Osteochondrosis is a disease when the vertebrae are damaged, which causes compression of the intervertebral discs. This leads to pain due to pinched nerve fibers. Restricted 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 passage of nerve impulses to the central nervous system.
Why does cervical osteochondrosis occur?
This condition can be caused by:
- Hereditary predisposition to decrease the volume of the intervertebral discs.
- Back, neck or limb injuries.
- Skeletal muscle weakness.
- Difficult working conditions.
- Improper 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 are preventable.It is necessary 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 should know what are the most common signs of osteochondrosis of the neck:
- reduced range of motion;
- constant or throbbing pain;
- cracking of vertebrae on movement of head;
- headaches that don't go away with medication.
- numbness of one or more extremities;
- tremors of the limbs or involuntary muscle contraction.
- dizziness, loss of coordination of movements or consciousness.
- tinnitus (buzzing or ringing in the ears).
- problems remembering or using learned information;
- loss of memories;
- problems with the work of the rectal sphincters and bladder neck;
Each osteochondrosis of the neck is unique and affects different functions of the body, so some of the symptoms may be absent. But patients always have difficulty turning their head, pain and when the condition worsens, headaches and dizziness.
How to determine the disease at home
Pain from osteochondrosis can be throbbing, short-term and long-term and constantly bother a person. When the neck is affected, the discomfort extends to the shoulder girdle and is most often located 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 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 strain. But over time, attacks of pain and stiffness become more frequent and intense, which requires determining the cause and starting treatment.
It is quite difficult to independently determine the cause of pain in cervical osteochondrosis at home.To justify the suspicion of osteochondrosis, it is necessary to exclude other options. Most often, the pain is caused by muscle strain, wrong posture while sleeping or at work. Therefore, it is necessary to improve these conditions to understand if they are the main source of unpleasant sensations.
If problems with the neck continue, then this is a serious symptom that can talk about both osteochondrosis and other diseases, such as:
- tumors;
- infections;
- compression of nerve roots.
Therefore, you should consult 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 injury. The rest of the diseases can be recognized only after passing a full examination - this is necessary, because an infection affecting the spine or other similar disorders are a serious risk to health and life.
How to treat osteochondrosis with drugs and folk remedies
After making a diagnosis, you should adopt a treatment plan developed by the doctor or create it yourself. When choosing its points, it is important to emphasize an integrated approach to the selection of means and the systematic implementation of all recommendations.
What to do with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- apply drugs;
- use folk remedies.
- conducting physiotherapy;
- change lifestyle to eliminate the underlying cause of the disease.
Medicines include:
- Oral and topical preparations that relieve pain and reduce inflammation, but do not contain steroids.
- Painkillers 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.
- Plasters for pain relief.
Folk methods include:
- Herbal decoctions and decoctions used orally. The effect of funds depends on the raw materials used for them. These can be both general energizing compounds that saturate the body with useful substances, and painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Compresses - most often heating, in order to relieve the spasm of the neck muscles and allow the spine to return to its original position.
- Rubbing - rubbing with folk remedies on the skin, often combined with massage or self-massage. It has a different direction of action, but is most often used for pain relief, warming and muscle relaxation.
Physiotherapy includes:
- Massage performed by a doctor - medical procedures have a beneficial effect on the spine and back muscles. In case of violations in the neck, you cannot use the services of a massage therapist who specializes in conducting only relaxation sessions.
- Self-massage - correctly performed actions help to warm the neck muscles, relieve spasms and restore blood circulation in the cervical and shoulder areas.
- Improving working conditions, choosing the right furniture to maintain the correct posture and in sedentary work - frequent breaks during which physical movements are performed.
- Increase 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, due to which the clamps on the skeletal muscles are removed and the spine returns to the anatomically correct position.
- Conduct a warm-up in the morning, including exercises for the neck and shoulder girdle and affecting 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 - 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 carried out with the help of special equipment (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 stops. A moderate load on the shoulder girdle should be given on the first visits, after which it should be gradually increased until swimming becomes a full workout.
According to the doctor's recommendations, remission occurs quite quickly if the disease has not turned into a moderate or severe form. But it is important to remember that even the complete disappearance of symptoms is not a sign of cure.