Osteochondrosis usually refers to any degenerative changes in articular cartilage. Therefore, this pathological condition can occur in all joints of the musculoskeletal system. However, in the case of cervical osteochondrosis, the most obvious symptoms are noted, such as headaches and headaches and heartache, that is, damage to the cartilage tissue between the cervical-humeral-spine vertebrae.
According to WHO statistics, approximately 60% of Europeans suffer from osteochondrosis or reach another level. In men, the onset of this disease is 10 years earlier than in women. Representatives of the sterner gender face symptoms around the age of 45. Half of the females are 55-60 years old. At the same time, experts have sounded the alarm about the continued recovery of the disease. If measures are not taken in time, then literally, the number of 30-year-old osteochondrosis patients will greatly increase in the next ten years.
Causes of osteochondrosis
There are many reasons for changes in malnutrition in pulp. The natural aging of cartilage tissue should be given top priority. This is an objective and irresistible situation. However, as mentioned above, the disease is getting younger and younger, which is no longer related to aging, but to other reasons.
In young patients, the disease usually occurs due to metabolic disorders related to poor diet. The abundance of fat in food and the reduction of vitamin content are the reasons why cartilage begins to "starve to death" and enter a state of malnutrition.
Another exciting factor is lack of physical activity. Reading the forums for communicating with people with this disease, you will find that most of them are still relatively young residents in big cities. Generally speaking, they are engaged in long-term sitting mental work. The low exercise capacity of the cervical spine leads to loss of elasticity of the intervertebral disc cartilage.
Due to malnutrition and related metabolic disorders, and due to lack of physical activity, the pulp begins to degenerate and become denser. In the late stage of osteochondrosis, complications occur, which are manifested by the replacement of the cartilage tissue of the bone and the thickening of the intervertebral disc. This causes compression of nerve roots and blood vessels here. Elements of the nervous and vascular system participate in the pathological process to determine the specific course of osteochondrosis.
Specificity of disease
The difficulty in coping with this disease lies in its late diagnosis, which can be explained by the disguise of osteochondrosis under other pathological conditions. People are missing precious time and do not treat this pathology because they do not know the existence of this pathology. And you can't blame the patient if the pressure rises, then we can treat hypertension. Heart stab-let's go to the cardiology department. Head injuries are frequent, and now, without ibuprofen or analgesics, a person cannot fall asleep. We didn't even think we needed to see a neurologist.
At the same time, it only takes a few times to access this profile expert, and you can start the process of restoring each cervical cartilage, which will gradually eliminate pseudohypertension, suspected angina, persistent headaches, and neck and shoulder areasOther symptoms related to the condition seem to us that the spine is not connected.Timely pathological examination can prevent further endodontic dystrophy and allow you to treat osteochondrosis at home and in outpatient clinics-without hospitalization. Unfortunately, when the neck begins to hurt unbearably, the vast majority of patients turn to a neuropathologist, who already has enough severe disc disease.
Diagnostic method
The diagnosis of osteochondrosis is a complicated task. This study may take a long time, but its cost is reasonable, because the early treatment of the disease avoids the worst-surgical treatment of ossified intervertebral disc, which loosens nerve roots during the operation and uses fully functionalThe implant or simple height compensator was replaced to remove the spinal element. After a comprehensive diagnosis, the orthopedic surgeon determines which solution a particular patient needs.
Since the disease has been covered up as described above, it is first necessary to ensure that the symptoms are not related to other organ problems. For example, in the case of heart pain, you need to have a heart check and confirm that there is no heart disease. A comprehensive diagnosis method can not only confirm the suspected osteochondrosis, but also find out the general condition of the human body along the way.
The final diagnosis is based on the X-ray examination of the frontal and scoliotic cervical spine. A more useful method is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It allows you to more accurately determine the location of malnutrition changes. Thanks to this, doctors have the opportunity to prescribe real acupoint therapy.
Receive folk remedies at home
If the term is used completely in this case, the advantage of osteochondrosis is that patients can be treated at home without mandatory hospitalization. The treatment process includes taking special medicines and exercising in the exercise therapy complex.
The following table lists the drugs (types) used to treat osteochondrosis at home.| Painkiller | In most cases, these are tablets and sometimes capsules. These funds are aimed at alleviating cervical pain. |
| Anti-inflammatory | Hormonal drugs can prevent the inflammatory process caused by changes in the intervertebral cartilage. Also relieve pain. |
| Cartilage protector | contains drugs used to restore cartilage tissue components, such as hyaluronic acid. Designed for long-term use. |
| Muscle relaxants | Means to relax muscle tension. These drugs can only be taken under the supervision of a doctor. Due to the excessive list of contraindications, the use is restricted. |
| Outdoor | Ointment, gel, etc. Use anti-inflammatory, pain relief and heating. Before using these funds, you need to consult an expert. |
| Vitamins | Vitamin-containing preparations usually improve the conductivity of nerve fibers and the function of the peripheral nervous system. These are the vitamins of the B group and the A and C groups. In some cases, vitamin D is needed. |
It should be understood thatthe types of medicines listed do not provide a basis for self-administration. Specific drugs that specify the dosage and take into account the pathogenesis in each case can only be prescribed by a certified neurologist. Inadvertently insisting on TV commercials "recommend" the best medicine for the treatment of osteochondrosis is not a cure for this disease, but will worsen the situation. Be careful!
Injection therapy
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, drug injections are used together with pills and ointments. There are many types of injection drugs. The treatment course includes all types of injections, including:
- subcutaneous;
- Intramuscular;
- intravenous;
- Epidural.
Compared with oral medicine and various folk remedies, injections are more effective. The blood flow quickly transports the medicine to the sore, which explains the rapid healing effect. And, for example, by epidural injection, the drug is injected directly into the spinal cord and immediately starts to work.
Vitamins and other support medicines are usually injected subcutaneously. Intramuscular injection of anti-inflammatory drugs and cartilage protective agents. For example,injections of anti-inflammatory drugs that are so popular among patients are injected into muscle tissue. Intravenous injection of drugs can accelerate the cerebral circulation. This is necessary when squeezing the overgrowth of the intervertebral disc blood vessels, the blood transports oxygen and nutrients to the brain through the intervertebral disc. The purpose of epidural injection is to prevent severe pain when other pain relief methods are ineffective. With this injection, the needle passes between the intervertebral processes and delivers the anesthetic directly to the spinal cord. This process is only performed by a trained professional anesthesiologist.
The injection is only fully effective if you exercise regularly in medical gymnastics. That is, the drug itself is not sufficient to completely treat osteochondrosis. Only combined with exercise therapy can relieve the symptoms of the disease and restore the affected cartilage tissue in the future.
What should I do when my condition gets worse?
Although osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is chronic and more or less difficult to detect for a long time, sometimes patients will exacerbate the condition. In each patient, they occur at different intervals, and they may occur in unpredictable ways. During these periods, timely measures must be taken to prevent serious deterioration of the condition.
Intensify the provocateurs
As they said,- pressure;
- Non-professional massage;
- Weather phenomenon;
- Visit the hot spring bath (sauna);
- Excessive exercise after long periods of inactivity.
In women, osteochondrosis usually worsens during menstruation. Alcoholism is also a powerful provocative factor.
Exacerbate symptoms
The symptoms of worsening osteochondrosis of each patient show different symptoms and are determined by the general clinical conditions of the pathogenesis. For example, all patients have noticedcervical spondylosis and headaches in acute situations, and not everyone feels less sensitive to facial numbness during the exacerbation period, but this happens often. And, of course, during this period, the symptoms of diseases that conceal osteochondrosis intensified. These are heart pain, dizziness, tinnitus, hot flashes, etc. Exacerbation is particularly dangerous, during which cervical spine inflammation will occur.
Mitigation measures
During the exacerbation of osteochondrosis, you must first consult your doctor. Don’t ignore this rule, as delayed processing can cause damage. The neurologist will evaluate the patient’s condition and recommend effective and important steps to safely escape the crisis.
Usually in acute diseases with osteochondrosis, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs are injected. But during this period, gymnastics must be interrupted. Instead, the patient must remain calm. Rubbing the neck is unacceptable-it will aggravate the condition. It is recommended to transfer the supine position to the supine position and fix the head at the same time, and place a roller or at least one plate under it.
Prevention of exacerbations plays an important role in reducing the frequency of exacerbations. It boils down to maintaining correct exercise habits in daily life.Patients with osteochondrosis should monitor their posture, keep their head straight and avoid sudden movements. In humid and cold weather, it is necessary to protect the cervical spine from hypothermia. And, of course, you should not forget the one-minute medical gymnastics-you need to do it regularly. This is the key to not aggravating the course of osteochondrosis.
2 diseases
Neuropathologists distinguish 3 degrees of osteochondrosis-1st, 2nd and 3rd. In most patients, the disease is recorded in the second stage. This is due to the following points. First-degree disease is characterized by short-term pain in the neck, similar to electric discharge. In the initial stage, the fibrous annulus that fixes the central part of the intervertebral disc begins to collapse. The guideline for diagnosing grade 1 osteochondrosis is pupil dilation, which has nothing to do with other phenomena in the body.
There are not many patients with grade 1 osteochondrosis. The disease at this stage is temporary. If it is not treated in time, it can be eliminated (timely treatment), or it can quickly enter the second stage. The situation of the number of patients with grade 3 osteochondrosis is similar. It is also very small. This is due to the fact that in most cases, doctors try to start treatment in time and prevent the pathology from transitioning from the second stage to the third stage. This level of disease is characterized by acute neck pain, which does not subside even after taking painkillers, loss of control of the upper limbs, constant dizziness, and frequent fainting. Because medical treatment is usually ineffective, surgery is usually used to treat third degree osteochondrosis.
Since most patients suffer from Grade 2 osteochondrosis, this form of the disease has received the most attention from a clinical point of view, and has accumulated the richest experience in the treatment of the disease at this stage. According to statistics, among all patients with this pathology, the proportion of patients with stage II osteochondrosis is about 75%.
The specificity of this disease is its chronic course and short onset period.The difference between the second degree and the first degree is that the spacing between the vertebrae continues to decrease. In other words, the intervertebral disc has not collapsed like the third stage, but it has become significantly thinner, causing the nerve root to shrink and causing all the typical symptoms of osteochondrosis.
Since grade 2 pathology is the most common, generally speaking, regarding the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, they imply the implementation of treatment measures for this specific form of disease. Let's repeat, they include medication and physical therapy exercises. Correct treatment can eliminate the disease and prevent the disease from transitioning to the third stage by replacing the intervertebral disc with almost inevitable surgery.
Main symptoms and appropriate treatment
Cervical osteochondrosis is a degenerative disc disease that is difficult to diagnose. In most cases, people between the ages of 45 and 50 will experience this disease, but in recent years, this pathology has "rejuvenated" and now neuropathologists usually treat 30-year-old patients.
The difficulty of detecting osteochondrosis can be explained by the "simulated" nature of the disease process-when it is disguised as another disease.The cause of the disease is the decrease in the elasticity of the cartilage tissue, thereby forming a damping slurry between the vertebrae.. The cartilage became sparser. As a result, nerve roots are compressed (so-called nerve root invasion), causing the following symptoms:
- Head and heartache;
- Increased blood pressure;
- Decreased sensitivity of the facial area (until numbness);
- Partial paralysis of upper limbs.
All these symptoms must be accompanied by neck pain. Usually, this pain is mild and does not force the patient to take painkillers. Ignoring the slight soreness in the neck, the patient will not hear the alarm about osteochondrosis, but will try to treat other pathological conditions, such as angina or high blood pressure, which he most likely does not have.
Processing method
According to modern methods, osteochondrosis progresses in waves. First, it manifests itself in the form of deterioration (acute phase). Then the symptoms weaken and enter the subacute phase. The third stage is remission, and its state continues until the next deterioration. The task of treating osteochondrosis is to quickly stop the acute phase, reduce the condition of patients in the subacute phase and ensure long-term relief.
In the acute and subacute phases, patients take painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. At these stages, an effective solution is to use Shants neck gauze collar, which puts the head in a relaxed position for the neck muscles, thereby eliminating pain. In the remission period, it is necessary to use chondroprotective agents that can improve the quality of cartilage tissue for drug treatment and a set of physical exercise therapy. Gymnastics is more important than injection of hyaluronic acid, because healthy physical activity naturally stimulates the formation of collagen fibers in cartilage.
Types of cervical and thoracic lesions
Strictly speaking, cervical and sternal osteochondrosis are two different forms of the disease. However, they are often combined. This is due to the fact that the cervical and thoracic vertebrae are closed to each other, which connects the two types of disc pathology. In other words, with the changes in cervical dystrophy, the same violation was actually observed in the thoracic region. Therefore, these two forms of disease are combined, especially because their symptoms are very similar to each other. The main symptom is pain. For cervical osmotic diseases, the pain is located in the neck. In the case of cervical thoracic lesions, the sternal pain will be aggravated.
Common symptoms include:
- Facial numbness;
- Head and heartache;
- Unstable blood pressure;
- Big tinnitus.
If the thoracic vertebrae are damaged, it will be supplemented in terms of impaired motor coordination, activation of shoulder joint arthritis, and hand paralysis.
Treatment of cervical thoracic spine
If osteochondrosis is detected in the thoracic spine, professional massage is required. The massage effect triggers the natural process of cartilage tissue regeneration. Massage is more effective in eliminating thoracic spine diseases than eliminating gymnastics, because the spine in this part is not flexible, so when exercising, it is not always able to provide a normal range of motion for a single vertebra. On the contrary, massage therapists can produce accurate effects on diseased discs. Only you should contact a chiropractic specialist who has the appropriate certificate. In addition, massage therapists must be licensed.
Timely measures to eliminate cervical sternal osteochondrosis will avoid surgery and replace damaged discs with prostheses. Early diagnosis of pathology and discipline using drugs and folk remedies in outpatient treatment will save you money. If you suspect osteochondrosis at all, consult a neurologist. But better. . .
Before treating a disease, be sure to consult your doctor. This will help to consider the individual’s tolerance, confirm the diagnosis, ensure correct treatment and rule out adverse drug reactions. If you use a prescription without consulting a doctor, you are responsible for the consequences. All information is for the purpose of providing information only, not for medical assistance. All responsibility for this application lies with you.