Currently, not only people of retirement age are susceptible to this disease; young people from 25 years of age are also included in 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;
- stoop, injuries of the vertebral discs;
- nervous tension, stressful situations;
- insufficient receipt 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;
- sleeping on a soft pillow or mattress;
- frequent uncomfortable postures while sitting;
- carrying 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 exacerbates the situation, pregnancy is no exception. Failure to follow the rules recommended by the attending physician exposes the health of the mother to serious violations.
In the process of stress on the cervical region, cracks form on the cartilage, disc shifts and pinching of the nerves and spinal cord are possible. Along the cervical region there are vessels that feed the brain with the necessary substances, their squeezing 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, then the 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 shooting 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 infringement. Specialists often additionally diagnose Wright and Naffziger syndromes, the characteristic features of which are numbness of the hand when raised, tingling, pinching of nerve endings in the collarbone region. Pain in the neck that does not go away on its own and often occurs during physical exertion, a characteristic crunch in the affected areas, causeless fatigue, tinnitus.
- During the second stage, the gap between the vertebrae narrows even more, this leads to the drying of the fibrous ring, the rupture of the capsule is also accompanied by an inflammatory process. Without proper treatment, osteophytes occur - growths of bone tissue.
- The third stage is characterized by a complete rupture of the cartilaginous tissue, a prolapsed nucleus may occur, which provokes the formation of a herniated intervertebral disc. Symptoms that help to recognize the disease at stage 3 are often acute pain in the cervical region, frequent numbness of the limbs, a person cannot control his arm or leg, this is accompanied by dizziness and headaches, 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 deterioration in the condition and a wheelchair.
The disease is always easier to eliminate in the initial stages of development, when it has not gained strength and has little damage to the internal organs.
The loss of precious time threatens with a long 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 initial stages of the disease, the patient can treat cervical osteochondrosis at home, visiting a specialist at a certain time and fully adhering to 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 condition of the body, indicating the dosage:
- NSAIDs, reception lasts up to 2 weeks;
- sedatives avoid complete exhaustion of the nervous system, among them motherwort tincture, valerian;
- when edema appears, the doctor prescribes diuretics that reduce swelling of 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 that are prone to spasms;
- taking chondroprotective drugs to improve the functioning of intervertebral discs and cartilage tissues;
- in addition, the specialist prescribes the use of ointments and creams, they soothe pain, warm the tissue and help alleviate the human condition.
If the patient feels unwell, bed rest is mandatory. Due to the correct position of the body, the vertebral discs relax, 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, he is recommended to perform light breathing exercises and several exercises to relieve spasms.
With the improvement of well-being, it is allowed to carry out 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 turns and tilts of the head, and 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. It 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 loop, which consists of several straps hung on a hook. They allow you to support your head and relieve stress from your neck. The diet plays a big role in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. Experts advise to exclude from daily consumption products that can increase muscle tone and lead to spasm - coffee, tea, alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks, smoked products and spices. A person with osteochondrosis will benefit from:
- foods high 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 proteins - milk and its derivatives, nuts of any kind, eggs, dietary and lean meats and fish, beef;
- products with unsaturated fatty acids - fatty varieties of sea fish, flax seeds, lightly fried and dried;
- products with a high level of calcium in the composition - sour-milk products, mineral water.
If a person is not in an exacerbation stage, it is still better not to take risks and not spasm the affected tissues once again due to eating the wrong food. You need to drink a sufficient amount of plain non-carbonated water, balance your diet, perform daily exercises from therapeutic exercises, which not only weaken and relieve tension from the affected areas of the body, but also have a strengthening effect on the patient's body.
At work, you need to rest at short intervals, conduct a quick self-massage, and monitor the correct posture.
The danger of self-medication
In order not to put yourself at great risk, 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 using X-ray, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging will help to check the structure of the vertebral discs, detect problems and find the right option to eliminate them and alleviate the patient's condition. If a person self-medicates, he can miss the initial stage of the disease and expose his body to even more destruction. Uncontrolled intake of medications will damage not only the gastrointestinal tract, but also the liver and kidneys, which will remove toxins and purify the blood in an enhanced mode.
After consulting a doctor at home, you yourself can use decoctions of medicinal herbs and plants, which will enhance the effect of ointments and preparations:
- Celery: 1 tspcrushed root of this plant is poured into 1 liter of warm water and set to infuse for 8 hours, after straining, take 1 tsp. 3 times a day after meals. Celery seeds: 1 tbsp. l. pour 0. 5 liters of boiling water, insist for 2 hours and take 1 tbsp. l. 3 times a day before meals.
- Fresh horseradish or cabbage leaves, pre-rumpled, are applied to sore spots, tied on top with a warm scarf or scarf and changed as needed.
Recommendations of specialists for the prevention of osteochondrosis
The most common mistake many patients make is the persistent belief that the disease will go away on its own.
Doctors say that such an attitude to one's health has a detrimental effect on a person's condition and aggravates the course of cervical osteochondrosis.
The course of treatment consists not only of eliminating pain, discomfort and some symptoms, but also of restoring damaged vertebral and cervical discs, eliminating squeezing 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 depend on medications and enjoy life.