Osteochondrosis is a disease of the skeletal system, characterized by changes in the cartilage tissue. As a result of the development of the disease, a person's work capacity decreases, blood circulation and the integrity of the vertebral discs are disturbed. Most often, the disease develops as a result of obesity, physical inactivity, spending time in front of the computer or driving a car.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, as it develops, is characterized by the following symptoms:
Neck pain with cervical osteochondrosis
- Ongoing headaches. Patients with osteochondrosis mainly experience headaches, which are aggravated by a sharp turn of the neck or a sharp movement of the head.
- Neck pain that can radiate to the shoulder area. It often appears in the morning, immediately after sleeping, decreases or disappears completely after warming up the neck muscles.
- Cervical lumbago, characterized by acute pain in the neck, tightening of the muscles in the affected area and limited mobility.
- Pain in the sternum or gallbladder. Patients more often suspect that they have a pathology of the cardiovascular system, but the intake of nitroglycerin does not relieve pain. When cervical osteochondrosis is manifested by pain in the sternum, patients complain of a decrease in muscle strength in the arms.
- In almost all patients with osteochondrosis, you may hear a characteristic crack and crack if you ask a person to tilt their head in different directions.
- Hoarse voice.
- Osteochondrosis of the neck can manifest itself as numbness of the tongue and fingertips (a symptom occurs as a result of compression of the nerves and vessels located next to the intervertebral discs.
- Increase in blood pressure.
- Paresis of the extremities, decreased muscle strength in the extremities.
The cause of the above symptoms is damage to the connective tissue and intervertebral discs with their subsequent deformation. As a result of pathological processes, the discs fill with bone formations, osteophytes are formed, which squeeze and damage blood vessels and nerve pathways.
Stages of the disease
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops in several stages. The more the patient's disease progresses, the more symptoms become and the more serious the complications of the disease become.
Grade 1 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by damage to the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc. When metabolism in the body is disturbed, the nucleus pulposus, which is a structure of biopolymeric compounds, is destroyed. At first, it loses water, gradually dries out, and therefore decreases in size. Its strength decreases significantly and it becomes more difficult for the spine to cope with physical activity. At this stage of the disease, a person does not feel pain, does not seek medical help. If you begin to identify osteochondrosis at this stage, the patient will not need drug treatment.
Grade 2 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by a lesion of the annulus fibrosus in the intervertebral disc. Cracks and tears appear on the surface of the disc as a result of a strong and uneven load on the column. Due to the fact that the fibrous annulus becomes thinner, the nucleus is fully squeezed into the resulting tears and cracks, expanding them. As a result, the disc increases in size and begins to protrude beyond the edges of the vertebrae. This phenomenon is called disc protrusion. Second-degree cervical osteochondrosis is the stage of the disease when a person feels pain for the first time.
Grade 3 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by the formation of a hernia. Not only does the annulus fibrosus become thinner, it ruptures, causing the nucleus pulposus to "flow" into the subglottic space and form a herniated disc. As a result of the development of the process, all the surrounding tissues suffer: ligaments and muscles, nerves and blood vessels.
Over time, the skeletal system of the vertebrae changes: the edges of the vertebrae change shape, become striated and even sharp. The muscles surrounding the altered bone system contract involuntarily, limiting the mobility of the spine. All nerve fibers that cross the spinal cord are affected, the conduction of nerve impulses from the brain to organs and tissues is interrupted. It is important that the symptoms of osteochondrosis appear depending on the location of the osteochondrosis.
Grade 4 cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by degenerative spinal reconstruction. After destructive processes in the body, recovery processes begin to prevail. The duration of the fourth stage is approximately one year. During this time, the nature of bone growth changes in the deformed vertebra. The bone begins to grow in width, so the area of the vertebra increases. These growths in medicine are called osteophytes. Thanks to them, the mobility of the injured spine is reduced and the processes of its destruction are suspended. Over time, the sedentary vertebra completely becomes a static bone pillar.
And if the pain syndrome subsides, the compressed nerves and blood vessels remain in place, they are compressed not only by the discs and vertebrae, but also by the formed osteophytes. These processes must be properly treated to prevent the consequences of the disease.
Complications of cervical osteochondrosis
The main consequences of the development of cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Vascular disorders (compression of arteries);
- Hernia formation of varying severity;
- Spinal cord injury;
- Osteophyte formation;
- Restricted mobility of the spine.
What complications can cervicothoracic osteochondrosis lead to? The most dangerous consequence is the deterioration of the blood supply to the brain. As a result of squeezing the arteries, less blood enters the brain, the gray matter receives little oxygen.
If a patient develops vertebral artery syndrome, when the key blood path to the brain is pinched, the person becomes dizzy and faint.
In addition to impaired consciousness, patients with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine experience vision and hearing problems. In addition to numbness of the extremities, it is possible to develop Dupuytren's syndrome, which is characterized by stiff hands. As a result of the development of the syndrome, the mobility of the fingers is lost.
Hypertension and vegetative-vascular dystonia (VVD) are considered frequent complications. A cosmetic defect that appears as a result of the development of osteochondrosis is the formation of the withers ("mound" of cartilage tissue at the back of the head).
Treatment methods
The choice of treatment for cervical osteochondrosis depends on the stage of the disease. Medical treatment consists of the prescription of non-steroidal drugs, analgesics and antispasmodics by a doctor. The dosage of the drug is adjusted at the discretion of the physician.
Physiotherapy is often prescribed to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae. With the help of exercises, you can not only eliminate pain, but also reduce inflammation, strengthen the muscles of the back, and reduce the risk of complications.
The massage has a general strengthening effect. After a course of massage, a patient with osteochondrosis will lose tension and pain, and the blood supply will increase.
When drugs are not helpful, doctors should prescribe surgery. During surgery, doctors remove parts of the intervertebral disc that compress the nerve roots.
The best treatment is a combination of several methods. Medical treatment should be combined with massages, physical therapy exercises and gymnastics.
Some doctors believe that acupuncture and herbal remedies are an effective treatment method.
Prevention
To reduce pain and prevent the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you can use simple methods. To begin with, each person must constantly be in a position that relieves the load on the spine. You must remember the exercises that knead the muscles and support the metabolic processes in the spine. To obtain a positive result, it is necessary to follow the recommendations given by the doctor.
Key Recommendations:
- Distribute physical activity evenly across the spine. To do this, limit vertical loads, avoid sudden movements and exercises that can damage the spine. Avoid falling or jumping from great heights.
- Don't carry heavy objects by stretching your arms in front of you. Before lifting an object off the ground, you should not lean forward, but squat down.
- Do not move objects in one hand, it is advisable to distribute the load on both extremities. If this is not possible, then you should place the load in a wheeled suitcase or backpack.
- If it is necessary to carry a heavy load, you should wear a wide belt or buy a special corset before work.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- The best prevention of the disease is swimming, doing regular gymnastics, taking a contrast shower.
- Stressful situations should be avoided.
- You must remember the rules of a balanced diet.
- Get rid of bad habits.
It is necessary to understand that it is much easier to prevent a disease than to cure it for a long time and persistent. If the operation is not necessary in the early stages of the disease, the later stages of osteochondrosis require surgical intervention.