Cervical bone degenerationis a disease that is the process of malnutrition or the gradual destruction of cartilaginous tissues of the vertebral joints and cervical discs.
How to easily carry your head on your shoulders?
If you find it difficult to turn your head when someone calls you on the street, if your neck really doesn't hold up and just causes you pain, then it's time to check whether you have osteoarthritis or not.
This is the part of the neck that is most susceptible to injury because it is the most mobile and has weak corset muscles.The body creates a large load on the small moving vertebrae.And the spinal canal itself is quite narrow.It is easily pinched under any pressure placed on it.
Thousands of people feel heaviness in the back of their head or tingling in their hands every day.And, unaware of the danger, they call those physiological manifestations fatigue and sometimes the common cold.The neck area contains many blood vessels and nerve endings.When osteoarthritis occurs, the vertebral artery is compressed, providing nutrition to the cerebellum, medulla and posterior parts of the brain.As a result, a person's coordination of movements becomes ineffective, balance is lost, vision decreases, hearing becomes impaired, and sometimes this phenomenon leads to a stroke.
Truth.According to WHO statistics, people between the ages of 30 and 40 are increasingly suffering from cervical spondylosis.Doctors explain this trend by a sharp decrease in physical activity.And the incidence of this disease in industrialized countries is 60-80%.
Syndromes and symptoms of osteoarthritis
- Stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal syndrome): compression of spinal blood vessels due to herniated discs, bone spurs (growths of bone tissue) or thickening of spinal ligaments.As a result, blood circulation in the affected area is interrupted.The patient begins to feel constrained and feels obvious pain in the cervical spine.Numbness and tingling are detected in the upper and lower limbs
- Nerve root syndrome: the disc compresses the nerve root.This leads to headaches, manifested by aching, burning or pulsing sensations, sometimes feeling similar to symptoms of high blood pressure.With this syndrome, speech defects and olfactory disorders, facial muscle hypertrophy, damage to the sensitivity of the tongue muscles and a feeling of "clogging" of the throat with tumors are possible.Breathing becomes intermittent, a person snores, and his nose often "stuffs" seemingly for no reason.
- Vertebral artery syndrome: formed by compression (squeeze) of the vertebral artery.Its main companion is sharp pain.Attacks may involve the parietal lobe, the area above the eyebrows, and the temporal and occipital lobes.
- Heart syndrome:similar to angina but lasts much longer.The pain is reflected in the diaphragm.This phenomenon in some individual cases is accompanied by high blood pressure and arrhythmia.
The main reasons for the development of the disease
- Metabolic problems;
- Physically inactive lifestyle;
- Genetic predisposition;
- age-related ossification;
- Clamps the muscles, due to which the posture changes;
- Lack of fluids and vitamins in the daily diet;
- Holding an uncomfortable position for a long time increases pressure on the discs and spine;
- Excess weight or stress on the spine due to wearing high heels;
- All types of spinal injuries;
- Lift weights regularly;
- Autoimmune diseases (self-destruction of the immune system), leading to degeneration of cartilage tissue;
- Stress, which leads to muscle spasms and impaired blood flow to the intervertebral discs;
- Hypothermia.
Diagnosis of cervical spondylosis
The doctor may make an initial diagnosis of “cervicothoracic osteochondrosis” or simply the cervical region during the patient's first examination.The expert will determine:
- Human body type;
- Posture position;
- Flow of spinous processes;
- Cervical contour and angle of the scapula;
- Locate pain points and pain levels;
- Range of flexibility of the spine
- Muscle loss.
All of these together will tell you exactly how the disease is progressing.Next, your doctor will order several tests:
- Digital X-ray;
- CT (computed tomography);
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging);
- Doppler ultrasound of the main arteries of the brain: a special ultrasound sensor determines the state of blood flow and vessel walls.
Treatment methods for cervical spondylosis
Your doctor will help you choose the most optimal solution for the problem.And he will offer various treatment methods: medication combined with physiotherapy, or he will prescribe a gentle surgery for your body.
Conservative treatment– This is first of all drug treatment.It relieves pain, reduces muscle tension and quells inflammation.For such purposes, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and pain relievers are prescribed.The prescription list also includes chondroprotective drugs to activate regenerative processes in joint cartilage tissue, as well as B vitamins and external preparations: gels and ointments containing NSAIDs.
Physical therapyOn the contrary, it saturates the nutritional environment of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc and promotes cartilage regeneration.The doctor will also prescribe therapeutic gymnastics - to strengthen the muscles and develop the flexibility of the ligamentous apparatus.He can give you an introductory lesson so that you can later perform the exercises correctly on your own.
Surgical treatmentIt is suitable in cases where medication and physical intervention cannot be avoided.People come to him if the patient's spinal canal is severely narrowed.The surgical intervention is called anterior cervical discectomy.The surgeon will immobilize the affected spinal segment and remove the intervertebral herniation that is pressing on the spinal nerves.Over time, the vertebrae between where the disc was removed will fuse.This is called spondylosis.For greater adhesion, the specialist can perform an operation with cage stabilization - that is, the space between the vertebrae is filled with an artificial insert.
After 3-5 days, surgical patients will be discharged from the hospital for outpatient treatment.The rehabilitation process takes an average of about 3 months and depends on the implant installed and the patient's occupational activity.
What is the best way to build a lifestyle for someone diagnosed with cervical osteoarthritis?
Daily routine should include mandatory walking, and running and jumping should be avoided.Contraindicated in prolonged sitting position;Swimming is beneficial - it not only enhances muscle tone, but also reduces contractions that inhibit the body.In the evening, it is recommended to take a hot bath (except during cervical spine treatment during periods of exacerbation of the disease).It is also important to monitor your diet.Eat foods rich in magnesium and calcium - nuts, milk and seafood, legumes.You will have to give up alcohol.
Is it possible to go to the sauna during the period of exacerbation of osteoarthritis?
Warming up is often beneficial for the patient, but after a thorough steaming session, you will want to avoid immersing yourself in cold water.You should also not run out in the cold.Otherwise, the disease will get worse.Cervical osteoarthritis is very sensitive to any change in temperature, including changes in climate.For example, the autumn cold can negatively affect a person's health.
What complications can arise after cervical spondylosis?
If you do not start the treatment process in time, when the first signs of the disease appear, your neck may no longer listen to you in the literal sense of the word.And the complications of this disease are quite serious.There is a risk of protrusion - the so-called "protrusion" of the extravertebral disc, which can then take the form of a herniation.Nerve roots in the neck can be damaged.Or bone spurs (bone growths on vertebrae) may appear.Complications often include muscle weakness or paralysis - a condition in which the head begins to tilt to one side or forward.In this part, in the processes of the cervical vertebrae there are vertebral arteries that supply blood to the brain.This disruption of blood circulation is one of the most serious phenomena.Reluctance to seek treatment can lead to nerve pain, deafness, and even loss of vision.But if you address the problem at an early stage of development, the disease can be prevented.
Why do you need a Shants necklace?
This is an orthopedic brace made of flexible material, used to immobilize the neck in the treatment of cervical spondylosis.But you cannot wear such a neck immobilizer for a long time because the muscles may weaken over time and you will get used to involuntarily tilting your head to the sides without additional support.The Shants collar does not allow the vertebrae to move and retains its corrective effect after a massage session.It receives the weight of the head and distributes it evenly to the collarbone and base of the neck.At the same time, the head remains in the correct position.