Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine - symptoms and treatment.

The cervical region of the spine is subjected to increased loads, which the cervical muscles are trying to lead to equilibrium during the influence of the above sources. This provokes the appearance of muscle spasm, due to which there is a violation of the transportation of blood throughout the body. As a result, the formation of anatomical damage is noted.

1. A sedentary lifestyle.
2. Work associated with long monotonous movements.
3. Sport as a heavy physical tension.

Osteochondrosis, a disease of the century and this is a reason, and the rest is more likely a consequence leading to the development of a disease. The manifestations of the disease are diverse, and at the first visit to a neuropathologist, it is not always possible to make an accurate diagnosis. In any case, having felt malaise and the first symptoms, we visit the doctor radiculitis. Diagnostics and begin treatment based on the results of the examination. At the early stage, to cure, possibly, any pathology. Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is a chronic, slowly progressive spinal disease, in which vertebrae, intervertebral joints and discs are affected and destroyed. The vertebrae from the first to the seventh, which belong to the cervical region, suffer. As the disease progresses, the intervertebral discs lose their elasticity and strength, flatten, relax, their amortizing properties worsen. Such deformation occurs due to changes caused by power disorders and tissue depletion. These violations are one of the natural processes of aging of the body, but various overloads, posture disorders, injuries, congenital abnormalities of the spine and some other causes provoke early wear of cartilage and discs. More and more young people choose a sedentary job. The absence of properly organized regular loads leads to a weakening of the muscles that fix the spinal column, a decrease in metabolism and blood circulation in the intervertebral spaces. As a result, as a result of one -time physical activity, a pinching of the spinal nerves may occur or an intervertebral hernia forms. Spinal deformation (lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis) is one of the causes of osteochondrosis

• excessive physical activity in sports or heavy physical labor;
• hereditary predisposition;
• hypothermia of the neck (walking in winter without a scarf);
• stress;
• work at the computer;
• obesity.

Some of the above causes cause osteochondrosis and other spine. Cervical osteochondrosis develops with excessive load on this part of the spine. The neck muscles are trying to reduce it, which leads to spasm, circulatory disorders, and as a result, to degenerative processes in the spine. This disease is dangerous because the vertebral artery passes close to the area of the lesion, which feeds the brain. With the displacement of discs, the growth of fibrous tissue, the operation of blood vessels occurs. For the successful treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical region, it is first necessary to establish the cause of the occurrence, the prerequisites that provoked its development and eliminate them. Until recently, the disease was found only in people aged 45 years. Now young people are subject to 18-25 years old. The main causes and prerequisites for the occurrence of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra are:

• Violation of posture in young or adolescence.
• Excess weight, obesity of different degrees. Extra pounds increase the load on the vertebrae and discs, which leads to degenerative processes.
• Wending spine, scoliosis.
• Back injuries, which may have happened in childhood or adolescence.
• Violation of metabolic processes.
• Work related to physical labor, which can provoke diseases of the spine in different departments.
• Inexpensive lifestyle, sitting work, improper performance of any exercises.

• Stress, nervous stresses negatively affect the general state of the body, can cause cervical osteochondrosis.
• Transferred infectious diseases often become the root cause.
• The wrong, uncomfortable position of the body during sleep (for example, an uncomfortable pillow).
• Inborn problems or the presence of hereditary diseases.

The main cause of the occurrence of the disease is a sedentary lifestyle, due to which nutrients seem to "stagnate" and do not reach the destination-the spine. However, there are others:

• Lack of physical activity and sports, as a result, a poorly developed muscle corset
• Excessive physical activity
• Smoking and alcohol abuse
• abuse of too oily and salty foods, "quick" carbohydrates
• Excess weight
• heredity
• generic or other injuries
• Initially curved posture
• Transferred infectious diseases with complications on the spine
• Natural aging of the body

The main causes of cervical osteochondrosis are a sedentary lifestyle. Pathologies are most susceptible to drivers, office workers, lovers to sit near the monitor screens. Due to the constant sedentary image and with a lack of physical exertion, they can:

• there are violations of metabolic processes;
• deposit of salts in the liver, kidneys, neck;
• The degree of salts in the lymphatic fluid, as well as blood flow, increases.

Violations of the vertebrae are provoked due to the lack of nutrients of the inter-(the intermittent disc. Also, the possible causes of osteochondrosis of the cervical region are an unbalanced, incorrect nutrition. The most frequent factors for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:

• excess weight, hormonal imbalance;
• strong physical activity, heavy for the human body;
• genetic predisposition;
• constant stress, nervous tension;
• damage to posture (rheumatism, scoliosis, etc. );
• trauma in the neck of the neck, spine;
• abnormalities in the development of neck departments, flat feet;
• hypothermia of the body;
• age -related changes;
• Sports activity.

Many of the above factors form the load on the vertebrae of the neck, which is why muscle spasm appears. As a result, circulatory disorders are manifested, metabolic processes decrease, and this leads to degenerative deviations. Sometimes, with cervical osteochondrosis, the cause of the formation can be a developing disc, which is transmitted to bone tissue and close vertebrae. Often it appears with prolonged physical exertion.

Methods of preventing the disease

Osteochondrosis is a recurrent degenerative-dystrophic pathology that proceeds against the background of the gradual destruction of the intervertebral discs and bone deformation. It is necessary to exclude from the usual way of life the factors provoking the deterioration of trophics of cartilage fabrics. This is low motor activity, excess weight, excessive physical activity, a deficiency in the diet of products with a high content of trace elements, vitamins.

Progressing, osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae passes some stages that are classified by various symptoms. Distinguish 4 stages of the development of pathology:

1. Basically, at the first stage of the disease, the unexpressed smoothing of the cervical bend (lordosis) is noticed. The clinical manifestation is insignificant, not severe pains of the neck can be observed, exacerbating with head turns, as well as muscle tension. This stage is treated without medicines, the main thing is to change nutrition, do exercises, etc.
2. There is an instability between the vertebrae, their displacement, Thuria can occur. The patient has more enhanced pains transmitted to the shoulders, hands. The height of the disks becomes less, because of this there is infringement of nerves. The patient feels fatigue, headaches, the level of working capacity, inattention drops.
3. There is a decrease in the height of the intervertebral discs, narrowing of the holes, a hernia begins to form. The pain of the neck and shoulders increases, the muscles of the hands are weakening, numbness, malaise, dizziness occurs. Diagnosis determines the weak mobility of the neck.
4. At 4 stages, the disk destruction is observed, they are replaced by connective tissue. Such a current hurts several sections of the ridge that are at different stages of the violation. In people, coordination changes, pain, dizziness increases, noise in the ears and so on may occur.

Signs of the disease in the neck are significantly different from the symptoms of osteochondrosis in another area of the vertebral column. Since the cervical vertebrae are located close, the nerve roots and spinal cord are pinched. This leads to the emergence of such signs:

1. The pain syndrome is localized in the neck, nape, shoulders, arms and legs. At the time of joining the nervous receptors, the appearance of uncomfortable sensations in the shoulder zone, the back of the head, hands begin to be rebuilt. Due to spasm in the cervical muscles, blood circulation is disturbed.
2. The occurrence of weakness in the upper extremities is noted, associated with damage to the functionality of the roots, which contribute to the inclusion of motor nerves that rebuild muscle tissue in the hands.
3. The upper limbs are rebuilt due to a decrease in the sensitivity in them, violations of the roots in which sensitive nerve endings are located.
4. When turning the head, painful sensations appear, you can also hear a crunch. This is explained by damage in the small joints of the cervical region, a decrease in the level of intervertebral discs.
5. The patient complains of insufficient strength, the appearance of fatigue, dizziness, coordination disorders. Due to the displacement of the spine elements, the vertebral artery is squeezed. Because of this, blood circulation worsens, which leads to a weakening of blood supply to the occipital section and cerebellum.
6. The appearance of problems with vision, loss of sensitivity in the language is noted.

Symptoms for cervical osteochondrosis in women are not different from signs in men. Women who have reached 45 years of age and older, who are diagnosed with such a disease, note numbness and tingling in the upper limbs in a dream.

Methods for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

The main signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical region include:

• pain in the back of the head, neck, arm and shoulder, which intensify when sneezing, coughing and minimal load on the arm;
• burning between the shoulder blades, tingling in legs or arms, numbness;
• pain and crunch in the neck that occur during tilting and turns of the head;
• fatigue, weakness;
• fainting and dizziness arising from sharp turns of the head;
• The headaches, which usually begin in the back of the head, spread to the temples and crown.

Other signs of cervical osteochondrosis include noise in the ears, hearing impairment, and a decrease in visual acuity. Sometimes the disease makes itself felt by pulling pains in the heart area. At the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis, consult a doctor who will conduct a comprehensive examination will make a diagnosis. In this case, such diagnostic methods as MRI, laboratory studies, ultrasound, ECG can be used. As well as the collars of Shantsa - are elastic with plastic or metal inserts, gesture, inflatable. Devices vary in height, degree of fixation, and design of fasteners.  It all depends on the neglect, characteristic symptoms of pinching of the radicular nerve, as well as other factors. How to cure cervical osteochondrosis or reduce its manifestation with medicines:

• Anti -inflammatory drugs of non -steroidal type. Medicines relieve swelling, pain, alleviate the patient's condition.
• Vitamins B with osteochondrosis of the cervical region. Contribute to the acceleration of metabolic processes in soft tissues.
• Recovery stimulants. They help restore cartilage tissue even in a damaged disk.
• A group of drugs that helps relieve muscle cramps.
• Anesthesia.

Cervical osteochondrosis is treated with conservative methods, and the treatment is always comprehensive. Drug therapy is the same for osteochondrosis of any department: use drugs from certain pharmacological groups, but the choice of specific drugs from these groups, dosage, duration of intake is selected individually for each patient. The X -ray picture of the cervical spine after surgical treatment of C5 - C7 vertebrae is supplemented by a temporary wearing of a chanstz collar or its varieties. Due to the fixation of the cervical vertebrae, osteochondrosis of the cervical region is treated faster. This additional orthopedic device helps to cope with pain, normalizes blood flow through the vessels of the neck, and improves the general condition of the patient.

The severity of the symptoms of the disease of the cervical osteochondrosis depends on the degree of destruction of the structures of the vertebrae. The symptoms are aggravated with the growth of bone tissue with the formation of osteophytes, radicular syndrome (root pain when pinched the nerve), intervertebral hernia (protrusion of the disk in the spinal canal). The first signs of the disease are periodic headache in the nape, soreness in the neck, crunch and clicks in the vertebrae when turning the head, sometimes a slight tingling shoulders. Over time, the symptoms grow, and the intensity of pain intensifies.  It is difficult to raise the hand from the side of the defeat - immediately there is a shot in the shoulder or neck. The restriction of head movements due to pain often occurs in the morning after sleep in an uncomfortable position. The ailment leads to squeezing the roots of the peripheral nerves (roying syndrome) and causes pain along these nerves. It is possible to numb the hands or fingers, a violation of the sensitivity of certain skin areas innervated by a pinched nerve.