Osteochondrosis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system. According to statistics, about 90% of the population suffers from it. Most patients are not even aware of this because the initial forms of the disease develop asymptomatically.
Another part of people only periodically feel discomfort in the back area, write it down as fatigue and are not treated. Among all types of osteochondrosis, the defeat of the cervical spine predominates. If treatment is started on time, there is every chance of getting rid of the disease.
The essence of osteochondrosis
Two mechanisms are involved in the development of osteochondrosis: dystrophic and degenerative. The first implies a violation of the trophism (food) of the intervertebral cartilage (discs). The second is a consequence of dystrophy - organic changes in the structure of cartilage and vertebral tissue.
The essence of the disease is as follows: circulatory disorders in certain areas of the spine lead to shrinkage and dehydration of cartilage tissue. Along with the fluid, it loses its nutrients. As a result, cartilage loses its elasticity and stability - it falls off. The distance between the beads decreases, their staticity is violated (position stability). They can move and nest against each other while pinching nerve roots.
With osteochondrosis, cartilage is consumed rapidly.
If dystrophy persists, the muscles that support the spine also lose tone. The beads fall even more. Due to the increased friction, extensions develop - damage to the cartilage capsule with the outflow of its contents.
Next, the natural back protection mechanism is triggered. Bone growths appear in it - osteophytes. They must ensure a stable position of the beads. However, osteophyte growth often goes beyond "need. "Too large increases also put pressure on the remnants of cartilage, nerve fibers. Moreover, they are solid. The spine loses its elasticity, "adjacent discs" can be damaged. The patient loses mobility, suffers from severe pain. The result of advanced osteochondrosis is disability.
Due to blood clots, osteochondrosis is associated with the deposition of salts in areas adjacent to cartilage. Such "accumulations" exacerbate the development of the disease, accelerating damage to the cartilage and vertebrae.
Why the neck is injured more often
The cervical spine is more sensitive and fragile. Its elements are the smallest and do not fit large loads. However, the neck muscles are not involved in all types of physical activity. Therefore, chronic blood blockage and malnutrition of the vertebral joints. If a person does not engage in sports, the risk of cervical osteochondrosis increases significantly. Most people very rarely use their neck for mundane tasks.
The leading cause of osteochondrosis is a hypodynamic lifestyle. Lack of exercise, combined with passive leisure, leads to muscle weakness and vascular tone disorders. Neck disease provokes prolonged stay in one position. Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is considered by a large number of office workers and computer scientists.
Excessive physical activity leads to muscular hypertension. Constantly being in a tense state, they also provoke stagnant processes. Indirect causes of the disease include inadequate nutrition (an excess of salts and fats in the diet), metabolic disorders. The disease can be caused by autoimmune processes, lack of nutrients (vitamins and minerals), endocrine diseases and psychoemotional shocks (as they are also accompanied by muscle overload).
How to recognize cervical osteochondrosis
Early osteochondrosis does not manifest in any way. In the 1st stage of development, the cartilage dehydrates. It is not noticed from the outside, it does not cause physical discomfort. The disease can be detected accidentally when examining the spine for injuries or other complaints.
In stage 2, the cartilage lowers. Its height decreases, its cushioning capacity deteriorates. Early symptoms may appear at this stage. Their characteristic is periodicity. The discomfort in the neck is clearly felt, then calms down. Periodically disappears completely. A person sometimes feels pain in the neck. They appear after a physical exertion or a long stay in one position (sitting or standing). Unpleasant sensations appear in the morning, as the patient "walks" they weaken and remind themselves in the late afternoon. If salts are deposited in the cervical region, a person hears a crisis in the back when he turns. "Clicking" when tilting the head does not hurt.
In Stage 3, the nerve roots may be partially blocked. This is accompanied by strong painful sensations. Patients complain of lumbago and sudden sharp pain in the neck. Discomfort occurs after a static position. Unlike the early stages, it worries more often. A person's neck "gets tired" in a short time. There may also be aching pain. They attack the patient in the evening and at night.
Overload on the cervical spine leads to cerebrovascular accidents. It is manifested by headache (sometimes migraine), tinnitus, dizziness. With persistent hypoxia (lack of oxygen) there is a feeling of “goose bumps” on the scalp, often on one side. There are also secondary symptoms - the patient gets tired quickly, feels weak, drowsy (for no apparent reason), sometimes sleep is disturbed.
In parallel with the listed symptoms, the mobility of the joints in the cervical spine varies. Some movements of the head or neck are accompanied by sharp pain. The patient subconsciously reduces their amplitude, trying to maintain a comfortable position.
Stage 4 osteochondrosis is associated with osteophyte extensions and manifestations. Violation of nerve roots leading to persistent pain syndrome. If inflammation develops in the process of change, the pain becomes permanent. A person has more and more headaches, visual impairments (deterioration of sunset vision, "flies", blurred picture). Neck mobility is significantly limited. The patient avoids turning the neck, if necessary, turns the whole body. When nerves are damaged, pain, "dipping" or numbness of the shoulders, shoulders, forearms and even the hands appear.Diagnosis
The above complaints should be directed to a neurologist, orthopedist or vertebrologist. The doctor will interview the patient, perform an examination. During the examination, he will check the sensitivity of the points, the reflexes, the mobility of the cervical spine. If osteochondrosis is suspected, an additional examination will be prescribed. It includes an X-ray of the cervical spine in some projections.
If there are no specific X-ray abnormalities but the patient still has complaints, an MRI or CT scan is prescribed. With these methods, osteochondrosis can be detected even in the earliest stages.
How to be treated
Even if the patient has all the signs of osteochondrosis, it is better to visit a doctor. Only a specialist can objectively assess the degree of destruction, distinguish chondrosis from other diseases, make the correct diagnosis and individually choose a treatment regimen.
This disease takes a long time to develop. Exacerbations of osteochondrosis can occur periodically and disappear on their own. The patient still needs to be examined.
The disease is treated on an outpatient basis. Surgical intervention (to remove osteophytes) is an extreme measure, which is directed only to serious damage to nerve roots with severe pain syndrome. Conservative treatment can almost always be removed.
Osteochondrosis (depending on the stage) is treated from 1 to 3 months. Therapy should be comprehensive. Only medicines are necessary here. Even after the onset of improvement, the patient should control his activity and take preventive measures. The main task of treatment is to stop degenerative processes. Relieving symptoms with medication only alleviates the patient's condition for a while. There are several ways to treat osteochondrosis at home.
Drug therapy
With the help of medication, you can eliminate inflammation, relieve pain, provide the body with beneficial substances, and improve the nutrition of the cervical spine. Pain relievers are used as symptomatic treatment. In the inflammatory process, pain is eliminated with the help of NSAIDs. The drug is prescribed in the form of tablets (if symptoms are moderate) or injections (if the pain is severe).
To eliminate muscle hypertension, muscle relaxants are prescribed in parallel with NSAIDs. These funds enhance the effect of pain relievers, ensuring their "free entry" into the focus of inflammation. Pain medications are used in the shortest possible course (5-10 days) due to the risk of side effects.
Chondroprotectors are prescribed to increase elasticity and restore cartilage. In the acute period, these are injections. Doctors recommend taking long-term (3-6 months) capsules or tablets as maintenance therapy.
To increase the effectiveness of the treatment, taking the pills can be combined with the use of external agents (oils, gels, patches). Patch pepper or menthol, oil pain relievers will relieve severe pain. Further, osteochondrosis can be treated with chondroprotective oils.
To improve joint trophism, B vitamins and vascular preparations are prescribed.
Folk remedies
In traditional medicine prescriptions there are many recommendations for treating osteochondrosis. As with the traditional approach, folk remedies can be used internally or externally.
Most powerful current mixes:
- Horseradish compress.Horseradish root is rubbed on a fine grater, spread on cheesecloth, placed on the neck, covered with a film, wrapped in a bandage, left for 2 hours, washed with clean water, the procedure is performed for 10 days in a row beforesleep.
- Compress with potatoes. Rub 3 large potatoes, add 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of mustard, spread the mixture on the noodles and stick to the sore area for 1 hour, apply a compress 2 times a day for 2 weeks.
- Red pepper lotions.2 hot red pepper stalks pressed into a particle, mixed with chopped aloe leaf, poured with a glass of alcohol, a day later, gauze soaked in the mixture, applied to the neck for 15-20 minutes, washed with fresh water. The treatment lasts 2 weeks.
Mustard and pepper compresses are good for increasing blood circulation.
Inside you can take infusions, decoctions and tinctures. All recipes aim to normalize metabolism, remove salts, eliminate inflammation:
- Parsley soup.3 tablespoons parsley seeds are ground in a coffee grinder. Pour the mass with a liter of boiling water, simmer for 10-15 minutes. After complete cooling, filter. Take orally 100 ml 2 times a day for 15 days.
- Tincture of barbarism.10 g of a mixture of dried roots and barberry bark (available at a pharmacy or herb) is poured into 100 ml of alcohol or vodka. The mixture is placed in a dark place for 10 days. After straining, take 30 drops orally three times a day half an hour before meals.
- Celery infusion.Pour a tablespoon of celery root integrated with a liter of water. Let simmer, turn off immediately. After a day, filter, take 3 tablespoons before meals three times a day. The treatment lasts 1 month.
Before using any traditional medicine, you should make sure that you are not allergic to its ingredients. If a strong burning sensation occurs when using bandages, you should remove the bandage and rinse the remnants of the mixture with running water.
Physiotherapy, exercise therapy and massage
Physiotherapy is often prescribed by doctors to treat osteochondrosis. This could be medical ultraviolet light heating, exposure to low frequency currents, magnetotherapy, electrophoresis or phonophoresis. Such manipulations are performed in a hospital, using special equipment. They eliminate inflammation and improve drug access to cartilage tissue. The combination of medication and physical therapy can quickly relieve the unpleasant symptoms. The course will require 10-15 procedures. To get a consistent result, all types of physiotherapy must be completed completely (do not stop).
Physiotherapy exercises for the treatment of neck osteochondrosis include simple exercises. They can be performed independently in the morning and evening, as well as in the middle of work. Physical education can be done while sitting or standing.
Exercises for cervical osteochondrosis may include the following exercises:
- For 2 minutes, rotate your head first clockwise and then counterclockwise (two sets);
- smoothly lower your head forward, backward and sideways (15 times in each direction);
- raise your shoulders as high as possible, leaving your neck and head immobile (15-20 times);
- roll your shoulders forward or backward, keeping your neck and head still (1 minute in each direction);
- fold the palms, pressing the fingertips in the center of the forehead, run smoothly through the temporal regions, along the neck, to the collar bones (10 times);
- without changing the position of the chin, gently take the neck back (chin pulled back), then forward, to the sides (without tilting or turning the face);
- gather your palms at the lock behind your back, pull your arms back, raising and extending your neck as high as possible, stay in an extended position for 15 seconds (3 times).
For osteochondrosis, massage is considered the best way to improve blood circulation in the neck. It is better if the patient undergoes a full course (10-15 sessions) with a trained specialist. If this is not possible, you can cook the neck yourself at home.
Quick Self Massage Start Guide:
- First, the neck muscles need to be warmed up: the occipital area is rubbed against the fingertips or the edge of the palm;
- kneading involves gentle squeezing followed by muscle relaxation - kneading with 4 assembled pads and one thumb;
- tighten the skin on the neck slightly to improve blood circulation;
- by pressing your finger on both sides of the spine, move along the entire cervical region;
- To relax at the back of the head, lightly tap with your palm or fingers.
Each phase of the massage ends with a light stroke of the palm. To improve the effect, the neck is massaged with oil. After the massage, you need to make sure that the cervical region is warm.
Massage the neck only with the palms or fingertips (not the fist).
All methods of treating osteochondrosis should be supplemented with a diet. A classic healthy diet includes the use of lean meats, fish, seafood, whole grains and lots of vegetables. Food must be cooked, baked or steamed.
For the entire duration of the diet, it is necessary to reduce the amount of salt consumed, to give up fast food and sweets. It is important to drink at least 1. 5 liters of water a day. Useful is useful to eat jelly and jelly to strengthen joints.
With an integrated approach, the symptoms of the disease will disappear within a week, and cartilage destruction will be completely stopped.