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 vertebral regions. Almost every person over the age of twenty-five has this or that degree of this disease.
Cervical osteochondrosis is mainly due to a sedentary lifestyle, which is particularly facilitated by a person’s historical transition from physical work to mental work, which is accompanied, albeit moderately, by sedentary work.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a degenerative-dystrophic disease of the cervical spine that leads to damage to the intervertebral discs, which is common in osteochondrosis. Because this spine is quite mobile by nature, but at the same time vulnerable due to poorly developed ligaments, any negative effects on the neck or back primarily affect the neck region. Given that degenerative lesions most often occur in the most motile vertebral sections, it is C5. . . C7-level nerve endings suffer most commonly in the cervical region.
Because the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the neck are very controversial, they are not always seen as just symptoms of the disease, which often requires the help of professionals 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, slight tension in the cervical muscles or displacement of the vertebrae of the cervical spine can cause compression or pinching of the nerve roots, which also affects vessels in this class. Well, osteophytes - bone growth called "salt deposits" in folk treatment that develop under the conditions of developing osteochondrosis of the neck - only result in a significant worsening of the course of the disease.
The clinical manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis disease can be divided into cervical osteochondrosis reflex symptoms and radical symptoms.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis reflex
Symptoms of a cervical osteochondrosis reflex include the so-called "lumbago, " which is manifested by the appearance of sharp, sharp pain in the neck and is noticeably intensified by any movement. In light of this, patients often assume some kind of forced, most comfortable head position. In addition, it is very likely that a typical "crack" will occur during a turn or other head movement.
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, the sharpness of visual perception can sometimes decrease at the same time, as if "everything is floating in the mind. "
Vertebral artery syndrome can also develop when the nerve plexus is irritated, which is very often misdiagnosed as a disturbance in the blood flow to the brain due to dizziness. Such a symptom of cervical osteochondrosis may manifest as sudden movement of the head and may be complicated by nausea and possible vomiting.
In addition to the above, the reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include cardiac syndrome with angina-like sensations. But such a manifestation of the symptoms of osteochondrosis is usually combined with a complex of other signs of the disease, so it usually does not cause difficulty in making a correct diagnosis.
Radical symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Radical symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are usually due to compression of the nerve endings in the spinal cord. In this case, sensory disturbances affecting motor functions depend entirely on which nerve root is damaged, namely:
- C1 - decreased sensitivity at the back of the head;
- C2 - occurrence of pain in the parietal or occipital region of the head;
- C3 - violation of sensitivity and the appearance of pain in the neck where the spinal cord is damaged, with a very possible violation of the speech function due to loss of sensitivity and control of the tongue;
- C4 - onset of pain and decreased sensitivity in the humeroscapular dorsal region, as well as pain in the heart and liver, with concomitant decrease in neck muscle tone and possible respiratory dysfunction;
- C5 - decreased sensitivity and pain on the outer surface of the shoulder;
- C6 - pain radiating from the neck region to the shoulder blade, the outer surface of the shoulder, the forearm and further from the wrist to the thumb;
- C7 - same pain as in C6, but radiates from the shoulder blade to the back of the shoulder and further from the forearm to the 2-4 fingers, with a decrease in sensitivity in the area of pain;
- C8 - decreased sensitivity and pain from neck to shoulder and then from forearm to little finger.
Treatment
Cervical osteochondrosis is a rather complex and extremely unpleasant disease that requires consistency, duration, and stages of treatment. Therapeutic treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is primarily aimed at completely eliminating the painful symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and the inflammation in the affected neck area.
In the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, patients are treated with classical analgesics such as analgin, ketorol, or baralgin. Although non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have also recently become widely popular in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, they are effective in relieving pain and reducing inflammatory activity.
Among other things, chondroprotectors are used in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the neck, which slow down the destruction of cartilage tissues and also contribute to the process of their regeneration. In addition, patients are prescribed the use of B vitamins, which improve the metabolic processes in the patient's body.
But the use of external gels or ointments to treat cervical osteochondrosis is not effective, but it makes sense because they rub the neck of the spine during rubbing into the skin.
In addition, physiotherapy is combined with traditional pharmacological treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, and the use of magnetotherapy through specialized medical devices that have earned a well-deserved reputation among professionals and patients is particularly effective. In addition to the above, therapeutic massage, physiotherapy practices and manual therapy are also used. But in particularly severe cases of the disease, surgery may also be needed.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis alone is not difficult. Recommended:
- maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle,
- sports, or at least morning exercise,
- competent organization of the workplace,
- observance of work and rest order,
- when working in a prolonged sitting position - warm up several times during working hours and ensure the head and correct posture during work.
It is also important to choose a comfortable pillow and mattress for sleeping. But for those who already suffer from this disease, the daily use of special orthopedic products for comfortable sleep is highly recommended.