Currently, not only people of retirement age are susceptible to this disease, young people from the age of 25 are also included in the risk group. Osteochondrosis affects different areas and departments: the 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;
- slouching, spinal disc injuries;
- nervous tension, stressful situations;
- insufficient reception 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;
- sleep on a soft pillow or mattress;
- frequent awkward postures when sitting;
- carry 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 aggravates the situation, pregnancy is no exception. Failure to comply with the rules recommended by the attending physician exposes the mother's health to serious violations.
In the process of stress in the cervical region, cracks are formed in the cartilage, disc shifts and pinching of the nerves and spinal cord are possible. Along the cervical region there are vessels that supply the brain with the necessary substances, their compression 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, and then bone tissue grows, which causes severe pain and discomfort. There are several stages of cervical osteochondrosis:
- The first stage is characterized by the appearance of cracks in the annulus fibrosus, possibly due to displacement of the nucleus to one side. Symptoms will be stabbing 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 also diagnose Wright and Naffziger syndromes, the characteristic features of which are numbness of the hand when raised, tingling, pinching of the nerve endings in the region of the clavicle. Neck pain 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 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 prolapse of the nucleus may occur, which provokes the formation of an intervertebral disc herniation. Symptoms that help to recognize the disease at stage 3 are often sharp pain in the cervical region, frequent numbness of the extremities, a person cannot control his arm or leg, this is accompanied by dizziness and headaches, loss of knowledge.
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 of the condition and a wheelchair.
The disease is always easier to eliminate in the early stages of development, when it has not gained strength and has little damage to internal organs.
The loss of precious time threatens with prolonged treatment, which consists in 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 magnetic resonance imaging 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 following her advice and prescriptions.
Pharmacological treatment consists in 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, the reception lasts up to 2 weeks;
- sedatives prevent 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 prone to spasm;
- take chondroprotective drugs to improve the functioning of intervertebral discs and cartilage tissues;
- in addition, the specialist prescribes the use of ointments and creams, they relieve 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, the pain decreases. Bed rest lasts no more than 2 days, then the patient should be sure to move.
Tips to alleviate 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, it is recommended to perform light breathing exercises and various exercises to relieve spasms.
With the improvement of well-being, it is allowed to perform series of exercises sitting or standing under the supervision of an experienced specialist. When a person has learned all the necessary rules and strictly adheres to them, he can 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 perform a light massage that does not cause pain or discomfort.
With good health for preventive purposes, experts recommend visiting an experienced masseur 2 times a year. She 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 on your neck. Diet plays an important role in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. Experts advise to exclude from daily consumption products that can increase muscle tone and provoke spasms: coffee, tea, alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages, smoked products and spices. A person with osteochondrosis will benefit from:
- foods rich in fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants, 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;
- protein-containing products - milk and its derivatives, nuts of any kind, eggs, dietary and lean meat 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 the acute stage, it is better not to take risks and not go back to spasm in the affected tissues by eating the wrong food. You need to drink a sufficient amount of pure non-carbonated water, balance your diet, perform daily exercises from therapeutic exercises, which not only weaken and relieve tension of the affected areas of the body, but also have a strengthening effect on the body of the patient. .
At work, you need to rest at short intervals, do a quick self-massage and monitor the correct posture.
The danger of self-medication
In order not to take a big 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 be disguised as others.
Examination with X-rays, ultrasound and MRI will help to check the structure of the vertebral discs, detect problems and find the right option to remove them and alleviate the patient's condition. If a person self-medicates, he may miss the initial stage of the disease and expose her body to even greater destruction. Uncontrolled intake of drugs will damage not only the gastrointestinal tract, but also the liver and kidneys, which will eliminate toxins and improve blood purification.
After consultation with the doctor at home, you can use decoctions of herbs and medicinal plants yourself, which will enhance the effect of ointments and preparations:
- Celery: 1 teaspoon The crushed root of this plant is poured into 1 liter of warm water and infused for 8 hours, after straining, 1 teaspoon is taken. 3 times a day after meals. Celery seeds: 1 tablespoon. Ipour 0. 5 liters of boiling water, insist for 2 hours and take 1 tbsp. I3 times a day before meals.
- Fresh leaves of horseradish or cabbage, previously crumpled, 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 health has a detrimental effect on a person's condition and aggravates the course of cervical osteochondrosis.
The course of treatment consists not only in eliminating pain, discomfort and some symptoms, but also in restoring damaged spinal and cervical discs, removing compression of the arteries going to the brain, and maintaining the person's well-being.
The recovery process is quite long and requires a lot of endurance, effort and help from family and friends, but the result will allow you to feel free, not depend on medication and enjoy life.