regimen and balance the diet, as well as perform special morning exercises for osteochondrosis of the lumbar region. The weekly menu should include raw and half-cooked vegetables, fresh seasonal fruits, fermented milk drinks and daily dishes.
Natural meat of dietary varieties and fish from the herring or salmon family should be consumed every other day. Replace coffee and tea with rosehip decoction and natural juices.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is a long process that will take not months, but years. Osteochondrosis cannot be cured, but significant remission can be achieved. The results will depend solely on the patient himself, his diligence in following the recommendations and maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle.
Frequently asked questions
What are the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can manifest itself as pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, dizziness, tinnitus, numbness or tingling in the arms, and limited mobility of the neck.
How can you treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home?
To relieve the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, relaxation methods, exercises to strengthen the muscles of the neck, massage, warm compresses, and the use of analgesic ointments and gels can be used.
What exercises help with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?
To strengthen the neck muscles and relieve the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, exercises for stretching and strengthening the neck muscles, head rotation, flexion and twisting of the neck, as well as exercises to improve posture.
Helpful tips
Tip #1
For osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, it is recommended to perform special exercises to strengthen the muscles of the neck and back. This will help improve blood circulation and reduce stress on the spine.
Tip #2
You can use cold compresses or hot wraps to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Cold helps reduce swelling, while heat improves blood circulation and relaxes muscles.
Tip #3
It is important to monitor your posture and avoid staying in an incorrect position for long periods of time. Regular breaks to stretch and adjust your working position can reduce stress on the cervical spine.