Cervical osteochondrosis is an abnormal change in the tissues of the intervertebral discs and the vertebrae themselves. As a result, the soft tissues become thinner and the effect of vertebral cushioning is reduced. Compression of blood vessels and nerve fibers occurs and mobility of the cervical spine decreases.
Cervical osteochondrosis is one of the most dangerous localizations of osteochondrosis, as this disease results in a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain.
Why is osteochondrosis of the neck dangerous?
As a result, the normal functioning of the cervical spine is disrupted, mobility is reduced and neck pain occurs. Cervical osteochondrosis can damage blood circulation in the brain, migraines, arrhythmias, impaired vision, coordination, and attention, and the development of intervertebral hernia.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The disease is characterized by acute pain in the neck that radiates to the back of the head, shoulder blades, and forearms. The pain may get worse when you move your head or in certain situations. As a result of the pain syndrome and the inflammatory process, the neck muscles are overloaded. Patients often experience migraine, decreased hearing and vision acuity, dizziness, tinnitus, sudden changes in blood pressure, and fainting. A symptom of cervical osteochondrosis may be a violation of the sensitivity of the fingertips.
Types of osteochondrosis
Localization distinguishes cervical, chest, lumbar, sacral, and joint osteochondrosis. The most commonly diagnosed are lumbar osteochondrosis (more than 50% of cases), cervical (more than 25%) and widespread (about 12%).
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Parents often say a common phrase for children, "Don’t turn your head! " Doctors demand the opposite, "be sure to turn your head". Any age. This is the only way to avoid a dangerous disease - osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
By its very nature, the neck is not only designed to hold your head and turn it in different directions, which otherwise becomes a rather difficult issue for unskilled people who don’t care about their health over the years. The spinal cord, the arteries that feed the brain, nerve roots, and trunks that make nerve contact with the hands, heart, and lungs, pass through the neck region.
These types of osteochondrosis complaints are very diverse: heart pain, headache, dizziness with short-term loss of consciousness (due to problems with the blood supply to the brain), pain in the shoulder joint or the whole arm.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
The pain in the chest spine from time to time is familiar to anyone who engages in hard physical work. Usually, these painful, uncomfortable feelings are the first sign that a rather unpleasant disease is starting to develop in the body - osteochondrosis of the chest spine. This disease often affects people in so-called sedentary professions: designers, computer operators, drivers.
But it is not at all necessary that you suffer from osteochondrosis, even if you pull heavy objects every day or if you have to sit at your desk for long hours.
Proper posture is a reliable barrier to the disease. While walking, try to keep your back straight and your shoulders straight. It is necessary to develop a posture, as you understand it, from an early age. But you can do this at the age of 30 or 40. Indeed, better late than never!
Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine
At first there is dull pain in the lumbar region and legs, then usually numbness of the limbs, a significant increase in pain with sudden movements of the body, trembling.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
The causes of cervical osteochondrosis are usually associated with body-related and age-related tissue changes. However, lifestyle and related factors increase the risk of developing the disease. These include:
- low physical activity, sedentary work;
- overweight and unhealthy diet;
- musculoskeletal disorders: flat legs, rheumatism, scoliosis, postural disorders;
- injuries to the neck or back of the head.
In addition, osteochondrosis can be caused by other diseases of the spine. The spine is a single whole and must be treated in a complex. Therefore, in case of suspicion of osteochondrosis, the first thing is a complete examination of the spine.
Osteochondrosis is a disease of the cartilage surfaces of the bones of the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine (as well as the hip and knee joints). There are four stages in the development of osteochondrosis.
To understand the essence of this disease, the structure of the spine must be understood, at least in a general sense. The vertebrae are connected by ligaments and intervertebral discs. The holes in the vertebrae form the channel in which the spinal cord is located; its roots, which contain sensory nerve fibers, extend between each pair of vertebrae. When the spine is bent, the intervertebral discs are slightly compressed on the side of the slope and their cores are shifted in opposite directions. Simply put, intervertebral discs are shock absorbers that soften the pressure on the spine under stress.
Mass morbidity is primarily related to the vertical position of man, in which the load on the spine and intervertebral discs is much higher than in animals. If you do not learn how to sit, stand, lie down, the disc will lose its ability to perform its function (damping) and after a while the outer shell of the disc will crack and hernial protrusions will form. They compress the blood vessels (which lead to damage to the spinal circulation) or the roots of the spinal cord and, in rare cases, the spinal cord itself. These changes are accompanied by painful feelings and reflex tension in the back muscles.
According to statistics, almost every second person aged 25-55 suffers from osteochondrosis. But mostly people start to feel the manifestations of osteochondrosis after 35 years. The development and exacerbation of spinal osteochondrosis is facilitated by static and dynamic overload as well as vibration.
This can be caused by:
- work involving frequent changes in the position of the luggage compartment - bending and extension, turns, jerk movements,
- lifting heavy loads,
- incorrect posture when standing, sitting, lying down and carrying weight,
- physical education and sports without taking into account the great physical effort
- unfavorable meteorological conditions - low temperature with high humidity.
But it cannot be said that if you follow all the instructions exactly, osteochondrosis is not a threat. After all, this disease can be caused by traumatic injuries.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the neck
Treatment is prescribed after the test. The doctor collects the medical history and directs the patient for examination. Most often - magnetic resonance imaging. Once they know the exact cause of the disease, they start treatment.
During the acute period, your doctor will prescribe painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Remission - physiotherapy procedures - massage, kinesiotherapy, shock wave therapy, physiotherapy exercises. These methods are aimed at strengthening the muscle ligament, relieving tension, and preventing disease attacks.
Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis
- Check regularly.The disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Annual examinations identify the disease at an early stage and cure it before it gets worse.
- Pay attention to your posture.Keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. If you work a lot at a computer or desk, choose a comfortable chair, sit right, and warm up every half hour or every hour.
- Take an active lifestyle.Walk more, be outdoors, play sports, swimming is especially useful.
- Use an orthopedic pillow while sleeping.
Osteochondrosis and its prevention
Taking care of your own health is an immediate responsibility of everyone, you have no right to transfer it to others. After all, it is often the case that a bad lifestyle, bad habits, physical inactivity, overconsumption can lead to a catastrophic state by the age of 20-30. No matter how perfect the drug is, it cannot save everyone from all diseases. Man is the creator of his own health, which must be fought for. From an early age, you need an active lifestyle, temperament, exercise and sports, you have to follow the rules of personal hygiene - in short, you need to achieve real harmony of health in a reasonable way.
Prolonged exercise is a reliable prevention of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Here are some exercises to prevent this type of osteochondrosis:
- Push your forehead into your palm and tighten your neck muscles. Do the exercise three times for 7 seconds. Then press your head on your palm also 3 times for 7 seconds.
- Tighten the muscles of the neck, press the left temple on the left palm (three times for 7 seconds), then press the right palm with the right temple (three times for 7 seconds).
- Tilt your head back slightly. By overcoming the resistance of tense neck muscles, push your chin towards your neck fossa. Do the exercise at least five times.
- Keep your head and shoulders straight. Slowly rotate your head as far to the right as possible (five times). Perform the left movement the same time.
- Lower your chin to your neck. First turn your head five times to the right and then five times to the left.
- Throw your head back. Try touching your right ear to your right shoulder (five times). Perform the same gesture, trying to touch the left shoulder with your left ear (five times).
It is recommended that these exercises be incorporated into morning hygiene exercises as well as performed during the work day. You can do it both sitting and standing. Under no circumstances should you make a circular rotating motion with your head. This may cause injury.
Prevention of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
If you also regularly perform the exercises listed below that develop and maintain the tone of your back and abdominal muscles, ensuring normal mobility of all segments of your chest spine, osteochondrosis will not beat you.
- I. o. - standing; while inhaling, stand up straight, hands down, feet together. Reach out - exhale. Lean back and take a deep breath. Then lower your arms, lean forward, slightly rounding your back, lower your shoulders and head - exhale. Repeat 8-10 times.
- I. o. - sitting in a chair. Put your hands behind your head - inhale, bend as much as possible 3 - 5 times, rest your shoulders on the back of the chair - exhale.
- I. o. - Stand on all fours. Bend your back as much as possible and hold it in this position for 2-3 seconds. Keep your head straight. Back to i. p. and repeat the same exercise 5-7 times.
- I. o. - lie on your stomach and put your hands on the floor. Force it back as far as possible, try to tear the body off the floor.
- I. o. - lying on her stomach, arms along the body. Bend your chest spine, trying to raise your head and legs as much as possible.
These exercises, which relieve the chest spine, are recommended to be performed throughout the day during short breaks. A 3-5. In practice, breathing is arbitrary. Perform Exercises 4 and 5 5-8 times. These exercises can be incorporated into morning exercises. It is very useful to do a few movements after work. The most important thing is to perform the preventive complex every day, you will reliably insure yourself against osteochondrosis.
How to sit properly
- avoid furniture that is too soft - not for you. In order for the body weight not to put excessive pressure on the spine, the body must be supported by the ischial tubercles, and this is only possible on hard seats.
- the following requirements apply to furniture on which you have to sit for a long time: the height of the chair, the chair must correspond to the length of the lower leg - it is necessary for the leg to rest on the floor; it is recommended for small people to replace a bench under their feet; the maximum seat depth is about 2/3 of the hip length.
- there should be enough leg space under the table so that they do not have to bend too much.
- if you have to sit for a long time, try approx. Every 15-20 minutes. warm up a bit, change the position of the legs.
- make sure your back fits snugly against the back of the chair.
- sit up straight, do not tilt your head or bend your torso so as not to strain your body muscles.
- If, due to the nature of your activity, you need to read for a long time each day, create a device on the table (music stand) that supports the book at the right height and leans toward the table so you don’t have to tilt your upper body forward.
- try to sit still while driving. It is important that the back cover is well supported. To do this, place a thin pillow between your lower back and back that preserves lumbar flexion. Keep your head straight. After several hours of driving, get out of the car and perform basic gymnastic exercises: turns, bends, squats - 8-10 times each.
- do not sit or lie in one position for a long time in front of the TV screen. Change it from time to time, get up to stretch. We sat for 1-1, 5 hours, lean back in a chair or chair, relax our muscles, take a few deep breaths.
How to stand correctly
If a person is standing for a long time, the spine experiences significant stress, especially in the lumbar region.
- Change your position every 10-15 minutes while leaning on one or the other leg, this will reduce the load on your spine.
- if possible, walk on the spot, move.
- from time to time lean back, arms outstretched, take a deep breath. This can alleviate some of the fatigue in the muscles of the shoulder girdle, neck, neck, back.
- if you wash the dishes, iron the canvas, alternately place one or the other foot on a small bench or box. For those with osteochondrosis, it is better to iron while sitting or placing the ironing board so that you do not have to bend low.
- while cleaning the apartment, working with a vacuum cleaner, still try not to bend low, it is better to extend the hose with additional pipes. When cleaning under the bed, kneel on one of your knees under the table.
- pick up an object from the floor, squat or bend down, leaning on your knees and resting your hands on a chair or table. This way it does not overload the lumbar spine.
How to lie correctly
It is better not to sleep on a soft bed, but not on planks either. The bed should be semi-rigid so that the body, when a person is lying on their back, maintains physiological curves (cervical lordosis, chest kyphosis, and lumbar lordosis). Therefore:
- place a shield over the full width of the bed or sofa and 5-8 cm thick foam rubber on top, cover with a wool blanket and lay down a sheet.
- when the pain is in the leg, a blanket can be placed under the knee joint - this reduces stretching of the sciatic nerve and relieves leg pain.
- when their backs hurt, many patients prefer to sleep on their bellies. Place a small pillow under your lower abdomen to prevent the lower back from bending excessively, causing even more pain.
- sleep lovers can sleep under the head with their feet and hands on one side.
Getting out of bed in the morning can be very difficult for patients with acute manifestations of osteochondrosis. Do this:
- do some simple arm and leg exercises first;
- then if you sleep on your back, wrap it over your stomach;
- lower one foot to the floor;
- leaning on this leg and arms, transfer your weight to your knees and gradually get up without sudden movements.
And one more piece of advice. For those who like to bathe, dry steam (sauna) is preferable, and in case of aggravation, the sauna should be abandoned.
Proper lifting and moving of weights
One of the main causes of exacerbation of osteochondrosis and the development of intervertebral disc herniation, especially in the lumbosacral region, is the lifting and carrying of heavy loads. Acute, unexpected pain in the lower back occurs when weights are suddenly lifted by a jerk and then a heavy object is moved sideways while the body is turned over.
How to wear weights correctly
- Do not carry a heavy load in one hand, especially over long distances, so as not to overload the spine, separate the load, and carry it in both hands. Retention, sharp bending and bending (backward bending) of the weight is unacceptable.
- it is generally undesirable for a patient with osteochondrosis to weigh and carry more than 15 kg. We advise you to buy a wheelchair or bag.
- the backpack with wide straps is very comfortable for carrying heavy loads over long distances. The weight of the entire backpack is divided by the weight of the spine and the hands are left free.
How to lift weights correctly
- if you have a weight belt or any wide belt, put it on;
- squat down while your back should be straight, your neck aligned;
- grab a weight with both hands, lift up without bending your back.
And finally, the most important tips. If acute pain occurs in any part of the spine, it should not be self-medicated with tablets and ointments. Seek help from a trained neurologist - you need to make an accurate diagnosis, relieve pain, and develop a plan for further treatment.