Osteochondrosis is a disease of the century, which is becoming younger every year, since the symptoms of this disease are already evident in the younger generation. This is facilitated by a sedentary lifestyle and attachment to computers. Modern conveniences have brought many benefits to people, but if you violate the rules for using computers, serious health problems can arise.
Very often, when sitting for a long time in a fixed position in front of the computer, the neck in the cervical vertebrae is very aching and sore. These are the first bells with which the body signals the onset of problems in the upper part of the spine. When such signals appear, it is very important to start treatment in a timely manner in order to prevent the appearance of more serious manifestations of the disease. For timely diagnosis, you need to know what symptoms are with cervical osteochondrosis. In this article, we consider various signs of an ailment and what can be done to maintain health at a normal level.
What is this disease? Description of the disease
By medical definition, cervical osteochondrosis is an insidious disease in which the initially soft intervertebral pulp, which played a cushioning role, turns into a ossified mass. It hardens and infringes on the nerve roots and nearby blood vessels. Moreover, the patient’s neck hurts and practically no one thinks that these are manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis. This pathology is often masked by other diseases. The characteristic signs of the onset of the disease are manifested by headaches, as well as painful sensations in the neck and upper back. Dizziness, nausea, uncontrolled jumps in blood pressure periodically occur. Even loss of consciousness, numbness of the tongue, lack of air and other manifestations are possible.
Even when the patient knows what symptoms are with cervical osteochondrosis, with the appearance of pain in the back of the head, arms, shoulders, in the sternum and behind it, he does not turn to a neurologist, but most often to other doctors - a therapist, cardiologist, orthopedist, which is not at all helps to get rid of the problem soon. As a rule, this disease occurs in middle-aged and older people. And this is due to the incorrect distribution of the load on the skeleton, which is due to age-related changes in the bones and a violation of the verticality of the gait. The disease is due to the fact that with long immobility of the joints of the neck and upper spine, the roots of the nerve endings go out of their normal position and cause pain. So what symptoms in cervical osteochondrosis can a person notice? More on this later in the article.
The development of cervical osteochondrosis
With cervical osteochondrosis, nutrition is disturbed and there is a gradual destruction of cartilage in the intervertebral joints and discs of the cervical zone. The cervical part is most susceptible to such injuries, since it, although the most mobile, is endowed with a weak muscle corset. A long hold of the head in a stationary state creates a high load on small and mobile individual vertebrae. Since the spinal canal is quite narrow, it is easy to squeeze with any pressure, and this pinching brings pain in cervical osteochondrosis. Symptoms of it can be different, and the nature of the pain is different in different cases.
The disease manifests itself more often than other types of this disease, since in the neck there are many blood vessels, as well as nerve endings. When squeezing the vertebral artery that feeds the cerebellum, the medulla oblongata and the posterior parts of the brain suffer. Possible loss of vision, loss of a sense of balance, hearing impairment, impaired coordination of movements, and in some especially advanced cases, a stroke may occur. Therefore, after thirty years, every person should know what symptoms are with cervical osteochondrosis in order to prevent the onset of a stroke.
The main signs of the disease
Let's look at the signs of the disease in detail:
- with stenosis - narrowing of the spinal canal - there is a violation of blood circulation at the site of narrowing and the person feels severe stiffness of movements and numbness of the hands with tingling at the same time;
- with reflex-irritative syndrome, burning pains are observed in the occipital part, they are clearly manifested when inhaling, exhaling, sudden movements and even at rest, the pain can be given to the chest or shoulder joint;
- with radicular syndrome, severe headaches are manifested - stitching, throbbing, aching, burning - speech defects and a decrease in the sense of smell may appear, loss of sensation with the tongue, sensation of a lump in the throat, a stuffy nose and snoring at night;
- with vertebral artery syndrome, throbbing pains in the crown of the head, frontal part, above the eyebrows, in the temples and in the back of the head;
- with cardinal syndrome, diaphragm pain, arrhythmia and high blood pressure appear.
We will consider the symptoms in detail a little later. In the meantime, it is necessary to say about the causes of this disease.
Possible causes of the disease
The main cause of this disease is considered to be physical inactivity - this is reduced physical activity and poor diet, which leads to the accumulation of salt deposits in such an area as the neck. This is facilitated by a long stay behind the wheel or working on a computer, as well as improper metabolism. Here is an extensive list of causes that are steadily leading to cervical osteochondrosis:
- the appearance of failures in metabolic processes;
- inactive and sedentary lifestyle;
- genetic predisposition;
- age-related ossification of intervertebral tissues;
- muscle clamps that change posture;
- lack of water and vitamins in the diet;
- long stay in an uncomfortable position;
- overweight, too high heels;
- spinal injuries;
- improper weight lifting;
- diseases of the immune system;
- various stresses;
- hypothermia of the body.
Now you can focus on each of the symptoms in more detail to understand what they arise from and how to treat them.
Increased pressure with an ailment. Why does this symptom appear?
Often patients ask the question, can pressure increase with cervical osteochondrosis? Indeed, such symptoms are often observed when squeezing the vertebral artery supplying blood to the brain. This leads to a hypoxia center, which is responsible for regulating pressure. In this case, the normal supply of oxygen is disrupted and its content in the cells is depleted, which causes an increase in blood pressure. An increase in pressure is accompanied by other symptoms: headaches and dizziness, pain in the neck, arm or shoulder, numbness of the tongue and fingers.
The reasons that cause an increase in pressure can be such complications:
- vertebrobasilar insufficiency;
- encephalopathy;
- vertebral artery syndrome.
Thus, pathological changes occurring in the main vessels supplying the cerebellum and brain lead to ischemic attacks and can trigger a stroke. With such indicators, it becomes obvious whether pressure can increase with cervical osteochondrosis. This symptom is diagnosed by interviewing the patient about his feelings and localization of pain, as well as measuring blood pressure.
To treat this type of disease, traditionally non-steroidal drugs that stop pain and relieve inflammation should not be used, since they retain fluid and will not be effective in this case. Here therapeutic massage and physiotherapeutic procedure will not help, on the contrary, they can aggravate the patient’s condition and increase pressure. Such symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis are treated with medication, as well as other methods: manual therapy, therapeutic exercises, wearing a special device - Shants's orthopedic collar.
Of folk remedies, with an increase in pressure, you should grind this composition: 10 ml of iodine and camphor oil, 10 crushed tablets of dipyrone and 300 ml of medical alcohol. Mix everything, dissolve the powder and insist in a dark place for 20 days. This tool shows very good results with inflammation and pain, and also lowers blood pressure. Such symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis are well removed by St. John's wort oil, rubbed into the neck or applied in the form of compresses.
Arm hurts and pulls his neck
In some cases, a hand hurts with cervical osteochondrosis. It’s rare for anyone to think that such a symptom can occur with this disease. Therefore, they seek treatment from a variety of doctors, but not from a neurologist. Such problems are faced by many people every day. Most often, when pain and numbness occur in the shoulder area, it also pulls the neck with cervical osteochondrosis. Since with this ailment the pain occurs in the muscle tissues, which simultaneously move the arms, it is not surprising that it radiates to the hands or causes numbness of the fingers.
Muscle pain What should a patient diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis do?
The neck muscles - trapezoid, scapular and scalene - help in the movement of not only the hands, but also the head, shooting in the most unexpected places: the back of the head, ears, forehead, eyes, shoulder part of the arm. Sometimes patients are interested in whether their eyes can hurt with cervical osteochondrosis? Of course, because depending on which muscles are affected by inflammation, the pain may well be localized in the eye area. When diagnosing a disease at this stage, not only patients make mistakes, but also many experienced doctors. Without understanding the accompanying symptoms, the patient is prescribed hardware diagnostics - radiography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, which does not bring any benefit, but quite the contrary, directs a shock dose of radiation exposure to the body.
In this case, the diagnosis of acute muscle pain is extremely simple, and the doctor can provide the patient with effective help immediately after the examination. Usually, pains of a muscular and radicular nature can be eliminated by effective physiotherapeutic treatment, drug treatment methods, and manual therapy. The skilled hands of the manualist do wonders in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, if the diagnosis is correct and timely. In patients suffering from pain in the cervical region, a return to the frontal or occipital part often occurs or aching and tingling pain in the arm is felt. If numbness of hands appeared in you with cervical osteochondrosis from the shoulder to the elbow or hand, with possible tingling in the fingers, this is most likely this disease. Talking about your feelings and symptoms, try to describe the nature of the pain and its localization as accurately as possible so that the doctor can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe adequate treatment.
Dizziness and headache with ailment. What to do in this case?
If the blood supply to the brain is disturbed, tinnitus may occur with cervical osteochondrosis and unsteadiness while walking. This occurs as a result of a reflex spasm of the vessels of the cervical spine - the cervical arteries. Against this background, severe irritability and depression can develop. As a result, dizziness and headache with cervical osteochondrosis may occur. How to deal with such symptoms?
With muscle pain in the neck, nape, shoulder, the following treatment can be carried out:
- medication - injections blocking pain in the muscles affected by the disease;
- manual actions - reduction of disks, joints, nerve roots;
- physiotherapeutic procedures - UHF, SMT and others;
- acupuncture;
- medical gymnastics - exercise therapy;
- surgical intervention.
Blockades are used when the usual remedies do not give results - drugs and injections. For this, anesthetics are used - novocaine or lidocaine. If joints are affected, use Diprospan or Kenalog. In conjunction with physiotherapy, a persistent protective effect is manifested.
The cervical bandage, the so-called Schantz splint, helps to limit movement and remove some of the load from the spine. When wearing a medical collar, the pains pass significantly faster and the upper part of the spinal column is not so loaded. In a neck brace, patients may even sleep. The duration of wearing is determined by the doctor depending on the severity of the lesion.
A lump in the throat with an ailment. What to do and how to deal with a similar problem?
There is also such a frightening symptom for patients as a lump in the throat with cervical osteochondrosis, which is one of the manifestations of radicular syndrome. This syndrome is associated with pathological disorders of nerve conduction. Radicular syndrome is manifested when one of the pairs of eight roots of the spinal nerve is affected. So, difficulty in swallowing, similar to the symptoms of a sore throat, appears when a fourth pair of roots is damaged. This symptom can be eliminated if you follow the doctor's recommendations. The correct method of treatment will help relieve pain inflammation, restore tissue and restore the correct position of the vertebral discs.
With cervical osteochondrosis with a sensation of a coma in the throat, treatment may be as follows:
- Physiotherapy exercises are special exercises aimed at restoring the desired muscle group and vertebrae, for example, tilting back and forth and to the sides. For each patient, an individual complex is developed, depending on the severity of the lesion, age and individual characteristics of the patient.
- Massage of the collar, shoulder girdle, neck and upper back. Smooth, gliding movements will remove a lump in the throat, dizziness and painful lumbago.
- Manual therapy, which is carried out by a specialist manualist, as an option - the Kuznetsov applicator.
- Drug treatment - therapeutic creams: Viprosal, Finalgon, Dikloberl, Fastum-gel and Diklak-gel of local action.
- Physiotherapy - amplipulse, magnetotherapy, phonophoresis, paraffin wrap. But with some diseases there are contraindications, so the appointment of physiotherapeutic procedures should be discussed with your doctor.
- Folk remedies that relieve a coma in the throat are a compress of honey with potatoes or rye tortilla.
Little conclusion
From this material it is clear what an insidious ailment simple cervical osteochondrosis can be and how difficult it is to detect this disease in the initial stages. Try to prevent salt deposits in the cervical spine. To do this, lead a more active lifestyle if you need a long stay in a stationary position, periodically do exercises that unload this vulnerable spot. Well, if the pain did appear, bring to the doctor a complete picture of the sensations and symptoms so that he can correctly diagnose the disease.