Osteochondrosis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system. According to statistics, about 90% of the population suffers from this disease. Most patients don't even realize this because the initial form of the disease is asymptomatic.
Another group of people only experience back discomfort periodically, which is recorded as fatigue and not treated. Among all types of osteochondrosis, cervical spine disease is widespread. If treatment is started on time, there is a chance to get rid of this disease.
The essence of osteochondrosis
The development of osteochondrosis involves two mechanisms: malnutrition and degeneration. The first means that the nutrition (nutrition) of the intervertebral cartilage (disk) is violated. The second is the result of malnutrition-organic changes in cartilage tissue and vertebral structure.
The essence of the disease is as follows: abnormalities in the circulatory system in certain areas of the back cause cartilage tissue exhaustion and dehydration. It loses nutrients along with the liquid. As a result, the cartilage loses its elasticity and firmness, and therefore loosens. The distance between the vertebrae is reduced and their static properties are disturbed (constant position). They can squeeze each other, squeeze each other while pinching nerve roots.
When suffering from osteochondrosis, cartilage will wear out more quickly.
If malnutrition persists, the muscles that support the spine will also lose their tone. The spine sinks even more. Due to the increased friction, the protrusions-the contents of the cartilage sac will be damaged outwards.
Next, trigger the natural defense mechanism of the spine. Bone growth-osteophytes appear on the bones. They must ensure a stable position of the vertebrae. However, the growth of osteophytes usually exceeds the "demand". Excessive growth can also put pressure on the cartilage and nerve fiber remnants. Moreover, they are sturdy. The spine loses its elasticity and may damage the "adjacent intervertebral disc. "The patient loses mobility and suffers severe pain. The result of advanced osteochondrosis is disability.
Due to blood congestion, osteochondrosis is accompanied by the deposition of salt in the area near the cartilage. This "accumulation" exacerbates the development of the disease and aggravates the damage to cartilage and vertebrae.
Why are neck injuries more frequent
The cervical spine is the most sensitive and fragile. It has the smallest components and is not suitable for heavy loads. However, the neck muscles are not involved in all types of sports activities. Therefore, chronic blood congestion and vertebral joint dystrophy. If a person does not participate in sports, the risk of cervical osteochondrosis will be greatly increased. Most people rarely use their necks for daily work.
The main cause of osteochondrosis is a low-powered lifestyle. Lack of exercise, coupled with passive leisure, can lead to muscle weakness and vascular tension. Neck disease can cause staying in one position for a long time. Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is considered by many office workers and computer scientists.
Excessive physical activity can cause muscle tension. Continued to be in a state of tension, they can also trigger a stagnant process. Indirect causes of the disease include malnutrition (excess salt and fat in the diet) and metabolic disorders. The disease can be triggered by autoimmune processes, lack of nutrients (vitamins and minerals), endocrine diseases and psycho-emotional shock (because they are also accompanied by excessive muscle tension).
How to identify cervical osteochondrosis
Early osteochondrosis will not manifest itself in any way. In the first stage of development, cartilage will become dehydrated. It cannot be seen from the outside and will not cause physical discomfort. This disease can be discovered accidentally while checking the spine for injury or other discomfort.
In stage 2, cartilage sagging. The height decreases and the amortization ability decreases. Early symptoms may appear at this stage. Their characteristic is periodicity. Obviously felt neck discomfort and then disappeared. It disappears completely regularly. A person sometimes feels neck pain. They appear after being tired or staying in one position (sitting or standing) for a long time. Discomfort appears in the morning because the patients weaken when they "walk" and remind themselves in the afternoon. If salt is deposited on the cervix area, people will hear the spine crunching when turning. "Click" when tilting the head will not hurt.
In stage 3, nerve roots may be partially embedded. This is accompanied by severe pain. The patient complained of low back pain and sudden sudden pain in the neck. Discomfort will appear after resting position. Compared with the early days, it is more worrying. A person's neck is "tired" in a short time. There may also be pain. They attacked patients at night and at night.
Cervical spine stagnation causes cerebrovascular accident. It manifests as headache (sometimes migraine), tinnitus, and dizziness. When there is continuous hypoxia (hypoxia), one side of the scalp often feels "goose skin bump". There is also a second symptom-the patient gets tired very quickly, feels weak, drowsy (for no obvious reason), and sometimes restless sleep.
Parallel to the listed symptoms, the joint range of motion in the cervical spine will also change. Certain head or neck movements are accompanied by severe pain. The patient subconsciously reduces the amplitude, trying to maintain a comfortable posture.
Stage 4 of osteochondrosis is accompanied by the appearance of protrusions and osteophytes. Infringement of nerve roots leads to persistent pain syndrome. If inflammation develops in the process of change, the pain will become persistent. A person has more and more headaches and visual disturbances (decreased vision at dusk, "flies", blurred pictures). The mobility of the neck is greatly restricted. The patient avoids turning the neck and, if necessary, the entire body. When the nerves are damaged, there will be pain, "chicken skin ump" or numbness in the shoulder blade, shoulder, forearm and even hands.
Diagnosis
The above complaints should be referred to a neurologist, orthopedic surgeon or vertebral surgeon. The doctor will interview the patient and conduct an examination. During the examination, he will check the sensitivity of cervical acupoints, reflexes, and mobility. If osteochondrosis is suspected, an additional examination will be prescribed. It includes several projection X-rays of the cervical spine.
If there is no abnormality in the X-ray examination, but the patient is still unwell, an MRI or CT scan should be performed. Using these methods, osteochondrosis can be detected even at the earliest stage.
How to treat
Even if the patient has all the signs of osteochondrosis, it is best to see a doctor. Only an expert can objectively assess the degree of damage, distinguish rickets from other diseases, make a correct diagnosis and choose a treatment plan individually.
This disease takes a long time to develop. The onset of osteochondrosis can occur regularly and disappear on its own. The patient should still be checked.
The disease is treated in an outpatient clinic. Surgical intervention (removal of osteophytes) is an extreme measure that can only cause severe damage to the nerve roots of severe pain syndrome. Conservative treatment can almost always be abandoned.
Osteochondrosis (depending on stage) is treated for 1 to 3 months. Treatment should be comprehensive. Here, only drugs are essential. Even after the onset of the disease, patients must control their activities and take preventive measures. The main task of treatment is to stop the degeneration process. Relieving symptoms with drugs can only temporarily relieve the patient's condition. There are several ways to treat osteochondrosis at home.
Medications
With the help of medicine, you can eliminate inflammation, relieve pain, provide useful substances to the body and improve the nutrition of cervical cartilage. Analgesics are used as symptomatic treatment. In the course of inflammation, pain is eliminated with NSAID. The medicine is prescribed in the form of tablets (if the symptoms are moderate) or injections (if the pain is severe).
In order to eliminate muscle hypertonicity, muscle relaxants should be used concurrently with NSAID. These funds improved the effectiveness of painkillers, allowing them to "get free" the focus of inflammation. Due to the risk of side effects, painkillers should be used within the shortest course of treatment (5-10 days).
stipulates that cartilage protective agents can increase elasticity and restore cartilage. In the acute phase, these are injections. As maintenance therapy, doctors recommend long-term use (3-6 months) of capsules or tablets.
In order to improve the therapeutic effect, the medication can be combined with external medication (ointment, gel, patch). Pepper or peppermint tablets, ointment pain relievers can relieve severe pain. In addition, rickets can be treated with cartilage protective ointment.
In order to improve the nourishment of the joints, it is recommended to use B vitamins and vascular preparations.
Folk remedies
In traditional medicine recipes, there are many suggestions to treat osteochondrosis. Like traditional methods, folk remedies can be used internally or externally.
The most powerful theme mix:
- Horseradish compression.Wipe the horseradish on a fine grater, spread the porridge on gauze, apply it to the neck, cover it with a film, wrap it with a bandage, leave it for 2 hours, wash it with water, and continue for 10 days before going to bed.
- Compressed with potatoes.Rub 3 large potatoes, add 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of mustard, spread the mixture on cheesecloth, attach it to the painful area for 1 hour, and compress it twice a day for 2 weeks.
- Red pepper lotion.Cut 2 packs of red pepper into porridge, mix with chopped aloe leaves, pour a glass of alcohol, one day later, moisten the gauze in the mixture, apply it to the neck for 15-20 minutes, and wash with cold water. The treatment lasted 2 weeks.
Mustard and pepper can promote blood circulation.
Infusion, decoction and tincture can be used inside. All recipes are aimed at normalizing metabolism, removing salt and eliminating inflammation:
- Parsley soup.Grind three tablespoons of coriander seeds in a coffee grinder. Pour the ingredients with one liter of boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat. After cooling completely, filter. Take 100 ml orally twice a day for 15 days.
- Bariu tin.Pour 10 grams of a mixture of dried roots and barberry bark (which can be purchased at a drugstore or Chinese herbal medicine store) into 100 ml of alcohol or vodka. The mixture was left in the dark for 10 days. After fatigue, take 30 drops 30 times a day half an hour before meals.
- Celery infusion.Pour one tablespoon of chopped celery root into one liter of water. Bring to a boil over low heat and turn off immediately. After a day, filter it, three tablespoons before meals, three times a day. The treatment lasted 1 month.
Before using any traditional medicines, you should make sure that you are not allergic to their ingredients. If you experience a strong burning sensation when using the compress, you need to remove the bandage and rinse off the remaining mixture with running water.
Physiotherapy, exercise therapy and massage
Doctors usually prescribe physical therapy to treat osteochondrosis. This may be preheated with medical ultraviolet rays, exposure to low-frequency current, magnetic therapy, electrophoresis, or sound. This operation is performed in the hospital using special equipment. They eliminate inflammation and improve the passage of drugs into cartilage tissue. The combination of medicine and physical therapy can quickly relieve the symptoms of discomfort. The course will require 10-15 procedures. In order to obtain stable results, all types of physiotherapy must be completely completed (do not interrupt).
Physical therapy to treat osteochondrosis of the neck includes simple exercises. They can be executed independently in the morning and evening and between work. Physical exercise can be done while sitting or standing.
Cervical osteochondrosis exercises can include the following exercises:
- 2 minutes, first rotate the head clockwise, then counterclockwise (2 sets);
- Smoothly lower your head forward, backward and to the sides (15 times in each direction);
- Raise your shoulders as much as possible, keep your neck and head still (15-20 times);
- Rotate your shoulders forward or backward, keeping your neck and head still (1 minute in each direction);
- Fold your palms, press your fingertips on the center of your forehead, and smoothly guide your neck along the temporal area to the clavicle (10 times);
- , without changing the position of the chin, move the neck smoothly back (pull the chin inward), and then move it forward to the sides (do not tilt or rotate the face);
- Place your palms in the lock behind your back, pull your arms back, lift and stretch your neck as high as possible, and keep it stretched for 15 seconds (3 times).
For osteochondrosis, massage is considered the best way to improve blood circulation in the neck. If the patient is accompanied by a well-trained expert for a complete course (10-15 sessions), the effect is better. If this is not possible, you can rub your neck at home.
Self-massage quick start guide:
- First, you need to warm up the neck muscles: rub the back of the head with the finger pad or the edge of the palm;
- Kneading involves light pressure and then relaxing the muscles-kneading with 4 collected pads and thumbs;
- Slightly pinch the skin on the neck to improve blood circulation;
- Gently press both sides of the spine with your fingers, across the entire cervical spine area;
- To relax the back of the head, pat gently with your palm or fingers.
Each stage of the massage ends with a gentle palm massage. To improve the effect, massage the neck with ointment. After the massage, you need to make sure that the cervical area is warm.
Massage the neck only with the palm or fingertips (not the fist).
All treatments for osteochondrosis should be supplemented with diet. The classic healthy diet includes the use of lean meats, fish, seafood, whole grains and many vegetables. Food must be boiled, grilled or steamed.
During the entire diet, it is necessary to reduce salt intake and give up fast food and sweets. It is important to drink at least 1. 5 liters of water every day. Eating jelly and jelly can strengthen joints, which is very useful.
Through a comprehensive approach, the symptoms of the disease will disappear within a week, and the destruction of cartilage will stop completely.