Osteochondrosis is a disease in which the vertebrae are damaged, which leads to compression of the intervertebral discs. This leads to pain due to pinched nerve fibers. Narrow blood flow leads to disruption of the internal organs. When this disease manifests itself in the cervical spine, it affects the blood supply to the soft tissues of the head and brain, disrupts the passage of nerve impulses to the central nervous system.
Why does cervical osteochondrosis occur?
This condition can be caused by:
- Hereditary predisposition to a decrease in the volume of the intervertebral discs.
- Back, neck or extremity injuries.
- Weakening of the skeletal muscles.
- Difficult working conditions.
- Incorrect or excessive weight training.
- Infectious diseases.
- Shoes that cause changes in gait, which increases the load on the spine.
- Unbalanced diet.
- Genetic diseases.
Most of the causes of cervical osteochondrosis and its symptoms can be prevented.It is required to create the right conditions for work, as well as to choose physical activities that strengthen the muscles that support the spine. But this is not always possible to do in time, because a person rarely thinks about a problem that does not yet exist. Therefore, you need to know what are the most common signs of osteochondrosis of the neck:
- decreased range of motion;
- constant or stabbing pain;
- crunch of the vertebrae when moving the head;
- headaches that do not go away with medication;
- numbness of one or more extremities;
- tremor of the limbs or involuntary muscle contraction;
- dizziness, loss of coordination of movements or consciousness;
- tinnitus (ringing or grinding in the ears);
- trouble remembering or using learned information;
- loss of memories;
- problems with the work of the sphincters of the rectum and the neck of the bladder.
Each neck osteochondrosis is unique and affects different functions of the body, so some of the symptoms may be absent. But patients always experience difficulty turning their heads, pain and, when the condition worsens, headaches and dizziness.
How to determine the disease at home
The pain of osteochondrosis can be throbbing, short-term and prolonged and constantly disturb a person. When the neck is affected, the discomfort extends to the shoulder girdle and is most often localized on the side of the working arm. In this case, the pain can be both in the neck and between the shoulder blades, and affect the entire arm.
The complexity of the diagnosis arises from the fact that the complaints can change over time, due to changes in body position, stress or other reasons. Therefore, the first signs of osteochondrosis can be attributed to overexertion or muscle tension. But over time, attacks of pain and stiffness become more frequent and intense, requiring the cause to be determined and treatment to be started.
It is quite difficult to independently determine the cause of pain in cervical osteochondrosis at home.In order for suspicions of osteochondrosis to be justified, it is necessary to exclude other options. Most often, the pain is caused by muscle tension, incorrect posture when sleeping or at work. Therefore, it is necessary to improve these conditions to understand if they are the main source of unpleasant sensations.
If the problems with the neck continue, then this is a serious symptom that can speak of both osteochondrosis and other diseases, such as:
- tumors;
- infections;
- nerve root compression.
Therefore, you need to see a doctor and take an X-ray. This will let you know if there are any injuries or other signs of outside influence.
After it became known that the neck is affected by osteochondrosis, regardless of the methods of obtaining information, it is still not clear what caused the disease. You can independently determine only the violation of working conditions, power loads and injuries. The rest of the diseases can be recognized only after passing a comprehensive examination; this is necessary because an infection affecting the spine or other similar disorders pose a serious danger to health and life.
How to treat osteochondrosis with drugs and folk remedies.
After making a diagnosis, you should either adopt a treatment plan that your doctor will develop or create your own. When choosing your points, it is important to emphasize an integrated approach in the choice of means and the systematic implementation of all recommendations.
What to do with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- apply medications;
- use folk remedies;
- perform physiotherapy;
- change lifestyle to eliminate the underlying cause of the disease.
Medications include:
- Oral and topical preparations that relieve pain and reduce inflammation, but do not contain steroid substances.
- Analgesics containing corticosteroids.
- Muscle relaxants.
- Antidepressants (if the work of the central nervous system is depressed, which caused a violation of the emotional background).
- Anti-inflammatory ointments.
- Pain relief dressings.
Popular methods include:
- Herbal decoctions and infusions used orally. The effect of the funds depends on the raw materials used for them. These can be general strengthening compounds that saturate the body with useful substances, as well as painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Compresses - most often warm, to relieve spasm of the neck muscles and allow the spine to return to its original position.
- Rub: Rub home remedies into the skin, often combined with massage or self-massage. It has a different direction of action, but is most often used to relieve pain, warm up and relax muscles.
Physiotherapy includes:
- Massage performed by a medical professional: Medical procedures have a beneficial effect on the spine and back muscles. In case of violations in the neck, you can not use the services of a massage therapist who specializes in conducting only relaxation sessions.
- Self-massage - correctly performed actions help to warm up the neck muscles, relieve spasms and restore blood circulation in the cervical and shoulder regions.
- Improve working conditions, choose the right furniture to maintain the correct posture, and in sedentary work, frequent breaks during which physical movements are made.
- Increase the number of walks, wearing shoes with shock-absorbing soles. Walking helps create the correct load on the back, especially the lower back, so the clamps on the skeletal muscles are eliminated and the spine returns to the anatomically correct position.
- Carrying out a warm-up in the morning, which includes exercises for the neck and shoulder girdle, and which affects other parts of the body. In this case, all movements are performed only with your own weight or, in rare cases, light dumbbells are allowed.
- Sauna or bath - a visit to the steam room with a course of 10-12 times can significantly reduce the tension in the back muscles and activate the body's metabolic processes.
- Procedures prescribed by a doctor and performed with the help of special equipment (electrophoresis, etc. ).
Also, swimming in the pool is a good way to maintain optimal muscle tone, relieve spasms and eliminate atrophy. This must be done constantly and should begin as soon as the swelling stops. The first visits should be given a moderate load on the shoulder girdle, after which it should be gradually increased until swimming becomes a full-fledged exercise.
Subject to the doctor's recommendations, remission occurs quickly enough if the disease has not turned into a moderate or severe form. But it is important to remember that even complete disappearance of symptoms is not a sign of a cure.