The symptoms and treatment of cervical arthrosis.

Currently, according to the medical statistics, the symptoms of cervical osteoarthritis complain almost all the people over the age of 25-30 years. The disease affects the department of the vertebral column more often than others. The malocclusion is a progressive and a degenerative process affecting the intervertebral discs and the vertebrae located in the neck. The disease is common among men and among women in the same way. It is a dangerous and complex form of degenerative disc disease, as well as the neck to the large blood vessels that supply the brain, and a large number of nerve endings. Violation of innervation and the blood flow leading to a deterioration ensure the brain of oxygen and nutrients.

Signs of the disease

The symptoms of cervical osteoarthritis is manifested more obvious than in other parts of the vertebral column, also with minor damage. This is due to the fact that the vertebrae of the neck are close to one another, and the intervertebral discs have a small height. This anatomic characteristic contributes to the fact that osteochondrosis is more compressed nerve endings of the spinal cord, the blood vessels.

The most common symptoms:

• the pain syndrome;
• the weakness and the decrease of sensitivity to the upper limbs;
• limitation of neck mobility;
• impaired coordination of movements;
• frequent dizziness;
• general weakness;
• the degradation of the functioning of the organs of sense (hearing, sight, touch, taste).

The pain is often localized to the neck, damage to the neck, the shoulders, the arms. The upper limbs hurt, if damaged vertebra having kind of cramps the root of the nerve responsible for their stimulation. Headaches are due to spastic contractions of the muscles of the neck, the attachments to the occipital bone, and the violation of blood circulation in that area.

The weakness of the hands was observed in patients, if the disease process is used the root of the nerve that provides the stimulus for muscle structures of the upper limbs. Limitation of mobility, and crunch with rotation or tilt of the neck occur, if on the cervical vertebra appear to be osteophytes, the height of the intervertebral discs decreases, it affects the joints, are located between the vertebrae.

The neck vertebrae have transverse processes that form the channel in which passes the artery that feeds the brain. Osteochondrosis vertebrae cervical move on them increases the connective tissue. This leads to a compression of the artery of the neck, poor vascularization of the cerebellum and posterior departments of the brain. Accordingly, a person frequent dizziness, problems with coordination of movements, general weakness. In advanced cases, if the artery is involved in the pathological process, or deeply depressed, then the blood of the cerebellum, the occipital and the brain stem deteriorates significantly. In this case, it reduces the functionality of the organs of hearing, sight, is observed numbness of the tongue, the fingers.

The signs of the disease depend on which of the eight vertebrae amazed degenerative or an inflammatory process. Disturbances of sensation and movement lead to damage the spinal roots, which have an impact of these or other vertebrae. According to this, you experience the following manifestations of cervical osteoarthritis:

• the first vertebra – numb the neck and the occipital part of the head, reduced their sensitivity;
• the second you feel pain in the area of the head and neck;
• the third feels pain and reduced sensitivity in that part of the neck, where it is wedged cerebrospinal spine, decreases the intensity of the flavors, there are disorders of language;
• fourth – the radiating pain in the shoulder, the scapula, the patient discomfort heart pain, disorders of breathing, reduces the tone of the muscles of the neck;
• fifth – the feeling of pain are held to the neck, damage to the outer surface of the shoulder;
• sixth – pain in the neck radiating to the shoulder blade, are felt in the forearm, and large fingers;
• seventh – damage pain in the shoulder blade, the rear part of the arm, forearm and the fingers of the hands (from the second to the fourth);
• eighth – the pain apply from the neck to the shoulders, the forearms and little fingers.

According to the prevalence of lesions vary, four degrees of cervical osteoarthritis. It is not the stage of the disease and the severity of symptoms, due to the fact of how widespread pathological process, which are the vertebrae tap.

• In the first instance, the clinical symptoms are absent or manifest as a minimum. The patients complain of the sensation of pain that is aggravated with movements of the head. Effective treatment is developed in this stage of the disease. However, people often ignore troubling symptoms or do not feel, therefore, does not address to the doctor.
• Worsening of the pathological process improves the symptomatology. During the second phase of pain become more pronounced, damage to upper limbs, the pale. In this stage of development degenerative process of the height of the intervertebral disc decreases, with the consequence that occurs crushing of the nerve fibers. This becomes a cause of increasing pain. For the second the degree of cervical osteoarthritis is characterized by the appearance of headache, deterioration of health, reduction of performance.
• The third degree of cervical osteoarthritis proposes the formation of hernia the affected intervertebral disc. The mobility of the neck is limited, with palpation the patient feels expressed pain. With such a spread of the pathological process pain become permanent, radiant in the upper limbs. You feel the tension in the muscles attached to the occipital bones. Patients complain of frequent dizziness, weakness, numbness in the hands.
• The fourth degree of cervical osteoarthritis is diagnosed when the intervertebral disc is completely destroyed degenerative process. Is replaced by fibrous tissue, which leads to a significant limitation of mobility. Amazed the spinal cord and passes through the neck blood vessels. These changes are characterized by a significant impairment of the vascularization of the cerebellum and the occipital of the brain. Lack of oxygen leads to disruption of coordination of movements, weakening of hearing, sight, numbness of language, language disorders.

Methods of treatment

Timely recourse to the doctor when the first symptoms of anxiety, a feeling of discomfort in the neck, the reactions on the part of the nervous system will prevent the progression of degenerative changes. Treatment of cervical degenerative disc disease is a complex therapeutic. Among these:

• intake of drugs;
• massage;
• therapeutic exercise;
• physiotherapy treatments.

Medical therapy

Doctors prescribe anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the intensity of the pain, reduce the inflammation and the swelling of the root of bulimia nervosa. Chondroprotectors to restore the damaged tissue, the cartilage in the intervertebral disc. Muscle relaxants to relax the muscles of the neck, relieve the spasm. Drugs to improve the circulation of blood that help to resume the interrupted flow of blood to the brain. B group vitamins stimulate metabolism in the nervous tissue. With intense feelings of pain, the doctor may prescribe medicines analgesic. If the patient has expressed the pain, then analgesics are introduced for injecting, after the pain in silence, they pass on the pills.

Methods of physiotherapy

Physiotherapy – an effective way to combat osteochondrosis of the cervical. The treatment of this disease is not necessarily the use of such techniques, on the basis of which we obtain the following results:

• it reduces the intensity of the pain;
• enabled the recovery of affected bone, cartilage and muscle tissue;
• remove spasm and tension in the muscles;
• hooked the inflammatory process;
• improves the transportation of oxygen and nutrients to the affected area and the brain.

The most effective in the treatment of degenerative disc disease are considered to be of the following types of procedures:

• officinalis gel electrophoresis (for the area concerned act electric as well as stimulating the blood circulation and tissue repair, improves the transport of the active substance of a drug to the direction of the degenerative process of the tissues);
• ultrasound therapy (they activate processes of exchange in the diseased area, reduces the pain, stopped by an inflammation);
• magnetic therapy relieves the swelling with the affected area, which contributes to the reduction of the intensity of the pain);
• laser therapy (improves the circulation of blood in the area of the pathological process, has the anti-inflammatory effect).

Therapeutic exercise

Exercises assigned in the period, when cropped manifestations acute of the disease. During the gymnastics should not be felt discomfort and pain. Run the complex it is necessary to reach the desk of remission to prevent relapses.

• To take a position, lying belly down, lift the head and the body, resting on his hands. Back situated in a wonderful location, breath deep and regular. Stay in the position for a minute or two, then slowly take the starting position. The number of repetitions – 3.
• Position – lying on his stomach, arms along the body. Slowly rotate the head, trying to touch the ear to the floor. Repeat 6 times on each side.
• Sitting or standing, on inspiration, tilt his head, trying to touch your chin to your chest. During the exhalation easily bring the head back, raising his eyes to the ceiling. The number of repetitions – 10 to 15.
• A good exercise to strengthen the muscles of the neck – press the front of the shoulders, hands towards him. To obtain the effect that there is a need to press with the hands on the forehead, and the forehead on the palm of the hand for 30 seconds. Repeat three times.
• Rotate the head in a circle. Exercise should be slow, without solution of continuity. In every way – for 10 laps. Unacceptable the onset of dizziness during the execution of the movements. If this happens, you should stop immediately.

Massage

The course is assigned to a physician in the absence of acute pain, make its can only specialist with medical training. With this disease it is not recommended to contact to the uninitiated.

The healing effects of massage of the neck:

• improves the flow of blood and lymph in the affected area;
• you relax the muscles, relieve spasm;
• decreases the intensity of painful sensations.

Surgery

Is indicated surgery, if conservative therapy does not bring results in a matter of six months, the patient suffers from severe pain, there are signs of damage to the nerve fibers and myelopathy. If the back pain cervical flows with complications, there is the risk of stroke, we observe a strong compression of the spinal cord, it is necessary a surgical intervention.

According to the witness appeal to the following types of surgeries:

• discectomy endoscopic – removal of a part or an entire intervertebral disc;
• the laminotomy – excision of the bones ligaments and accrued particles of bone tissue (often combined with laminoplasty – the artificial creation of plates for the expansion of the spinal canal);
• vaporization, laser disc the kernel – the splitting of the nucleus of the intervertebral disc and the laser beam even with the destruction of his ruin fragments;
• cold plasma nucleoplasty – instead, the endoscope used long, thin hollow needle, which is injected into the intervertebral disc, through her, to the place of destruction expresses electrode, providing plasma to the cold impact.

Neck – a complex organ, where you will find the large blood vessels, the spinal cord. Their easy-to-damage, and then operational measures to appeal not more than 5% of the cases. Surgical treatment is often accompanied the development of complications. Among these:

• the inflammatory process in the tissue or in the shells of the spinal cord;
• osteomyelitis;
• the formation of scars, which leads to a narrowing arterial and spinal channels.

Operations on the cervical spine are complex and require a long rehabilitation period. The recovery of the patient after the surgery requires a period of six months and more.

Prevention

To prevent the development of cervical osteoarthritis it is necessary to:

• monitoring the position of the spine and neck;
• lead an active lifestyle, move more;
• do physical exercise, you need to be careful to respect the correctness of execution, as well as even minor injuries can affect the state of the musculoskeletal system;
• take care of correct position of body during sleep, buy a orthopedic or anatomic mattress;
• just equip the workplace, where people spend a lot of time;
• do regular physical exercise;
• follow the diet, provide the contribution of all the mineral substances useful in, necessary for the strength of the bones, in particular magnesium and calcium;
• constantly subjected to dispensary survey for the early detection of degenerative disc disease.

The prevention helps to prevent degenerative changes of the cervical spine, protect you from the pain, dizziness, numbness of the limbs, and other unpleasant symptoms.