There are many ways to treat cervical osteochondrosis; only the patient can make the choice.Therefore, we invite you to learn how manual treatment of this disease differs and why the methods used by official medicine most often leave patients disabled or require surgical intervention.
First, there are no effective treatment options for osteochondrosis in the district clinics where the vast majority of patients with neck pain present.This is a degenerative dystrophic disease of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs.This occurs when the nutrients in these fibers are destroyed.Therefore, for complete recovery, the diffuse exchange between the disc and its surrounding paravertebral muscles must first be normalized.Unfortunately, official medicine does not want to admit the fact that only this treatment can have a positive impact on the patient's condition.
It is recommended to use only symptom influencing methods.They can help you relieve the symptoms that accompany disc destruction.This is done intentionally because there is a regulatory period within which the patient must return to work.Human health is not considered in this process.The most important thing is to take your sick leave on time.For this, it is enough to eliminate the pain syndrome.
At the same time, it is worth recognizing that pain is part of the protective mechanism that prevents eventual destruction of the disc.The pain syndrome of cervical osteochondrosis can be caused by the following changes:
- Excessive tension in the muscles of the neck and collar area (they relieve the load on the intervertebral discs, provide protection for the root nerves, and are injured due to the convergence of adjacent vertebral bodies);
- Inflammation, which aims to increase blood microcirculation in the lesion, but in fact causes infiltrative swelling of the soft tissues and increases pain;
- The position of the vertebral body changes, thereby reducing shock-absorbing stress;
- Compression of nerve fibers (radicular nerve, its branches, plexuses, large nerves extending from it);
- Cranial nerve pairings are damaged.
Before treating cervical osteochondrosis, it is necessary to eliminate all causative factors causing the manifestations of the above changes.In short, you need to restore all damaged tissue and create the right conditions for its regeneration.
Complete treatment is only possible if a comprehensive approach is used to address the issue of cervical osteochondrosis.An experienced chiropractor or neurologist will be able to develop a personal rehabilitation course.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis
There are many causes of cervical osteochondrosis.If the effects of these causative factors continue during and after treatment, there is a high probability of disease recurrence in the near future.
In order to understand the development of the process of degenerative dystrophy of cartilage tissue, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with some anatomical and physiological facts:
- The intervertebral disc is composed of the annulus fibrosus (dense and elastic outer shell) and the inner nucleus pulposus (medullary body that maintains the shape and height of the disc);
- They do not have their own circulatory network and can only replenish fluid and nutrient reserves through diffuse exchange with the paravertebral muscles and tissues surrounding the endplate;
- The endplate is a cartilage structure located between the vertebral body and the intervertebral disc. It is covered with capillaries and provides nutrients to the annulus fibrosus and periosteum;
- The paravertebral muscles support the spine in a vertical position, giving it flexibility and plasticity;
- The interspinous ligamentum flavum fixes the longitudinal position of the vertebral body;
- The short transverse ligament of the spine secures the vertebral bodies to the horizontal plane;
- The long anterior and posterior ligaments stabilize the entire spine and partially relieve its shock-absorbing load.
Degenerative dystrophic changes often begin in the absence of regular physical activity in the paravertebral muscles.They lose the ability to provide complete diffuse nutrition to the annulus fibrosus.It begins to dehydrate and break down.Its surface is calcified (calcium salts precipitate in the cracks) - this prevents the normal process of future liquid diffusion exchange.
The annulus fibrosus then begins to draw fluid from the tissue in which the nucleus pulposus is located.It has a jelly-like gel structure.Therefore, it releases fluid easily but at the same time drastically loses its physiological volume.This negatively affects its ability to maintain physiological disc height.
It starts to distribute the shock load unevenly.The level of pressure on the end plates increases.In their thickness, the process of hardening of capillaries begins.The endplates lose their ability to provide nutrients to the cartilage tissue of the disc and periosteum.This is the prominence stage.
If effective comprehensive treatment is not started at this stage, the annulus fibrosus will soon rupture under the influence of physical activity.An intervertebral hernia develops in the cervical spine.This complication of long-term osteochondrosis can significantly worsen quality of life and human performance.
Potential causes of cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Maintaining a sedentary lifestyle without regular physical activity on the muscles of the neck and collar area;
- Overweight and obesity (each additional kilogram increases the shock-absorbing load of the cartilage disc exponentially);
- When working sedentary for a long time, the neck muscle fibers are in a state of static tension for a long time;
- Incorrect diet structure and insufficient intake of clean drinking water during the day;
- Curvature of the spine and poor posture (such as hunchback, hunchback, scoliosis, etc.);
- Smoking and drinking hard alcoholic beverages;
- Violating ergonomic rules when arranging sleeping and working spaces;
- Injuries to the neck and collar area;
- Endocrine and vasculopathies (atherosclerosis, diabetes and concomitant diabetic vasculopathies, etc.).
All of these potential causes should be addressed immediately.The faster you do it, the greater the chance that the damaged cartilage fibers will fully recover.Typically, an experienced doctor will carefully collect medical history data during the initial examination.He then makes individual recommendations for each patient based on the information he gathers.If the patient performs these actions, recovery will occur faster and more intensely.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis – how to treat it
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Pain in the neck and collar area (can be shooting, pulling, tearing, knocking - depending on the cause of the pain syndrome);
- Muscle fibers are tense and movement is limited;
- Changes in head position, spinal curvature (compensatory);
- Headache and dizziness, decreased mental performance (as a result of impaired patency of the posterior vertebral artery);
- Increased nervous excitability, emotional instability, panic attacks, etc.
Before treating cervical osteochondrosis, you need to understand which symptoms are associated with which.Symptomatic exposure methods are strictly prohibited.This can only lead to a serious deterioration of the patient's condition.
There are many ways to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and dizziness, and the choice usually depends on the patient, who will be told by an experienced doctor about all the possibilities and prospects of using one or another method.Therefore, consultation with an experienced chiropractic specialist is always a top priority.
You can book an appointment with a chiropractor at a dedicated manual therapy clinic now.Your doctor will conduct a thorough examination to make an accurate diagnosis and tell you how to treat cervical osteochondrosis and the resulting dizziness.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home
Before treating cervical osteochondrosis at home, you need to consult an experienced doctor.In most cases, patients do not require hospitalization.But you must first undergo an individually developed treatment regimen.
Typically, treatment begins with several manual tractions on the spine.This surgery allows you to increase the height of the intervertebral space to physiological standards.This helps straighten the annulus fibrosus tissue.Compression of the root nerve and its branches is eliminated.The pain syndrome and neurological manifestations disappeared.The patient may feel completely healthy.However, complete recovery of the disc cartilage tissue is still far away.
A complete course of treatment is required, aimed at normalizing diffusion metabolic processes, increasing tissue trophicity, strengthening the muscular framework of the neck and collar area.
The course of treatment may include the following procedures:
- Osteopathic treatment restores normal microcirculation of lymph and blood in areas of degenerative dystrophic tissue changes;
- Massage to increase the elasticity of soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, and tendons);
- Reflexology activates the body’s hidden reserves and initiates the natural regeneration process of damaged cartilage tissue;
- Physical therapy, laser therapy, electrical muscle stimulation;
- Therapeutic exercises and exercise therapy, etc.
The course of treatment is always planned individually for each patient.Therefore, if you contact a professional clinic, an effective and safe treatment plan will be developed for you, allowing you to completely restore all the tissues of your spine.