A sedentary lifestyle, office work, physical inactivity and the peculiarities of modern nutrition lead to the spread of a variety of diseases inherent in our urbanized society.
The leadership among them is rightfully occupied by cervical osteochondrosis.
And all because of the weak muscular corset and the fact that these 7 discs have more mobility than any other part of the spine receive constant physical activity in the form of the need to constantly hold the head in the desired position, tilt and turn.
causes of the disease
Previously, osteochondrosis was considered a disease of adulthood, and people who lived more than 40 years suffered from it. But every year the age limit of the disease decreases and it "gets younger", leading to predisposition to the disease in young people aged 18-20.
The main reasons for the appearance of such pathologies:
Violation of posture in adolescence.Young people now do not want to monitor their posture, which leads to their injury.
overweight.Obesity increases the load on the spine.
curvature of the back.The risk of osteochondrosis with a curvature of the back increases.
back injury.A back injury causes irreparable damage to any part of the spine.
metabolic disease.With metabolic disorders, there is also a high probability of developing osteochondrosis.
Hard physical work.Even too hard physical work leaves an indelible mark on the health of the spine in general and the cervical spine in particular.
Low physical fitness.Physical fitness also affects the condition of the spine, and the lower it is, the weaker the spine.
Errors when performing complex exercises.Athletes can have problems with osteochondrosis during training with gross mistakes in work.
Emphasize.The nervous tension of modern people and constant stress also cause diseases of the cervical spine.
Sedentary lifestyle.A sedentary lifestyle or inactivity have a major impact on the vertebrae.
past diseases. Osteochondrosis can develop after infections and hypothermia.
In fact, the disease is the result of muscle spasms that do not allow the cervical vertebrae to move easily, which worsens the blood supply to the tissues, while the posture is disturbed, as a result of which dystrophic processes begin in the vertebrae themselves, as well as begin in the intervertebral discsto activate, leading to narrowing of the intervertebral foramina and pinched nerve roots.
main symptoms
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are somewhat different from other parts of the spine.
A tighter fit of the vertebrae causes even the slightest change in one of them to compress or displace any nerve or vessel and also compress the spinal cord.
Because of this, a violation of the functions of the body can be noted: a disturbance in the sensitivity of the skin, dizziness.
Clinical manifestations:
- Pain in the neck and shoulders, which also extends to the back of the head, around the ears and around the eyes, and does not go away at night.
- Pain in the upper extremities that increases with exertion.
- Decreased sensitivity of the upper limbs, muscle weakness, movements become difficult.
- In the morning, the neck muscles are tense and the head twists tightly, it seems as if the neck is "rested".
- Turning or tilting the head, pain in the neck.
- From time to time the limbs become numb, there is a burning or tingling sensation.
- An unpleasant throbbing pain occurs regularly in the neck and neck.
- Violent head movements cause blurred vision, dizziness, or fainting.
- The occurrence of tinnitus.
- Decreased visual acuity and hearing.
- There is numbness of the tongue.
- There is heart pain that does not respond to trinitroglycerin, but its intensity changes due to a change in body position.
- Headaches occur in the back of the head, in the crown and in the temples.
- In the area of the neck region, the so-called "withers" develops, ie connective tissue grows.
Signs of cervical osteochondrosis
Cervicalgia (pain and muscle tension in the neck)
Cervicalgia is a pain syndrome in which pain and tension in the muscles of the neck are characteristic, the cervical region loses its mobility, dizziness may appear, visual acuity is impaired, and autonomic dysfunction may occur.
The pain can be tingling, throbbing, and even "shooting through. "
It is worth making even the slightest movement, sneezing or coughing - as soon as there is muscle tension from pain.
Turning the head or tilting the head sideways also causes problems if the patient has to do this with the whole body.
In addition, patients suffer from dizziness, occiput, tinnitus, numbness in the back of the head and numbness in the hands.
The reasons for its occurrence can be:
- hypothermia.
- Uncomfortable head position during sleep.
- Sedentary work that forces you to keep your head in an uncomfortable position for long periods of time.
- Physical activity that leads to muscle strains in the neck area, including athletic training at the gym.
- Cervical spine injuries.
- Tissue infections or tumors.
Pain in the back of the head, shoulders and arms, pain when turning the head indicates the presence of the 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-occipital area, the occurrence of which is closely associated with an injury to the cervical spine, a degenerative lesion or its inflammation.
Its spread often reaches the frontotemporal lobe, shoulder, and arm, and may also be unilateral. In this case, the parties do not change.
The intensity of this pain is moderate, its intensification is observed with head movements, palpation of the cervico-occipital muscles, as well as with a long stay in an uncomfortable position for the head.
As a rule, the causes of these pains can be either arthrosis or osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
In these cases, the pain may be pressing, shooting, or throbbing. Slight head movements, coughing, muscle tension can lead to attacks of pain.
The main ailments that patients complain about:
- Inability to turn and tilt the head, which requires moving the whole body.
- Numbness of occiput and hands.
- noises in the ears.
- Dizziness.
- pain in the back of the head, etc.
Cervicobrachialgia or shoulder-shoulder syndrome (brachiaglia)
Cervicobrachialgia is identified by numbness in the hands, along with deep, breaking and often stabbing pains in the hands or in the forearms, and a feeling of weakness in the upper limbs.
This usually happens at night.
The disease can develop reflexively, for the most part it affects those who do heavy physical work, and 9 out of 10 women are affected by the disease.
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 spasms.
treatment
Treatment should be comprehensive.
At the same time, it is necessary to apply both drug and non-drug principles of treatment, not forgetting about the prevention of possible diseases.
By drug treatment, we mean the use of drugs that reduce pain and inflammation, as well as drugs that improve cerebral blood flow.
If there is a pathology in the form of muscle tension, it is recommended to take relaxing drugs and vitamin-mineral complexes in therapeutic doses.
An important role in the treatment is played by the methods of physiotherapy:
- water procedure.
- paraffin applications.
- electrophoresis.
- magnetotherapy.
Widespread use of alternative therapies also helps fight this disease. But despite everything, therapeutic exercises remain the most effective means of treatment.
prevention
In order for all the troubles related to osteochondrosis to bypass you, you need to remember all the reasons pushing for the appearance of the disease.
Since the main reason is a sedentary lifestyle, do not forget about morning exercises and a walk, and be sure to include exercises with the neck muscles in your daily gymnastics. And do not forget that circular movements of the head can lead to neck injuries, so you should not include them in the exercises.
And don't forget that a check-up by an orthopaedist is mandatory for school-age children.
Form a strong muscular corset, be athletic.
Eat those foods that can replenish the body with minerals such as calcium and magnesium and vitamins.