In the modern world, the importance of the disease cervical osteochondrosis can hardly be overestimated.Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is significantly more common than in other vertebral regions.Almost all people over the age of 25 suffer from this disease to varying degrees.
Cervical osteochondrosis arises mainly due to a sedentary lifestyle, which is particularly favored by the historical transition of a person from physical work to mental work, which is associated, albeit to a moderate extent, with the performance of work while sitting.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a degenerative-dystrophic disease of the cervical spine that leads to damage to the intervertebral discs, which is generally common in the disease osteochondrosis.Since this part of the spine is naturally quite mobile, but also vulnerable due to a poorly developed muscular corset, any negative impairment of the neck or back has a particularly negative effect on the cervical spine.Since degenerative changes most often develop in the most mobile vertebral regions, the nerve endings at the C5...C7 level in the neck region are most often affected.
Since the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are very contradictory, they are not always considered just symptoms of this disease, which often leads to turning to specialists in other medical fields.Let's take a closer look at them.
Cervical osteochondrosis and its symptoms
Due to the fact that the cervical spine is quite compact compared to its other sections, even minor tension in the neck muscles or displacement of the cervical vertebrae can cause compression or pinching of the nerve roots, which can also have an impact on the vessels located in this section.Well, osteophytes - bone growths, which in folk medicine are called “salt deposits”, which form during the development of cervical osteochondrosis, as a result only lead to a significant deterioration in the course of the disease.
The clinical manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis, that is, its symptoms, can be divided into reflex symptoms and radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.
Reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include the so-called “lumbago”, which manifests itself as stabbing, acute pain in the neck and noticeably increases with every movement.For this reason, patients often adopt a forced, most comfortable head position.In addition, a typical “crunch” can occur when turning or other head movements.
Patients with cervical osteochondrosis often experience pressure headaches that radiate to the eyeballs or the temporal area of the head.In addition, it can sometimes happen that the sharpness of visual perception decreases, as if “everything is floating before your eyes.”
Vertebral artery syndrome can also develop when the nerve plexus is irritated, which is very often misdiagnosed as a cerebral circulatory disorder due to the patient's dizziness.This symptom of cervical osteochondrosis can manifest itself in sudden head movements and is complicated by nausea and possible vomiting.
In addition, the reflex symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis also include cardiac syndrome, in which sensations similar to an attack of angina pectoris occur.However, this manifestation of the symptoms of osteochondrosis is usually accompanied by a complex of other signs of this disease, so the correct diagnosis is usually not difficult.
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Radicular symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis usually occur due to compression of the end of the spinal nerve - the root.In this case, sensory disorders that affect motor functions depend entirely on which specific nerve root is injured, namely:
- C1 – decreased sensitivity in the occipital region;
- C2 – the appearance of pain in the parietal or occipital area of the head;
- C3 – impaired sensitivity and occurrence of pain in the neck area, where the spinal root was injured, with possible impairment of speech function due to loss of sensitivity of the tongue and control over it;
- C4 – the appearance of pain and reduced sensitivity in the dorsal region of the scapula, as well as pain in the heart and liver with a simultaneous decrease in muscle tone in the neck and possible respiratory disorders of respiratory function;
- C5 – decreased tenderness and pain on the external surface of the shoulder;
- C6 – pain radiating from the cervical spine to the shoulder blade, the outer surface of the upper arm, the forearm and further from the wrist to the thumb;
- C7 – the same pain as C6, but with radiation from the scapula to the posterior surface of the humerus and further from the forearm to the 2..4 fingers of the hand, with a decrease in sensitivity in the pain area;
- C8 – decreased sensitivity and pain extending from the neck to the shoulder and then from the forearm to the little finger.
Cervical osteochondrosis and its treatment
Cervical osteochondrosis is a fairly complex and extremely unpleasant disease, the treatment of which requires systematics, duration and stages.Therapeutic treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is primarily aimed at completely stopping the pain symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and eliminating inflammation in the neck area affected by the disease.
Patients being treated for cervical osteochondrosis are treated with classical analgesics.Although recently non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that effectively relieve pain and reduce inflammatory activity have also become widely used in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
In the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, among other things, chondroprotectors are used, which slow down the process of destruction of cartilage tissue and, according to many experts, also contribute to its regeneration.In addition, patients are prescribed taking B vitamins, which improve metabolic processes in the patient's body.
However, the use of external gels or ointments for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is not effective, but useful, since when rubbed into the skin, an additional massage of the cervical spine is performed.
Physiotherapeutic procedures are also combined with conventional drug treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, with the use of magnetic field therapy using special therapy devices being particularly effective.In addition, therapeutic massages, physiotherapy and manual therapy are also used.However, in particularly severe cases of the disease, surgical intervention may be necessary.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis in itself is not difficult.Recommended:
- maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle,
- play sports or at least do morning exercises,
- competent organization of the workplace,
- Compliance with the work and rest schedule,
- If you work while sitting for a long time - warm up several times during working hours and pay attention to the correct head position and posture while working.
It is also important to choose a comfortable pillow and mattress for sleeping.But for those who already suffer from this disease, daily use of special orthopedic products for a comfortable sleep is highly recommended.