Currently, not only people of retirement age are susceptible to this disease, but young people from the age of 25 are also part of the risk group. Osteochondrosis affects different areas and departments: lower back, neck, chest.
Causes and stages of cervical osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis occurs due to the influence of such factors:
- excessive physical load on the spine;
- stooping, spinal disc injuries;
- nervous tension, stressful situations;
- insufficient reception of the necessary vitamins, minerals and trace elements, which slows down the metabolic process and leads to the formation of osteochondrosis;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- the presence of flat feet;
- sleep on a soft pillow or mattress;
- frequent awkward postures while sitting;
- carry the bag on one side;
- circulatory disorders and muscle spasms.
All causes in combination or individually create favorable conditions for the development of osteochondrosis. Women are more prone to this disease, and wearing high heels and a bag on one shoulder aggravates the situation, pregnancy is no exception. Failure to follow the rules recommended by the attending physician exposes the mother's health to serious harm.
In the process of stress on the cervical region, cracks are formed on the cartilage, disc displacements and pinching of the nerves and spinal cord are possible. Along the cervical region there are vessels that supply the necessary substances to the brain, their compression leads to serious health problems. If you do not treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home, the person's condition worsens, the distance between the vertebrae narrows, and then bone tissue grows, causing severe pain and discomfort. There are several stages of cervical osteochondrosis:
- The first stage is characterized by the appearance of cracks in the fibrous ring, possibly the displacement of the nucleus to the side. Symptoms will be throbbing and sharp pains, sudden muscle spasms, the patient may have dilated pupils and numbness of the tongue - this is an indicator of the initial stage of nerve damage. Specialists often additionally diagnose Wright's and Naffziger's syndromes, the hallmarks of which are numbness of the hand when raised, tingling, pinching of nerve endings in the region of the collarbone. Pain in the neck that does not go away on its own and often occurs during physical exertion, a characteristic crackle in the affected areas, causeless fatigue, tinnitus.
- During the second stage, the gap between the vertebrae narrows even more, which leads to the drying out of the fibrous ring, the rupture of the capsule is also accompanied by an inflammatory process. Without proper treatment, osteophytes appear - growths of bone tissue.
- The third stage is characterized by a complete breakdown of cartilage tissue, a prolapsed core may occur, which provokes the formation of an intervertebral disc herniation. Symptoms that help to recognize the disease in stage 3 are often sharp pains in the cervical region, frequent numbness in the limbs, a person cannot control his arm or leg, this is accompanied by dizziness and headache, loss of consciousness.
Diagnosis and treatment of the disease
If you suspect cervical osteochondrosis, you can not self-medicate. The symptoms of some diseases are very similar to each other, and self-medication can lead to a deterioration of the condition and a wheelchair.
The disease is always easier to eliminate in the early stages of development, when it has not gained strength and does little damage to internal organs.
The loss of valuable time threatens with a long course of treatment, which consists of taking medications, physiotherapy exercises and observing the daily regimen.
If symptoms of the disease are detected, it is necessary to contact a specialist - a neuropathologist, he will be able to diagnose, determine the damage to the nerve endings and prescribe additional x-rays, ultrasound of the vessels and tomography. Diagnosis is based on MRI and radiography.
In the early stages of the disease, the patient can treat cervical osteochondrosis at home, visiting a specialist at a given time and fully complying with his advice and prescriptions.
Drug treatment consists of taking certain drugs, which the doctor must prescribe, depending on the stage of the disease and the general state of the organism, indicating the dosage:
- NSAIDs, reception lasts up to 2 weeks;
- sedatives prevent complete exhaustion of the nervous system, among which are tincture of motherwort, valerian;
- when edema appears, the doctor prescribes diuretics that reduce swelling in the inflamed area;
- thanks to the intake of B vitamins, metabolic processes in the affected tissues of the nervous system are normalized, neuromuscular conduction improves;
- muscle relaxants relax muscles prone to spasm;
- taking chondroprotective drugs to improve the functioning of intervertebral discs and cartilage tissue;
- additionally, the specialist prescribes the use of ointments and creams, they soothe the pain, warm the tissues and help alleviate the human condition.
If the patient does not feel well, bed rest is mandatory. Due to the correct position of the body, the spinal discs relax, the pain decreases. Bed rest lasts no more than 2 days, then the patient must be sure to move.
Tips for alleviating the human condition
Doctors often hear the question of how to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home. If the patient is in the acute stage of the disease, it is recommended to perform light breathing exercises and several exercises to relieve spasms.
With the improvement of well-being, it is permissible to perform sets of exercises in a sitting or standing position under the supervision of an experienced specialist. When a person has learned all the necessary rules and strictly adheres to them, he is allowed to perform therapeutic exercises at home.
It consists of several smooth bends and tilts of the head, then the load is gradually increased. If a muscle spasm suddenly occurs, it is necessary to do a light massage that does not cause pain and discomfort.
With good health for preventive purposes, experts recommend visiting an experienced massage therapist 2 times a year. He is able not only to properly and quickly warm up the muscles, but also to qualitatively remove small salt deposits and develop joints and vertebrae.
After consultation with the doctor, it is allowed to use the Glisson buckle, which consists of several straps attached to a hook. They allow you to support your head and relieve stress from your neck. Diet plays a big role in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. Experts advise excluding from daily consumption products that can increase muscle tone and cause spasms - coffee, tea, alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks, smoked products and spices. A person with osteochondrosis will benefit from:
- foods rich in fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants, they will not only improve the general condition of the patient, but also have a positive effect on the vertebrae and cartilage tissues: these are fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes in any form, cereals;
- products containing protein - milk and its derivatives, nuts of all kinds, eggs, dietary and lean meat and fish, beef;
- products containing unsaturated fatty acids - fatty varieties of sea fish, flax seeds, lightly fried and dried;
- products with a high content of calcium in the composition - sour-milk products, mineral water.
If a person is not in the acute phase, it is always better not to take any chances and not contract the affected tissues again due to poor diet. You need to drink a sufficient amount of ordinary non-carbonated water, balance your diet, perform daily exercises from therapeutic exercises, which not only weaken and relieve tension of the affected areas of the body, but also have a strengthening effect onthe patient's body. .
At work, you need to rest at short intervals, perform quick self-massage and monitor the correct posture.
The danger of self-medication
In order not to endanger yourself, you do not need to self-medicate. Only an experienced specialist can understand the disease, find out the stage of osteochondrosis, take measures to eliminate the disease and prescribe the correct and qualified treatment. Some diseases are quite insidious and can easily disguise themselves as others.
Examination with X-rays, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging will help to check the structure of the spinal discs, detect problems and find the right option to eliminate them and improve the patient's condition. If a person self-medicates, they can miss the initial stage of the disease and expose their body to even more destruction. The uncontrolled intake of drugs will not only damage the gastrointestinal tract, but also the liver and kidneys, which will eliminate toxins and purify the blood in an improved way.
After consulting the doctor at home, you can yourself use decoctions of herbs and medicinal plants, which will enhance the effect of ointments and preparations:
- Celery: 1 teaspoon the crushed root of this plant is poured into 1 liter of warm water and left to infuse for 8 hours, after straining, take 1 tbsp. 3 times a day after meals. Celery seeds: 1 tbsp. I. pour 0. 5 liters of boiling water, insist for 2 hours and take 1 tbsp. I. 3 times a day before meals.
- Fresh, pre-crumpled leaves of horseradish or cabbage are applied to sore spots, tied on top with a scarf or warm scarf and changed as needed.
Recommendations of specialists for the prevention of osteochondrosis
The most common mistake made by many patients is the persistent belief that the disease will go away on its own.
Doctors say that such an attitude to his health has a detrimental effect on a person's condition and aggravates the course of cervical osteochondrosis.
Treatment consists not only of eliminating pain, discomfort and some symptoms, but also of restoring damaged vertebral and cervical discs, eliminating compression of the arteries leading to the brain and maintaining a person's well-being.
The recovery process is quite long and requires a lot of endurance, effort and help from relatives and friends, but the result will allow you to feel free, not dependent on drugs and enjoyof life.