Cervical osteochondrosis is a pathological change of the intervertebral disc tissue and the vertebra itself. As a result, the soft tissue becomes thinner and the amortization effect of the vertebrae decreases. Compression of blood vessels and nerve fibers occurs, and cervical spine mobility decreases.
Cervical osteochondrosis is one of the most dangerous parts of osteochondrosis, because this disease causes the blood supply to the brain to deteriorate.
Why is cervical osteochondrosis dangerous?
As a result, the normal function of the cervical spine is disturbed, its mobility is reduced, and neck pain occurs. Cervical osteochondrosis can cause deterioration of blood circulation in the brain, migraines, heart rhythm disturbances, decreased vision, coordination and concentration, and the development of intervertebral disc herniation.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The disease is characterized by acute pain in the neck that radiates to the back of the head, shoulder blades and forearms. The pain may increase when moving the head or in certain positions. Due to the pain syndrome and inflammatory process, the neck muscles are excessively tense. Patients often have migraines, hearing and vision loss, dizziness, tinnitus, sudden changes in blood pressure, and fainting. The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis may be that the sensitivity of the fingertips is violated.
Types of osteochondrosis
Positioning to distinguish cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, sacrum and ordinary osteochondrosis. In most cases, lumbar osteochondrosis (more than 50% of cases), cervical osteochondrosis (more than 25%), and generalized (approximately 12%) are diagnosed.
Cervical osteochondrosis
Parents often say a saying to their children: "Don't turn your head! " The doctor does the opposite: "You must turn your head. " Any age. This is the only way to avoid dangerous diseases-cervical osteochondrosis.
The neck is not only designed to fix the head and turn it in different directions, by the way, it has become quite difficult for untrained people who don’t pay attention to their health over the years. The spinal cord, the arteries that supply blood to the brain, the nerve roots, and the trunk make nerve connections with the hands, heart, and lungs, passing through the neck area.
Complaints about this type of osteochondrosis are very diverse: heart pain, headache, dizziness with short-term loss of consciousness (due to blood supply to the brain), shoulder joint or whole arm pain.
Thoracic Osteochondrosis
The pain that occurs from time to time in the thoracic spine is familiar to everyone who engages in heavy physical labor. Usually, these painful and unpleasant sensations are the first signs of an unpleasant disease in the body-thoracic osteochondrosis. This disease usually affects people in the so-called sedentary industry: designers, computer operators, car drivers.
However, even if you drag heavy objects every day or sit at your desk for a long time, there is no need for you to suffer from osteochondrosis.
A reliable disease barrier is correct posture. When walking, try to keep your back straight and your shoulders straight. To form a posture, as you understand it yourself, it is necessary from a very young age. But you can do this when you are 30 or 40 years old. Indeed, it is better to be late than never!
Lumbar osteochondrosis
At first, there is dull pain in the waist and legs, and then numbness of the limbs is usually noticed. With the sudden movement and tremor of the body, the pain increases significantly.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
The cause of cervical osteochondrosis is usually related to body aging and age-related tissue changes. However, lifestyle and related factors increase the risk of illness. These include:
- Less physical activity, sedentary work;
- Overweight and unhealthy diet;
- Musculoskeletal diseases: flat feet, rheumatism, scoliosis, postural disorders;
- Injury to the neck or back of the head.
In addition, osteochondrosis can be caused by other diseases of the spine. The spine is a whole and requires comprehensive treatment. This is why if you suspect osteochondrosis, the first thing to do is to have a thorough examination of the spine.
Osteochondrosis is a disease of the skeletal cartilage surface of the musculoskeletal system, mainly the spine (as well as the hip and knee joints). There are four stages of development of osteochondrosis.
To understand the nature of this disease, at least it is necessary to understand the structure of the spine. The vertebrae are connected to each other by ligaments and intervertebral discs. The holes in the vertebrae form the canal where the spinal cord is located; its root contains sensory nerve fibers that extend between each pair of vertebrae. When the spine is curved, the discs are somewhat compacted on one side of the slope, and their nuclei shift in the opposite direction. Simply put, the intervertebral disc is a shock absorber that can reduce the pressure on the spine under pressure.
A large number of morbidities are mainly related to the vertical position of people, where the load of the spine and intervertebral discs is much higher than that of animals. If you don't learn how to sit, stand, and lie down, the intervertebral disc will lose the ability to perform its function (amortization). After a period of time, the outer shell of the intervertebral disc will rupture and form a herniated hernia. They can compress blood vessels (causing damage to the circulation of the spinal cord) or the roots of the spinal cord and, in rare cases, the spinal cord itself. These changes are accompanied by pain and reflex tension in the back muscles.
According to statistics, among people aged 25 to 55, almost one suffers from osteochondrosis every second. But most people begin to feel the manifestations of osteochondrosis after 35 years. Static and dynamic overload and vibration will promote the development and deterioration of spinal osteochondrosis.
This may be caused by the following reasons:
- Work related to frequent changes in torso position-flexion and extension, turning, clean and jerk,
- Lift heavy objects,
- Incorrect posture when standing, sitting, lying down, and bearing weights,
- Does not consider physical education and sports that require heavy physical exertion,
- Unfavorable weather conditions-low temperature and high air humidity.
But it cannot be said that if you follow all the instructions exactly, then osteochondrosis will not threaten you. After all, the cause of this disease may be trauma.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
Treat after examination. The doctor collects medical records and instructs patients to perform examinations. The most common-used for magnetic resonance imaging. After the cause was identified, treatment was started.
In the acute phase, the doctor will prescribe painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. During the remission period-physical therapy procedures-massage, exercise therapy, shock wave therapy, physical therapy exercises. These methods are designed to strengthen muscle corsets, relieve tension and prevent the onset of diseases.
Prevent cervical osteochondrosis
- Accept regular inspections.This disease is easier to prevent than treatment. Annual inspections will detect the disease at an early stage and cure it before it progresses to a more serious stage.
- Pay attention to your posture.Keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. If you often work at a computer or desk, choose a comfortable chair, sit down, and warm up every half or hour of work.
- Live an active lifestyle.Walk more, go outdoors, do sports, and swimming is especially useful.
- Use orthopedic pillows when sleeping.
Osteochondrosis and its prevention
Taking care of one's health is everyone's direct responsibility; he has no right to pass on his health to others. After all, when a person is 20-30 years old, because of the wrong lifestyle, bad habits, lack of exercise, and overeating, they will often fall into a catastrophic situation. No matter how good medicine is, no one can save everyone. disease. Man is the creator of his own health and must fight for it. From a very young age, it is necessary to develop an active lifestyle, temper, exercise and exercise, and abide by the rules of personal hygiene-in short, to achieve true health and harmony in a reasonable way.
Long-term exercise is a reliable way to prevent cervical osteochondrosis. Here are some exercises to prevent this type of osteochondrosis:
- Press the forehead on the palm to tighten the neck muscles. Do 3 exercises, each for 7 seconds. Then press the back of the head on the palm 3 times for 7 seconds.
- Tighten the neck muscles, press the left temple with the left palm (3 times for 7 seconds), and then press the right palm with the right temple (3 times for 7 seconds).
- Tilt your head back slightly. Overcome the resistance of the tense neck muscles and press the chin on the jugular fossa. Do this exercise at least 5 times.
- Keep your head and shoulders straight. Slowly turn your head as far to the right as possible (5 times). Move to the left the same number of times.
- Place the chin on the neck. First turn your head to the right 5 times, then to the left 5 times.
- Tilt your head back. Try to bring your right ear close to your right shoulder (5 times). Perform the same action and try to touch the left shoulder with the left ear (5 times).
It is recommended that these exercises be included in the morning hygiene exercises and performed on the working day. You can do it simultaneously while sitting and standing. However, under no circumstances should the head be used for circular rotation. This may cause injury.
Prevention of thoracic osteochondrosis
If you also regularly exercise (listed below) to develop and maintain the tension of the back and abdominal muscles and ensure the normal movement of all segments of the thoracic spine, then osteochondrosis will not defeat you.
- I. p. -Standing; when inhaling, stand up straight, hands down, feet together. Stretch your arms up-exhale. Bend back and breathe deeply. Then lower your arms, bend forward, bend your back slightly, lower your shoulders and head-exhale. Repeat 8-10 times.
- I. p. -Sitting in a chair. Put your hands behind your head-inhale, bend back as much as possible 3-5 times, put your shoulder blades on the back of the chair-exhale.
- I. p. -on all fours. Bend your back as much as possible and hold it in this position for 2-3 seconds. Keep your head straight. Go back to i. p. and repeat the same exercise 5 to 7 times.
- I. p. -Lie on my stomach and put my hands on the floor. Back as hard as possible, trying to tear the body off the floor.
- I. p. -Lie on your stomach, arms along your body. Bend your thoracic spine and lift your head and legs as much as possible.
These exercises that can reduce the pressure on the thoracic spine are recommended to be performed throughout the day during short breaks at work. In exercises 3 to 5, breathing is arbitrary. Do the 4th and 5th exercises 5-8 times. These exercises can be combined with morning exercises. It's helpful to do a few moves after get off work. The most important thing is that you take comprehensive prevention every day so that you can reliably protect yourself from osteochondrosis.
How to sit correctly
- Avoid furniture that is too soft-it is not for you. In order to prevent the weight from exerting excessive pressure on the spine, the body must be supported by the ischial tuberosity, which is only possible on a hard seat.
- For homes that need to sit for a long time, there are the following requirements: the height of the chair, the chair must correspond to the length of the calf-the legs must be placed on the floor; for people with short stature, it is recommended to put a bench under the feet; the maximum seat depthApproximately 2/3 of the hip length.
- There should be enough legroom under the table so they don't have to bend too much.
- If you must sit for a long time, try it approximately every 15 to 20 minutes. Warm up slightly and change the position of your legs.
- Make sure your back is close to the back of the chair.
- Sit upright, do not tilt your head excessively or bend your torso, so as not to strain your muscles.
- If you have to read for a long time every day due to the nature of your activities, please put a device (music stand) on the table to support the book at a sufficient height and tilt it towards the table so that you don’t have to tilt your reader’s upper body forward.
- When driving, try to sit as relaxed as possible. It is important that the back is well supported. To do this, place a thin cushion between the lower back and the back of the chair to keep the lumbar spine curved. Keep your head straight. After a few hours of driving, get out of the car and do basic gymnastics exercises: turning, bending, squatting-8-10 times each time.
- Do not sit or lie in one position for a long time in front of the TV screen. Change regularly and get up to stretch. We sat for 1-1. 5 hours, leaned on a chair or chair, relaxed our muscles, and took a few deep breaths.
How to stand correctly
When a person stands for a long time, the spine will bear a lot of pressure, especially the waist.
- Changing your posture every 10-15 minutes while leaning on one leg or the other will reduce the load on your spine.
- If possible, walk on the spot and move.
- From time to time, bend back, stretch your arms up, and take a deep breath. This can relieve the fatigue of the shoulder straps, neck, nape and back muscles to a certain extent.
- If you are washing dishes and ironing sheets, alternately place one leg or the other on a stool or box. For people suffering from osteochondrosis, it is best to iron while sitting or placing the ironing board so that you do not have to bend over.
- When cleaning the apartment, use a vacuum cleaner and try not to bend it down. It is best to extend the hose with an extra tube. Kneel under the table on one knee when cleaning the bottom of the bed.
- Pick up objects from the floor, squat down or bend over, bend your knees and place your hands on a chair or table. This way you will not overload the lumbar spine.
How to lie correctly
It is best not to sleep on a soft bed or on a wooden board. The bed should be semi-rigid so that when a person lies on his back, the body can maintain the physiological curve (cervical lordosis, thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis). for this:
- Place a shield on the entire width of the bed or sofa and cover it with 5-8 cm thick foam rubber. Cover with blankets and put on sheets.
- When the leg is in pain, you can put a blanket roller under the knee joint-this can reduce the stretch of the sciatic nerve and relieve leg pain.
- Many patients prefer to sleep on their stomachs when their back is painful. Put a small pillow under your lower abdomen to prevent excessive bending of your lower back, which can cause more pain.
- People who like to sleep on the side can put one foot on the other and one hand under the head.
It is very difficult for patients with acute osteochondrosis to get up in the morning. Do this:
- Do some simple arm and leg exercises first;
- Then, if you sleep on your back, roll over and lie on your stomach;
- Lower one leg to the floor;
- Lean on this leg and arm, transfer your weight to your knees, get up slowly, don't make sudden movements.
One more suggestion. For those who like to take a bath, dry steaming (sauna) is a better choice. If the condition worsens, they have to give up the sauna.
How to lift and move heavy objects correctly
One of the main reasons for the deterioration of osteochondrosis and the formation of intervertebral disc hernia, especially in the lumbosacral area, is weight lifting and weight bearing. Suddenly, unexpectedly, when a heavy object is suddenly lifted, and then moved to one side while turning the body at the same time, pain will appear in the lower back.
How to carry weight correctly
- Do not carry heavy objects with one hand, especially long-distance heavy objects, to avoid overloading the spine. Separate the heavy objects and hold them with both hands. Unable to accept heavy objects, sharp bending and straightening (backward bending).
- Generally speaking, patients with osteochondrosis do not wish to lift and carry more than 15 kilograms. We recommend that you buy a trolley or bag with wheels.
- The backpack with wide shoulder straps is very convenient for carrying heavy objects over long distances. The weight of a complete backpack is distributed on the weight of the spine, and the hands are kept free.
How to lift weights correctly
- Put on (if any) a weight lifting belt or any wide belt;
- Squat down with a straight back and a straight neck;
- Grasp the heavy object with both hands and get up without bending over.
Finally, the most important recommendation. If acute pain occurs in any part of the spine, you should not self-medicate with pills and ointments. Seek help from a qualified neurologist-you should establish an accurate diagnosis, relieve pain and develop a plan for further treatment.