All the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the cervical spine

In this article we look at all the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis of the cervical spine. Low back pain is a degenerative destruction of the vertebral disks and vertebrae with manifestations of degenerative diseases.

This is due to a violation of the integrity of the component disc, appear to be the most terrible malocclusion – the hernia and the protrusion, up to bone destruction.

What is the back pain

We must remember that the process of destruction of the vertebrae and the discs is irreversible and restoring the original integrity does not work. All you can do is slow down the process of destruction.

Cervical back pain is much more dangerous, because it is precisely in this department of the spinal column is a huge amount of nerve fibers and blood vessels, directly working with the brain and the body in general. The vertebrae of the cervical spine are very closely to one another, that is also a danger.

Any compression of the nerve endings, arteries, blood vessels, interrupts the blood supply and the nutrition of the whole body, leading to the appearance of a series of symptoms.

The symptoms

Cervical back pain can be a time not to disassemble, due to its similarity with other diseases. And in the initial stage you can take for the normal fatigue or over-voltage. And often the diagnosis is made false. When the principal diagnosis to decide which neural processes crushed, because, maybe, the brain suffers from a lack of blood circulation.

Frequent manifestations of cervical osteoarthritis are:

• The headaches. This is the first and resistant symptom. With the development of the disease, the pain intensifies. Itself the pain is similar to migraine, but is hooked on painkillers. Of course, if you run a disease, analgesics cease to function. Basically a person experiences a pulse in the temporal and occipital field. Meets and parietal localization.
• Weakness in the hands. This is considered to be a sign of nerve damage process, that are responsible for the regulation innervation of the upper limbs. The defeat can be very strong, up to paralysis.
• Hampered mobility, the emergence of crunch. With osteochondrosis of the cervical often turn your head hard. Also the movement of the head are limited back and forth. And with this you are accompanied by crunching of the joints.
• Sensation of numbness in the hands or other parts of the body. Hands or fingers may lose the sensitivity. If not treated back pain, numbness amplified up to full or partial paralysis of the whole body. Depends on the area affected by the type of nerve endings are damaged.
• Degradation of hearing and sight. Sometimes it is a sense of numbness of the tongue and lips, flickering "flies" before the eyes, fog objects. Defeat affects these organs because of the close proximity to one another and the lack of oxygen in the brain.
• The lack of air. Appears when the defeat of cervical are often due to irritation of the phrenic nerve. The sufferer can not breathe, he experiences shortness of breath and a sense of suffocation, appears to be snoring. A consequence of this hypoxia, constant tiredness, loss of memory, attention, weakness and malaise.
• Vertigo. Very bad symptom, purple movement coordination. Accompanied sometimes nausea, fainting, tinnitus. You experience the sensations of the vibrations in the floor under the feet. Occurs when the oxygen in the fasting of the brain due to disorders of the functionality of the blood vessels and arteries.

Causes

A lot of them. Has not yet appeared in the final opinion because the low back pain affects a particular of the spine. But the factors are known since a long time.

Lifestyle

The most common reason is the appearance of cervical osteoarthritis. Because modern man is very little moves. The model of society and social behavior change, the progress does not stop, and back pain all of the more "young people".

In this group are:

• sedentary lifestyle — lack of exercise;
• poor diet and excess weight;
• the continuous stress or discomfort (often, the pilots and employees);
• the absence of loads on the vertebral column, which extends muscle;
• on the contrary, is too large, the load on the spine.

Injury

In case of damage to the spine, in 90% of cases suffering from exactly the the cervical. Often the violation found once, but sometimes for the development of the disease requires time.

The violation of the hormonal

For this reason they may be not only those of adult age, but also teenagers, during the adjustment of the functioning of the whole organism. It is worth noting that in this case the disease can be prevented and treated.

If you talk about menopause in women and hormonal diseases, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis, the treatment is more symptomatic of the forecast.

Genetic predisposition

This factor is the most concurrent, because genetics is not the basis for the development of the disease. But, affects the appearance of other reasons.

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system

Is the scoliosis, a faulty posture.

The diagnosis of the disease

The diagnosis can only install to the doctor. When the first symptoms of degenerative disc disease, be sure to consult a specialist. The diagnosis is made in several methods.

For example, apply to:

• CT (computerized tomography);
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging);
• dopplerographic study of the vessels;
• x-ray – often used in the detection method of the disease.

Each method is effective to a certain stage in the development of degenerative disc disease. For example, the x-ray will not be only in the initial stage of the malocclusion.

During severe illness, accompanied by a violation of the sensitivity, from the paralysis and fainting, are held ultrasound.

From the time of diagnosis depends on the success of the treatment. First, the most likely minimum the interruptions in the spinal column.

The initial phase of the disease

Distinguish 4 stages of development of cervical osteoarthritis.

1. The appearance of pain in the neck, the neck area with palpation. So respond to be affected by neural processes. The pain intensifies with movement of the head, often in a curve. While in this phase, the same backbone the lens, affecting intervertebral space.
2. Characterized by pain in the heads of a character, which gives to the hand, shoulder or shoulder occurs when the movement of the head. The pain is similar to migraine. Develops insomnia. At this stage of the disease, vertebral disks begin to destructive vary.
3. The pain becomes constant, growing. Appears numbness and stiffness of the limbs, the head movement is hindered. In the hands of an increasingly feel weak. Suffers from attention and memory. The intervertebral discs already compromised on their form in the cracks of the joints and the bag sticks out. The possible formation of a herniated disc.
4. The complete destruction of not only the disc, and vertebrae. The bones destroyed. At this stage, without surgery can not do without, because it appeared that the hernia is the consequence of a paralysis not only of hands but also of the whole body.

Given that low back pain can be treated at home only on the first two stages. The third requires more professional observation and treatment under the supervision of a neurologist, vertebrologist.

The treatment at home

It is worth mentioning that the treatment in the first phase, without consult a doctor exceptional, it's not worth it. Est for the diagnosis of cervical arthrosis, in addition to consultation it is necessary to make a diagnosis, and investigation. Why, back pain may masquerade as the more severe the malocclusions associated with heart failure.

If properly diagnosed, then the treatment will be assigned in the delay. The consequences can be terrible – cerebral ischemia, stroke, spinal cord compression, and other diseases that threaten the patient's life.

Home treatment consists of:

1. medical therapy;
2. massage;
3. medical gymnastics.

It is very important to consider the treatment complete. Otherwise, the result may not be or will be but of short duration.

Pharmacological treatment

The assignment and use of medicinal products is necessary for the relief of severe pain, the mobilisation of the fight against the disease, alleviate the symptoms.

The drugs can be administered in different directions:

• reduce the pressure and improve the work of the brain is the so-called neuro-protectors. They are a great group of medicines;
• improve the vision;
• prevent the birth of numbness or relieve muscle spasm – muscle relaxants;
• anti-inflammatory –;
• anti-inflammatory drugs – to alleviate the inflammation on the acute pain period. They are available not only in tablets but also in capsules, ointments and solutions for injection. It is not designed for prolonged use due to a hard impact on the mucosa of the GASTROINTESTINAL tract;
• b-group vitamins (B1, B6, B12). Help to restore the integrity of the brain and nervous system. They are responsible for the transmission of nerve impulses.

Vitamins can be taken in the form of tablets or injections of the schema. The second option is to get a better effect;

Chondroprotectors occupy a special place. These drugs invented for better nutrition the intervertebral cartilage, which slows down their degenerative and degenerative change. Are effective only on the first two stages.

Massage

He is an integral part of the treatment. Traditional massage, on the recommendation of the experts is necessary to pass currency once every six months. Today there are many treatment methods for degenerative disc disease of the cervical and there is a lot to choose from.

For example, a practice manual established techniques with the positive side and give a good result in the treatment.

Has recently introduced in the direction of osteopathy, which is very interesting, that considers the human body as a whole with the musculo-skeletal system, mental and nervous. They are one. The treatment is done with the hands.

Acupuncture is also a good solution to his technical expert.

§ Irudoterapia or the treatment of leech effectiveness is on the same stage with acupuncture.

Gymnastics

We have already talked about the fact that one of the factors that influence the development of cervical osteoarthritis is a little exercise to the muscles of the back. These days we most of the time we spend in the sitting position, do not change posture, which can be very uncomfortable.

Important information! It is not possible to perform the exercises in a period of severe pain.

To maintain and strengthen the muscular system, the need to run every day, ten simple exercises. They are particularly relevant to the initial expressions of the disease.

1. Starting position standing, naked to the width of the shoulders, the abdomen retracted, and straightened his shoulders. From this position, the need to raise the hands to the sides and towards the top, connecting at the top followed by a derivation ago. Feel how they connect to the shoulder blades. Then the position of the body is aligned. Repeat up to 7 times.
2. IR the same. Grab it with your arms, to your elbows facing forward. Then extend your arms back so your hands have touched elbows. Do not forget to constantly involving the belly. Repeat up to 10 times.
3. Possibly it is best to perform this exercise standing, but if it is difficult or appeared dizziness, is allowed to a sitting position. Neck, keep to the right, and straighten the shoulders. The head needs to turn to the left and take the chin to the shoulder, not lifting her. The same for the other side. The exercise takes place alternately repeating up to 5 times.
4. Similarly exercise n ° 3, only the head makes it tilt back and forth in a very slow pace.
5. Carefully and slowly, make a semicircle with the leaning forward of the head from the left shoulder to the right, and vice versa. Attention! Do not do circular motions, only a semicircle!
6. PI in the foot. Should tighten their fists, and place the chin. Press the chin on the hand for 5 seconds, after that, change the location in the occipital area. This exercise is very effective for training the muscles of the neck. Repeat 4 times.
7. In a sitting position rest the hands on the thighs, head tilted as later. The ideal is the position, when resting the chin to the chest. In this perspective, rotate your head first left, then right. It is important for the chin all the time to touch the chest. Repeat up to 10 times.
8. In need of a chair with a low back. It will be good, if this exercise is performed at least 4 times. Straightened his shoulders. The task to try and look at the wall behind you.
9. The sitting position on a chair. The hands between the knees. Breath – inclination towards. Exhale – upright position. Is performed step-by-step alternately to the left and to the right, up to 7 times.
10. Exercise on the belly. Lying down need to bend upwards, trying to block the body as high as possible and longer. Repeat 6 times.

The complex is only done in convenient time and with a gradual accumulation of the number of repetitions.

Folk remedies

Treatment folk remedies is of most activities, with the aim of heating the sick of the area. But here you need to be wary of this practice, as well as the neck is in great proximity to the brain. And then, instead of cure, you can do no harm.

During the treatment popular recipes, it is better to choose the softer the impact, avoiding serious irritation.

Recipes:

• Ointment from her grandmother. Took iodine and camphor, 10 ml, analgesic – 10 tablets are crushed, the alcohol – 300 ml., Everything is mixed and the neck smeared a thin layer on the whole night.
• Potato pedal grated potatoes and honey. Superimposed over night.
• A pack of cock. Fresh leaves of cabbage processed above the ferry and overlap in the neck as a compress for 15 minutes.
• A compress of aloe. Took 1 part of aloe leaves, is ground, is added 2 parts of honey and 3 of part alcohol of the product. The mixture must rest for 12 hours. Superimposed on a body wrap for 15 minutes maximum.