Osteochondrosis refers to degenerative spine diseases, which include
Dystrophy, deformation and gradual deletion of vertebral disks.This can lead to pain, array of unpleasant consequences and in advanced cases, and even disability.It is important to pay attention to your health and immediately consult a doctor if suspicious symptoms appear.
The cervical and thoracic spine affects less often than lumbar spine, but the occurrence of osteochondrose in these areas can be left to serious consequences.Due to the proximity of the cervical spine to the head, violation of blood to brain is sometimes developed, which means many complications.In addition, changes can lead to damage to nerve roots, causing the patient to feel strong pain and numbness.
Reasons for the look
Osteochondrosis occurs in a very large number of people, especially these days, when city residents do not have adequate physical activity, proper nutrition and posture.Reasons that can cause the development of osteochondrose cervical and thoracic regions include:
- Changes related to age;
- Genetic predisposition;
- Sedentary lifestyle, physical inactivity;
- Holding disorders;
- Serious surplus weight;
- injuries;
- overload;
- Flat feet and other imperfections of the musculos-bone system;
- stress and bad habits;
- The hypothermia of the rear and extended exposure to the cold.
Recently, osteochondrosis became more and more to adhere to young people, which is primarily related to the unhealthy way of life.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrose
Like most chronic diseases, osteochondrosis of cervical and thoracic regions is quite insidious and does not appear immediately.In the early stages, the patient may not notice anything but periodic discomfort in the spine, but as the disease progresses, symptoms worsen:
- Head or neck pain, which sometimes falls on the belt and upper limbs and, depending on the course of the disease, can be acutely and painful or painful, boring, manifested in periods;
- Dizziness, visual and hearing impairment, engine coordination;
- stiffness, ignition or tingling in the upper extremities;
- Astenia, fatigue, loss of normal working ability;
- Intercostal neuralgia, heartache, pressure changes.
Most of the negative symptoms are caused by the fact that the deformed areas of spine are compressed by blood vessels and nerve roots, as a result that their normal functioning is disturbed.Thereafter, such complications can lead to serious disorders in the body and even a disability if unable to initiate timely treatment.
Diagnosis and treatment
The doctor begins to doubt that the patient has osteochondrose on the basis of his complaints and the medical history collected.In order to confirm or reflect the diagnosis, the specialist prescribes diagnostic measures, of which the main radiography of the spine is in frontal and lateral projection.To get more detailed information, CT and MRIs are performed: help monitor complications in a timely manner.
For osteochondrose, the cervical and thoracic spine prescribes complex treatment.As a rule, it includes several main areas:
- Medicine therapy is primarily painkillers and against inflammatory drugs that help reduce pain;In addition to them, muscular relaxants are often prescribed to mitigate muscle cramps, hondroprotectors to strengthen cartilage and vitamin B tissue, which improve the state of nerve tissue;
- Physiotherapy includes massage and other procedures (ultrasound, magnetic therapy, etc.) the goal of improving the condition of the spine and removing mobility restrictions;
- Physical therapy allows you to activate blood flow, strengthen muscles, thus removing excess stress on your spine, body tone and proper posture;It also helps mitigate pressure on nerve roots.
The spine stretching procedure is used periodically to return to the original form.