Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine: causes, manifestations, treatment.

Frequent dizziness, tinnitus, flies before the eyes, a feeling of heaviness in the back of the head are not only caused by fatigue. They are often provoked by degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine. Headaches in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are a typical manifestation of the disease. It is impossible to get rid of them for a long time without affecting the root cause.

The mechanism of development of the disease.

Degeneration of intervertebral cartilage and bone tissue in the cervical spine causes clinical symptoms already in the early stages. The growth and displacement of vertebral fragments inevitably leads to impaired blood flow, innervation and malnutrition of brain structures.

The causes of spinal deformity in the neck area are:

• congenital disorders of the structure of bone tissue;
• osteochondrosis of the lumbar or thoracic regions.

In almost half of cases, the pathology is found in middle-aged and young people, more often in women. Its development is facilitated by long-term incorrect position of the head during sleep, sitting at a desk, during telephone conversations, and traveling in transport. The progress of osteochondrosis is also accelerated by the habit of sleeping on high pillows. The mobility of this part of the body, the smaller size of the vertebrae in comparison with other departments, the location of a large number of large vessels and nerve trunks provoke the early appearance of symptoms. Pain syndrome is the main one.

Collapsed disc fragments and disrupted vertebrae compress the vertebral artery and the surrounding nerve plexus. Prolonged compression causes a narrowing of the lumen of the vessels, slowing blood flow and reducing oxygen supply to the tissues. Malnutrition, hypoxia and subsequent cerebral ischemia are aggravated by compression of the nerve trunks by osteophytes - radiculopathy.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

In most cases, headaches and other symptoms of pathology are of a secondary or vertebrogenic nature - they are caused by pathological processes not in the brain, but in the adjacent spinal column.

Reflex headache - drilling pain. It occurs when the first three vertebrae are affected. It begins at the top of the neck, spreading to the occipital and parietal parts, then covers the temples and forehead. It is most often unilateral, resembling a classic migraine. It lasts from half an hour to several days, aggravated by tilting or turning the head, active physical actions.

If osteochondrosis affects the fourth and fifth vertebrae, cervicobrachialgia develops. Its danger lies in its similarity to a heart attack. The pain is one-sided, sharp, burning, covers the neck, shoulder, giving under the shoulder blade, in the hypochondrium, sometimes in the forearm and hand.

Myofascial dysfunction causes the so-called cervical migraine. Throbbing or pressing pain on the side of the neck spreads along one side, covering part of the back of the head, the crown of the head, the temple, and reaches the brow ridges.

In severe cases, additional symptoms are observed: photophobia, redness of the eyes, nausea, physical weakness.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical region can provoke various types of vegetative-vascular dystonia:

• with frequent headaches;
• violations of thermoregulation, intracranial pressure, breathing;
• sudden mood swings.

With significant pinching of the spinal nerves, speech disorders, numbness of the tongue, loss of sensitivity of the fingers occur. A person becomes like a drunk or under the influence of psychotropic drugs: he utters words indistinctly, does not immediately respond when addressed to himself. In advanced cases, tissue malnutrition and impaired blood supply lead to a persistent increase in intracranial pressure, decreased vision and hearing.

Some facts about the disease:

• Osteochondrosis of the neck occurs in men and women with the same frequency.
• Most often, people from 30 to 60 years old get sick.
• As a rule, pathology occurs in people who at work have to constantly be in the same position and perform monotonous movements.
• The cervical spine has some structural features, so the disease can have many different manifestations.

What features of the cervical spine cause the symptoms of osteochondrosis?

• There are openings in the lateral processes of the vertebrae - carotid arteries pass through them on the right and left, which supply blood to the brain.
• In the cervical region passes the initial part of the spinal cord: it contains fibers that carry nerve impulses to all parts of the body, provide movement, sensitivity. If there is compression of the spinal cord in the neck, neurological disorders occur throughout the body.
• This section of the spine is highly mobile, and this predisposes to the onset of osteochondrosis (although, in most cases, the disease still develops in the lumbar region - not only is it highly mobile, but it also experiences the higher load).
• In the neck, nerve roots emerge from the intervertebral foramina, forming the cervical and brachial nerve plexuses. They are responsible for movements in the muscles of the neck, arms, shoulder girdle, skin sensitivity, regulation of autonomic functions.
• The first vertebra does not have a massive front part, the body, it is a bone ring that is placed on the tooth, a bone growth on the second vertebra. This allows the head to turn from side to side.

Neck pain, headaches, a feeling of weakness, numbness in the hands are symptoms that should see a neurologist. Examination by a specialist and examination using modern equipment will help to understand the causes of the pathology and take the most effective measures.

Stages and symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.

The first target of the disease is the intervertebral discs. Each disc consists of a nucleus pulposus enclosed in a dense annulus fibrosus. The nucleus performs the function of a shock absorber during loads on the spinal column, and the annulus fibrosus maintains the nucleus pulposus within the spinal column.

In conditions of poor blood circulation and nutrition, the disc tissues begin to break down. The annulus fibrosus loosens and the core loses some of its moisture, becomes thinner and partially loses its shock-absorbing properties. As a result of such changes, the ability of the intervertebral disc to carry loads is reduced and damaged.

One of the main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is pain in the neck of a stabbing, burning, stabbing nature, similar to "electric shocks". It usually extends to one or both hands.

Some patients complain of constant discomfort or pain and, in addition to pain, stiffness of movement, dizziness, headache, and memory impairment.

In many ways, the nature and severity of the pain, as well as the accompanying symptoms, depend on the stage of osteochondrosis:

• 1 stageChanges occur inside the intervertebral disc: the nucleus pulposus moves and begins to irritate the nerve endings. But pain in the initial stage usually occurs only during physical exertion, movements, coughing and sneezing, and at rest a person may not feel any discomfort.
• 2 stage.The annulus fibrosus loses its ability to support the nucleus pulposus, the distance between the vertebrae decreases and they shift relative to each other. As a result of such changes, it is possible to pinch the nerve endings, which causes severe pain. Pain, in turn, forces a person to take a forced position.
• 3 stage.The annulus fibrosus is destroyed and an intervertebral hernia occurs. At this stage, the cervical spine is often deformed; its natural curvature decreases. A herniated lump compresses or irritates nerve roots, causing severe, constant pain in the neck and arms, often accompanied by numbness and muscle weakness.
• 4 stage.The annulus fibrosus becomes dense and adhesions form between the vertebrae. As a result, immobility occurs in the affected area, while the pain may even decrease.

Diagnosis

With complaints of poor health in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you need to contact a neurologist. During the examination, the doctor determines the origin of the pain. To do this, use the following methods:

• press your fingers into the region of the cervical vertebrae in those places where the nerve roots protrude - the emerging pain reaction indicates headache;
• press on the points close to the bony prominences below the lower edges of the ears - an attack of pain after this clearly indicates the development of a cervical migraine as a result of mechanical compression.

For an accurate diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis, a number of instrumental studies are prescribed. Radiography, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography remain the main ones. With its help, pathological changes that have occurred in the structure of bones, cartilage and soft tissues are visualized.

Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

Medicines are designed to eliminate symptoms, restore normal blood circulation, biomechanics of the entire cervical region.

To relieve pain, NSAIDs, analgesics, muscle relaxants and antispasmodics are used.

Vasodilators - vasodilators help reduce vegetative manifestations, improve venous outflow and prevent edema in the affected area.

Means containing B vitamins and magnesium help to improve the nutrition of nerve tissue cells and reduce adverse symptoms.

At the same time, patients are recommended medications to regulate blood pressure and correct heart rhythm.

Many patients are shown tranquilizers, antidepressants, sedatives.

Depending on the severity of the condition, the course of treatment is short or long. Pain relievers are used once or for several days. Means that normalize blood flow and vitamins - courses of 2-3 months.

To maintain the action of drugs, physiotherapy is prescribed:

• massage of the neck area;
• acupuncture and reflexology.

With exacerbations, the use of therapeutic bandages that support the cervical muscles is shown.

In the absence of an exacerbation of osteochondrosis, therapeutic exercises help to stop and prevent the symptoms of VVD. Gymnastics helps to strengthen the neck muscles, relieves spasms, improves the elasticity of blood vessels and the ligamentous apparatus of the vertebral joints. Training includes movements to stretch soft tissues: deep head tilts, turns, rotations.

Patients with osteochondrosis complicated by VVD should carefully organize a place to sleep. You should rest only on an orthopedic mattress and pillow, not drink a lot of fluids at night to avoid swelling. It is necessary to avoid work and hobbies associated with an unfavorable position of the cervical vertebrae - backward tilt or low head tilt.

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Dizziness with cervical osteochondrosis

Dizziness with cervical chondrosis is a common occurrence in both sexes, beginning at the age of 30 years or older. The specificity of lifestyle and some abuses lead to the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in adulthood in almost one in two inhabitants of our country. There are patients who have problems already in adolescence.

It is impossible to underestimate the danger of this pathology: it worsens the well-being of a person, contributes to the development of dangerous conditions. The symptoms of which are a variety of unpleasant sensations.

Causes of dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis.

In the article we will consider whether you can be dizzy and sick for a long time with cervical osteochondrosis, why this happens, why the condition worsens, and what to do, how to get rid of discomfort forever.

Due to an unhealthy lifestyle and regular overloads of the neck area, the condition of the spine of this zone is gradually changing.

Degenerative changes develop in the intervertebral discs, the holes through which the spinal nerves and vessels that feed the brain gradually narrow.

The condition is extremely unpleasant and dangerous. The patient feels pain with sudden movements, in certain positions of the head and neck. The brain receives less oxygen than it needs, which causes the development of regular dizziness.

The main reasons why a person with osteochondrosis may feel dizzy:

1. Compression of the vertebral artery by bony growths. Osteophytes pinch the vessel that feeds the cerebellum and the basal parts of the brain. Its permeability decreases, it reduces the amount of blood and oxygen passing through it. In medicine, this phenomenon is called vertebral artery syndrome.
2. Frank nerve irritation. Nerve fibers of the sympathetic system wrap around the vertebral artery, feel any impact on it. In response to irritation, the nerve causes a spasm of the vessel, which alters its patency. Hernias, formed osteophytes or instability of the cervical vertebrae can cause discomfort.
3. Subluxation of the upper articular process of the underlying vertebra or the formation of a herniated disc in the neck area.

With dizziness and nausea due to osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, as well as the manifestation of other symptoms, such as weakness in women, drug treatment is necessary, but what to take, which pills will help, only the doctor will decide after a study detail of the patient's condition. After all, the causes of dizziness are very diverse.

Depending on the specific cause of the development of the pathological condition and negative symptoms, various means and techniques are used.

You need to understand that a dizzy head, if the attacks intensify and become frequent, is a really dangerous condition. A person not only puts his life at risk by driving or crossing the street, but also puts himself at risk of developing encephalopathy due to regular lack of blood and nutrition for neurons.

Additional symptoms

Before deciding what will help with the appearance of dizziness in cervical osteochondrosis, what exercises will stop unpleasant attacks, you should not read the reviews of strangers, but evaluate the accompanying symptoms that occur during the development of the disease.

An experienced doctor, based on such signs, suggests the degree of development of chondrosis. She is also able to assess the danger of the condition, compiling a diagnostic algorithm. And then, choose an effective and safe treatment.

Symptoms that accompany a decrease in the patency of the cervical artery and signal the need to urgently consult a doctor:

1. Intermittent, possibly pulsatile tinnitus. Then it gradually spreads to the entire head. As a rule, an attack occurs after being in an uncomfortable position, physical exertion, or against the background of severe fatigue.
2. Crunches, pain when moving the neck.

3. Darkening of the eyes, brief fainting spells when the head tilts back. In advanced cases, even a sharp turn causes such a reaction.
4. Nausea, even vomiting, accompanying attacks of vertigo.

Can the head turn not because of cervical chondrosis, why it developed and what to do, only a neurologist will tell after examination. The earlier the diagnosis is made and treatment is started, the more effective the measures taken will be.

If you seek help early, there is a chance to avoid drug therapy and get rid of the problem that has arisen. By delaying the trip to the doctor, there is a risk of provoking the development of a more dangerous condition.

Diagnosis

How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with dizziness, what to do if a violation of coordination of movements has developed and what is prescribed in such cases, you can figure out after a full diagnosis, since each case is unique.

Before deciding on a therapy regimen, it is extremely important for the doctor to find out what influenced the development of the disease. It is necessary to clarify how quickly it worsens and what are the features of its course. Due to these characteristics, when it comes to complaints of regular dizziness, a comprehensive diagnosis is carried out.

A neurologist conducts an initial examination, during which:

• determines the range of symptoms that accompany the course of the disease;
• according to the results of a physical examination, finds features of changes in the cervical region;
• collect an anamnesis, a history of the development of the disease;
• investigates the characteristics of the patient's life in order to identify risk factors that affect the development of the disease.

Subsequently, instrumental exams will be scheduled:

• MRI of the brain and neck to determine if changes have already appeared and how extensive they are;
• Ultrasound of the vessels passing through the neck will show how much the permeability of blood flow and nutrition of the brain are reduced;
• CT of the cervical spine reveals formed deviations from the norm of bone structures;
• electromyography will allow you to record the electrical activity of the muscles in the area being evaluated;

The correct answer to the question of what to do if your head is spinning from the neck and it hurts is to go to the doctor. The clinic will accurately determine the causes of the poor condition and select the appropriate therapy.

Treatment

After determining the specific stage of the disease, the doctor prescribes individual therapy. After all, you can find such a phenomenon as neuralgia of the occipital nerve, and you need to treat it in your own way.

Preference is given to complex treatment, which includes:

• take medications (chondroprotectors, anti-inflammatories, etc. );
• physiotherapy techniques;
• various massage techniques;
• specialized complexes of physiotherapy exercises, exercise therapy;
• following a healthy diet.

When you feel dizzy with osteochondrosis of the cervical region, treatment can be carried out both by conservative methods and by surgical intervention.

Operations are performed in situations where the spine is too narrow or persistent hernias have formed.

Effective methods of treatment in the early stages are massage and special sets of exercises. Compliance with the doctor's recommendations at the preclinical stage of the development of the disease makes it possible to completely cure it.

The results show physiotherapy methods that allow to eliminate painful symptoms in a few sessions:

• classical manual therapy;
• methods of shock wave influence on the body;
• hydromassage;
• laser therapy

Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, when the head is already regularly dizzy, is a necessary urgent step.

This dangerous symptom is an indicator of the development of really dangerous pathologies that can further worsen the comfort of human life. And even shorten its duration.

Prevention

It is possible to prevent the appearance of unpleasant symptoms or significantly reduce their severity with the help of regular preventive actions. Many people think whether it can be effective to use painless funds for dizziness due to cervical osteochondrosis, how to get rid of it, quickly relieve an attack, than to treat the condition at home.

lifestyle prevention

We list the appropriate measures to prevent the progression of the disease:

• Decreased time spent in a flexed position. For example, at a computer, devices, or work that requires neck tension and a forward-leaning head position. Provide an ergonomic workplace.
• Organization of a thrifty regimen of alternating work and rest.

• Rejection of habits, destructive addictions. It is required to reduce alcohol consumption and the number of cigarettes smoked.
• Prepare a place to sleep. Get an orthopedic pillow and mattress that take into account the structural features of your spine.
• Increase the time of physical activity in your daily schedule, avoid physical inactivity.
• Regularly carry out a special warm-up during the working day. Ideally, set aside 5 minutes every hour for exercise.
• Avoid traumatic activities, extreme sports and excessive physical exertion.
• Watch your body weight. When obesity appears, try to lose excess weight as soon as possible.
• Regularly take specialized massage courses, learn safe self-massage techniques.

• Use comfortable backpacks to carry things, avoid bags that cause bias when walking. Use the head restraints when traveling seated.
• In case of injury, seek help immediately. Start following medical recommendations from the first days.

It is impossible to ignore situations when, against the background of preventive measures, the neck and the back of the head hurt. This is the first symptom of the disease and requires treatment.

power protection

Following a special diet that supports medically induced recovery processes in the neck and cervical spine is beneficial.

Key principles of nutrition in the presence of such a problem or predisposition to it:

• the use of gelling foods in food, which contribute to the restoration of cartilage in the body;
• maintain a balance between protein and carbohydrate foods, a sufficient amount of lean meat and fish in the diet;
• limit excessive consumption of salt and spices;
• reduction of consumption of pickled, smoked products;
• reduction in the diet of sweets, including rich products;
• limit caffeinated beverages;
• increase the proportion of fresh vegetables and fruits in the daily menu;
• rejection of fatty and fried foods, fast food.

Exercise therapy should have an important place in the life of a person with a similar illness. They are especially relevant for people who are elderly or who lead a sedentary lifestyle. At the same time, a special set of exercises must be repeated daily to achieve the expected result.

Despite the variety of traditional medicine, with dizziness due to cervical osteochondrosis, what to do, what to drink, how to cope with attacks, how to cure a deviation or eliminate a specific symptom, does this or that remedy really help and what does? cause additional damage, should be decided by a professional doctor. An online consultation with a neurologist can help here.

Do not blindly follow the advice of friends and try to eliminate the disease without getting the recommendations of a qualified doctor.

In advanced cases, osteochondrosis can not only reduce the quality of life, but also deprive a person of his ability to work. Therefore, try to timely notice the factors that can lead to the destruction of the intervertebral discs, and, if possible, eliminate or reduce their harmful effects on the spine. If you are concerned about neck pain, be sure to see your doctor. Only a specialist can determine the stage of the disease, select painkillers and prescribe a course of physiotherapy or physiotherapy exercises.