Osteochondrosis is a disease that is accompanied by degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine. It is often seen in the region of the cervical vertebrae. This disease is not a sentence for human health, modern medicine can easily cope with it. But you need to know the degree of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the causes of its development, the symptoms and the main methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of pathology.
Factors contributing to the formation of pathology.
Atrophic changes in the vertebrae are formed as a result of heavy loads on this part of the spine, spasms of muscle fibers, and dysfunctions of the circulatory system in this area. The deviations that occur in the discs activate the growth of formations of bone etiology, which causes the pinching of the nerve structures. The reasons can be:
- crooked posture or scoliosis;
- overweight;
- inactive lifestyle;
- physical injuries of the spine;
- metabolic disorders;
- heavy load on the spine;
- genetic predisposition;
- malnutrition;
- frequent hypothermia;
- prolonged static tension of the muscles of the back and neck.
To reduce the risk of developing pathology, you should try to avoid these factors. If this is not possible, it is necessary to know the symptoms of the pathology in order to diagnose it at an early stage.
signs of the disease
One of the first and true symptoms of the pathology is the radicular syndrome. It develops as a result of the growth of the structures of the intervertebral discs and the compression of the nerves. The patient has numbness of the tongue, speech and swallowing disorders, tingling in the shoulders, collarbone and heart muscle. The pain can radiate to other parts of the body, especially the upper limbs and shoulder blades.
Common signs of pathological processes are:
- burning sensations, tingling in the arms and back;
- Chest pain;
- severe tinnitus, vision loss;
- pain syndrome during movements;
- periodic migraines and dizziness;
- frequent numbness of nearby parts of the body.
Knowing these symptoms, early diagnosis and the choice of a treatment strategy for the disease can be initiated. This will greatly increase the possibility of a complete recovery of the patient's health.
Degrees and stages of progression of pathology.
This disease is a very insidious disease, because it has certain degrees and stages of osteochondrosis. They have a big difference between them, as stage 1 actually has no symptoms and proceeds latently, and stage 2 the disease is very noticeable.
With osteochondrosis of the cervical region of the first degree, structural disturbances in the muscular apparatus are observed as a result of damage to the capsular formations between the vertebrae. In this case, the patient is tormented by periodic pain, swelling and numbness of some parts of the body). There is also frequent loss of vision and dilated pupils.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine of the second degree is a little more dangerous than its predecessor. This is due to the fact that the pain is sharp and pronounced. Equally important symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis of the second degree are circulatory disorders of the cartilaginous structures of the spine and numbness of the upper extremities. Your education should be a signal for a specialist to start therapy. Therefore, it is important to know what osteochondrosis of the second degree is.
In the presence of grade 3 osteochondrosis, this means that the patient has severe damage to the intervertebral discs, as well as impaired cerebral circulation. This form of the disease is observed as a result of an inactive lifestyle. Some processes at the same time become irreversible and not amenable to therapy. The prognosis for the treatment of grade 3 cervical osteochondrosis is favorable in most cases, but it does not guarantee a complete recovery of the patient.
Osteochondrosis of the fourth degree is a disease that is in a neglected and decompensated form. In this case, the patient has very serious structural damage to the spine, as well as severe cerebrovascular insufficiency. This type of pathology is dangerous for the life of the patient, so he must be under the supervision of medical personnel 24 hours a day.
Attention!It is the division of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine into degrees that allows doctors to assess the patient's condition as accurately as possible, as well as choose the most effective strategy for its treatment.
Diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
The disease is diagnosed using various instrumental and laboratory methods. These include:
- General and biochemical blood tests.
- X-ray examination.
- Ultrasonic examination.
- computed tomography
- Magnetic resonance imaging.
An equally important factor is the subjective examination of the doctor. During it, the specialist must find out the anamnesis of the disease and the life of the patient. He also needs to visually inspect the affected area and listen to the patient's complaints.
With osteochondrosis of the first degree and osteochondrosis of the second degree, the goal of therapy is to eliminate the symptoms of the disease. Medicines should relieve headaches, spastic conditions in the muscular apparatus, and also stabilize metabolic processes in the vertebral structures. In this case, the doctor uses painkillers. At the same time, he must know how to correctly treat osteochondrosis of the second degree so that the pathology does not proceed to the next stage.
During the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis of the third degree, a neurologist may use warming and anti-inflammatory drugs. They help to cope with more serious manifestations of pathology. The last degree of the disease needs symptomatic therapy and patient care. In this case, large amounts of narcotic pain relievers are introduced to reduce the severity of a person's pain.
It is important to remember that only a doctor should deal with the treatment of the disease, since self-medication can lead to serious complications.