Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine belongs to the category of long-term chronic diseases. During the development of the disease, destruction of the intervertebral space occurs, which, if left untreated, inevitably leads to the formation of a herniated disc. In the modern world, the elderly and children suffer from osteochondrosis. At the same time, the healing process is delayed by several months, even years, and does not always guarantee a positive result. Thus, this problem should be approached with the utmost seriousness, because the sooner the doctor can determine the presence of cervical osteochondrosis and prescribe treatment, the more likely the patient will have a return to health.
<1_img_centerxx>The disease in question has quite characteristic manifestations, so it will be difficult not to notice them. However, before considering the information on how to determine cervical osteochondrosis, it is necessary to determine what are its symptoms and the factors responsible for its occurrence.
Osteochondrosis is a chronic disease that causes degenerative processes to appear in the connective cartilage tissue located between individual vertebrae. The progression of the disease disrupts the normal functioning of the body and can lead to disability. At the same time, destructive processes cause inflammation, which is transmitted to nerve fibers passing nearby. This development of events leads to muscle spasms, which overwork, trying to prevent compression of blood vessels and nerve roots.
However, without external intervention, the body cannot cope with the disease, and as a result, a decrease in the gap between individual vertebrae, as well as other consequences of osteochondrosis, will lead to significant difficulty in circulation. blood, and the human brain does not receive oxygen and important nutrients in the required amounts. Naturally, this will immediately affect the patient's self-awareness. Therefore, osteochondrosis can be determined by a number of characteristic symptoms.
The main symptoms
The most typical symptoms are:
- constant pain in the neck and head;
- regular bouts of nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- strong and sudden changes in blood pressure;
- dizziness, fainting.
As you can see, the symptoms are quite specific and it is impossible not to notice them. Therefore, it will not be difficult to determine osteochondrosis in the neck area. However, only an experienced neurologist should make a diagnosis, since this disease affects the work of many functions, and during the examination it is necessary to draw an accurate picture of what is happening in order to prescribe the most effective treatment.
To determine the nature of the course of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae, the patient is sent for an x-ray and computed tomography. In some cases, an ultrasound may be prescribed. As a rule, this occurs with complaints of chest pain against the background of absent heart pathologies.
The manifestation of heart pain in a patient with osteochondrosis in the neck indicates the active spread of the disease along the spine. Such a symptom is rare, so the neurologist will certainly send the patient first for examination to a cardiologist, who will need to identify any heart problems or confirm their absence. If the work of the cardiac system proceeds without disturbances, then there is nothing to fear, since osteochondrosis itself does not in any way affect the activity of such an important organ as the heart.
The above symptoms appear from the first weeks of the onset of the disease. The only exceptions are dizziness and nausea, since these unpleasant sensations are found in patients in 2-3 stages of the development of the disease.
In total, there are three stages of the development of the disease, the third of which manifests itself in the most insidious way. If you do not treat osteochondrosis of the neck vertebrae, its transition to a severe form will lead to disruption of the normal functioning of many vital systems in the human body.
Prerequisites for the onset of osteochondrosis
Many factors are considered to be manifestations of osteochondrosis of the spine in the neck. However, the main one is the poor posture of the spine. For this reason, it is extremely important to create some kind of habit to maintain the correct position of the body during labor and rest from childhood.
The second very important factor is called sedentary lifestyle. A modern person usually complains about the lack of time for sports, but at the same time he can spend a lot of time mindless surfing the waves of the Internet, empty communication on social networks or computer games.
Since childhood, most people have reported the great benefits of simple morning exercises. Nonetheless, few modern people do, although simple physical exercise in the morning can stimulate blood circulation, experience a real burst of liveliness, and help create a good mood for the whole day. Plus, morning exercise will keep your joints healthy and moving for many years to come.
The last serious factor provoking osteochondrosis of the spine in the neck area, and at the same time many other problems, is the lack of vitamins. Usually the human body is deficient in vitamins in winter and early spring, so during these times you should eat as many raw vegetables and fruits as possible or buy vitamin complexes that are sold at any pharmacy. You should also pay attention to other important microelements for the body. By the way, many people mistakenly believe that osteochondrosis appears due to a lack of calcium. This is not the case, although calcium should be used in the treatment of the disease, as it promotes rapid healing of cartilage tissue.
The main stages of osteochondrosis
- First.At the initial stage, a dull pain appears, which quickly goes away if a person keeps his body at rest for a while. In addition, the patient may notice jumps in blood pressure, which are the first sign of lack of oxygen in the brain.
- Second.The next stage already significantly darkens the usual way of life, because the pain syndrome in the neck becomes quite strong and does not always go away, even after taking painkillers. This makes a person extremely irritable, which negatively affects the attitude of others towards them. In addition, there is a constant feeling of fatigue, systematic headaches appear.
- The third.The last step is considered the most dangerous. The patient develops intolerable pain in the neck and head, which even strong pain relievers cannot always cope with. Dizziness, nausea also appears, limited movement, etc.
As you can see, osteochondrosis has quite a pronounced symptomatology, however, at the initial stage, many people simply ignore the signs of impending disaster. It is extremely important to be vigilant and quickly identify the disease at its first weak manifestations.
As a rule, patients of a neuropathologist are people whose osteochondrosis has already passed to the second stage of its development. This complicates the healing process, since it is only possible to effectively fight the disease at the initial stage.
Remember that osteochondrosis is one of the most difficult back diseases. This can have a negative impact on the work of several vital systems at the same time. If you do not seek professional help in time, then you can trigger a disease that will lead to the formation of a spinal hernia, where only surgery will correct the situation.
The process of recovery from osteochondrosis is delayed for a long time and can only be successful with strict observance of all the doctor's prescriptions. In any case, you should not independently diagnose and prescribe treatment, because you can make the situation worse.
Many believe that osteochondrosis is the last sentence and that it is impossible to fully recover from it. In fact, this is not at all the case if the disease has not passed to the final stage of development. In other cases, the situation can be corrected, but for this you need to focus on long and hard work, and in addition, you will have to change your lifestyle, playing sports and outdoor activitiesan integral part of it.