Cervical osteochondrosis appears mainly in people who spend a lot of time in a position with little mobility. The first and main symptom of this problem is the occurrence of algesia, spreading to certain areas of the head. In addition, with cervical osteochondrosis, attacks of dizziness, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, and ringing in the ears are often observed. Often with this condition, coordination is impaired.
The first and specific manifestation of the clinical picture of cervical osteochondrosis is the occurrence of pain in the right or left temple. Moreover, initially this symptom manifests itself on the crown. But, after a few minutes, it can be felt in the temple. Clinical symptoms characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis intensify when a person turns his head.
Pain in the temporal part can be quite severe, causing fainting. This is also facilitated by high pressure in the arterial and venous systems of the skull. There is a pulsation in your temples, as if someone is hitting you with a small hammer from inside.
The initial stage of the formation of cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by the drying out of fluid in the nucleus pulposus, which is located inside the intervertebral discs. As a result of the described process, the vertebra loses its former elasticity.
Along with the process described above, compaction of the disks occurs. As cervical osteochondrosis develops, it brings the cervical vertebrae closer together, which causes increased pressure at their junctions. They are erased by the joint and a compensatory increase in bone mass occurs, resulting in foci of inflammation that provoke the appearance of pain in the temples.
Displaced vertebrae gradually put more and more pressure on nerves and blood vessels, pinching them. This causes less blood and nutrients to flow to the brain, where periodic spasms occur in the temples and other parts of the skull.
In medicine, it is customary to identify four causal factors that provoke the manifestation of the clinical picture characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis:
Cervical osteochondrosis cannot be completely cured. Therapy for the disease is mainly aimed at suppressing current symptoms and prolonging remission.
With osteochondrosis, not only the spine suffers, but also most internal organs, limbs, the blood flow system and nerves. Most often, pathological processes spread to the areas closest to the lesion. But sometimes it happens that a part of the body suffers that is not at all connected with the root cause. For example, numbness of the leg due to cervical osteochondrosis is a rather unusual phenomenon. However, it is real and causes a lot of difficulties for the sick person. So what connects such unrelated parts of the body?
Cervical osteochondrosis is characterized by a degenerative process in the intervertebral discs of the musculoskeletal system. As a result of this process, these discs become thinner, distorted and affect nearby blood vessels and nerves. In addition, the vertebrae lose their ability to absorb shock when moving. These and other consequences of the disease lead to many unpleasant sensations.
As a result of this disease, a person often notices:
However, patients rarely compare these symptoms with the degenerating process of the spine. Therefore, they do not pay due attention to them. At the same time, the deformed discs change their normal shape, go beyond their normal position, compress small and large blood vessels, and compress nerves. Thus, the entire nervous system suffers, the brain receives distorted impulses, and some organs lose sensitivity. And due to compression of blood vessels, blood circulation throughout the body is disrupted. Consequently, all internal organs and parts of the body do not receive the required amount of blood.
Typically, cervical osteochondrosis does not affect the full functioning of the lower extremities. With this type of disease, the hands and head are mainly affected. Whereas weakness in the legs is affected by the pathological process of the lumbar spine.
But in a certain situation such an unusual connection is still possible.
When a deformed disc enters the stage of herniation, neurological problems arise. A bulging disc can pinch the nerve roots of the spinal cord. If the spinal cord itself becomes pinched, paralysis of the lower extremities can even occur.
The symptoms of osteochondrosis are either confused with other diseases or simply ignored. So, for example, a numb limb will, of course, alert a person. But this will not happen for long. Having quickly gotten used to this condition, the patient will stop paying attention to it. Thus, he will sign a voluntary consent for the development and complication of the disease. But prolapse and herniated intervertebral discs can even immobilize a person. Therefore, it is not just necessary, but vitally important to pay attention to the symptoms of this disease.
In diseases of the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine, the following phenomena occur:
It is important to consider the difference between the usual numbness that occurs if you “sit out” the leg and the manifestation of osteochondrosis. In the case of the second, this phenomenon is constantly present and spreads over time.
If such symptoms appear, a person should seek help from a specialist. The sooner diagnosis occurs and actual treatment begins, the higher the chance of preventing complications. Moreover, the quality and effectiveness of treatment directly depends on the stage at which the disease is located.
Diagnosis is an important step in the process of studying a disease such as osteochondrosis. Regardless of which part of the spine the degeneration process occurs in, the methods for determining the disease are the same.
To make sure that osteochondrosis is the cause of discomfort in the legs or other parts of the body, the doctor must prescribe procedures and tests.
When talking with the patient, the doctor should clarify when exactly the first symptoms appeared. He may also ask what the intensity of the pain is, whether it radiates to the limbs, and what accompanying manifestations the patient noticed. It is important to understand the fact of injury: was it there or not, and if so, how long ago? The doctor should also pay attention to the patient’s reflexes. Absence of lower extremity reflexes may indicate severe neurological damage.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis requires a special approach to this event. Its main task is to relieve the spine from excess load. Typically, therapy consists of several stages, which are used in combination or separately.
Therapeutic actions for osteochondrosis (and numbness of the limbs as a result) involve physical therapy, physiotherapy, medication or surgery. The treatment method, its duration and complexity depend on how advanced the disease is. The mildest forms of the disease, as a rule, are eliminated with the help of a certain set of exercises. For particularly severe cases, surgery is necessary. If the patient experiences severe pain, bed rest becomes mandatory. If the pain cannot be tolerated, potent analgesics are prescribed.
A very effective method of restoring the full function of the spine, and therefore the limbs, is massage. You can do it yourself at home or trust the specialists of the relevant institutions.
The sooner a person pays attention to his problem, the easier, simpler and faster his recovery period will be.
Prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system will help avoid serious and hazardous consequences for health. Symptoms such as pain, numbness or weakness of the limbs will not bother you if a person follows certain rules.
First, you should carefully organize your sleeping area. A person spends a third of his sleep sleeping. Therefore, the surface of the bed should provide the most comfortable and convenient body position. If the mattress and pillow are orthopedic, your back will not hurt. Consequently, there will be no curvature of the spine or deformation of the discs.
Secondly, a person’s workplace should also be comfortable. You should not sit in a crooked position throughout the entire working day. This will entail not only problems with the spine, but also other equally dangerous diseases.
Uncomfortable shoes often cause deformation of intervertebral discs. And I have problems with my legs no less often. This is especially true for women's high-heeled shoes.
Uniform physical activity. Often the cause of illness is improperly organized physical labor. When suddenly lifting heavy objects, a person may feel severe, sudden pain in the spine. It is this that indicates a pinched nerve root.
Pain in the legs, numbness or weakness may indicate the development of lumbar osteochondrosis. With cervical disease, similar symptoms will occur in the upper extremities.
To prevent complications, including paralysis, the patient must inform the doctor about his problem.
The difference between osteochondrosis is pain in organs and parts of the body that are not related to the spine. Often osteochondrosis is disguised as other diseases, treatment is unsuccessful. Pain in the hand with osteochondrosis of the neck is mistaken for arthrosis of the joints of the hands, fatigue of the fingers due to work requiring fine movements. The pain that accompanies osteochondrosis of the hand is numbness in the area of the hand, arm, burning, aching in the fingers.
Pain and numbness in the left hand are a symptom not only of diseases of the joints and spine. Cardiovascular diseases often cause symptoms similar to osteochondrosis and arthrosis. It is worth consulting a doctor for a detailed examination and diagnosis.
The appearance of pain and numbness in the upper extremities is caused by various reasons - from metabolic disorders in the body to complications of infectious diseases. Often the symptoms are characteristic of osteochondrosis of the upper spine.
With osteochondrosis of the right hand, consult a doctor earlier than with symptoms on the left side. Firstly, with pain on the right side, performance decreases. Secondly, they often complain of heart-like pain and go to a cardiologist.
Professional training of doctors allows palpating the neck and arms to determine the cause of pain. If the cause is a disease of the arm skeleton or spine, then the examination will help establish the picture of the disease and determine treatment. The main thing is a timely response to the appearance of signals from the hands and the whole body.
Osteochondrosis of the hands occurs at a young age and affects small joints. As inflammatory processes develop, they affect large ligaments and bones. The disease does not manifest itself at the initial stage, but over time it spreads to all joints of the hand and causes suffering. Without treatment, degenerative processes in tissues become irreversible, which leads to loss of mobility of fingers and hands.
It is enough to self-diagnose the presence of osteochondrosis, which causes pain in the arms. It is necessary to tilt your head several times to the right shoulder, then to the left. The appearance of a crunch and slight pain means the presence of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. The absence of unpleasant sensations indicates other diseases localized in the joints of the hands.
Disease of the skeleton, including the spine and arms, is a serious disease that requires a prompt response. After diagnosis, treatment is necessary, prescribed by a doctor, who will take into account the details of the condition, the degree of damage to the joints of the hands by osteochondrosis.
Osteochondrosis is a difficult disease to treat and is almost impossible to cure completely. When treating pain in the hands and fingers, it is necessary to establish the exact localization of joint damage by osteochondrosis in order to choose the right treatment. If your arm hurts due to osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you need to take care of your neck, not your arm.
Types of therapy for the treatment of osteochondrosis:
To prevent the subsequent occurrence of pain in the hands and fingers, it is recommended to protect the hands from severe cooling. During the cold season, wear warm gloves and mittens, do not wash dishes in running cold water, and do the exercises recommended by your doctor every day. Follow a diet that does not contain grapes, sorrel, rich broths, or dishes containing a lot of salt.
Pain is an integral companion of a disease such as osteochondrosis. A person suffering from this disease needs to remember that discomfort can be significantly reduced or even completely eliminated with the help of special exercises and some therapeutic methods.
The older a person gets, the weaker the pain syndrome becomes. If treated in a timely manner, by about 60 years the condition of the intervertebral discs will stabilize, and they will not cause as much pain as before.
Osteochondrosis is a disease characterized by disruptions in the nutrition of the tissues of the intervertebral discs, as a result of which their height and elasticity decrease. The intervertebral disc is formed from the nucleus pulposus, annulus fibrosus and endplates. The core is 90% water.
The intervertebral disc is necessary to maintain normal pressure between the vertebrae. Located between the vertebrae, it performs a shock-absorbing function. With osteochondrosis, fluid leaves the disc and it cannot cope with the tasks.
The disease occurs against the background of the following circumstances:
At the initial stage, the disease may not be accompanied by pain. In a state of remission, mild pain may be felt or it is completely absent. At the acute stage, the pain syndrome intensifies several times and persists until the disease goes into remission. That is why the patient must, first of all, relieve pain.
Pain due to osteochondrosis has different localization and characteristics. It depends on which part of the spinal column is affected. There is local pain and distant pain. The first appears exactly where the spine is affected - in the neck or back.
It is more difficult to make a diagnosis in the case of distant pain. They can appear anywhere, but most often patients report pain in the heart or abdomen. Painful sensations in the spinal column are expressed in the form of stiffness, acute or chronic pain syndrome. Movements are difficult. The patient's condition is sluggish and tired.
Various symptoms of the disease are associated with primary damage to the spinal column, which after some time results in disruptions of the nervous system. This is explained by the close location of the spinal column, spinal cord and its nerve roots.
Having determined the nature and location of pain, it is possible to determine the damaged part of the nervous system. Thanks to this, additional examinations and a therapeutic regimen can be prescribed.
Osteochondrosis is divided into several types, depending on the location of the lesion:
The first two types are most often diagnosed; chest type is less common. Pain manifests itself in a variety of ways depending on the damage to a particular area.
If the root in the first cervical vertebra is damaged, sensitivity in the back of the head worsens, if in the second, the parietal and occipital zone hurts. Damage to the root in segments 2 and 3 occurs infrequently. In this case, pain appears, and sensitivity in the neck where the pinching occurred decreases. In this case, speech may be impaired and the sensitivity of the tongue may be reduced.
Pain and decreased sensitivity in the clavicle area occur when the fourth root is damaged. Impaired breathing, heart pain, and hiccups can also be associated with the fourth root, since it has the phrenic nerve. But this pathology is also rare.
Cervical spine. The intervertebral disc is circled in black - it has a natural shock-absorbing function. Typically, destruction of the vertebrae occurs after the onset of degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs.
Damage to the fifth root causes pain in the shoulder area. This weakens the deltoid muscle and reduces sensitivity in the outer surface of the shoulders.
The most common injuries are pinching of the sixth and seventh roots. If the sixth person is injured, the pain will radiate from the neck and shoulder blade to the forearm and thumb. Sensitivity worsens not only in these areas, but also in the skin itself. In the latter case, pain affects the neck, shoulder blade, back of the shoulder and 2-4 fingers. Sensitivity in these places worsens.
If the eighth root is damaged, pain spreads from the neck and back of the shoulders to the elbow and little finger. There may be no discomfort in the finger, but the muscles will be weakened.
Cervical osteochondrosis often manifests itself in the form of excruciating pain, dizziness, tinnitus and deterioration of visual function.
When to go to the doctor:
A characteristic manifestation of thoracic osteochondrosis is pain in the chest, ribs, near the spinal column and in the upper abdomen. Pain may only appear in the chest, back, or sides of the chest. With normal movements, during sleep (staying in one position for a long time), the pain intensifies, movements become constrained. The next morning, after a short walk, the pain subsides.
Pain in the back and area of the shoulder blades may also occur. With a deep breath or the same position, they intensify. The severity of pain is also affected by changes in atmospheric pressure and temperature (its decrease).
Often, the pain syndrome intensifies when turning the body, since the load on the anterior part of the intervertebral disc, where changes usually take place, increases, as well as with deep breaths. Sometimes the pain gets worse when bending to the sides. Painful sensations in the intercostal space are often combined with painful inhalation. If they are localized primarily in the back, you may notice tension in the long muscles with unilateral spasms.
With a prolonged course of thoracic osteochondrosis, diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems may occur.
The disease has a wave-like course, which is characterized by alternating exacerbations and “subsiding” stages. Exacerbation of the disease is often associated with excessive physical exertion, psycho-emotional stress, overwork and hypothermia.
Pain syndrome can also occur due to other diseases of the sacral spinal column, but with osteochondrosis the pain is constant, concentrated in the lower back and goes up the back. In some cases they radiate to the buttocks and legs. Occurs at rest or after exercise. In severe forms of the disease, pain occurs when coughing or after physical activity that does not affect the lower back at all.
Based on the nature of the pain, we can conclude that the disease is progressing. At first, the pain is localized only in the lower back. They are pulling or aching in nature, often radiating to the sacrum. They sometimes appear sharply (shoot through) and grow quickly. If the sciatic nerve is involved, pain from the lower back moves to the back of the legs. Particularly annoying are the unpleasant sensations in the legs with cauda equina syndrome.
With lumbosacral osteochondrosis, pain is often combined with muscle tension, deterioration of sensitivity and impaired movements. These sensations are expressed in different ways: from tingling and numbness to the complete disappearance of sensitivity. This phenomenon is called “lower paraplegia” - bilateral paralysis of the legs.
Back pain does not allow you to choose a normal sleeping position, which makes it extremely difficult to get a good night's sleep. Lethargy and fatigue force the patient to reduce physical activity and avoid pain. Over time, a person loses the ability to perform even basic actions aimed at meeting simple everyday needs.
Due to the significant diversification of pain manifestations, it is necessary to pay attention to the specific manifestations of some conditions:
Cervicalgia is characterized by pain in the neck and is often accompanied by tension and soreness of the neck muscles, limited neck mobility, dizziness and autonomic disorders.
There are two types of cervicalgia:
Cervical radiculopathy combines several symptoms that include pain in the shoulders and neck, headaches, and pain spreading into the arms due to compression of the nerve structures in the cervical segment.
Patients complain of pain and numbness in the area of the damaged root. Lethargy and impaired motor function of the affected limbs also occur. Muscle spasms and pain often occur in the area of the trapezius muscle and between the shoulder blades. The study may reveal a decrease in sensitivity and reflex changes.
With radiculopathy of the seventh root, patients place their hand on their head to alleviate the condition. In some cases, there is a feeling of tightness in the cervical spine, which can lead to myelopathy. As a rule, the disease occurs due to a median cervical disc herniation, spinal canal stenosis, tumors or infections.
With cervical myelopathy, weakness is felt in the lower extremities, the functions of the gastrointestinal tract and bladder are impaired. This condition requires immediate surgical attention.
Thoracalgia is a condition in which the intercostal nerves are compressed or irritated by adjacent tissues of muscles and ligaments. This is damage to the peripheral nerves, accompanied by severe pain.
The disease can appear in both children (intensive growth) and adults. Infrequent physical activity, injury, inactive lifestyle, stressful situations, poor environment – all this contributes to the development of the disease. The greatest test for the spinal column is pregnancy, which can also lead to the appearance of the disease.
The chronic form of the disease is expressed in the form of mild but constantly occurring symptoms and progression of the disease. In general, any chronicity of the pathological process is quite tolerable, but the body begins to gradually “give up.” Pain of various localizations appears for two to three months, after which it subsides for a while. They will return in the future, but with greater intensity and greater negative consequences.
To prevent the chronic form, you need to consult a doctor in a timely manner and begin treatment.
It is characterized by dull pain in the lumbosacral region, often accompanied by limited mobility and muscle tension in the lower back. May last for three months without subsiding.
Lumbodynia develops against the background of hypothermia, being in an uncomfortable position for a long time, or overexertion. Often the pain disappears after lifting weights, but this only happens after two or three days. Pain may appear after long walks with flat feet.
When the disease occurs, pain is usually localized on one side and worsens with prolonged standing, sitting, or bending. It is difficult for the patient to take a straight position; sometimes they put their hand on the lower back.
Pain forces a person to frequently change position, lean on his hands, move to the front of the chair, or press his body against the back. In a vertical position, severe fatigue is felt in the lumbar region.
It is characterized by pain in the lower back, radiating to the leg. Discomfort spreads to the buttocks and back of the legs. There are chronic (three months without remission) and acute forms.
When the disease occurs, pain appears unexpectedly and sharply without any particular reason. It can be caused by a sharp turn of the body or heavy weights. This can also occur when staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time.
The nature of the pain is different: intensifying, aching or burning.
Osteochondrosis is one of the diseases in which pain can be localized, it seems, in any part of the body and in any organ. For example, patients with cervical osteochondrosis often complain that spasms radiate to the jaw.
Many people mistakenly claim that with cervical osteochondrosis, pain cannot appear in a person’s mouth. But only those who have never encountered such signs of the disease say this.
With this diagnosis, the symptom does not go away long enough, and the jaw also regularly clicks. It is especially difficult to eat, since chewing only makes the spasms more pronounced. Therefore, before eating, patients are forced to take painkillers, for example, the drug Nurofen.
It is quite rare for teeth to hurt due to spinal disease; caries is often diagnosed, and therefore, at the first problem with them, you need to consult a dentist.
Many people know that the cervical spine consists of seven segments. One of the signs of radicular syndrome is a spasm of the jaw. The pain is of a different nature, it can be: aching, acute, unilateral, bilateral.
You should not be surprised if it occurs in a person who does not have dental problems. After all, the cause of such unpleasant sensations is neuralgia caused by pinched nerve roots. As a rule, most often pinching occurs between the first and third vertebrae.
You can take medications to relieve pain, but the unpleasant feeling will only go away for a short period of time. After the drug wears off, it will return. In some cases, there may be a sensation of a lump in the throat and a sore throat. Still ongoing pain may be replaced by numbness of the teeth and gums. But you shouldn’t rejoice, because numbness threatens problems with secondary teeth.
To diagnose osteochondrosis, it is recommended to undergo the following examinations:
After the doctor confirms that the manifestations are caused by osteochondrosis, he will prescribe treatment. Sometimes the doctor prescribes psychotropic substances, since against the background of unbearable pain, a person often has mental problems.
If the patient's jaw is displaced in any direction, the doctor may prescribe the installation of crowns or fillings to correct the chewing load. If these manipulations are carried out incorrectly, the muscles can become imbalanced, which over time can distort the correct position of the vertebrae, and accordingly, increase the risk of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Therefore, if you have dental problems, you should consult a trusted doctor.
Osteochondrosis may develop against the background of an incorrectly formed bite and incompetence of the dentist. Treatment in this case should be carried out in one of two directions:
Correct bite can be characterized by the following provisions:
If the characteristics of your bite do not fit these descriptions, you need to contact a specialist to correct it in order to prevent complications. The orthodontist will help eliminate this problem, which is accompanied by spasm of the neck muscles on one side and their relaxation on the other.
Spinal diseases often develop due to inflammation of the oral cavity, which has repeatedly led to disruption of the functioning of many organs. Therefore, if your gums or teeth begin to hurt for no reason, you should not postpone a visit to the dentist.
The main reason why the jaw begins to worry is a degenerative change in the cartilage tissue of the discs located between the vertebrae. Toothache with cervical osteochondrosis has its own characteristics. When a spinal disease develops, it occurs with the following symptoms:
If only one symptom appears, it is too early to make a diagnosis of osteochondrosis, because this disease occurs with different symptoms.
Of course, upon cursory examination, osteochondrosis and jaw pain are incompatible conditions. But in fact, due to disorders in the joints, sensations can radiate to any part of the head. Therefore, cervical osteochondrosis is considered one of the serious pathologies of the spine, in which jaw, head, neck and ear pain are simultaneously observed.
If a patient has lumbar osteochondrosis, his legs hurt, and it is difficult to walk, treatment should be prescribed by an experienced doctor. The processes of change occurring in the intervertebral discs are associated with osteochondrosis. These processes lead to the destruction of connective tissue and cartilage. In this regard, the shape of the spine changes and the distance between the vertebrae decreases.
Reducing space leads to inflammatory processes that cause pain. Inflamed nerve fibers affect the blood vessels, resulting in their spasm. Irritated arteries reduce the lumen in the vessels, and nutrition of parts of the body is disrupted.
With lower back pain, weakness in the legs appears. Complaints about numbness in the legs, “seizing” of the knees are the first signs that you should immediately go to the doctor. Unfortunately, osteochondrosis has become “younger”. If previously these diseases were suffered after the age of forty, now many young people suffer from this disease.
The cause of osteochondrosis may be:
With the development of osteochondrosis in the lumbar region, disc protrusion occurs, which leads to protrusion and hernias due to ruptures of the fibrous ring (the role of the ring is to hold the contents of the discs in place).
There are two types of lumbago or sciatica. To treat the disease, a complex of therapeutic effects is required to restore disc tissue.
The main reasons for the appearance of osteochondrosis may be old injuries, a sedentary lifestyle or, conversely, strong physical activity, excessive obesity, improper distribution of the load when carrying heavy objects, past illnesses, and changes with age.
With osteochondrosis, the legs may go numb, the gait becomes heavy, and acute pain occurs. These are the first signs of osteochondrosis. As a person ages, the amount of water in the body decreases, causing the spinal discs to not cope with stress. Age-related changes also affect the protein substance that fills the discs.
The cartilage plate provides nutrition for the intervertebral discs. Feelings of pain and weakness in the legs most often appear due to erosion at the edges of the cartilaginous plate. The inflammatory process develops, lumbar osteochondrosis appears, while the legs hurt, it is difficult to walk, treatment must be prescribed by a doctor.
At the initial stage of osteochondrosis, aching pain occurs in the lumbar region. Over time, the pain may become greater, radicular syndrome appears, pain radiates from the area of damage to the spine to the buttocks, and appears in the legs.
To conduct a more extensive examination for osteochondrosis, it is often recommended to undergo an ultrasound “Doppler” examination of the vessels of the legs, due to which spasms and circulatory disorders are detected.
With pain in the leg due to osteochondrosis, swelling is not observed, sometimes there may be weakness in the lower extremities. If your foot is cold in the area of the feet or lower leg, an x-ray should be taken. Most likely, the disease affected the roots of L III.
With osteochondrosis, pain is most often felt on one leg. With this disease, muscle atrophy develops. Osteochondrosis of the legs means a disorder in the movement and structure of the joints. This word itself means thinning, destruction of the cartilage tissue that covers the articular surface of the bones.
The smoothness and elasticity of cartilage ensures ease of movement. When cartilage tissue is destroyed and peeled off, the area becomes compacted, disrupting the uniformity of the coating. Parts of the spine are being erased. As the disease progresses, it affects other parts of the body. This entails the appearance of other diseases.
When walking, the bone tissue located under the cartilage is injured, and the disease osteoarthritis appears. With this disease, the edges of thinned cartilage grow along the joint capsule and ossify. These growths are called osteophytes; they do not allow normal movement and pinch nerves and blood vessels. This is why your leg may become swollen and numb.
With early diagnosis, it is not so easy to determine the extent of the disease due to mild and inconsistent symptoms. Most often, symptoms in the early stages are faintly visible. In no case should you self-medicate; only a doctor can choose the right treatment.
The sounds of crunching in a joint, aching pain in the lower extremities, lumbago, overgrowth of joints - all this should alert you.
Only an experienced doctor should treat osteochondrosis. Usually, for acute pain, bed rest is prescribed. This allows you to relieve stress from the vertebrae. You must lie on a hard surface. A cushion is placed under the knees; it helps remove compression of the nerve endings of the roots.
Drug therapy is included. Medicines can relieve pain in the spinal region and legs. They remove inflammatory processes, relieve spasms, restore impaired blood circulation, and relieve pain. Massage and physiotherapy can improve blood circulation and relieve muscle spasms.
Exercise therapy prevents the onset of the disease. The mechanics of body movements are restored, stagnation in the body is removed. A healthy lifestyle allows you to strengthen your body and forget about illnesses.
The cervical region is the most mobile in the spine. It consists of 7 vertebrae. Between them are elastic intervertebral discs. They make the spine flexible and give it strength. Each intervertebral disc consists of a fibrous ring, inside which is the nucleus pulposus.
With osteochondrosis, metabolism in the spine is disrupted. The intervertebral disc loses strength and elasticity. Due to the load, the fibrous ring protrudes and cracks. Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can lead to protrusion or intervertebral hernia.
The main causes of cervical osteochondrosis are:
Risk factors for the disease include:
Signs of the disease include:
Other symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine: tinnitus, decreased visual acuity and hearing impairment, and sometimes nagging pain in the heart area.
Osteochondrosis of the neck is the most dangerous type of disease. The small cervical region contains many nerve canals and blood vessels that supply the brain. In the cervical region, the vertebrae fit more tightly to each other. Therefore, even with a small change in one of the vertebrae, compression or displacement of nerves and blood vessels occurs.
Due to cerebral circulatory disorders, migraines, vegetative-vascular dystonia and hypertension, problems with the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, hearing, vision, and coordination occur.
In its advanced form, cervical osteochondrosis can lead to vertebral artery syndrome. The vertebral artery supplies blood to the medulla oblongata and cerebellum. When the artery is compressed, ischemia of the brain and spinal cord can develop, and a spinal stroke can occur.
Osteochondrosis of the neck leads to damage to the nerve roots - radiculopathy, the formation of growths on the vertebrae, partial or complete loss of mobility. The most severe consequence of cervical osteochondrosis is compression of the spinal cord, which can be fatal. Serious consequences can be avoided if the disease is treated in time.
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. A.A. Kryzhanovsky. for good treatment, I would really like to see him again. Also to my attending physician Savelyev V.A. for their attentive and responsible attitude towards their patients. And, of course, I would like to highlight chiropractor S.N. Paronko. for his wonderful hands. I will definitely recommend it to all my friends and, of course, will come back again. Thank you!
At the first symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, consult a specialist. The doctor at the Health Workshop clinic will conduct a comprehensive examination and make the correct diagnosis. We use the following diagnostic methods:
Doctors at our clinics in St. Petersburg have been treating cervical osteochondrosis without surgery for more than 14 years. We use more than 20 types of conservative methods. Conservative treatment relieves symptoms and stops the progression of the disease.
Our doctor prescribes an individual course of treatment for the patient, taking into account the stage of the disease, age, gender and characteristics of the body. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine will take a maximum of one and a half months. The patient undergoes procedures 2-3 times a week. Neck pain will go away after the first week of treatment. The course of treatment consists of the following procedures:
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at the Health Workshop in St. Petersburg relieves pain, swelling and inflammation in the affected area, improves blood circulation, and releases compressed nerve roots. The patient's metabolism and nutrition of the intervertebral discs are activated, and tense neck muscles are relaxed. Treatment prevents the appearance of protrusions and intervertebral hernia.
After completing the course, the doctor will advise the patient what to do so that neck pain no longer bothers him.
Doctors at the Health Workshop recommend the following to prevent the disease:
For osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, doctors advise eating small portions at least 5 times a day. Eat cooked or steamed foods. Drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day. Dress salads with olive oil. Avoid cigarettes and alcoholic beverages.
Include the following products in the menu:
Try to eat less sugar, grapes, legumes (peas, beans), and meat broths. Eliminate salty and smoked foods, flour products, and hot seasonings from your diet.
To strengthen your neck muscles, do the following exercises:
Before starting gymnastics, consult your doctor. If you experience severe neck pain during exercise, stop exercising and consult a doctor.