Today, cervical osteochondrosis has become significantly younger. The reason for this is considered to be an increase in living conditions, a significant decrease in mobility during work and rest and a craze for fast food. They cause metabolic imbalance and increase trauma to the cervical intervertebral discs, even in the event of physical exertion or minor shocks.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there are many requests on the Internet - osteochondrosis of the cervical spine: symptoms and treatment. We present a brief overview of these questions, since they are always of an individual nature and a vertebrologist or neurologist can only answer them during an appointment.
Characteristics of the disease
With osteochondrosis of the neck, the discs in the intervertebral space are destroyed. Normally, they perform a shock absorption and protective function.
Located between the vertebrae, they prevent the vertebral bodies from touching each other. When walking and more active movements, they can compress, giving flexibility to the spine. In addition, thanks to the disco-ligamentous apparatus, passages are created for the nerves exiting the spinal cord.
When discs and ligaments are destroyed, the vertebrae begin to rub against each other. Friction causes pain and other discomfort in the neck area. As the vertebrae get closer together, the nerves become pinched and additional symptoms appear in the parts of the body for which the affected neurons are responsible. Neurological symptoms appear.
Osteochondrosis can affect any part of the spine and symptoms vary. Disk destruction can occur in several areas at once.
A greater load falls on the lumbar spine, which means that the discs and ligaments are most often subject to changes here. But it is osteochondrosis of the cervical region that causes the most suffering in humans. After all, the brain's main blood vessels pass through the neck, and there are many nerves and nerve endings.
Statistics show that the cervical region is most often affected. Of all the parts of the spine, it is the most mobile. On a video on the Internet you can see how the disease progresses and its complications.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis in women are fundamentally no different from those that occur in men. There is one difference: the most common symptom of the disease in women is headache.
Causes
The classic causes of the development of cervical osteochondrosis include:
- low mobility, lack of adequate physical activity;
- disruptions in metabolic processes;
- salt deposits, especially in the cervical region;
- unbalanced diet;
- incorrect body position when working at a computer, driving a car or during other static activities.
If you have a predisposition to deforming joint diseases or salt deposits, the risk of developing disease due to an unhealthy lifestyle increases.
Classification of clinical manifestations
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, symptoms and treatment of pathology are closely related, but complex therapy is prescribed only after instrumental clarification of the diagnosis. Currently, there is the following classification of manifestations.
Radicular syndromes or cervical radiculitis
Radicular syndromes are the medical term for a group of symptoms caused by pinched nerve roots located between the vertebrae of the neck. Initially, such compression manifests itself in the form of paresthesias - numbness, tingling sensation and feeling of "goosebumps" on the skin.
Ignoring and not treating these manifestations leads to further progression of the disease. Acute pain (rapid or delayed) appears, which develops into chronic pain syndrome.
The characteristic manifestations of cervical radiculitis depend on the location of the degenerative processes, that is, between which vertebrae the nerve roots were pinched:
Irritative reflex syndrome
Pain in irritative-reflex syndrome when the roots of the lower cervical vertebrae are pinched occurs between the shoulder blades.
This syndrome is characterized by diffuse, burning pain in the neck, back of the head or upper back. They occur after sleep or at the start of a movement after holding a position for a long time. The pain may painfully radiate to the heart or shoulder joint.
Vertebral artery syndrome
Osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine, symptoms (and their treatment) can manifest as combined signs in vertebral artery syndrome:
- headaches – punctual, pulsing or burning, spreading diffusely;
- places of localization - above the eyebrows, in the temples, on the crown of the head, on the back of the head;
- the pain is constant, but sometimes manifests itself in the form of attacks;
- the intensity of pain increases after the first movements from static positions;
- in weakened people, nausea may develop, coordination of movements may be impaired, and dizziness and fainting may occur;
- Possible decrease in hearing and visual acuity, "rabbits" in the eyes, tinnitus, snoring.
On a note! Very often, the only signs of neck osteochondrosis are pharyngeal symptoms. These include: pain, dryness, and/or difficulty swallowing. However, ignoring these symptoms can be very costly. These symptoms are inherent to certain inflammatory diseases that can develop into cancer.
Cardiac syndrome
The preliminary diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is often complicated by the presence of cardiac syndrome in the patient.
It is characterized by:
- increased heart rate;
- attacks or prolonged pain in the heart region, which are often confused with angina;
- Chest pain worsens after sudden movements or heavy lifting.
That is why, if angina is detected, an experienced doctor will send the patient for an x-ray of the cervical and thoracic vertebrae, because with a parallel diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment at home will be specific.
For example, a vertebrologist is obliged to warn the patient that if "heart pain" is not relieved by nitroglycerin or another coronary dilator drug, they should not be taken several times in a row over a short period of time. Just drink ibuprofen or nurofen forte.
For your information! There is another way to distinguish a real angina attack from painful coronary syndrome. With the latter, the patient is able to walk quickly.
Minor symptoms
Nausea
Feelings of nausea and belching are the result of problems with blood circulation in the brain. Often, patients associate this symptom with nutritional errors, begin to limit the amount of food they eat and change their diet.
Nausea and belching can reduce appetite. All these phenomena lead to the fact that a person begins to lose weight and the balance of nutrients in the body is disrupted.
An attack of nausea can end in vomiting, which also occurs during careless turning of the head, bending the body or intense physical activity. In this case, poor circulation leads to insufficient nutrition of the inner ear and the center of balance.
Feeling of suffocation
A feeling of lack of air occurs when the phrenic nerve is pinched in the cervical area of the spine. This important nerve is a part of the cervical plexus and regulates the depth of breathing and the frequency of respiratory movements.
Patients complain of difficulty breathing with all their might. Shallow breathing leads to a decrease in the concentration of oxygen in the blood, shortness of breath occurs, and in difficult cases suffocation occurs.
At night, breathing may stop, which often occurs accompanied by a snoring attack. Nighttime problems occur if a person is lying in an uncomfortable position and the head and neck are not in the anatomically correct position.
If these problems are accompanied by unsatisfactory hygiene of the room where a person sleeps, when the room is poorly ventilated, dusty and there is no flow of clean air at night, the patient suffers fromhypoxia. Lack of oxygen occurs in all tissues of the body, upon waking the patient will not feel rested
Tinnitus sensation
Tinnitus occurs due to problems with blood supply to the vestibular apparatus. The blood vessels that flow through it pass through the cervical vertebrae of the spine.
Disturbances in certain parts of the inner ear cause sensations of various sounds:
- hissing background noise;
- ring, squeak.
A collection of such complaints is usually called cochlear or cochlear syndrome.
Important: if the patient does not seek medical attention with these symptoms, a decrease in hearing acuity occurs over time.
Patients often believe that these disorders are associated with the hearing analyzer itself. Even a doctor may have difficulty understanding the situation, especially if there are no clear signs of osteochondrosis.
However, when there are problems with the vertebrae, specific hearing symptoms appear. Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra is distinguished by the features of its occurrence, so sounds occur when a person stays in the same position for a long time.
Throat problems
Often, osteochondrosis can only make itself felt through a set of pharyngeal symptoms:
- Sore throatoccurs unrelated to food intake, you can trace the difference between the onset of symptoms and sudden movements of the head and neck.
- Foreign body sensation in the throatappears and disappears.
- There are complaints of itching and dry throat, strong unpleasant sensations can cause the patient to want to cough. Coughing will cause an increasingly dry and itchy feeling. These complaints are the consequence of simultaneous damage to nerve fibers and blood vessels.
Important: such symptoms can be observed with inflammation in the cervical vertebrae and with the appearance of tumors.
Vision problems
Deterioration of visual function is less common; it occurs more often in people with atherosclerotic lesions of the head vessels and a decrease in general pressure.
The vessels supplying the eyes also pass through the cervical vertebrae; with their osteochondrosis, the following complaints arise:
- the appearance of a "veil" in the eyes;
- decreased visual clarity and acuity;
- the appearance of black dots or sticks;
- difficulty concentrating on a specific subject.
The symptoms are not constant. Patients notice that vision sometimes deteriorates and sometimes improves.
A distinctive symptom of osteochondrosis is the inability to influence the state of vision with the help of glasses, medications and gymnastics. Elimination of symptoms is possible only after treating the root cause of the problem.
Loss of consciousness
Impaired blood supply to the brain can lead to loss of consciousness or syncope. This happens when blood flow to the brain is temporarily interrupted.
In this case, clamping does not necessarily occur at the cervical level; only irritation by the deformed structures of the vertebrae is sufficient. In response to this effect, a significant spasm occurs in the arteries.
Consciousness returns to a person quite quickly. This is facilitated by changing body position. A person who has lost consciousness should be placed in a horizontal position with their legs raised. This way, blood from the lower part of the body will help restore blood supply to the suffering brain.
As a rule, such short-term conditions do not entail any complications or consequences. If the disruption of blood flow to the brain is stronger, consequences are possible.
Important: after losing consciousness, a patient should consult a doctor to undergo examination and prevent recurrent seizures.
Despite the short duration of the illness, a person who has lost consciousness should call an ambulance.
Blood pressure problems
The presence of osteochondrosis in the cervical spine causes increases in blood pressure. For middle-aged and elderly people, this can be particularly noticeable. This is due to the fact that the center responsible for the vascular response to changes in the external environment is located in the brain and also suffers from insufficient blood supply.
The presence of irritating factors in the form of a deformed vertebra aggravates the situation. This is how the symptoms of VSD appear against the background of cervical osteochondrosis. Depending on the person's predisposition, hypertensive or hypotonic crises occur. Often, one type of crisis gives way to another.
Temperature fluctuations
Temperature fluctuations are not a specific symptom of osteochondrosis. If the body temperature rises, it means that a focus of infection or a neoplasm has appeared in the body. The immune system responds in the form of temperature.
However, patients may experience warming and even burning of the skin in the problem area, i. e. along the back of the neck.
When several symptoms combine, a person begins to feel unwell. The general state of health deteriorates, drops in mood, irritability and inattention appear. For a patient suffering from severe pain or blurred vision, it becomes difficult to perform daily tasks and carry out productive work activities.
Important: if a complaint, even one not related to spinal problems, prevents you from leading a normal life, then you should consult a specialist as soon as possible and determine the cause of the problem.
Risk of disease
Cervical osteochondrosis poses a great danger, since the affected area consists of the most important vascular pathways that supply the brain and spinal cord with numerous nerve branches. All symptoms of osteochondrosis have a significant negative impact on the patient's well-being and quality of life.
But this disease causes life-threatening complications:
- Intervertebral hernia is considered the next stage in the development of osteochondrosis. This happens if left untreated. People who suffer from neck or back pain for a long time without consulting a doctor receive such a diagnosis.
- Compression of the spinal cord processes damages them and radiculopathy develops. At the same time, growths and osteophytes form on the vertebrae. All this threatens the patient with loss of mobility and sensitivity of the areas for which the affected nerve fibers are responsible.
- One of the most dangerous complications is vertebral artery syndrome with cervical osteochondrosis. This artery supplies important parts of the brain: the medulla oblongata and the cerebellum. When this vessel is compressed by osteochondrosis, ischemia of the spinal cord and brain occurs. There is a risk that the disease will end in a stroke.
- If the disease is not treated for years, in the presence of spinal deformities, there is a risk of damage to the spinal cord itself, located inside the spine. The cost of lack of treatment is organic damage incompatible with life.
If a person discovers symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, he should consult a specialist as soon as possible. Deformation of the vertebrae can lead to serious trauma to the spinal cord, which is very dangerous for humans.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and treatment at home require the approval of the treating specialists. The video in this article with a set of exercises for the neck muscles is not published. There are a lot of them on YouTube.
However, you should know that the instructions for exercise therapy with this diagnosis prohibit:
- to jog;
- perform jumping movements;
- build up your shoulder girdle and neck muscles with dynamic exercises, including weights or resistance.
Important! In case of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment with physical exercises, self-massage and physiotherapeutic procedures are suspended. In acute periods, it is also prohibited to consult a chiropractor. Rest and drug treatment with analgesics or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory tablets and ointments are indicated.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folk remedies is not very effective and is possible as an auxiliary therapeutic method at the rehabilitation stage. Nevertheless, vertebrologists praise treatment with leeches and categorically do not recommend treatment with bee stings, which will also help in therapy.
Allergy is an insidious disease, the onset of which is impossible to predict, and an acute allergic reaction - Quincke's edema can lead to anaphylactic shock and be fatal.
Among the non-traditional methods of treating cervical osteochondrosis, we can recommend:
- dynamic and static yoga classes;
- Wushu, Taiji and Qigong gymnastics;
- acupuncture and Su-Jok.
In addition to daily physical exercise, it is necessary to abandon bad habits, monitor your daily drinking regime and balance your diet, as well as do special morning exercises for osteochondrosis of thelumbar region. The weekly menu must include raw and semi-cooked vegetables, fresh seasonal fruits, fermented milk drinks and daily specials.
Natural meat of dietary varieties and fish from the herring or salmon family should be eaten every other day. Replace coffee and tea with rosehip decoction and natural juices.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is a long process that will take not months, but years. Osteochondrosis cannot be cured, but significant remission can be achieved. The results will depend solely on the patient himself, his diligence in following the recommendations and maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle.
FAQs
What are the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can manifest as pain in the neck, shoulders, arms, dizziness, tinnitus, numbness or tingling in the arms, and limited mobility of the neck.
How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home?
To relieve the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you can use relaxation methods, exercises to strengthen the neck muscles, massage, hot compresses and the use of pain-relieving ointments and gels.
What exercises help with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?
To strengthen the neck muscles and relieve the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, exercises for stretching and strengthening the neck muscles, turning the head, flexion and rotation of the neck, as well as exercisesto improve posture are useful.
Useful tips
Tip #1
For osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, it is recommended to perform special exercises to strengthen the neck and back muscles. This will help improve blood circulation and reduce stress on the spine.
Tip #2
You can use cold compresses or warm wraps to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. Cold helps reduce swelling, while heat improves blood circulation and relaxes muscles.
Tip #3
It is important to monitor your posture and avoid staying in a bad position for long periods of time. Regular breaks to stretch and adjust your working position can reduce stress on the cervical spine.