There was a time when the disease was considered “age-related, ” but more recently, “osteochondrosis up to the age of 35” has been increasingly diagnosed. This is due to a change in the rhythm of life - more and more people are taking part in sedentary and sedentary work. And most importantly: physical activity, flexibility decreases, and accordingly, blood circulation deteriorates, which is most important in nourishing and restoring the spinal plates.
Interesting fact: statistics show that more than 80% of the population has more or less changes in the spine after 30 years.
Causes
Osteochondrosis is a common name for spinal aging. The process is directly related to changes in the structure of the vertebrae and discs. Due to internal and external factors, the plates become thinner. They appear - protrusions, hernias, instability of the vertebrae, changes in bone tissue, the appearance of osteophytes (thorns, growths). And these phenomena are complications of osteochondrosis. The course is chronic and in the absence of complex therapy makes further normal life very difficult.
You may be familiar with the factors that cause dystrophic changes, but once again note:
- Hypodynamics - contributes to the disturbance of blood circulation in the neck, the weakening of the muscle ligament.
- Curvature of the spine (stoop, lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis).
- Long stay in a static position and vice versa - increased load and weight lifting.
- Injuries.
- Overweight, pregnancy.
- Heredity, metabolic disorders.
Man is the only creature on the planet that struggles with spinal problems in the cervical spine. This is due to our ability to walk completely straight, as well as our muscle weakness and high neck mobility.
Hereditary predisposition plays an important role in the development of cervical osteochondrosis. Moreover, relatives do not need osteochondrosis. The risk zone includes people with a family history of degenerative and dystrophic diseases of the osteoarticular system (arthrosis, spondylitis, hernia, etc. ).
The neck is an important link. A lot of blood vessels and nerves go through it to the brain. The problems in this part of the body certainly affect the blood circulation in the brain and the work of the upper section - the shoulders, the arms. Degeneration gradually, increases.
Stages of cervical osteochondrosis
In the first stage, local pain syndrome occurs, accompanied by sharp tension in the muscles, which increases the already unpleasant feelings, restricts movements.
Pain is expressed in 2 forms:
- Cervicago - "cervical lumbago", a sharp, sharp pain that occurs when moving.
- Cervicalgia - a pulling, painful, constant muscle tension. With proper treatment, it can take more than two weeks.
In the second stage, a “radical” syndrome develops - compression of the nerves due to thinning of the ligaments and plates. The pain appears when you sneeze or cough. If the patient is placed on his back and passively moves his head, painful feelings appear.
Numbness of the hand from the neck to the fingertips is common, especially after sleep. The symptom disappears quickly after active movements or placing the hand behind the head. If numbness or pain persists, complications (protrusion, hernia) may develop.
In addition, the shoulder may "freeze" with the appearance of "shoulder-hand" syndrome - when arthritis of the shoulders and hands begins due to circulatory disorders of osteochondrosis.
Main symptoms
The main symptoms of cervical spine osteochondrosis are:
- Headache and dizziness.
- Localized pain and possible irradiation of the shoulder, occiput, or scapula (especially the cervicothoracic region).
- Numbness and weakness in the arms.
- Lots in my throat.
- Arterial hypertension (persistently high blood pressure).
- Decreased hearing and vision acuity, tinnitus (development of spinal artery syndrome).
Interesting: changes in the disease affect important veins in the neck that deliver blood to the brain. Patients with chondrosis may experience "Sistine Chapel" syndrome - fainting after a sharp throw of the head.
Pain and its localization are often disguised as a serious disease, angina pectoris.
Diagnostics and Treatment
It is very important to treat the symptoms of cervical spine osteochondrosis at the very beginning of degenerative processes. To do this, you should seek help from a neurologist or vertebrologist immediately. But practice shows that they ask for help, already with complications - protrusion, hernia, instability of the vertebral bodies.
The patient should be thoroughly examined - ultrasound of the heart, blood vessel of the brain and neck, ECG, urine and blood tests. It is extremely important that an X-ray be taken, in multiple projections and with the mouth open (to see the vertebrae that cover the teeth).
Unfortunately, doctors diagnosed with osteochondrosis correct many diseases because there is no time, experience, desire to identify this or that symptom. They prescribe a treatment that brings temporary relief, but the real cause remains undiscovered, over time, everything returns, or does not bring relief at all. This situation makes people self-heal.
Treatment of cervical spinal osteochondrosis
Therapy should be as complete as possible.
- Physiotherapy.
- Medication.
- Massage.
- Physiotherapy.
- Stretch.
- Stretching of the cervical spine according to Shishonin's method.
- Quitting habits.
Physiotherapy
The effectiveness of treating osteochondrosis of the spine neck with physiotherapy and therapeutic baths has been scientifically proven.
- Relieve pain syndrome.
- Eliminate the inflammation.
- Increase the effectiveness of drug therapy and other methods of treating cervical osteochondrosis.
The therapeutic effect of physiotherapy is enhanced in the form of low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic therapy in combination with radon baths, sometimes with iodine-bromine baths.
Medication
When complications, hernias, or large protrusions of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine occur, inflammation of the compressed nerve roots occurs. Therefore, you must pierce the course of intramuscular injections of vitamins B1, B6, B12 to relieve inflammatory symptoms and stop the pain. In addition, in the case of impaired blood circulation, the viscosity of the blood increases, which disrupts the blood supply to the brain with oxygen. Platelet inhibitors are needed.
Therapeutic therapy.
- Eliminates pain and inflammation.
- Accelerates metabolism in tissues that have been damaged due to detrimental blood supply.
- Dilutes blood, improving blood circulation.
Massage
A massage of the neck area is necessarily included in the treatment program for osteochondrosis of the neck.
- Muscle tension is relieved, thereby releasing tightly constricted arteries.
- Improves blood circulation and tissue nutrition, which has a positive effect on the heart and brain.
- Muscle pain is reduced.
Unfortunately, a good massage is not free and many people reject this procedure because of the high prices. But in the medical complex, cervical spine massage should be included for the sake of the case. Even if you are advised that you do not need the physiotherapy so much.
Physiotherapy exercises
Treatment of osteochondrosis with physiotherapy of the cervical spine is the main method without which recovery is impossible. No pill can cure osteochondrosis without exercise. Tune in to having to exercise every day of the year all year long so you can forget about the symptoms of the disease forever.
Important: Exercise therapy is a 70% victory over osteochondrosis. Even if the pain was gone, the disease was not gone anywhere. He can't relax.
Goals and objectives of exercise.
- Strengthen the deep muscles of the neck and the muscular corset of the shoulder so that the muscles hold the head in position, the intervertebral discs without stress, and no protrusions develop that compress the nerve endings. Increasing the intervertebral space, thereby eliminating compression of the nerve roots.
- Bring back pain-free movements while improving flexibility and mobility.
- Exercise speeds up and increases blood circulation, thereby improving the nutrition of the intervertebral discs and surrounding muscles.
Important: Train yourself to do a series of exercises three times a day for the first 4 weeks and then once a day for a year.
Neck Exercises
Before doing any exercise, you need to warm up your muscles.
Warming up
We warm the muscles of the chest and cervical spine. Slow circular movements with the shoulders - back and forth. Every muscle needs to work as much as possible.
Circular movements with the shoulders - as far as possible, lift, move forward, down, then forward. When retracting, the shoulder blades are contracted. And the same circles with both shoulders in a row.
Add arms - and repeat the movements with the arms bent at the elbows. One after the other, we bring the shoulder blades back together while holding our hands back. And then we move our shoulders as far forward as possible.
This completes the warm-up. Let’s start by doing some basic neck exercises.
Practice Technique
Perform each movement slowly to avoid harming yourself and preventing nerve entrapment.
Assume the correct posture. The shoulders are lowered, leaning back slightly, the chin parallel to the floor. The purpose of static exercises is to train the deep muscles of the neck. Each movement holds its resistance for 5-8 seconds. Relax for two seconds and repeat again. So five times.
- We press the palm to the temple and press it to try to bend the head, resisting with our head, thus preventing the hand from tilting to the side. Do the same on the other side.
- Place your hand on the lock, support your chin and press the resist head.
- We resist with our foreheads.
- From the headrest
- The head resists alternately from the side of the cheekbones
As the neck muscles are strengthened, the shoulder girdle should be strengthened. Exercises with several expanders 2-3 times a week should be incorporated in the treatment complex.
Additional load
Exercise improves the body's overall blood circulation in the form of running, brisk walking, swimming, aerobics. The brain, in particular, suffers from poor blood supply and needs oxygen for cervical spine problems. Workouts last at least 20-30 minutes, no more than twice a week.
Dry adhesion of the cervical spine
The dry stretching method is horizontal and vertical. This method is called traction - a highly effective treatment for spinal osteochondrosis. Young people can easily enjoy a full recovery, using only one traction during the treatment. Because disc recovery at a young age is much faster. Of course, age inhibits healing and the ability to repair cartilage tissue, but adhesion remains an important point in the complex treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
Stretching issues
- Increase the lumen between the vertebrae.
- Eliminates pain due to compression of nerve roots.
This procedure has contraindications, so do not do it without consulting your doctor. Previously, this method was practiced only in hospitals, sanatoriums and rehabilitation centers.
The stretching technique is now available at home with a treatment collar. The towing session lasts 15 minutes a day.
We have analyzed the entire cervical spine treatment program, it remains to talk about the normal lifestyle, which must also change in perfect order.
Important: All of the above methods should be discussed with your doctor.
Abandonment Habits
We understand that laziness and excuses lead to early osteochondrosis. If you don’t defeat them, you don’t need this article. Drink painkillers and live longer than before. Although you can try to correct some bad habits.
- Sleep on an orthopedic pillow and mattress.
- Do not lie on a high pillow for hours while playing on the phone while reading and your head is raised high. The cervical vertebrae then press on the blood vessels, disrupting blood circulation.
- The computer's upright posture when there is no time control. Set the alarm clock hourly to warm up your stiff neck muscles.
- More movement - sports games, outdoor activities, walking 10, 000 steps a day.
Summary
Course procedures - injections, massages and physiotherapy are given every 1 month every six months. During this period, physiotherapy practices increase up to three times a day.
Every day in other months:
- Exercise therapy - 1 time a day.
- Stretch.
Repeat the procedures after 5 months. And this rate is at least a year. Positive results can be noticed within a month.
The above technique is not an algorithm for all cases of cervical osteochondrosis. All points should be discussed with your doctor. But if the doctor prescribes only one method, such as physiotherapy, massage, the effect will be temporary. The treatment is long, so it is better to tune in immediately to the success of your recovery. Believe that you will not return to your old way of life by starting to practice and feel relief.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis
Several groups of drugs are prescribed for basic medication.
- Analgesics are prescribed in tablets or especially for severe pain with novocaine blockade.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - Nurofen, Diclofenac.
- Irritant ointments - finalgon, capsicam.
- Preparations for relaxing neck muscles - muscle relaxants.
- Intramuscular injection of B vitamins
During the relief of the main pain syndrome, support for currents, massage, warm-up is prescribed (put boxes, mustard plaster). During the period of exacerbation always appear pain, in order to relieve them, as well as muscle tension, the exercise complex presented above is performed, apply budget pepper plaster.
Important: All exercises with a head inversion are prohibited in spinal artery syndrome, when the cervical vessels are pinched due to osteochondrosis.
You can take effective relaxing baths at home with herbal decoctions, compresses and rubbing (e. g. using propolis, aloe). The Russian bath copes well with muscle tension. A traditional steam bath with a broom relaxes, reduces pain and invigorates.
In extreme cases, surgery should be used when there is a risk that complications due to compression may lead to disability. Namely - complete compression of blood vessels or nerves, significant growth of osteophytes or the appearance of hernial protrusion. The surgery is performed according to all the rules of neurosurgery - under a microscope and with minimal incisions.