In the modern world, the resonance of the disease of cervical osteochondrosis is difficult to overestimate.Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is much more common than in other vertebral regions.Almost all people over the age of twenty-five suffer from this disease, in one way or another.
Cervical osteochondrosis develops mainly due to a sedentary lifestyle, which is especially facilitated by the historical transition of a person from physical work to mental work, which, albeit to a moderate extent, is accompanied by carrying out work in a sitting position.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a degenerative-dystrophic disease of the cervical spine, leading to damage to the intervertebral discs, which is common in general for the disease osteochondrosis.Since this part of the spine is, by its nature, quite mobile, but also vulnerable due to a poorly developed muscle corset, any negative effect on the neck or back has a negative effect primarily on the cervical spine.Since degenerative changes develop more often in the more mobile vertebral regions, in the cervical region it is the nerve endings at the C5...C7 level that suffer most often.
Since the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are highly contradictory, they are not always considered only as symptoms of this disease, which very often leads to seeking help from specialists in other fields of medicine.Let's look at them in a little more detail.
Cervical osteochondrosis and its symptoms
Since the cervical spine is rather compact compared to other sections, even slight tension in the neck muscles or displacement of the cervical vertebrae can cause compression or pinching of the nerve roots, which can also affect the vessels located in this section.Well, osteophytes - bone growths, in popular treatment called "salt deposition" and formed during the development of the disease of cervical osteochondrosis, lead, as a result, only to a significant worsening of the course of the disease.
The clinical manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis, that is, its symptoms, can be divided into reflex symptoms and radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.
Reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include the so-called "low back pain", which is expressed in the appearance of a sharp, sharp pain in the neck and noticeably intensifies with any movement.In view of this, patients often assume a forced, more comfortable head position.Furthermore, a typical "creaking" sound may occur when turning or performing other head movements.
When suffering from cervical osteochondrosis, patients often experience headaches that are compressive in nature and radiating to the eyeballs or the temporal part of the head.Additionally, sometimes the acuity of visual perception may decrease, as if “everything is floating before your eyes.”
Vertebral artery syndrome can also develop in case of irritation of its nerve plexus, which very often, due to the patient's dizziness, is mistakenly diagnosed as a cerebral circulatory disorder.This symptom of cervical osteochondrosis can manifest itself with sudden movements of the head and is complicated by nausea and possible vomiting.
In addition to the above, reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis also include cardiac syndrome, in which sensations similar to an angina attack occur.But this manifestation of symptoms of osteochondrosis is usually combined with a complex of other signs of this disease, so it usually does not cause difficulties in making the correct diagnosis.
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, as a rule, appear due to compression of the spinal nerve ending - the root.In this case, sensory disorders affecting motor functions depend entirely on which specific nerve root is damaged, namely:
- C1 – decreased sensitivity in the occipital area;
- C2 – appearance of pain in the parietal or occipital region of the head;
- C3 – reduced sensitivity and appearance of pain in the neck area, where the spinal root has been damaged, with possible impairment of vocal function due to loss of sensitivity of the tongue and control over it;
- C4 – appearance of pain and decreased sensitivity in the dorsal scapulohumeral region, as well as pain in the heart and liver, with a simultaneous decrease in neck muscle tone and possible respiratory function disorders;
- C5 – decreased sensitivity and pain on the external surface of the shoulder;
- C6 – pain radiating from the cervical spine to the scapula, the external humeral surface, the forearm and beyond from the wrist to the thumb;
- C7 – the same pain as C6, but radiating from the scapula to the posterior humeral surface, and further from the forearm to the 2..4 fingers of the hand, with a decrease in sensitivity in the pain area;
- C8 – decreased sensitivity and pain from the neck to the shoulder, and then from the forearm to the little finger.
Cervical osteochondrosis and its treatment
Cervical osteochondrosis is a rather complex and extremely unpleasant disease, the treatment of which requires systematicity, duration and stages.Therapeutic treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is primarily aimed at completely stopping the painful symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and eliminating inflammation in the neck area affected by the disease.
Patients treated for cervical osteochondrosis are treated with classical analgesics.Although recently, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which effectively relieve pain and reduce the activity of inflammation, have also become very popular in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Among other things, chondroprotectors are also used in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, which slow down the process of destruction of cartilaginous tissue and, according to many experts, also contribute to the regeneration process.Additionally, patients are prescribed the use of B vitamins, which improve metabolic processes in the patient's body.
But the use of external gels or ointments for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is not effective, but it makes sense, since in the process of rubbing into the skin, an additional massage of the cervical spine is performed.
Physiotherapy procedures are also combined with traditional pharmacological treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, and in particular, the use of magnetotherapy through special therapeutic devices is particularly effective.In addition to the above, therapeutic massage, physiotherapy and manual therapy are also used.But, in particularly severe cases of the disease, surgery may be necessary.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis itself is not difficult.Advised:
- maintain an active and healthy lifestyle,
- play sports, or at least do morning exercises,
- competent organization of the workplace,
- compliance with the work and rest schedule,
- when working for a long time in a sitting position - during working hours, warm up several times and ensure the correct position and posture of the head when performing work.
It is also important to select a comfortable pillow and mattress for sleeping.But for those who already suffer from this disease, the daily use of specialized orthopedic products for comfortable sleep is strongly recommended.