Osteochondrosis is a disease in which the vertebrae are damaged, causing compression of the intervertebral discs. This leads to pain due to pinched nerve fibers. Narrowed blood flow leads to disruption of 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, disrupting the transmission of nerve impulses to the central nervous system.
Why does cervical osteochondrosis occur?
This condition can be caused by:
- Hereditary tendency to decrease the volume of the intervertebral discs.
- Back, neck or limb injuries.
- Weakening of the skeletal muscles.
- Difficult working conditions.
- Improper or excessive weight training.
- Infectious diseases.
- Shoes that change the way you walk, which increases the load on the spine.
- An unbalanced diet.
- Genetic diseases.
Most of the causes of cervical osteochondrosis and its symptoms can be prevented.It is necessary to create the right working conditions and choose physical activities that strengthen the muscles that support the spine. But this cannot always be done in time, because one rarely thinks of a problem that does not yet exist. Therefore, you should know the most common signs of cervical osteochondrosis:
- reduced range of motion;
- constant or throbbing pain;
- cracking of the vertebrae when moving the head;
- headache that does not go away with medication;
- numbness in one or more limbs;
- tremors in the limbs or involuntary muscle contractions;
- dizziness, lack of coordination or loss of consciousness;
- tinnitus (ringing or squeaking in the ears);
- problems remembering or using learned information;
- loss of memories;
- problems with the work of the sphincters of the rectum and bladder neck.
Each cervical osteochondrosis is unique and affects different functions of the body, so some symptoms may be absent. However, patients always have difficulty turning their heads, feel pain, and when their condition worsens, they cause headaches and dizziness.
How to determine the disease at home
Pain caused by osteochondrosis can be pulsating, short-term and long and constantly disturbing. If the neck is affected, the discomfort also extends to the shoulder girdle and is most often located on the side of the working arm. In this case, the pain may also occur in the neck and between the shoulder blades, and may affect the entire arm.
The complexity of the diagnosis arises from the fact that discomfort can change over time, due to changes in body position, stress or other reasons. Therefore, the first signs of osteochondrosis can be attributed to overuse or muscle tension. However, over time, attacks of pain and stiffness become more frequent and intense, for which the cause must be determined and treatment initiated.
It is quite difficult to independently determine the cause of pain in cervical osteochondrosis at home.In order for the suspicion of osteochondrosis to be well-founded, other possibilities must be ruled out. Pain is most often caused by muscle strain, incorrect posture while sleeping or at work. Therefore, it is necessary to improve these conditions in order to understand whether they are the primary source of discomfort.
If neck problems persist, then this is a serious symptom that can talk about both osteochondrosis and other diseases, for example:
- tumors;
- infections;
- compression of nerve roots.
Therefore, you should see a doctor and have an X-ray taken. This indicates when there are signs of damage or other external influences.
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 establish only violations of working conditions, performance loads and injuries. The other diseases can only be recognized after a complete examination - this is necessary because an infection affecting the spine or other similar disorders pose a serious threat to health and life.
How to treat osteochondrosis with drugs and folk remedies
After the diagnosis is made, you must accept a treatment plan that the doctor will develop, or you can create it yourself. When choosing its points, it is important to emphasize an integrated approach in the choice of tools and the systematic implementation of all recommendations.
What to do with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- use medications;
- use folk remedies;
- do physiotherapy;
- lifestyle change in order to eliminate the root cause of the disease.
Medicines include:
- Pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory, but containing no steroid substances, orally and topically.
- Pain relievers that contain 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 patches.
Folk methods are as follows:
- Oral herbal decoctions and infusions. The effect of the funds depends on the raw materials used. These can be general strengthening compounds that saturate the body with useful substances, as well as pain relievers or anti-inflammatory agents.
- Compressions - most often warming up to relieve neck muscle spasm and allow the spine to return to its original position.
- Rubbing - rubbing folk remedies into the skin, often combined with massage or self-massage. Its direction of action is different, but it is most often used for pain relief, warming up and relaxing muscles.
Physiotherapy includes:
- Massage performed by a specialist - medical procedures have a beneficial effect on the spine and back muscles. In the event of a neck injury, you cannot use the services of a massage therapist specializing in relaxation sessions only.
- Self-massage - correctly performed actions help to warm up the muscles of the neck, relieve spasms and restore blood circulation in the neck and shoulder regions.
- Improving working conditions, choosing the right furniture to maintain the correct posture, as well as in sedentary work - frequent breaks during which physical movements are performed.
- Increasing the number of walks, using shoes with shock-absorbing soles. Walking helps to create the right load on the back, especially in the lumbar region, thanks to which the clamps in the skeletal muscles are removed and the spine returns to its anatomically correct position.
- Morning warm-up, which includes both neck and shoulder girdle exercises and also involves other parts of the body. In this case, all movements are performed only with their own weight, or in rare cases, light dumbbells are allowed.
- Sauna or bath - visiting the steam bath 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 special devices (electrophoresis, etc. ).
In addition, swimming in the pool is a good way to maintain optimal muscle tone, relieve spasms and eliminate atrophy. This should be done continuously and should be started as soon as the inflammation subsides. For the first visits, a moderate load should be given to the shoulder girdle, and then gradually increased until swimming becomes a full-fledged exercise.
According to the doctor's recommendations, remission occurs quite quickly, if the disease has not turned into a moderate or severe form. But it must not be forgotten that even the complete disappearance of symptoms is not a sign of recovery.