Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, causes, symptoms and treatment

The cervical spine osteochondrosis is a complex dystrophic damage to the spine structures at the level of the cervical spine, affecting the intervertebral disc, bone structures and blood supply system.With the course of the disease, pathological changes occur in the back, and it loses functions.

Osteochondrosis is a secret disease.In the early stages, there are no symptoms, and only over time when the process acquires a chronic character, the disease makes itself feel.During this period, continuous osteochondrosis develops and irreversible changes begin in vertebra structures.As in other cases, it is important not to lose the moment and start treatment in time.How to know this disease?

Symptoms of osteochondrosis

The symptomatic complex that accompanies the disease is large.But in general, all complaints that patients present at the doctor's appointment are similar.

• Dizziness.Dizziness for cervical back osteochondrosis is a "business card" of this disease.Depending on the severity of the pathological process, the dizziness (vertigo) manifests itself constantly or episodically.In the first case, we are talking about a complex and long course or acute disease.In the vast majority of cases, the symptoms accompany the patient in the morning, especially after sleep.

  The reason for Vertigo is the damage to the cerebellum - the main "coordinator" of the human body in space.

  Patients have the question: Why is your head dizziness and how to treat this condition?Infling, intervertebral disc and surrounding structures squeeze the arteries that feed the brain, including the brain.Nervous tissue responds significantly to lack of food and complement disorders.This symptom is impossible to cure in itself, the disease itself undergoes treatment.Fortunately, today the methods of therapy are eliminated by dizziness.

• Headaches.Another frequent patient satellite with cervical spine osteochondrosis.This manifestation is included in the so -called vertrobaslar syndrome.The manifestations of pain vary in intensity and character.Patients prescribe them as squeeze, explosions, pulsating.Localization is not typical, but in the "classic" cases of vertebobasive insufficiency, the pain is felt in the occipital region.The embarrassment also passes through the head to the forehead (in medical practice, this is called the "legion of the legion": the pain that spreads from the back of the head to the forehead).

  Important!It is hardly possible to independently determine the source of pain.The same pains are with hypertension, migraines and other pathologies.Therefore, with periodic discomfort, do not postpone a visit to your doctor.

  The greatest intensity of pain syndrome arrives in the morning after sleep.This is easy to explain: at night neck mobility is minimal, stagnation and deterioration of inflammatory phenomena occurs, blood supply to the brain deteriorates.

• Visual damage.Headache, dizziness for cervical back osteochondrosis - symptoms found in patients everywhere.Less commonly discovered visual decline.Their occurrence indicates in favor of the "neglected" process and is almost guaranteed to determine the presence of vertebrobasic failure.

  In relatively light cases, everything is limited to a pre -eye concern and a slight decrease in visual acuity.These symptoms are not constant and pass as the patient's condition improves.Another manifestation from the eye is a photopy.

  A photopy is the simplest visual hallucination in the form of a flaming point, zigzag, spots, lines, etc.This alarming manifestation shows an involvement in the pathological process of the occipital fraction of the brain.Is what is responsible for the final formation of the "figure" in front of my eyes.Due to the compression of the underlying arteries that feed the occipital fraction of the brain, photopsy occurs.

  They themselves do not carry a photopsy in the eyes, but do not neglect the examination by an ophthalmologist because the symptom is not specific.Maybe we're talking about retina pathology.Only when the eye violations are excluded that neurological causes should be required.

  In the most severe cases, scotomas develop - fields of vision fields.

• Pain in the neck.Damage to vision, headache, dizziness for cervical osteochondrosis - the symptoms are frequent, but they are not limited to them.Also often the patient undergoes neck pain.This is a common but not specific symptom.Angina, myalgia, etc.Also accompanied by cervical pain.Cervical migraine is more indicative.This is a whole symptomatic complex, including intense neck pain, headaches in the nap, numbness of the back of the head and neck, dizziness, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
• Ringing pain (giving).With neck pain, unpleasant sensations radiate to the shoulders, elbows and collarbone.
• Radio syndromes.It is associated with squeezing the inflamed disk of the nerve roots.There is extremely rarely (no more than 8% in 1000 cases).Manifestations are different: sound design, tongue paresis, hand muscle weakness, etc.
• Neck mobilityand connected structures.With a removal process, the motor activity of the neck is violated, the patient also suffers difficulties in hand movements.

In the clinical appearance of the disease, the most common trio of symptoms is: dizziness for cervical spine osteochondrosis, periodic headache and neck pain.Similar manifestations are found in most patients.Responding to the question "Can the head with osteochondrosis be cervical", it is logical to say that not only can it but also be.The rest of the pathology varies from patient to patient.

Causes of osteochondrosis

Speaking about the reasons that contribute to the development of osteochondrosis, it is worth considering them along with risk factors.

The answer to the question "cervical osteochondrosis from what happens?"Includes many aspects.Most often, the development of the disease is subject to people with a reduced level of physical activity.This group includes office employees, older people, lying patients.Therefore, the following reasons are distinguished:

1. Violation of physical activity regime.Hippodynamia is a direct path to spinal problems.
2. AgeIn older generation representatives, dystrophic processes in bone structures arise much more often.Paradoxically, children are also at risk: improper behavior does not add health to the back.
3. Long stay in a fixed position.We are talking about a long stay in a lie position (as in the case of patients in bed) and sitting (in office workers).

Severe physical work is dangerous.Despite the fact that excessive loads are more dangerous to the lumbosacral spine, the cervix is also at risk.This includes both direct physical work and playing sports, especially swimming, parachute jump, water jump, etc.

Carefully monitor the health of the muscular -Skeletal system is needed for those who take corticosteroid medication.Hormones adversely affect bones and joints, calcium "stems", reduce skeletal strength and weaken muscle corsets.

Diagnosis of osteochondrosis

In the diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis, it is important to choose a specialist in understanding.We draw an analogy.In therapeutic practice, the diagnosis of acute respiratory infections is considered "waste", as this is the most general definition of all viral infections and doctors "write" nothing on it.The same is the situation with cervical osteochondrosis.It is not that simple to know it, it requires a fair amount of attention and the appointment of a number of diagnostic measures.Therefore, if the doctor diagnoses osteochondrosis in motion and without control, this is the reason for suspected of his professionalism.

Differential diagnosis is performed with hernia, myalgia, etc.

The first doctor to be addressed is the therapist.The therapist is a kind of "navigator".It makes the initial diagnosis and gives the necessary instructions.Two specialists are engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of the cervical osteochondrosis itself: an orthopedic and a neurologist (not to be confused with a nephrologist treating the kidneys).

The diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis is not of great difficulty.The event system includes:

• The dependent collection.In other words, an oral study of the patient.The doctor interviews the patient for complaints, their character, duration, possible causes of the occurrence, etc.The patient's task is to tell more fully and sincerely about his condition: about dizziness from the cervical back osteochondrosis, and for visual damage, if any, and others depend on further examination tactics.
• Functional tests.They are performed by neurologists and orthopedists.They consist of the definition of radical syndromes, the degree of mobility of the spine.
• Physical study.Easier - palpation.The doctor carefully investigates the affected areas and monitors the pain response.Palpation is important in determining cervical migraine.
• Instrumental diagnostic methods.They play a leading role.
  1. Radiography is used to visualize the formations of bone frames.It gives relatively little information, but allows you to evaluate the state of the vertebrae in general terms.The minus of the method is the lack of soft tissue visualization.With complete confidence, it is simply impossible to determine osteochondrosis from a hernia under such conditions.
  2. Neck ship dopplerography.Makes it possible to determine the quality of the blood flow to the neck vessels.With cervical osteochondrosis, the numbers are much lower, however, as in the first case, the method only allows to indicate the fact of the pathology.
  3. Diagnosis of MRI.At the moment, the only and most informative study.Allows you to see the spine in detail and determine even minor changes.In the case of differential diagnosis, this study is non -alternative.
• Laboratory research.They have a slightly smaller value.Usually everything is limited to a general blood test to identify the inflammatory process.

Immediately for all described diagnostic methods, they use not so often (though this is not always justified).If necessary, if there is reason to obtain complications of osteochondrosis, additional consultations of a rheumatologist, cardiologist, etc. have been described.

Important!If there are pronounced neurological symptoms, including hand numbness, other radicular syndromes, neck mobility violation, visual damage, etc.Diagnosis of MRI cannot do.

There is a high probability of developing cervical spine hernia, and this is a much more dangerous pathology.Most of the clinic is missing, but doctors have the opportunity to send the patient for this free examination to another clinic.But experts often neglect their tasks.Do not refuse examination due to laziness and carelessness of the doctor, the patient is the first to be interested in his health, so it is necessary to seek the direction.

The treatment of osteochondrosis

In the first manifestations of health problems, the patient is usually sent for help not to the hospital, but to the internet with requests: "How to treat dizziness for cervical osteochondrosis, photopsy, headaches, etc."This is a devastating practice and a dead end.It is impossible to cure cervical osteochondrosis independently, the patient only risks lubricating symptoms and complicating the work of specialists.

In addition, therapy is not a symptom.Therefore, it is not necessary to treat dizziness for cervical back osteochondrosis, treatment is required to eliminate the source of the problem.

Therapy is performed comprehensively, using medication, physiotherapy, physiotherapy exercises.

The basis of medication therapy is anti -inflammatory non -steroidal drugs in the function of tablets and ointments.These medicines for osteochondrosis and cervical dizziness help along with relieving pain, as the main cause of vertigo is the compression of the arteries that feed the cerebellum.Only one doctor chooses specific names.

Treatment of dizziness for cervical osteochondrosis involves taking medicines that improve blood supply to the brain.They should be taken careful and only for the doctor's intended recipe, as such medicines have many contraindications and side effects.Taking the medicines of these two groups can answer the question of how to get rid of dizziness for cervical osteochondrosis.They will help restore normal blood flow.

With a pronounced pain syndrome, local blockade is described by a complex of drugs.In some cases, surgical treatment is indicated, but this is more an exception.

In most cases, to stop dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis and symptoms of another type of conservative methods.

If a photopy is observed, the certification of taking a photo for cervical osteochondrosis observes the treatment of the neck with the help of a corset.

Often the cause of neurological (and particularly visual) symptoms does not lie in the structures of the spine itself, but in the spasmodic muscles that squeeze the vessels.Therefore, photopsy, dizziness for cervical osteochondrosis: treatment of such conditions involves the use of muscle relaxants.Massage is carefully described.

During the prayer period, classes and visits to physiotherapy sessions are shown.Depending on the nature and degree of development of the pathological process, this may be electrophoresis, ultrasound, magnetotherapy, etc.The goal is carried out at the discretion of the participating specialist.

Osteochondrosis is not harmless at all.Over time, it destroys the structure of the spine, causing many states that are dangerous to health, and significantly exacerbates the quality of life.It is important to consult a doctor on time.It is important for the patient to realize that therapy is not subject to dizziness and vomiting for cervical osteochondrosis, treatment is aimed at eliminating the cause.Therefore, do not look for health recipes online.It is impossible to cure osteochondrosis yourself, you can only relieve the temporary symptoms.

Also, when contacting a doctor, it is necessary to keep a healthy part of his health.Not only with osteochondrosis of the cervical region is dizziness, we can talk about other pathologies.Even an experienced doctor is unable to make a "eye" diagnosis.There is no complete diagnosis.This is important to consider when choosing a doctor.