Symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a disease of our time. Sedentary lifestyle, constant nervous tension do not pass without leaving a trace. Almost everyone can notice the symptoms of this disease. How to recognize an insidious disease and seek help in time?

Osteochondrosis is a physiological process that every person acquires during their lifetime. The symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are very diverse, so it becomes a disease only under certain conditions, combined with certain factors. The disease is characterized by local changes in the bone tissue of the cervical spine due to the appearance of calcium deficiency. Calcium becomes low, and the tissue takes on a spongy structure, becomes brittle, brittle and carries the main function of the skeleton.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

In cervical osteochondrosis, the blood supply to the brain is disrupted. Therefore, almost all patients complain of similar symptoms:

• headaches, dizziness, tinnitus;
• there is pain in the shoulder, neck, chest;
• certain parts of the body numb (hands, fingers);
• weakness in arms and legs;
• psychological symptoms - unreasonable mood swings, irritability;
• In difficult situations, vision and hearing are reduced.

The symptoms are so varied and individual that it is difficult to recognize cervical osteochondrosis based only on the patient's complaints. Cervical spine disease is diagnosed by MRI, computed tomography, X-ray. According to the results of the study, you can see changes in the spine. Only by taking into account all the complaints is the diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis made.

Depending on the site of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment are somewhat different. From the exact place where the change occurred and how it affects the central nervous system, osteochondrosis can be divided into three main groups. These varieties have different symptoms and, consequently, different treatment.

1. First group. Peripheral nervous system times. The change in the vertebrae directly affects the nerve endings (roots). Often called cervical thoracic osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome, it has the most striking symptoms:
• Pain from the cervical region to the shoulder region.

• Choking syndrome in the neck, tachycardia, heart pain.
• Cracking, noise, crackling when turning the door. See what exercises should be done to strengthen the neck muscles in osteochondrosis.
• Constant back pain.
• Due to the deterioration of blood circulation, the hands become pale, cold, the fingers numb.
• Joint pain.

Such osteochondrosis can cause torticollis

2. Second group. The whole spinal cord is involved, the disease is shown to be a disorder of its entire work. The symptoms are as follows:
• Muscle tone of the legs and arms decreases. Legs numb, get tired quickly, it is difficult to walk, stand, the reason is the syndrome of semiconductor disorders. Blood does not flow well to the lateral pillars of the spinal cord.
• Myelopathy develops in the affected areas. Affects limb dysfunction.
• Third group. Brain function is impaired due to poor blood supply to the brain. It differs by characteristic syndromes:
• Hypothalamus. Syndrome characterized by hypothalamic malfunction. This leads to neurological symptoms. The patient often feels unreasonable fatigue, irritability, mood swings. People who suffer from this syndrome complain of poor sleep, dissatisfaction, unfounded fears, anxiety. Among the physiological changes: sweating, paleness, cold hands, high blood pressure.
• Drop syndrome. With such a disease of the cervical spine, they often faint for no reason. The cause is vasospasm.
• Vestibular stem. The syndrome is characterized by frequent dizziness. The work of the vestibular apparatus is disturbed due to insufficient blood flow. Sometimes there is nausea that causes vomiting.
• Cochlear stem. Ringing, tinnitus is called this syndrome. Ear blockage or hearing damage may occur. It is very difficult to associate such symptoms with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, especially to prescribe proper treatment
• Throat-larynx. The syndrome is accompanied by discomfort in the throat. It can be difficult to swallow, the voice becomes hoarse. Painful symptoms such as dryness, itching, soreness are noticed in the throat.

Characteristics of osteochondrosis with treatment of radicular syndrome symptoms

Separately, it is worth keeping to the radicular syndrome of the cervical spine, the symptoms of which should be considered in more detail. Their manifestation is often confused with diseases that are not associated with osteochondrosis. The treatment does not work, the person still feels pain, the condition worsens. An incorrect diagnosis is sometimes worse than the disease itself. Prescribed therapy not only does not help, but also cripples completely healthy organs. The development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine provokes the appearance of the so-called radicular syndrome.

The main reason is the compression of the nerves, especially their roots in a certain part of the spine (cervical, thoracic, spinal).

This cervical syndrome is characterized by:

1. Pain when turning the neck or torso. It appears after a long monotonous body position (sleeping, prolonged sitting) and sharp turns of the head.
2. Numbness and goose in the sliding region.
3. Headaches in various manifestations: pulsating, sharp, short-lived, long-lasting. This leads to dizziness, fainting, nausea.
4. The muscles in your chin may relax a bit.
5. With frequent pain, a decrease in the tone of the tongue is noticed and speech defects appear.
6. The pain in the neck passes smoothly to the shoulder, forearm, arm. There is numbness of the fingers, discomfort when raising the hand, pain in the joints.

Often the radicular syndrome of the cervical spine smoothly turns into a thoracic one. In cervicothoracic osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome, the pain, acute at the moment, is manifested in the internal organs.

Here the clinical picture looks like this:

• Pain in shoulder blade, lower ribs, armpit. Numbness in these areas.
• Painful stabbing sensations in the stomach, intestines, hypochondrium. Often observing this syndrome, they misdiagnose diseases of the digestive tract.
• Numbness, from the navel to the groin along the back of the spine, causing heaviness in the intestines and stomach.
• Dry throat.

Radical changes can cause cardinal syndrome - a violation of bone tissue causes irritation of the roots of the pectoral muscles or diaphragm. Its appearance is signaled by: heart pain of various durations, from a sharp sting to a long pain, tachycardia, difficulty breathing. These signs are exactly the same as the symptoms of angina pectoris. And if you treat him correctly, the result will be zero. Moreover, in patients with such a syndrome, the cardiogram is normal and apart from pain, no other signs of heart disease are observed. Therefore, drugs with coronary dilatation effect are not effective.

Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

Effective treatment is a complex therapy that must be practiced not only during exacerbations.

Medications

• Pain syndrome is relieved by analgesics and other painkillers.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed for severe pain.
• Local anesthetics in the form of ointments and warming gels will be useful.
• If muscle spasms occur, take muscle relaxants.
• Prescribe drugs that improve cerebral circulation in cervical osteochondrosis.
• Blockade of pain medications is also used in medical practice.
• If necessary, prescribe anticonvulsants.
• In case of psychological disorders, antidepressants, sedatives, insomnia medications are useful.

In addition to drug treatment, the following have a pretty positive effect:

• massages,
• medical gymnastics;
• electrophoresis;
• wears a bandage.

Cardinal methods of treatment - surgical removal of hernias and other spinal injuries.