Sedentary lifestyle, office work, lack of physical activity and the peculiarities of modern nutrition lead to the spread of a huge number of diseases that are inherent in our urban society.
Leading among them rightly occupies cervical osteochondrosis.
And all this because the weak muscular corset and the fact that these 7 discs have more mobility than any other part of the spine, get constant physical activity in the form of the need to constantly keep the head in the desired position, tilting and turning.
Causes of the disease
Previously, osteochondrosis was considered a disease of adulthood and people who have lived more than 40 years suffer from it. But every year the age threshold of the disease falls and it "rejuvenates", which leads to a predisposition to the disease of young people aged 18-20 years.
The main reasons for the appearance of such pathologies:
Postural disorders in adolescence.Young people no longer want to follow their posture, which leads to its violation.
Overweight.Being overweight increases the strain on the spine.
Curvature of the back. The risk of osteochondrosis with curvature of the back increases.
Back injury.A back injury causes irreparable damage to any part of the spine.
Metabolic disease.In the case of metabolic disorders, there is also a high probability of developing osteochondrosis.
Heavy physical work.Excessive physical work also leaves indelible marks on the health of the spine in general and the cervical region in particular.
Low level of physical fitness.The level of physical fitness also affects the condition of the spine, and the lower it is, the weaker the spine.
Mistakes in performing complex exercises.Athletes may have problems with osteochondrosis during training with gross errors at work.
Stress.The nervous tension of modern man and constant stress also cause disorders in the cervical spine.
Sedentary way of life.Sedentary lifestyle or inaction strongly affects the vertebrae.
Past illnesses.Osteochondrosis can develop after infections and hypothermia.
The disease is actually the result of muscle spasm, which prevents the cervical vertebrae from moving easily, impairing the blood supply to the tissues, while disrupting posture, resulting in the development of dystrophic processes in the vertebrae themselves. as well as in the intervertebral discs, they begin to activate, causing narrowing of the intervertebral foramina and pinching of the nerve roots.
Main symptoms
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are slightly different from other parts of the spine.
The tighter fit of the vertebrae leads to the fact that even the slightest change in one of them compresses or displaces any nerve or vessel, and also compresses the spinal cord.
That is why a violation of body functions can be recorded: a violation of skin sensitivity, dizziness.
Clinical manifestations:
- Pain in the neck and shoulders, which extends to the back of the head, ears and eyes and does not subside even at night.
- Pain in the upper extremities, which intensifies with exertion.
- Decreased sensitivity of the upper limbs, muscle weakness, movement become difficult.
- In the morning the muscles of the neck are tense and the head is tense, it seems that the neck is "rested".
- Turning or tilting the head, feeling of pain in the neck.
- From time to time the limbs tingle, there is a burning or tingling sensation.
- Unpleasant throbbing pain in the neck and nape periodically occurs.
- Violent head movements cause blurred vision, dizziness, or seizures.
- The appearance of tinnitus.
- Decreased visual acuity and hearing.
- There is tingling in the tongue.
- There are heart pains that are not affected by trinitroglycerin, but their intensity changes due to a change in body position.
- Headache occurs in the back of the head, scalp and temples.
- In the area of the cervical region, the so-called "withers" appear, ie the connective tissue grows.
Signs of cervical osteochondrosis
Cervical pain (pain and muscle tension in the neck)
Cervical pain is a pain syndrome characterized by pain and tension in the muscles of the neck, the cervical region loses its mobility, dizziness may occur, visual acuity is impaired, and autonomic dysfunction may occur.
The pain can be tingling, throbbing, or it can "shoot".
It is worth doing even the slightest movement, sneezing or coughing - as soon as muscle tension is relieved by pain.
There are also problems with turning the head or tilting it to the side when the patient has to do it with the whole body.
In addition, patients experience dizziness, occipital pain, tinnitus, tingling in the back of the head, and tingling in the hands.
The reasons for its occurrence can be:
- Hypothermia.
- Uncomfortable position of the head during sleep.
- Sedentary work that forces you to keep your head in an awkward position for a long time.
- Physical activity that leads to muscle tension in the neck, including sports training in the gym.
- Injuries to the cervical spine.
- Tissue infections or tumors.
Pain in the back of the head, shoulders and arms, as well as pain when turning the head, indicate the presence of an initial stage of a chronic disease, such as osteochondrosis.
Cervicocranialgia or posterior cervical symptom (pain in the cervico-occipital region)
Cervicocranialgia is pain in the cervical region, the occurrence of which is closely related to injury of the cervical spine, degenerative lesion or inflammation.
Its spread often reaches the frontotemporal lobe, shoulder and arm, and can be unilateral. In this case, the parties do not change.
The intensity of this pain is moderate, its intensification is observed during head movements, palpation of the neck and occipital muscles, as well as during prolonged stay in an awkward position for the head.
Usually the causes of these pains can be either osteoarthritis or osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
In these cases, the pain may press, shoot or throb. Slight movements of the head, cough, muscle tension can cause attacks of pain.
The main complaints that patients complain about:
- Impossibility to turn and tilt the head, for which it is necessary to move the whole body.
- Numbness of the occipital region and arms.
- Noise in the ears.
- Dizziness.
- Pain in the occipital region, etc.
Cervicobrachialgia or shoulder syndrome (brachial)
Cervicobrachialgia is manifested by tingling in the hands, along with deep fractures and often piercing pain in the hands or forearms, as well as a feeling of weakness in the upper extremities.
This usually happens at night.
The disease can develop reflexively, most of the disease affects those who engage in hard physical labor, and 9 out of 10 are women.
In this case, vegetative-vascular, muscular-tonic and neurodystrophic manifestations can be observed.
A very characteristic feature of reflex syndromes is the presence of muscular-tonic reactions, such as muscle spasm.
Treatment
Treatment should be comprehensive.
At the same time it is necessary to apply both medicinal and non-medicinal principles of treatment, not forgetting the prevention of possible diseases.
By medication we mean the use of drugs that relieve pain and inflammation, as well as drugs that improve cerebral circulation.
If there is a pathology in the form of muscle tension, then it is recommended to take relaxing drugs and vitamin-mineral complexes in therapeutic doses.
An important role in the treatment is given to the methods of physiotherapy:
- water treatments.
- Paraffin applications.
- Electrophoresis.
- Magnetic therapy.
The widespread use of alternative therapies also helps in the fight against this disease. But, nevertheless, therapeutic gymnastics remains the most effective means of treatment.
Prevention
To get around all the problems associated with osteochondrosis, you need to remember all the causes that trigger the disease.
Since the main reason is a sedentary lifestyle, do not forget about morning exercises and walks and do not forget to include exercises with neck muscles in your daily gymnastics. And remember that circular movements of the head can lead to neck injuries, so you should not include them in the exercises.
And also remember that preventive examination of school-age children by an orthopedist is mandatory.
Form a strong muscular corset, be athletic.
Eat these foods that can replenish the body with minerals such as calcium and magnesium, vitamins.