Do you have back pain or numbness in your limbs?These are the first signs of osteochondrosis.An inactive lifestyle, sedentary work, and stress on the neck and spine can cause damage by causing cartilage to wear down and lose moisture.
Cervical osteochondrosis causes degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs.Not only are the discs damaged, but the vertebrae and joints in the neck are also damaged.If the disease is left untreated for a long time, the patient's general health deteriorates: persistent headaches, vertebral hernias develop, and cerebral circulation deteriorates, leading to cognitive decline.
Causes of osteochondrosis
Incorrect sitting posture, that is, pulling the neck forward, can lead to the occurrence of cervical spondylosis.In this case, excessive pressure occurs on the intervertebral disc, causing changes in the nucleus pulposus and compressing blood vessels.This is the posture a person assumes in front of a computer in the workplace.Therefore, office workers are most likely to suffer from cervical osteochondrosis.
In addition, the causes of pathology may include:
- Improper load distribution when carrying luggage;
- The sleeping area is too soft (the spine curves into an unnatural shape);
- genetic predisposition;
- Lack of vitamins and trace elements in the diet;
- Endocrine system disorders;
- Curvature of the spine and poor posture during active growth;
- Cervical spine injury;
- The existence of bad habits.
stage of disease
Only an experienced doctor, after examination and palpation, can determine whether your painful symptoms are a sign of the development of cervical osteochondrosis and at what stage the disease has progressed.In general, the development of cervical osteochondrosis goes through four stages:
- The nucleus pulposus - the central part of the intervertebral disc undergoes moderate dehydration in the first stage.As a result, the supporting and shock-absorbing functions of the intervertebral discs are gradually lost.In the first stage, you'll feel pain from sudden movements, hypothermia, and staying in one position for too long.
- The second stage of development is characterized by congestion and spasms, which compress capillaries and blood vessels and impede normal blood circulation.As a result, the disc's frame thins, forming a herniation (bulging forward or backward).Under the influence of excessive loading, osteophytes can form on the cervical spine.The pain is concentrated in one place; sudden rotation and tilt of the head may cause cervical dislocation.
- Herniations develop due to thinning of the spinal discs.The edge of the nucleus pulposus breaks through the annulus fibrosus and extends beyond the edge of the vertebral body.Muscles and nerve endings are compressed.Pain may be felt in the neck, back, and extremities.
- In the fourth stage of the disease, the discs shift and form central and lateral hernias.Additionally, scarring can form on the discs, rendering the affected joints immobile.Patients experience persistent back pain that radiates to other parts of the body, persistent fatigue, and asymmetries in body parts.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis vary according to the stage of pathological development.In the early stages, it may have few symptoms.Neck and back pain only occur when you remain in one position for a long time, or when you bend or turn sharply.
Later in development, the spine can creak, back pain can radiate to other extremities, and numbness can occur in parts of the body.During osteophyte formation and extrusion, the following happens:
- Headache in the back and parietal lobes;
- speech impairment and tongue numbness;
- Decreased sensitivity of neck skin;
- breathing disorders;
- changes in blood pressure;
- Disturbed heartbeat;
- Noise and blockage in ears;
- Fainted.
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are much more pronounced in women than in men.This is because women are more susceptible to vascular disease and the structure of the spinal segments is more fragile.When changes occur in the intervertebral discs, symptoms of the disease begin to appear.This causes disruption of normal blood circulation and can lead to severe headaches, dizziness, and neurosis.Worsening of the disease in women usually occurs during menopause, when the body undergoes hormonal changes.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in men are similar to those in women; erectile dysfunction may be observed alone.
Headaches caused by cervical osteochondrosis are caused by poor circulation to the brain and spinal cord.When vertebrae become misaligned, they compress arteries and the amount of oxygen in the blood decreases.Unfortunately, this pain may not go away, even with strong painkillers.Therefore, it is important to solve the problem comprehensively.Dizziness caused by cervical osteochondrosis may be accompanied by darkening of the eyes and ringing in the ears.This happens because muscle spasms reduce the supply of oxygen to the brain.
Throat lumps, burning sensations, difficulty breathing, and muscle spasms are common with cervical osteochondrosis.This disease causes nerve fibers in the cervical spine to compress the head and neck.Disrupted nerve impulses can cause a sore throat.
Blood pressure can rise suddenly due to vasospasm and nerve ending irritation.The elevated low pressure in osteochondrosis indicates an impairment of the blood supply to certain areas of the brain because the vertebral arteries are compressed by the intervertebral discs.As a result, hypoxia occurs and blood pressure increases.
How is cervical osteochondrosis diagnosed?
Pathological diagnosis begins with consultation with a specialist.When osteochondrosis first appears, consult a rheumatologist, neurologist, surgeon, or orthopedic traumatologist.The doctor will ask about symptoms and their frequency; you will need to provide the specialist with a complete medical history and the results of earlier studies, if any.The specialist will perform a visual inspection and palpation and refer you for examination.During the examination, the doctor will pay special attention to neck mobility, muscle tone, skin sensitivity, and identify the most painful areas.
To determine the condition of muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, and to detect inflammatory processes or tumors, an informative and safe diagnostic method is needed - MRI of the cervical spine.During an osteochondrosis MRI scan, the patient lies supine on a special sliding table.A roller is placed on the patient's head to relieve muscle tension, and straps are used to immobilize the limbs.Any slight movement during the procedure will affect the quality of the results.Next, the workbench moves to the tomography area.The procedure does not cause pain.Tomography scanners can make a lot of noise during the scan, so you can use headphones to avoid discomfort.
If MRI is contraindicated, there are other diagnostic methods such as computed tomography and radiography.X-rays are only useful for preliminary diagnosis and cannot provide layer-by-layer images of affected tissue.However, this study is the simplest and most economical and allows you to examine the patient's body through multiple projections.Because the body is exposed to intense radiation, X-ray examinations cannot be performed frequently.
During a computed tomography scan, one or more beams of ionizing rays are used to scan.They pass through the body and are recorded by detectors.The detector moves in opposite directions along the patient's body, recording up to 6 million signals.The images show tissue of varying density in cross-sections and precisely define the boundaries of organs and affected areas.This process allows you to obtain layer-by-layer images.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis can only be determined by a doctor after examination, studying the medical history, and obtaining hardware diagnostic results.If the disease is diagnosed at an early stage, it is treated with a conservative approach.In the treatment of osteochondrosis, it is important to adhere to a comprehensive treatment - taking medications, undergoing physical therapy, having therapeutic massage and avoiding strenuous physical activities.
First, you need pain relief.For this purpose, analgesics and topical analgesics are used.For severe muscle spasms, an orthopedic collar may be required.After the pain syndrome has resolved, it is necessary to stop the inflammatory process and restore normal blood circulation.To do this, perform antioxidant and anti-inflammatory treatments.As additional measures, therapeutic exercises and swimming are also prescribed.You can do physical exercises at home or with a trainer.
If osteochondrosis becomes severe, your doctor may perform surgery.In rare cases, when the pathology occurs in the context of other diseases, such as scoliosis, herniated disc, curvature or displacement of the spine, injury, surgical treatment is performed.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in women is not particularly different from treatment in men.However, doctors often recommend that women perform external compression to warm up and strengthen the neck muscles.
Experts recommend preventing various back problems from early childhood.To do this, you need to develop proper posture while walking and sitting at your desk.Eating well and properly strengthening your back muscles will help you avoid negative consequences in the future.