Cervical osteochondrosis symptoms and treatment

Osteochondrosis is a disease of our time. A sedentary way of life, constant nervous tension do not pass without leaving a trace. Almost everyone can observe the symptoms of this disease. How to recognize an insidious ailment and seek help in time?

Osteochondrosis is a physiological process that every person acquires during life. Symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are very diverse, so it only under certain conditions, in combination with certain factors, becomes a disease. The disease is characterized by local changes in the bone tissue of the cervical spine, due to the occurrence of calcium deficiency. Calcium becomes scarce, and the tissue acquires a spongy structure, becomes brittle, fragile and carries the main function of the skeleton.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

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

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

Symptoms are so diverse and individual that it is difficult to identify cervical osteochondrosis based only on the patient's complaints. Disease of the cervical spine is diagnosed using MRI, computed tomography, X-ray. According to the results of the study, you can see changes in the spine. Only by taking all the complaints into account is the diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis.

Depending on the location of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment are somewhat different. From where exactly 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, accordingly, different treatment.

1. First group. The peripheral nervous system suffers. A change in the vertebrae directly affects the nerve endings (roots). Often referred to as 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.
• Crunch, noise, crackle when turning the neck. See what exercises to do to strengthen the muscles of the neck with osteochondrosis.
• Constant pain in the back of the head.
• Due to the deterioration of blood circulation, the hands become pale, cold, fingers become numb.
• Joint pain.

Such osteochondrosis can cause torticollis

2. Second group. The entire spinal cord is involved, the disease shows itself in the disruption of all its work. The symptoms are as follows:
• The muscle tone of the legs and arms decreases. Legs become numb, get tired quickly, it is difficult to walk, stand, the reason is semiconductor disorders syndrome. Blood does not flow well to the lateral columns of the spinal cord.
• Myelopathy develops in the affected areas. Affects the dysfunction of the limbs.
• Third group. The work of the brain is disrupted due to poor blood supply to the brain. Differs in characteristic syndromes:
• Hypothalamic. A syndrome that is indicated by a malfunction of the hypothalamus. It leads to neurological symptoms. The patient often feels unreasonable fatigue, irritability, mood swings. People suffering from this syndrome complain of poor sleep, resentment, unfounded fears, anxiety. Among the physiological changes: sweating, pallor, cold hands, high blood pressure.
• Drops 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 disrupted due to insufficient blood flow. Sometimes there is nausea that provokes vomiting.
• Cochlear-stem. Ringing, tinnitus is called this syndrome. Ear congestion or hearing impairment may occur. It is very difficult to associate such symptoms with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, especially to prescribe the correct treatment
• Pharyngeal-laryngeal. 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, pain are observed in the throat.

Features of osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome symptoms treatment

Separately, it is worth dwelling on 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 related to osteochondrosis. Treatment does not work, the person continues to feel pain, the condition worsens. An incorrect diagnosis is sometimes worse than the disease itself. The prescribed therapy not only does not help, but also cripples completely healthy organs. Developing osteochondrosis of the cervical spine provokes the appearance of the so-called radicular syndrome.

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

This cervical syndrome is characterized by:

1. Pain when turning the neck or torso. Appears after a long monotonous position of the body (sleep, prolonged sitting) and sharp turns of the head.
2. Numbness and "chills" in the occipital region.
3. Headaches in different manifestations: pulsating, sharp, short-term, long-term. This leads to dizziness, fainting, nausea.
4. The muscles on the chin may sag slightly.
5. With frequent pain, a decrease in the tone of the tongue is observed, and speech defects appear.
6. The pain from the neck smoothly passes to the shoulder, forearm, hand. There is numbness in the fingers, discomfort when raising an arm, pain in the joints.

Often, the radicular syndrome of the cervical spine smoothly passes into the chest. In cervicothoracic osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome, pain, acute instantaneous, manifests itself in the internal organs.

Here the clinical picture looks like this:

• Pain in the scapula, lower ribs, armpits. Numbness in these areas.
• Painful stabbing sensations in the stomach, intestines, hypochondrium. Often observing this syndrome, they mistakenly diagnose diseases of the alimentary tract.
• Numbness, from navel to groin along the back of the spine, causing heaviness in the intestines and stomach.
• Dry throat.

Radicular changes can cause cardinal syndrome - a violation in the bone tissue provokes irritation of the roots of the pectoral muscles or the diaphragm. Its occurrence is signaled by: heart pains of varying duration, from sharp stabbing to long aching, tachycardia, shortness of breath. These signs are exactly the same as the symptoms of angina pectoris. And if you treat it exactly, the result will be zero. Moreover, in patients with such a syndrome, the cardiogram is normal and besides pain, no other signs of heart disease are observed. Therefore, drugs with a coronary dilating effect are not effective.

Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

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

Medication

• Pain syndrome is relieved by analgesics and other pain relievers.
• For severe pain, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed.
• Local anesthetics in the form of warming ointments and gels will be useful.
• If exiled muscle spasm is observed, take muscle relaxants.
• Prescribe drugs that improve cerebral circulation in cervical osteochondrosis.
• Also in medical practice blockade of painkillers is used.
• Prescribe anti-convulsive drugs if necessary.
• In case of psychological disorders, antidepressants, sedatives, drugs for insomnia are useful.

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

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

Cardinal methods of treatment - surgical removal of hernias and other defects of the spine.