The development of IT and the computerization of the population have made the table a place where man spends almost all day in this position. An unpleasant painful sensation in the spine is known to almost every second person. Pain in the spine, limbs, numbness in the legs are the main signs of osteochondrosis. In addition, if earlier people over 40 suffered from osteochondrosis, today teenagers are already facing this disease in high school.
According to localization, osteochondrosis is divided into several types - cervical, thoracic and lumbar. One of the most common types of disease is called cervical osteochondrosis. It must be said that, due to its localization, it causes complications in the work of the brain, full of neurological diseases. From our article you will learn in detail about this disease, its course, features of treatment and prevention.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
Maybe it sounds a little strange, but the cause of osteochondrosis of the spine is. . . . human life. Any excessive load on the spine leads to some deformation, which is why the disease occurs. Osteochondrosis can be prevented, cured, but only if it does not run. And for those who, fortunately, do not suffer from pain, I would like to warn: analyze the degree of pressure on your spine - and you will understand if you are at risk of osteochondrosis.
Thus, the main and most common cause of osteochondrosis in adults can be work, which consists in constantly lifting heavy objects, such as the work of loaders. Also, the disease can be caused by "sitting" work in the office or work "on the feet", as, for example, with salespeople who are in a certain position for a long time, creating a load on the same muscles, parts of the spine.
There is a risk of osteochondrosis in athletes due to heavy loads or, on the contrary, due to a poor level of physical development in those who do not play sports at all. There are cases of the appearance of the disease even when athletes were actively engaged in training, and then they were suddenly stopped abruptly. It is impossible not to mention spinal injuries, which subsequently lead to osteochondrosis. It can affect the spine and flat feet, when due to the irregular shape of the foot, the load on the vertebrae and discs is distributed differently, creating discomfort.
Perhaps osteochondrosis in pregnant women due to the same increased load, as well as in women who constantly walk in heels, overstraining the spine.
The causes of osteochondrosis in the neck area can be genetic or hereditary.
Diseases of the spine can manifest due to metabolic disorders in the body, obesity, low immunity, poisoning, infectious diseases that reduce the functionality of the spine.
Over the years, the spine becomes more fragile, loses the elasticity of the discs, bone density and deforms. Age is another cause of osteochondrosis.
And finally, the impact on the spine of the environment and living conditions cannot be discounted. Poor ecology, stress, diet, not rich in vitamins and trace elements - all this may well cause the development of cervical osteochondrosis. The symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are quite intense. They must be known in order to stop the development of the disease in time. After all, each of us is partially at risk.
Symptoms and stages of the disease
You can recognize osteochondrosis with a simple exercise - turning the head. Painful sensations when turning are the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis. The following symptoms are muscle spasms, difficulty moving, numbness of the fingers, pain in the shoulders.
This type of disease is called radicular syndrome or cervical sciatica. It happens if the roots of the nerves are compressed by the vertebrae due to a violation of their position, the appearance of a hernia. The pain in this case goes down with a wave from the shoulder to the fingers, tingling of the fingers and forearm is felt. If the little finger and the middle finger are numb, this means that the brachial nerve is affected, this is the area of the 7-8 vertebrae. If the other three fingers - the problem is in the area of 5-6-7 vertebrae, the central nerve is affected.
In addition, the disease has symptoms related to brain function. Often the recurring headache with cervical osteochondrosis is severe or painful. Perhaps dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis, tinnitus, spots in front of the eyes, blurred vision, hearing, teeth problems. These signs of the disease indicate that there is an effect on the two spinal arteries that carry blood to the brain. In particular, in those areas responsible for blood pressure, in the cerebellar zone, which controls our vestibular mechanism. This type of disease is called vertebral artery syndrome and is very common. Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, which affects the arteries, is fraught with a violation of the ability to move normally and even strokes.
There are also irritant-reflex syndromes. In this case of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms are similar to those of other types of the disease, but pain attacks appear suddenly after a state of rest. For example, when a person gets up after sleeping, he feels a strong dull pain in the neck.
Another type of disease is very similar to heart disease - angina, when pain occurs in the chest and radiates to the shoulder, lasting for several hours. This is a cardiac syndrome. A cardiogram will help distinguish osteochondrosis from heart disease, which will confirm that blood circulation is not disturbed and the patient is worried about the spine and not the heart.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is divided into stages of the course of the disease. In the first or preclinical stage, there is little change inside at the level of biochemistry. A person feels some discomfort during a long stay in one position, during physical exercise. Back and neck muscles tire quickly.
The second stage of the disease is called the stage of increasing changes in the nucleus pulposus. At this time, the intervertebral disc is deformed, the metabolism is disturbed in the nucleus pulposus, some of its cells die. Due to these processes, the distance between the vertebrae decreases, which then leads to pinched nerves and spasms. A person feels pain in the areas of damage to the spine.
In the third stage of the disease, complete or partial destruction of the fibrous ring occurs. Fissures appear from which the nucleus pulposus comes out, violating the tightness of the connection of the vertebrae. The spine becomes abnormally mobile, the vertebral segments shift. This causes a person pain in the entire back, movement disorders appear, the sensitivity in the extremities disappears.
And the most serious, the fourth stage of osteochondrosis, is manifested by the regeneration of the vertebral discs, the so-called fusion of the vertebrae. The nucleus pulposus replaces the cartilage, the pain subsides, and the spine functions as a support again. But, unfortunately, the consequence of such changes in the spine is the limitation of human mobility and even disability.
The spine has three important functions in the human body. These are support, spinal cord protection and cushioning during movement. Our ability to move comfortably and exist depends on the spine. Back pain should not be considered as a temporary and random phenomenon. Take it as a rule: if you feel pain with a smooth turn of your head, you should contact a neurologist.
Osteochondrosis in children
Osteochondrosis in children is not as common as in adults and is more likely to be a congenital or inherited disease. But since the deformation of the spine can lead to bad consequences and cause great harm to the development of the child's body, we decided to highlight this issue separately and draw the attention of parents to osteochondrosis in children.
A child's spine is more susceptible to injury, freezing, lack of nutrients for formation and growth. And this, as already mentioned, is the cause of osteochondrosis. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the child's diet, remember that it should be rich in calcium and other trace elements, be varied and useful. In case of back injuries and falls, especially at a young age, it is imperative to consult a doctor for an examination and, if the disease is confirmed, its possible further treatment. By the way, osteochondrosis in a child can be a consequence of birth trauma.
Osteochondrosis occurs in children and due to heredity, when the fragility of the vertebrae is genetically transmitted. If, in the case of spinal disease in children, the zone of bone growth, that is, the area in which the bone grows, is affected, this can also lead to impaired growth and overall development of the child. The symptoms of osteochondrosis in children are similar to those of adults, but the pain is more moderate, the movements are not disturbed. With cervical osteochondrosis, fainting, dizziness are possible.
If the child has conditions for osteochondrosis or you suspect back problems, seek medical advice immediately. The sooner the disease is detected, the sooner you can rid the child of it.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
The diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis, like other diseases, begins with an examination by a doctor. In this case, a neurologist. The doctor examines the patient in various positions - standing, sitting, lying down, examines the condition of the spine during movement. It draws attention to the posture, the position of the middle groove of the back, the position of the shoulder blades, the shoulders. In addition to visual inspection, tactile inspection is also mandatory. The location of the damage is identified, guided by complaints, examination and also using a special technique of measuring the vertebrae. In addition, the patient is prescribed X-ray or magnetic resonance therapy in order to examine the spine more closely, to determine the stage of the damage. After diagnosis, treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is prescribed.
Treatment
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is usually complex. Most of the time, it is based on a few mandatory points. One of the main ones is proper engine operation. Right means to move without shaking your head. Any fast movements do not benefit the vertebrae. The doctor will likely prescribe a special medical soft collar to be worn, which will immobilize the neck during treatment.
Wanting to think something from his side, the patient should turn his head slowly. If you feel uncomfortable in the neck, do some special exercises, massage yourself.
A mandatory stage in the treatment of osteochondrosis in the acute stage is drugs. The doctor will prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pills to eliminate the foci of inflammation and swelling. Be sure to help relieve the course of the disease with analgesics. If osteochondrosis causes muscle spasm, then a drug that relieves cramps and relieves pain is also prescribed. Vitamin B will also be prescribed, which improves brain function, helps fight stress and strengthens muscles. And if the patient is in a depressed state, then antidepressants will be prescribed.
You can not do without the treatment of osteochondrosis without external preparations - gels, ointments, creams. Known anti-inflammatory drugs will act directly at the center of the disease. There are ointments called chondroprotectors, that is, ointments with elements that restore the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs. And, of course, the patient will need ointments or creams for therapeutic massage, which is also necessary.
Manual therapy for osteochondrosis
Many patients with osteochondrosis seek help from chiropractors. This method of treatment can be included in the complex if the patient has an anatomical change in the spine, the appearance of a hernia or displacement of the discs. With the right treatment it gives really positive results. But when looking for an expert, be careful. Before agreeing to treatment, make sure that the specialist has a medical degree and practices traditional healing, as well as additional training in the specialties of neurology and chiropractor and has certificates of confirmation. Operator experience is also important. After all, the treatment itself requires clear movements and, if used incorrectly, is fraught with injuries. The principle of manual therapy is a point effect on the structural elements of the spine. With a quick push, the joint that has been displaced from the correct position is returned to it again. The right treatment, without a doubt, is a very effective treatment for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Physiotherapy
Therapeutic exercises for cervical osteochondrosis will allow you to fight the disease even in the workplace. In addition, simple exercises will be an excellent prevention of spinal diseases.
So take your eyes off the screen, lean back in your chair and learn some useful exercises.
Sitting in a chair, place your feet shoulder-width apart. Relax, put your hands down. Slowly lower your head down until your chin touches your chest. If it doesn't work, that's okay, lower it as much as possible, as much as possible. After that, slowly raise your head and turn it over, also until it stops. Returning to the starting position with a straight head, repeat the exercise 5 times.
Without getting up from the chair, gently turn your head to the side. First in one direction, then return to the starting position and turn to the other. 5 times each.
By turning your head, you can go to the slopes. The exercise is also done while sitting, slowly tilting the head to the left, then back, then to the right. They bend their head all the way, trying to press their ears to their shoulders. The exercise is performed at least 5 times for each side.
It will help stretch the neck muscles and the next exercise. In the sitting position, the head is slowly thrown back, hold this position for a few seconds and slowly begin to turn the head, without lifting it, to the left and then to the right, making at least 10 turns in total.
You can also, without leaving the workplace, do an exercise to warm up the shoulder muscles. Sitting in a relaxed position, start rolling your shoulders forward 5 times and then back 5 times. Do this slowly and carefully, feeling every muscle.
It will help you stretch your shoulders and the exercise known to everyone from kindergarten. It can be performed as desired - sitting or standing, as the situation allows. You slowly throw your left hand over the shoulder on the right side, touch your ear with your fingers and bring it down. Throw your right hand in the same way above your head to the left ear.
Now a little more warm-up for the neck muscles. Put your palm on your forehead, start pressing your forehead into your palm, resisting with your hand. Hold this position with a stretched neck and count to 5. Then relax and repeat the exercise twice.
The exercise is similar to the previous one. But now other neck muscles will also work. You throw your hand, or, more conveniently, both folded into a lock, behind your head, place them on the back of your head, and begin to press the head into your hands. Do the exercise 3 times for 5 seconds.
Now we stretch the lateral muscles of the neck. There is only one pattern - the head presses the hand, the hand resists. You put your left hand on the left temple, press counting to 5, take a break for a few seconds and repeat 2 more times. In the same way, the exercise is done for the right side of the neck.
And finally, a little warm-up in a standing position. It is better to choose a free space in the office for this. Feet are placed shoulder width apart for better balance. With outstretched arms in a free state, they begin to rotate synchronously 5 times forward and then 5 times backward.
After taking a short break for 10-15 minutes, you will feel the tension in your back and neck muscles subside, let your eyes rest from the screen, relax a little. Such breaks at work are useful, and in many modern offices they even practice a mass exit of colleagues for warm-up. Do not neglect the simple rule - warm up whenever you are tired and tense. Gymnastics for cervical osteochondrosis is an excellent treatment for the initial stages of the disease and effective prevention. In more severe cases of the disease, a course of exercise therapy (physiotherapy exercises) is prescribed.
Therapeutic exercise for cervical osteochondrosis
Exercise therapy for cervical osteochondrosis is simply irreplaceable. A set of exercises will improve the functionality of the spine, help maintain muscle tone and relieve tension. The exercise will require some free time and a warm exercise mat on the floor. They can be done at home in the evening or in the morning before work. Of course, it is good to do it between meals.
Lie on your back on the floor, stretch your arms along your torso. Look ahead and start looking away gradually right and left, 4 times in each direction. After moving your eyes to the side, start looking up and down also 4 times. After completing the lateral warm-up, proceed to eye rotation immediately clockwise and then counterclockwise.
In the same position, lying down, turn your head in turn in different directions. Gradually, little by little. After making 4 turns in each direction, proceed to tilt your head to the side to the left and to the right shoulder.
You can do head lifting exercises. Also, lying on a flat surface, lift your head off the floor and tilt it towards your chest, trying to touch your chest with your chin. Pull your head as close as possible. All this without sudden movements no more than 4 times.
When performing exercises for cervical osteochondrosis, you need to remember that not only the cervical region, but the whole body requires a warm-up. Therefore, lying on your back, having completed the first simple exercises, having warmed up, proceed to the next one. Extend your arms to your sides and roll onto your side, trying to touch the opposite side with your arm and leg, but not roll onto your stomach. The turn occurs during inhalation and they return to their original position during exhalation. Make no more than 5 turns.
The next exercise is to sit from a prone position. Lying on the floor with arms stretched along the body, you need to get up slowly, resting on your hands. A rather difficult exercise for osteochondrosis, so we emphasize once again that you need to do it carefully and slowly, 3-4 times.
Lie on your back, bend your legs and press them to your stomach, tighten your knees with your hands. Then gently pull your head to your feet and touch your knees. Further - also carefully return to the prone position. The exercise is done up to 5 times.
You are lying down, legs bent at the knees at the height of the abdomen, arms open. Turn your body alternately left and right up to 5 times in each direction.
Do not interfere with abdominal exercises. Turn and stretch your arms along the body. Start by lifting your head off the floor, then your shoulders, torso, focusing on your legs and hips. Then return to the starting position and do the exercise up to 5 times.
Breathing exercises are useful for osteochondrosis of the cervical region. After some rest from the previous exercises, lie on your back, fold both hands on your stomach. Inhale deeply and slowly, blowing out the stomach, also exhale carefully, pulling the stomach in. Take 5 breaths and exhales.
Place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest. Take a shallow breath, stretching your muscles, exhaling, relax. The number of breaths is also 5.
These exercises are only introductory and should not be considered a complete treatment. Rather, these are recommendations to prevent the disease or its development. The therapeutic exercise for cervical osteochondrosis is chosen by the doctor, based on the needs of the patient.
Self-massage
Massage is one of the necessary and pleasant procedures during the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis and is prescribed by a doctor. Of course, it is impossible to try to repeat a professional massage at home, with the participation of relatives, this issue is really handled only by health workers. But light kneading movements can be done on your own, distracting you in the middle of the workday and relieving stress. By the way, massage will be a good addition to fitness.
So, feeling pain in the neck, lean back in your chair, relax your back. The massage begins with stroking the neck with the palms from top to bottom, i. e. from the hair to the shoulders. After stroking, turn your palms with one end to your neck and move your hand up and down several times, pressing lightly. Then start scrubbing. Place your palms on the back of your head so that your fingers converge in the middle at the spine. Rub the body, moving your hands from the center of the spine to the sides of the neck, going from top to bottom. You can massage your neck with your fingertips, rubbing it in circular motions. Then start pinching the skin and muscles, grasping them between your index finger and thumb. And then stroke your neck with your palms, completing the massage.
Self-massage for cervical osteochondrosis will help relieve pain and muscle tension.
Treatment with folk remedies
The most popular folk remedies for any disease are herbal preparations. Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folk remedies is possible, as a rule, in the initial stages of the disease. Herbs such as mint, St. John's wort, calendula, yarrow, licorice root, chamomile, birch and strawberry leaves help well in the fight against diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Make teas from these herbs, drink regularly, as a tonic and as a means of prevention.
You can also take herbal baths. For each bath you need at least 300 grams of dry plants. Bathing with pine helps a lot. The needles of coniferous plants are ground, poured with boiled water and boiled for 20 minutes. It is then filtered, added to a hot bath and steamed for up to half an hour.
You can and should take a chamomile bath, which has an anti-inflammatory effect and perfectly heals the body. Chamomile is poured with boiling water, insisted for up to an hour, filtered and added to the water.
A quick home-made compress will help relieve back pain. Everyone has potatoes and honey at home. Folk methods are recommended to make such a compress from them: grate the vegetables and mix with honey in a ratio of 1: 1. The composition is applied to gauze and applied to the sore spot. Relief is guaranteed, but, unfortunately, not for long.
Ginger garlic salve works in much the same way. They are rubbed on the grater and mixed 1: 1, we add a little butter or petroleum jelly to smear and rub the sore spot. It will also relieve pain and inflammation, but will not cure the disease. With osteochondrosis, a mandatory visit to a neurologist is required, who will prescribe a complete treatment.
Finally, I would like to say about the basic rules of conduct for osteochondrosis. First of all, keep your back straight and your head straight. Adjust your workspace to these standards until you put a book under your screen if it's low or find a chair that's taller.
Do not lift heavy things unless absolutely necessary. And if you really had to carry the load, take it heavy not in a bent position, but do it like the barbell lifters - sit down, then lift with a weight.
Do not overcool your back, protect it from drafts. A wide variety of fashionable and stylish vests will keep your back warm at any time of the year and under any conditions.
Move more, swim, exercise, hang on the horizontal bar.
Having mastered all the secrets of exercise, self-massage and prevention of osteochondrosis with folk remedies, share them with your office friends. Thus, you can not only insure yourself against spinal diseases, but also help colleagues avoid back pain and increased fatigue. Be healthy!