Coughing is not always the result of a viral infection or respiratory pathology. He can talk about degenerative changes in the bone tissue of the spine. What is the relationship between diseases of the spine and cough, how to understand the true cause of its origin?
What is the relationship?
The main cause of problems with the musculoskeletal system is a sedentary lifestyle and a lot of weight. Naturally, there may be other reasons: excessive load on the spine, heredity. Under any circumstances, a long-term negative effect on the spinal column affects the elasticity of the intervertebral discs, they can lose depreciation properties. As a result, bone growths appear, dystrophic changes in the joints, muscles and ligaments begin.
If we talk about the cervical spine, then with osteochondrosis, a cough appears against the background of compression of the vertebral artery. As a result, the flow of oxygen and blood to the tissues worsens, vasospasm occurs and the pharyngeal muscular tension increases. By the way, one of the accompanying symptoms is a sensation of a “coma” in the throat.
In the future, if the patient does not undergo adequate treatment, then the pressure on the nerve endings and blood vessels only increases, the disease progresses, an intervertebral hernia and protrusion appear. As a result, the innervation of the respiratory tract intensifies and a cough appears. It is also possible to pinch the first six roots of the thoracic spine. A similar situation occurs with a disease of the lumbar spine.
Pathology specificity
As a rule, cough with osteochondrosis is accompanied by pain and is very reminiscent of symptoms of a sore throat. Symptoms are similar to increased expiration (hyper-expiration). If the pathology is associated with damage to the root, then at first the pain is barely noticeable, the cough is very rare. In the future, the more the roots are affected, the more the nature of the pain becomes more permanent. Discomfort is more disturbing at night when the body is at rest.
Osteochondrosis is also characterized by coughing with sudden movements, inclinations and turns. Severe osteochondrosis is characterized by cough with sputum.
Additional symptoms
In order not to confuse a cough with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with the same ailment with a viral infection, it is necessary to distinguish the symptoms of the first:
- headaches and dizziness;
- pain in the cervical spine;
- numbness of the limbs;
- decrease in heart rate.
If there is a cough with osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, then the following concomitant symptoms are characteristic of such a disease:
- pain in the chest, area of the heart, giving to the shoulder blade;
- pain in the abdomen;
- numbness and limitation of mobility of the joints of the shoulder;
- intercostal neuralgia.
However, it is not always possible to distinguish between concomitant symptoms of coughing, especially if it becomes constant against the background of osteochondrosis. Therefore, you should analyze the symptoms characteristic of viral diseases, and compare with those that are present with osteochondrosis.
It is sometimes difficult to establish a diagnosis on your own, but remember that against the background of pneumonia or bronchitis, osteochondrosis and cough will only progress, giving complications to the organs of hearing and vision, up to organ dysfunction and paralysis of the limbs.
How to identify the cause?
Can there be a cough with osteochondrosis? Maybe, but it’s difficult to identify the true cause of this condition on your own, you have to go to a medical institution. If the doctor does not detect pathologies in the respiratory system, then additional diagnostic tests will be prescribed:
- MRI and CT, the results of which give a complete "picture" of what is happening in the spinal column. These methods have many contraindications and are quite expensive.
- Radiography, which allows you to assess the severity of spinal diseases.
- Myelography The study provides an understanding of the state of the spinal cord, roots and membranes.
- Contrast discography to identify pathologies of the intervertebral discs.
Danger of disease
The most dangerous is cervical osteochondrosis, because with it the flow of blood to the brain is disrupted. Degenerative changes first provoke only spasms of the vessels in the cervical spine, and then press them down. There is a high risk of developing vertebral artery syndrome, hypertension or, conversely, hypotension. There may be a decrease in memory, vision, intelligence and problems with concentration, and the most dangerous is a stroke.
The consequences of thoracic osteochondrosis are slightly easier, and the disease itself is quite rare, since this part of the spine is practically motionless. However, pathology in this area is often the cause of pain in the stomach, heart.
Drug treatment
If the diagnosis showed that cough with osteochondrosis is a consequence of this pathology, and did not appear against a sore throat or viral infection, then it is necessary to treat the spine.
Traditional drug treatment is prescribed during the acute form of the disease. Non-steroidal drugs are used that will relieve inflammation and swelling. Muscle relaxants are used to improve respiratory function and relieve muscle tension.
The action of chondroprotectors is aimed at restoring cartilage and stopping the destruction process. Analgesics are used to relieve severe pain.
If vasodilator drugs are prescribed, then their effect is aimed at enhancing the flow of oxygen with blood to the tissues of the spine, which suffered as a result of pathology.
To increase the conductivity of the roots, vitamin and mineral complexes are prescribed.
Physiotherapeutic Activities
If the patient has osteochondrosis of the spine, cough, then physiotherapeutic procedures give good results. Their main goal is to reduce pressure on the vessels and roots of the spine, eliminate spasms and normalize blood circulation.
The most common procedures include:
- Phonophoresis. The essence of the procedure is that with the help of ultrasound, drugs are introduced into the body. Phonophoresis goes well with traditional conservative therapy.
- Paraffin and ozokerite therapy. The second substance of petroleum origin and its action, like paraffin, is based on high heat capacity with low thermal conductivity.
- Magnetotherapy. The principle of action of such therapy in the positive effect of the magnetic field on the active molecules of muscle and stem fibers.
Massage and manual therapy
If osteochondrosis has a dry cough, then massage can be a good remedy for it, which is aimed at restoring muscle trophism and improving metabolism in those tissues where the degenerative process has already begun. As a rule, manual and massage procedures can get rid of pathological reflexes. But such procedures can be carried out only during the period of subsidence of symptoms.
Physiotherapy
This category includes breathing exercises and those aimed at developing the muscles of the neck and back. Exercise can improve muscle tone and enrich it with oxygen.
It is breathing exercises together with conservative treatment that can minimize the manifestation of cough in osteochondrosis. They also allow you to remove static stress in the spinal column and stimulate the influx of beneficial elements to the cartilage and bones.
It is recommended to supplement the treatment with a visit to the pool. Swimming allows you to develop the respiratory system and strengthen muscles.
In extreme cases, when traditional therapy in combination with concomitant treatment does not give proper results, a surgical operation is performed. In such cases, growths on the vertebrae are removed, prostheses of the intervertebral discs are installed.
Quick help
Quickly eliminate cough with breast osteochondrosis using special breathing exercises. And if you perform the exercises constantly, then you can significantly reduce the pressure on the nerve endings.
Gymnastics consists of five deep breaths with the nose and exhalations with the mouth, which should be done five, then a break, about 2 minutes. Repeat 3 or 5 times. Exercises can be repeated every two or three hours. After gymnastics, it is recommended to drink a small amount of warm water.
It is believed that exercises are suitable for everyone, their regular implementation can significantly reduce the number of coughing attacks, it immediately becomes easier to swallow, and the pain subsides.
Medical nutrition
Most importantly, if you are diagnosed with osteochondrosis, review your diet. A sufficient amount of products that contribute to the synthesis of cartilage, i.e. chondroprotectors, should be ingested. You can get them from jellied fish, jelly and jellied meat, in which, by the way, there is a lot of protein and collagen necessary for connective tissue.
Foods with a high content of vitamins E, C, and B should be included in the diet. However, if there is a cough with cervical osteochondrosis, then the food must be well ground, because the throat is already heavily loaded.
Finally
Osteochondrosis that appears in any part of the spine is a dangerous disease that cannot be started, especially if a cough is a concomitant symptom. It can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.