Osteochondrosis is a disease of the skeletal system characterized by changes in cartilage tissue. Due to the development of the disease, people's working ability is reduced, blood circulation and the integrity of the intervertebral disc are disturbed. Usually, the disease is caused by obesity, lack of exercise, and often time spent on the computer or driving.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The development of cervical osteochondrosis has the following symptoms:
Neck pain from neck osteochondrosis
- Persistent headache. People with osteochondrosis usually suffer from headaches because a sharp neck turn or sudden head movement can exacerbate the headache.
- Neck pain that may spread to the shoulder area. It usually appears in the morning, after sleeping, and gradually decreases or disappears completely after heating the neck muscles.
- Neck and low back pain, characterized by severe neck pain, hardening of the muscles in the affected area and limited mobility.
- Pain in the breastbone or gallbladder. Patients most often suspect that they have cardiovascular diseases, but taking nitroglycerin does not relieve pain. When sternal pain is manifested as cervical osteochondrosis, patients will complain of decreased arm muscle strength.
- In almost all osteochondrosis patients, if you ask a person to tilt their head in different directions, you will hear a typical crunching sound.
- Hoarse voice.
- Osteochondrosis of the neck can be manifested by numbness of the tongue and fingertips (symptoms are caused by compression of the nerves and blood vessels located next to the intervertebral disc.
- Increased blood pressure.
- Paralysis of the limbs and loss of muscle strength in the limbs.
The cause of the above symptoms is damage to connective tissue and intervertebral discs, which then deform. As a result of the pathological process, the intervertebral disc is overgrown with bone formation, forming osteophytes, squeezing and destroying blood vessels and nerve pathways.
Stages of disease
Cervical osteochondrosis develops into several stages. The more the patient's disease develops, the more symptoms and the more serious the complications of the disease.
Grade 1 cervical chondropathy is characterized by damage to the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc. When the metabolism in the body is disturbed, the nucleus pulposus, which is the structure of biopolymer compounds, is destroyed. First, it loses water and gradually dries out, thus reducing its size. Its intensity is significantly reduced, and the spine is more difficult to cope with physical exercise. At this stage of the disease, a person will not feel pain and will not seek medical help. If you begin to recognize osteochondrosis at this stage, the patient will not need medication.
Grade 2 cervical chondropathy is characterized by damage to the annulus of the intervertebral disc. Due to the strong and uneven load on the spine, cracks and tears appear on the surface of the disc. Due to the fact that the annulus becomes thinner, the cell nucleus is completely squeezed into the tears and cracks produced, thereby causing them to expand. As a result, the size of the intervertebral disc increases and begins to protrude beyond the edge of the vertebrae. This phenomenon is called disc protrusion. Secondary osteochondrosis is the stage of the disease where people feel pain first.
Grade 3 cervical chondropathy is characterized by the formation of hernias. The annulus fibrosus not only thins, but also ruptures, so the nucleus pulposus "flows" into the subglottic space, forming a herniated disc. As the process progresses, all surrounding tissues are damaged-ligaments, muscles, nerves and blood vessels.
Over time, the skeletal system of the vertebrae changes: the edge shape of the vertebrae changes, and the ribs become even sharp. The muscles surrounding the altered skeletal system contract involuntarily, thereby limiting the mobility of the spine. All nerve fibers running through the spinal cord are damaged, and the conduction of nerve impulses from the brain to organs and tissues is disrupted. It is important that the symptoms of osteochondrosis appear according to the location of the osteochondrosis.
Grade 4 cervical chondropathy is characterized by degenerative spinal reconstruction. After a destructive process occurs in the body, the recovery process begins to prevail. The duration of the fourth phase is about one year. During this period, the nature of bone growth in the deformed vertebrae changed. The bones begin to widen, so the area of the vertebrae increases. This medical growth is called osteophyte. Thanks to them, the mobility of the injured spine was reduced and the destruction process was suspended. Over time, the sedentary vertebrae completely become static bone pillars.
If the pain syndrome is reduced, the squeezed nerves and blood vessels will stay in place and will not only be squeezed by the intervertebral discs and vertebrae, but also by the formed osteophytes. To prevent the consequences of disease, these processes must be handled appropriately.
Complications of cervical osteochondrosis
The main consequences of the development of cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Vascular disease (artery compression);
- Formation of hernias of varying severity;
- Spinal cord injury;
- Osteophyte formation;
- Spine movement is restricted.
What are the complications of cervical sternal osteochondrosis? 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 and the gray matter has insufficient oxygen supply.
If a patient develops vertebral artery syndrome-the person will feel dizzy and faint when clamping the critical blood pathway to the brain.
In addition to impaired consciousness, patients with cervical osteochondrosis may also have visual and hearing impairments. In addition to numbness in the limbs, Dupuytren syndrome may also develop, which is characterized by stiff hands. Due to the development of the syndrome, the mobility of the fingers is lost.
Hypertension and vegetative vascular dystonia (VVD) are considered common complications. The appearance defect that appears due to the development of osteochondrosis is the formation of blight (a "mound" of cartilage tissue at the back of the head).
Treatment method
The choice of treatment for cervical osteochondrosis depends on the stage of the disease. Medical treatment includes prescriptions for non-steroidal drugs, painkillers and antispasmodics by doctors. The dosage of the drug is adjusted at the discretion of the doctor.
Physical therapy is usually prescribed to treat cervical osteochondrosis. With the help of exercise, you can not only reduce pain, but also reduce inflammation, strengthen back muscles and reduce the risk of complications.
Massage has a general strengthening effect. After a course of massage, patients with osteochondrosis will lose tension and pain, and blood supply will increase.
If the medication does not help, the doctor must prescribe it. During the operation, the doctor will remove the part of the intervertebral disc that compresses the nerve root.
The best treatment is a combination of several methods. Medication must be combined with massage, exercise therapy and gymnastics.
Some doctors believe that acupuncture and herbal medicine are an effective treatment.
Prevention
To relieve pain and prevent the development of cervical osteochondrosis, simple methods can be used. First of all, everyone must always be in a posture that reduces the burden on the spine. You need to remember the exercises to build muscles and support the metabolic processes of the spine. In order to obtain positive results, it is necessary to follow the doctor's advice.
Key suggestions:
- Distribute physical activity evenly on the spine. For this reason, please limit the vertical load and avoid sudden movements and exercises that may damage the spine. Avoid falling or jumping from high places.
- Do not carry heavy objects by extending your arms in front of you. Before picking up an object from the floor, be sure not to bend over, but squat down.
- Do not move objects with one hand. It is recommended to distribute the load on both limbs. If this is not possible, the cargo should be placed in a suitcase on wheels or backpack.
- If you need to carry heavy objects, you should wear a wide belt or buy a special corset before work.
- Wear comfortable shoes.
- The best prevention method is swimming, doing gymnastics regularly, and taking showers in contrast.
- Nervous situations should be avoided.
- You need to remember the rules of a balanced diet.
- Get rid of bad habits.
It is necessary to understand that it is much easier to prevent disease than to cure for a long time. If surgery is not needed in the early stage of the disease, surgical intervention is required in the later stage of osteochondrosis.