Unfortunately, today, due to cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms of headaches and neck pain are known to almost every adult.And in 70% of the population older than 25 years (possibly earlier), such symptoms occur periodically.Doctors make a diagnosis: cervical osteochondrosis and prescribe treatment, depending on the stage and nature of the disease.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
These are degenerative changes on the intervertebral discs of the spinal column that occur due to uneven loading of the spine.Vertebral bodies from the first to the seventh cervical region are gradually deformed, exhausted and destroyed.The main and main symptom of cervical osteochondrosis is a headache, while pain sensations can be reflected in the neck, chest, as well as in the shoulder and other parts of the spinal column.The cervical spine is connected to all its sections: thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal.All vertebrae are sequentially connected to each other vertically.And any violation of the cervical vertebrae affects the functioning of the entire spine.
Why can headaches be considered the main symptom of cervical osteochondrosis?
The cervical region is the most mobile of all parts of the spine and the most vulnerable.It contains very small vertebrae, much thinner than the vertebrae of other parts.In addition, the neck must always support the head when walking upright.The tension of the neck muscles leads to constant spasm of the blood vessels of the head and neck.Hence the headaches that occur from time to time, or last for hours or days.A large number of muscles connect the nape of the neck to the neck.Eight short deep muscles ensure the connection between the occipital bone and the first and second cervical vertebrae.Two deep muscles connect the back of the head to each of the seven cervical vertebrae.The longissimus neck and capitis muscles connect the back of the head and each vertebra to each other.Tension and spasm in any muscle can cause headaches and neck pain.Therefore, it is necessary to fight against headaches, starting with the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
Other causes of cervical osteochondrosis
The following factors can be called the causes of cervical osteochondrosis:
- hereditary predisposition
- sedentary lifestyle
- overweight
- heavy loads on the spine
- stress and nervous shock
- metabolic disorders
- they are wearing the wrong shoes
- malnutrition
- pregnancy period
As you can see, there is no particular reason that would lead to the development of cervical osteochondrosis.The process of degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs usually occurs slowly and imperceptibly.
Stages of development of cervical osteochondrosis
Very often a person does not suspect that he has a disease such as cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms, feeling, headache and neck pain, he prefers to ignore it or limit himself to taking painkillers.However, the development of osteochondrosis takes place in several stages:
- In the first stage, discomfort begins in the neck during prolonged walking, prolonged sitting at the computer or driving in one position.In this case, small compactions begin to form in the intervertebral discs.Degenerative changes of the vertebrae in the initial phase.
- In the second stage of the development of osteochondrosis, long-term pain occurs in the back of the head, in the temporal part of the head and in the neck.There may be ringing in the ears, pain when leaning or turning the head.The mobility of the cervical vertebrae begins to decrease, and intervertebral protrusion is possible.
- In the third stage, headache attacks are pronounced.The person feels dizzy, short of breath, difficulty breathing.There may be pain in the shoulders and different parts of the spine.Door mobility is limited.The fibrous ring of the intervertebral discs is destroyed, the nucleus pulposus loses its elasticity.Degenerative changes in the vertebral discs are pronounced.
- The last stage of development of cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by the presence of intervertebral hernias.Most destructive changes are irreversible.Almost all parts of the spine are affected.Treatment is possible only with surgery.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Along with headaches and neck pain, depending on the stage of development of cervical osteochondrosis, a number of symptoms accompanying this disease can be mentioned:
- A feeling of heaviness in the head
- Clicking of the vertebrae when turning or tilting the head
- Crackling sensation in the neck
- Tinnitus and feeling full
- Vertigo
- Numbness in the shoulders or shoulder blades
- Chest pain
- Feeling short of breath
- Lump in throat
- Feeling sick
- Double vision, spots before the eyes
- Increased body temperature
- High blood pressure
Symptoms can appear suddenly or be regular.Pain in the neck and back of the head is often felt in the evening.Sitting motionless in one position for hours takes its toll.The vertebral arteries that carry blood to the brain are compressed and spasmed.As a result of the manifestation of circulatory disorders, the brain is primarily affected.Often spasm of arteries and muscles in the neck area leads to limited mobility.A person temporarily, or most often, for a long period, cannot turn his neck.Dizziness, noise and ringing in the ears, a feeling of congestion also occur as a result of reduced blood flow from the vertebral arteries to the head.Vertigo can be systemic or non-systemic.With systemic vertigo, a person experiences the feeling that objects are rotating in a circle around him.In non-systemic vertigo, there is no sensation of circular rotation, but there is an unsteady state when the body is standing, and nausea may also be present.
Often in cervical osteochondrosis there is pinching of the nerve.This condition is caused by the displacement of the vertebrae to one side of the spinal column.Displaced vertebrae compress nerve endings, which leads to spasm of blood vessels and a feeling of shortness of breath.With a prolonged lack of oxygen, a person may experience shortness of breath.Accelerated heart rate, compressive pain in the region of the heart, increased blood pressure are frequent accompanying symptoms with damage to the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine.
Consequences and complications of cervical osteochondrosis
When the normal blood flow in the vertebral arteries is disturbed, the autonomic nervous system suffers.Spasms of blood vessels and spikes in blood pressure can lead to fainting.In case of fainting, the person should be given first aid immediately.It is necessary to position the body so that the legs are higher than the head, this will lead to normal blood circulation in the neck and activate the flow to the brain.Sometimes, in order to develop the cervical vertebrae and stretch the stiff neck when the body is in one position for a long time, a person starts turning the head strongly and quickly from left to right.As a result, the vertebral artery spasms, and instead of relief, a person begins to feel dizziness, ringing in the ears and a sharp headache, which can also lead to an increase in blood pressure and fainting.
The main and frequent complication of cervical osteochondrosis is the appearance of intervertebral hernias and protrusions.Disc herniation is the result of degradation and destruction of the intervertebral disc.In hernias and protrusions, there is compression and protrusion of the contents of the fibrous ring in any direction.In this case, the person feels constant pain due to the friction of the compressed intervertebral discs against each other.The most serious complication of cervical osteochondrosis can be considered a disease - myelopathy, in which the spinal cord is destroyed.Myelopathy is most often localized in the cervical spine.With this disease, a person feels numbness or tingling in the extremities, weakness and involuntary twitching of body muscles, pain appears in the chest and between the shoulder blades.
Diagnosis and detection of cervical osteochondrosis
If you have one or more symptoms that indicate cervical osteochondrosis, you should consult a doctor.A neurologist or orthopedist will examine the patient to assess pain and mobility of the cervical spine, identify associated symptoms, and recommend the necessary diagnostic measures.The most reliable nowadays is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).As a result of the examination, the presence of cervical osteochondrosis, as well as protrusion or hernia, can be detected with 100% accuracy in the patient.Contraindications for magnetic resonance diagnostics are the presence of a pacemaker in the patient.Childhood and pregnancy are not contraindications due to the fact that magnetic resonance does not involve exposure to X-rays.Unlike an X-ray, where only the bones of the skeleton are visible, an MRI shows all the soft tissues, muscles, ligaments, discs, spinal cord in the neck and nerve fibers.X-ray, as a method of detecting cervical osteochondrosis, is applicable only in the early stages of the disease.The advantages of this test method are speed, accessibility and low cost.X-rays can reveal only the degree of changes in the intervertebral discs, excluding the examination of soft tissues, muscles and nerve fibers in the neck.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
In order to prevent the occurrence of cervical osteochondrosis, several tips can be given:
- Avoid heavy lifting.If you need to lift something heavy, it is necessary to properly distribute the load on the entire spine.
- Avoid sitting for a long time in one position, avoid watching TV for many hours without changing your body position.
- The bed and pillow for sleeping and resting should be comfortable.An orthopedic mattress and anatomical orthopedic pillow, selected according to individual size, are preferred.
- It is necessary to follow the rules to prevent bending of the posture.Correct and straight position of the head, neck and back when walking and sitting ensures the health of not only the neck, but also the entire spine.
- A proper diet with plenty of protein foods, cereals, fruits and vegetables will provide the body with necessary vitamins and microelements.
- Including foods such as jelly, meat jelly, sea fish and seafood that contain collagen in your diet will undoubtedly benefit the bones of the skeleton, ligaments and cartilage.
- Proper and sufficient consumption of simple clean water will prevent the drying of the contents of the intervertebral discs and the occurrence of cervical osteochondrosis.
- Exercise and physical activity are very important at any age.In addition to walking in the fresh air, jogging, swimming, water aerobics, yoga and pilates are very useful.
Treatment.Sensation of symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Medicines, physiotherapy, massage, special exercises and gymnastics are used to treat cervical osteochondrosis, and in extreme cases, surgical intervention is not excluded.Analgesics are successfully used for pain relief.Non-steroidal drugs are indicated to alleviate the inflammatory process.For muscle spasms, doctors recommend relaxants.For regular neck muscle spasms, you will need to wear a special orthopedic collar.Anti-inflammatory ointments are used to reduce pain.Physiotherapy procedures are prescribed for slow cervical osteochondrosis without exacerbations.Well proven in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the neck: magnetic therapy, electrophoresis, UHF and shock wave therapy.During physiotherapy, inflammatory processes in the body calm down and the blood supply to the cervical spine improves.Regular massage is also indicated for osteochondrosis.
Among the exercises for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, 5 basic ones are widely used, which are performed at a slow pace.The exercises should be repeated three to five times.
- Exercise one.It consists of a slight turning of the head left and right.The shoulders remain still.
- Exercise two.It is necessary to press the forehead with the palm of the hand, slightly straining the neck muscles.
- Exercise three.It consists of tilting the head to the left and right, while when tilting to the left you should lower your head as low as possible and touch the left ear to the left shoulder, and when tilting to the right the right ear should touch the right shoulder.
- Exercise four.It is recommended to press the temple on the left side of the head with the left palm, and similarly to press the temple on the right side of the head with the right palm.
- Exercise five.Slowly tilt your chin toward your neck, turning your head first to the left and then to the right.
You can perform these simple but effective exercises every day with 10-15 minutes of free time.
Conclusion
In our body, the spine has five parts.The cervical spine deserves special attention.Due to the complex symptoms, the presence of numerous accompanying diseases and the lack of sufficient control, the appearance of cervical osteochondrosis is a serious problem.Starting with the usual mild discomfort in the neck, without proper treatment, the intervertebral discs begin to undergo degenerative changes, causing a lot of discomfort to the person.Dizziness, pain in the occipital and temporal part of the head, pain in the neck, buzzing and noise in the ears are the main, but not the only, symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.In order to prevent cervical osteochondrosis from progressing to irreversible changes and consequences at the stage of its formation, you should adhere to simple rules of diet and water regime, regularly engage in physical exercises, monitor posture and head position while walking, standing or sitting.Prolonged immobilization of the body is strictly contraindicated.