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Perception of the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Unfortunately, today the symptoms of headaches and neck pain due to cervical osteochondrosis are familiar to almost every adult.And 70% of the population over the age of 25 (possibly earlier) have such symptoms periodically.Doctors make a diagnosis: cervical osteochondrosis and prescribe treatment, depending on the stage and nature of the disease.

healthy and diseased spine

What is cervical osteochondrosis?

These are degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs of the spinal column, which occur due to uneven loading of the spine.The vertebral bodies from the first to the seventh cervical region are gradually deformed, exhausted and destroyed.The main and main symptom of cervical osteochondrosis is headache, while the feeling of pain can be reflected in the neck, chest, and shoulders and other parts of the spine.It is connected to all sections of the cervical spine: thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and coccyx.Each vertebra is connected to each other vertically one after the other.And any violation of the cervical vertebrae affects the functioning of the entire spine.

Why is headache considered the main symptom of cervical osteochondrosis?

The cervical region is the most mobile and vulnerable of all parts of the spine.It contains very small vertebrae, much thinner than the vertebrae of other segments.In addition, the neck should always support the head when walking upright.The tension of the neck muscles leads to a constant spasm of the blood vessels of the head and neck.This gives rise to headaches that occur from time to time or last for hours or days.Several muscles connect the back of the head to the neck.Eight short deep muscles provide a connection between the occipital bone and the first and second cervical vertebrae.Two deep muscles connect the back of the head to all seven cervical vertebrae.The neck and capitis longissimus muscles connect the back of the head and the individual vertebrae to each other.Tension and spasm of any muscle can cause head and neck pain.That is why it is necessary to fight against headaches, starting with the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.

Other causes of cervical osteochondrosis

The following factors can be called the causes of cervical osteochondrosis:

  • hereditary tendency
  • sedentary lifestyle
  • overweight
  • high load on the spine
  • stress and nervous shock
  • metabolic disorders
  • wearing the wrong shoes
  • malnutrition
  • pregnancy period

As you can see, there is no specific reason that leads to the development of cervical osteochondrosis.The process of degenerative changes of the intervertebral discs is usually slow and imperceptible.

Developmental stages of cervical osteochondrosis

Very often, a person does not suspect that he has a disease such as cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms, the feeling, headache and neck pain, he prefers to ignore it or limit himself to taking painkillers.However, the development of osteochondrosis occurs in several stages:

  • In the first stage, discomfort begins in the neck during a long walk, sitting in front of the computer for a long time or driving in one position.In this case, small compactions begin to form in the intervertebral discs.Degenerative changes in the vertebrae in the initial stage.
  • In the second stage of the development of osteochondrosis, long-lasting pain appears in the back of the head, the temporal part of the head, and the neck.There may be ringing in the ears and pain when tilting or turning the head.The mobility of the cervical vertebrae begins to decrease, the protrusion of the intervertebral discs is possible.
  • In the third stage, headache attacks occur.The person feels dizzy, short of breath, and short of breath.Pain may occur in the shoulder and in various parts of the spine.Mobility of the neck is limited.The fibrous ring of the intervertebral discs is destroyed, the nucleus pulposus loses its elasticity.Degenerative changes of the vertebral discs are pronounced.
  • The last stage of the development of cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by the presence of intervertebral hernias.Most destructive changes are irreversible.Almost all parts of the spine are affected.Treatment is only possible with surgery.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

In addition to headache and neck pain, depending on the stage of development of the process of cervical osteochondrosis, several symptoms can be mentioned that accompany this disease:

  • A feeling of heaviness in the head
  • Clicking of the vertebrae when turning or tilting the head
  • Crisp feeling in the neck
  • Tinnitus and fullness
  • Dizziness
  • Numbness in the shoulder or shoulder blades
  • Chest pain
  • Feeling of lack of air
  • Lump in throat
  • Nausea
  • Double vision, spots in front of the eyes
  • Increased body temperature
  • Increased blood pressure

Symptoms can be sudden or regular.Pain in the back of the neck and head is often felt at night.Sitting still in one position for several hours takes its toll.The vertebral arteries that carry blood to the brain are pinched and spasmed.Due to the manifestation of circulatory disorders, the brain is primarily affected.Spasms of the neck arteries and muscles often lead to limited movement.A person is temporarily or most often unable to turn his neck for a long time.Dizziness, noise and tinnitus, and a feeling of congestion also occur as a result of the decrease in blood flow from the vertebral arteries to the head.Dizziness can be systemic or non-systemic.In systemic vertigo, a person experiences that objects are spinning around him.In the case of non-systemic vertigo, there is no sensation of circular rotation, but the body is unsteady when standing, and nausea may also occur.

foci of osteochondrosis

In cervical osteochondrosis, the nerve is often pinched.This condition is caused by the displacement of the vertebrae to one side of the spinal column.Dislocated vertebrae compress nerve endings, which leads to spasm of blood vessels and a feeling of shortness of breath.In case of prolonged lack of oxygen, a person may experience shortness of breath.Rapid heartbeat, squeezing pain in the area of the heart, and increased blood pressure are common accompanying symptoms of damage to the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine.

Consequences and complications of cervical osteochondrosis

If the normal blood flow in the vertebral arteries is interrupted, the autonomic nervous system suffers.Spasms of blood vessels and an increase in blood pressure can lead to fainting.In case of fainting, the person must be given first aid immediately.The body should be positioned so that the legs are higher than the head, this leads to normal blood circulation in the neck and activates the flow of the brain.Sometimes, in order to develop the cervical vertebrae and stretch the stiff neck, when the body is in one position for a long time, one twists the head strongly and quickly to the left and right.Because of this, the vertebra of the artery goes into spasm, and instead of relief, the person begins to feel dizziness, tinnitus, and a sharp headache, which can also lead to an increase in blood pressure and fainting.

The main and frequent complication of cervical osteochondrosis is the appearance of intervertebral hernias and protrusions.A herniated disc is the result of the degradation and destruction of the intervertebral disc.With hernias and protrusions, compression and protrusion of the contents of the annulus fibrosus occurs in any direction.In such cases, the person feels constant pain due to the friction of the compressed intervertebral discs.The most serious complication of cervical osteochondrosis can be considered a disease - myelopathy, in which the spinal cord is destroyed.Myelopathy is most often localized in the cervical spine.With this disease, the person feels numbness or tingling in the limbs, weakness and involuntary twitching of the muscles of the body, pain occurs in the chest and between the shoulder blades.

Diagnosis and detection of cervical osteochondrosis

If you have one or more symptoms that indicate the presence of cervical osteochondrosis, you should see a doctor.The neurologist or orthopedist examines the patient to assess the pain and mobility of the cervical spine, identify associated symptoms and recommend the necessary diagnostic measures.Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the most reliable of our time.As a result of the examination, the presence of cervical osteochondrosis, as well as protrusion or hernia, can be detected in the patient with 100% accuracy.Contraindications for magnetic resonance diagnostics include the presence of a pacemaker in the patient.Childhood and pregnancy are not contraindications, since MRI does not involve X-rays.Unlike X-rays, where only the bones of the skeleton are visible, magnetic resonance imaging shows all soft tissues, muscles, ligaments, discs, the cervical spinal cord and nerve fibers.X-ray as a method of detecting cervical osteochondrosis can only be used in the early stages of the disease.The advantages of this test method are speed, accessibility and low cost.X-rays can only reveal the degree of changes in the intervertebral discs, with the exception of examining the soft tissues, muscles and nerve fibers of the neck.

Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis

In order to prevent the occurrence of cervical osteochondrosis, some tips can be listed:

  • Avoid heavy lifting.If you have to lift something heavy, you need to correctly distribute the load on the entire spine.
  • Avoid sitting in one position for a long time, do not watch TV for several hours without changing your posture.
  • The bed and pillow needed for sleeping and resting must be comfortable.An orthopedic mattress and anatomical orthopedic pillow selected according to individual size are desirable.
  • In order to prevent curvature of the body, the rules must be followed.The correct and horizontal position of the head, neck and back during walking and sitting ensures the health of not only the neck region, but also the entire spine.
  • Proper nutrition with a lot of protein-rich foods, cereals, fruits and vegetables provides the body with the necessary vitamins and microelements.
  • Including foods such as jelly, jellied meat, marine fish and collagen-rich seafood in your diet will undoubtedly benefit your skeletal bones, ligaments and cartilage.
  • Correct and sufficient consumption of simple clean water prevents the drying of the contents of the intervertebral discs and the occurrence of cervical osteochondrosis.
  • Exercise and physical activity are very important at any age.In addition to walking in the fresh air, jogging, swimming, water aerobics, yoga and Pilates are very useful.

Treatment.Perception of the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Medicines, physiotherapy, massage, special exercises and gymnastics are used to treat cervical osteochondrosis, and in extreme cases, surgical intervention is not excluded.Analgesics are successfully used to relieve pain.Non-steroidal drugs are prescribed to relieve the inflammatory process.In case of muscle spasms, doctors recommend relaxants.In case of regular neck muscle spasms, you should wear a special orthopedic collar.Anti-inflammatory ointments are used to reduce pain.Physiotherapy procedures are prescribed for slow cervical osteochondrosis without aggravation.Well proven in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis: magnetotherapy, electrophoresis, UHF and shock wave therapy.During physiotherapy, the inflammatory processes in the body subside and the blood supply to the cervical spine improves.Regular massage is also recommended in case of osteochondrosis.

Among the exercises for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, 5 basic exercises are widely used at a slow pace.The exercises should be repeated three to five times.

  1. Practice one.This consists of turning the head slowly left and right.The shoulders remain still.
  2. Second exercise.The forehead should be pressed with the palm of the hand, slightly straining the muscles of the neck.
  3. Third exercise.This consists of tilting the head to the left and right, while tilting to the left we have to bend our head as low as possible and touch our left ear to our left shoulder, and when tilting to the right our right ear to our right shoulder.
  4. Fourth exercise.It is recommended to press the temple on the left side of the head with the left palm, and similarly with the right palm on the temple on the right side of the head.
  5. Fifth exercise.Slowly tilt your chin towards your neck as you turn your head first to the left and then to the right.

These simple but effective exercises can be done every day with 10-15 minutes of free time.

Conclusion

In our body, the spine has five sections.The cervical spine deserves special attention.The occurrence of cervical osteochondrosis is a serious problem due to the complex symptoms, the presence of many accompanying diseases and the lack of proper control.Starting with the usual mild discomfort in the neck, without proper treatment, the intervertebral discs undergo degenerative changes that cause a lot of discomfort to a person.Dizziness, pain in the occipital and temporal parts of the head, neck pain, ringing in the ears and noise are the main, but not the only, symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.In order to prevent cervical osteochondrosis from becoming irreversible changes and consequences at the stage of its occurrence, you should follow simple rules of nutrition and water system, exercise regularly, monitor your posture and the position of your head while walking, standing or sitting.Prolonged immobilization of the body is strictly contraindicated.