Osteochondrosis of the cervix

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the skeletal system, characterized by changes in cartilage tissue. As a result of the development of the disease, a person's ability to work is reduced, blood circulation and the integrity of the vertebral discs are impaired. Most often, the disease develops as a result of overweight, physical inactivity, frequent spending time at the computer or driving.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, as it develops, is characterized by the following symptoms:

Neck pain with cervical osteochondrosis

• Persistent headaches. Patients with osteochondrosis usually experience headaches, which are exacerbated by a sharp turn of the neck or a sudden movement of the head.
• Neck pain that may radiate to the shoulder area. It often appears in the morning, immediately after sleep, diminishes or disappears altogether after warming up the neck muscles.
• Cervical lumbago is characterized by severe neck pain, muscle stiffness in the affected area, and limited mobility.
• Pain in the sternum or gallbladder. Patients most often suspect they have a pathology of the cardiovascular system, but taking nitroglycerin does not relieve the pain. When cervical osteochondrosis manifests with pain in the sternum, patients complain of a decrease in arm muscle strength.
• In almost all patients with osteochondrosis, you may hear a characteristic crack and crackling if you ask a person to tilt their head in different directions.
• Sound noise.
Osteochondrosis of the neck can occur with numbness of the tongue, fingertips (a symptom occurs as a result of compression of nerves and vessels located near the intervertebral discs.
• Increased blood pressure.
• Paresis of the limbs, decrease in muscle strength in the limb.

The cause of the above symptoms is damage to connective tissue and intervertebral discs with their subsequent deformation. As a result of pathological processes, the discs grow with bone formations, osteophytes are formed, which squeeze and damage blood vessels and nerve pathways.

Stages of the disease

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops in several stages. The more the patient's disease progresses, the more the symptoms become, the more serious the complications of the disease become.

Grade 1 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by damage to the pulposus nucleus of the intervertebral disc. When metabolism is disturbed in the body, the pulposus nucleus, which is a structure of biopolymer compounds, is destroyed. At first, it loses water, dries gradually, and therefore shrinks in size. His strength decreases significantly and it becomes harder for the spine to cope with physical activity. At this stage of the disease, a person does not feel pain, does not seek medical help. If you begin to identify osteochondrosis at this stage, then the patient will not need medication treatment.

Grade 2 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by damage to the anus fibrosus in the intervertebral disc. Cracks and tears appear on the surface of the disc as a result of strong and uneven load on the spine. Due to the fact that fibrosus anulus becomes thinner, the nucleus is completely squeezed into the resulting tears and cracks, enlarging them. As a result, the disc increases in size, begins to protrude beyond the edges of the beads. This phenomenon is called disk elongation. Grade 2 cervical osteochondrosis is the stage of the disease in which a person initially feels pain.

Grade 3 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by the formation of a hernia. The annulus fibrosus not only becomes thinner, but breaks down, so that the pulposus nucleus "flows" into the subglottic space, forming a herniated disc. As a result of the development of the process, all the surrounding tissues suffer - ligaments and muscles, nerves and blood vessels.

Over time, the skeletal system of the vertebrae changes: the edges of the vertebrae change in shape, becoming ribs and even sharp. The muscles around the altered bone system contract involuntarily, thus limiting the mobility of the spine. All nerve fibers passing through the spinal cord are damaged, transmitting the conduction of nerve impulses from the brain to organs and tissues. It is important that the symptoms of osteochondrosis appear depending on the location of the osteochondrosis.

Grade 4 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by degenerative spinal reconstruction. After the destructive processes in the body, the recovery processes begin to prevail. The duration of the fourth phase is about one year. During this time, the nature of the bone growth in the deformed vertebra changes. The bone begins to grow in width, due to which the vertebral area grows. Such growths in medicine are called osteophytes. Thanks to them, the mobility of the injured spine is reduced and its destruction processes are suspended. Over time, the sedentary vertebra becomes by no means a static column of bone.

And if the pain syndrome diminishes, the nerves and blood vessels stuck remain in place, they are squeezed not only by the discs and vertebrae, but also by the osteophytes formed. Such processes must be properly treated in order to prevent the consequences of the disease.

Complications of cervical osteochondrosis

The main consequences of developing cervical osteochondrosis are:

• Vascular disorders (compression of arteries);
• Formation of hernias of varying severity;
• Spinal cord injury;
• Osteophyte formation;
• Restricted spinal mobility.

What complications can cervicothoracic osteochondrosis cause? The most dangerous consequence is the deterioration of the blood supply to the brain. As a result of the compression of the arteries, less blood enters the brain and the gray matter is poorly supplied with oxygen.

If a patient develops vertebral artery syndrome - when the main blood path to the brain is hit, then the person suffers from dizziness, fainting.

In addition to impaired consciousness, patients with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine experience visual and auditory impairment. In addition to numbness of the limbs, it is possible to develop Dupuytren syndrome, which is characterized by stiffness of the hands. As a result of the development of the syndrome, the mobility of the fingers is lost.

Hypertension and vegetative-vascular dystonia (VVD) are considered common complications. A cosmetic defect that appears as a result of the development of osteochondrosis is the formation of dryness ("mound" of cartilage tissue in the back of the head).

Treatment methods

The choice of a method for treating cervical vertebral osteochondrosis depends on the stage of the disease. Medical treatment consists of the prescription of non-steroidal, analgesic and antispasmodic drugs by a physician. The dosage of the drug is adjusted at the discretion of the doctor.

Physical therapy is often prescribed to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae. With the help of exercises, you can not only remove the pain, but also reduce the inflammation, strengthen your back muscles and reduce the risk of complications.

Massage has an overall strengthening effect. After a course of massage, a patient with osteochondrosis will lose tension and pain, and the blood supply will increase.

When treatment is not helpful, doctors should prescribe surgery. During surgery, doctors remove parts of the intervertebral disc that compress the nerve roots.

The best treatment is a combination of several methods. Medical treatment should be combined with massage, physiotherapy exercises and gymnastics.

Some doctors believe that acupuncture and herbal remedies are an effective method of treatment.

Prevention

To reduce the pain and prevent the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you can use simple methods. To begin, each person should be constantly in a position that lightens the load on the spine. It is necessary to remember about exercises that cook muscles and support metabolic processes in the back. To get a positive result, it is necessary to follow the recommendations given by the doctor.

Key Recommendations:

• Distribute physical activity evenly across the spine. To do this, limit vertical loads, avoid sudden movements and exercises that can damage the spine. Falling or jumping from great heights should be avoided.
• Do not carry heavy objects with your arms outstretched in front of you. Before you take an object off the floor, you should not lean forward, but sit down.
• Do not move objects with one hand, it is advisable to distribute the load on both limbs. If this is not possible, then you should place the load in a suitcase on wheels or in a backpack.
• If it is necessary to carry a heavy load, then you should put on a wide belt or buy a special corset before work.
• Wear comfortable shoes.
• The best prevention of the disease is swimming, regular gymnastics, taking a contrast shower.
• Stressful situations should be avoided.
• You need to remember the rules of a balanced diet.
• Get rid of bad habits.

it is necessary to understand that it is much easier to prevent a disease than to cure it for a long time and persistently. If surgery is not required in the early stages of the disease, then the later stages of osteochondrosis require surgical intervention.