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. The reduced blood flow leads to the rupture of Organs 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, interrupts the passage of nerve impulses to the central nervous system.
Why does cervical osteochondrosis occur?
This condition can be caused by:
- Hereditary predisposition to a decrease in the volume of intervertebral discs.
- Back, neck or limb injuries.
- Weakening of skeletal muscles.
- Difficult working conditions.
- Incorrect 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 can be prevented.It is necessary to create the right conditions for work, as well as choosing 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 need to know what are the most common signs of osteochondrosis of the neck:
- decreased range of motion;
- constant or throbbing pain;
- cracks of the vertebrae when moving the head;
- headaches that don't go away with medication;
- dormancy of one or more limbs;
- limb tremor or involuntary muscle contraction;
- dizziness, loss of coordination of movements or consciousness;
- tinnitus (ringing or ringing in the ears);
- trouble remembering or using learned information;
- memory loss;
- problems with the work of the sphincters of the rectum and bladder neck.
Each osteochondrosis of the neck is unique and affects different body functions, 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
The pain of osteochondrosis can be throbbing, short-term and long-term and constantly upset 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 either in the neck or between the shoulder blades and affect the entire arm.
The complexity of the diagnosis stems from the fact that the 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 muscle overload or tension. But over time, the 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.In order for suspicions of osteochondrosis to be justified, it is necessary to exclude other options. Most often, the pain is caused by muscle tension, incorrect posture while sleeping or at work. Therefore, it is necessary to improve these conditions to understand if they are the primary source of unpleasant sensations.
If problems with the neck continue, this is a serious symptom that can speak of both osteochondrosis and other diseases such as:
- tumors;
- infections;
- compression of nerve roots.
Therefore, you should see a doctor and get 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 unclear what caused the disease. You can independently determine only the violation of working conditions, energy loads and injuries. The rest of the diseases can be recognized only after passing a thorough examination - this is necessary, because an infection affecting the spine or other similar disorders pose a serious danger to health and life.
How to treat osteochondrosis with medicines and folk remedies
After making a diagnosis, you must either adopt a treatment plan that the doctor will develop, or create one yourself. When choosing your points, it is important to emphasize an integrated approach in the choice of means and in the systematic implementation of all recommendations.
What to do with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- apply medications;
- use folk remedies;
- perform physical therapy;
- change the lifestyle to eliminate the underlying cause of the disease.
Medications include:
- Oral and topical preparations that relieve pain and reduce inflammation, but do not contain steroid substances.
- Analgesics 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.
- Plasters for pain relief.
Popular methods include:
- Decoctions and infusions of herbs used orally. The effect of the funds depends on the raw materials used for them. These can be general strengthening compounds that saturate the body with useful substances, as well as pain relievers or anti-inflammatories.
- 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 folk remedies into the skin, often combined with massage or self-massage. It has a different direction of action, but is mostly used to relieve pain and warm and relax muscles.
Physiotherapy includes:
- Massage performed by a medical professional - medical procedures have a beneficial effect on the spine and back muscles. In case of neck violations, you cannot use the services of a massage therapist who specializes in performing only relaxation sessions.
- Self-massage - actions performed correctly help to warm the neck muscles, relieve spasms and restore blood circulation in the cervical and shoulder regions.
- Improving working conditions, choosing the right furniture to maintain the correct posture and sedentary work - frequent breaks during which physical movements are carried out.
- Increase the number of walks, wearing shoes with cushioning soles. Walking helps to create the correct load on the back, especially the lower back, due to which the clamps in the skeletal muscles are removed and the spine returns to the anatomically correct position.
- Doing 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 using only one's own weight or, in rare cases, light dumbbells are allowed.
- Sauna or bath - a visit to the steam room with a stroke of 10-12 times can significantly reduce tension in the muscles of the back and activate the body's metabolic processes.
- Procedures prescribed by a doctor and carried out with the help of special equipment (electrophoresis, etc. ).
Also, swimming in the pool is a good way to maintain optimal muscle tone, relieve spasms and eliminate atrophy. This should be done constantly and should be started as soon as the inflammation stops. The first visits should receive a moderate load on the shoulder girdle, after which it should be gradually increased until swimming becomes a complete workout.
Subject to the doctor's recommendations, remission occurs quickly enough if the disease does not turn 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.