In the modern world, the resonance of the disease cervical osteochondrosis is difficult to overestimate.Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is much more common than in other spinal regions.Almost all people over the age of twenty-five have this disease to one degree or another.
Cervical osteochondrosis develops mainly due to a sedentary lifestyle, which is especially facilitated by the historical transition of a person from physical labor to mental labor, which, although to a moderate extent, is accompanied by performing work in a sitting position.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a degenerative-dystrophic disease of the cervical spine, leading to damage to the intervertebral discs, which is characteristic of the disease osteochondrosis.Since this part of the spine is by its nature quite mobile, but also vulnerable due to a poorly developed muscular corset, therefore any negative impact on the neck or back has a bad effect primarily on the cervical vertebrae.Due to the fact that degenerative changes most often develop in the most mobile spinal areas, the nerve endings at the C5...C7 level are most often affected in the cervical region.
Since the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are highly controversial, they are not always considered only as symptoms of this disease, which often leads to seeking help from specialists in other fields of medicine.Let's look at them in a little more detail.
Cervical osteochondrosis and its symptoms
Due to the fact that the cervical spine is quite compact compared to its other sections, even minor tension in the neck muscles or displacement of the cervical vertebrae can lead to compression or pinching of the nerve roots, which can also affect the vessels located in this section.Well, osteophytes - bone growths, in folk medicine called "salt deposition" and formed during the development of the disease cervical osteochondrosis, lead as a result only to a significant worsening of the course of the disease.
The clinical manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis, i.e.its symptoms can be divided into reflex symptoms and root symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.
Reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include the so-called "lumbago", which is expressed in the appearance of a sharp sharp pain in the neck and noticeably increases with each movement.Because of this, patients often take some forced, most comfortable position of the head.In addition, it is quite possible that a typical "crunch" occurs when turning or other movements of the head.
When suffering from cervical osteochondrosis, patients often experience a headache that has a compressive nature and radiates to the eyeballs or the temporal part of the head.In addition, sometimes the sharpness of visual perception may decrease, as if "everything floats before your eyes."
Vertebral artery syndrome can also develop with irritation of its nerve plexus, which is very often misdiagnosed as a cerebral circulation disorder due to the patient's dizziness.This symptom of cervical osteochondrosis can manifest itself with sudden head movements and is complicated by nausea and possible vomiting.
In addition to the above, the reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis also include a cardiac syndrome in which sensations similar to an angina attack appear.But this manifestation of symptoms of osteochondrosis is usually combined with a complex of other signs of this disease, so it usually does not cause difficulties in making the correct diagnosis.
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, as a rule, appear due to compression of the spinal nerve end - the root.In this case, sensory disturbances affecting motor functions depend entirely on which specific nerve root is damaged, namely:
- C1 – reduced sensitivity in the occipital region;
- C2 - the appearance of pain in the parietal or occipital region of the head;
- C3 – disturbance of sensitivity and appearance of pain in the neck area, where the spinal root is injured, with possible disturbance of the speech function due to loss of sensitivity of the tongue and control over it;
- C4 - the appearance of pain and reduced sensitivity in the scapulohumeral dorsal region, as well as pain in the heart and liver, with a simultaneous decrease in neck muscle tone and possible respiratory disorders of the respiratory function;
- C5 – reduced sensitivity and pain on the outer surface of the shoulder;
- C6 – pain radiating from the cervical spine to the scapula, the outer surface of the humerus, the forearm and further from the wrist to the thumb;
- C7 - the same pain as in C6, but radiating from the scapula to the posterior humeral surface and further from the forearm to 2..4 fingers of the hand, with a decrease in sensitivity in the area of pain;
- C8 – decreased sensitivity and pain radiating from the neck to the shoulder and then from the forearm to the little finger.
Cervical osteochondrosis and its treatment
Cervical osteochondrosis is a rather complex and extremely unpleasant disease, the treatment of which requires systematicity, duration and stages.Therapeutic treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is mainly aimed at completely stopping the painful symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and eliminating inflammation in the neck area affected by the disease.
Patients treated for cervical osteochondrosis are treated with classical analgesics.Although recently, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which effectively relieve pain and reduce the activity of inflammation, have also become widely popular in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Among other things, in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, chondroprotectors are also used, which slow down the process of destruction of cartilage tissue and, according to many experts, also contribute to the process of their regeneration.In addition, patients are prescribed the use of B vitamins, which improve metabolic processes in the patient's body.
But the use of external gels or ointments for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is not effective, but it makes sense, because in the process of rubbing into the skin, an additional massage of the cervical spine is performed.
Physiotherapy procedures are additionally combined with traditional medical treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, and in particular the use of magnetic therapy through special therapeutic devices is particularly effective.In addition to the above, therapeutic massage, physiotherapy and manual therapy are also used.But in particularly severe cases of the disease, surgical intervention may be necessary.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
Preventing cervical osteochondrosis in itself is not difficult.Recommended:
- maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle,
- sports or at least morning gymnastics,
- competent workplace organization,
- compliance with the work and rest schedule,
- for prolonged work in a sitting position - during working hours, warm up several times and ensure the correct position and posture of the head during work.
It is also important to choose a comfortable pillow and mattress to sleep on.But for those who already suffer from this disease, the daily use of specialized orthopedic products for comfortable sleep is highly recommended.