To date, osteochondrosis is a very common disease, because people who lead a passive lifestyle are susceptible to it. As a rule, deformities of bone tissue and cartilage (code M42. 12) occur in people not older than 45 years.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a process of deformation of the articular cartilage itself and its bone tissue. It has an ICD-10 code - M42. 12, adopted by the International Doctors Forum. This part of the spine is most susceptible to disease because it is the most mobile and is surrounded by a weak muscular corset, especially in children. It is also distinguished by a large number of vascular and nerve formations. Manifestations directly depend on the stage of the disease and the nature of the deformation of the intervertebral discs.
Causes of osteochondrosis
As mentioned above, the main reason for the onset of the disease is lack of physical activity.
A passive lifestyle leads to:
- failure of metabolic processes;
- salts appear in lymphatic fluid and blood;
- salts accumulate in the liver, kidneys and cervical region.
Inflammation is seen in OSHOP (osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, code M42. 12) but also due to a lack of nutrients in the intervertebral discs. This happens when a person eats unbalanced and wrong food.
Symptoms include fever lasting 20 minutes, swelling in the throat, pain in the spine and neck, severe pain attacks when a person is unable to sleep normally and needs first aid in the form of painkillers. against such pains. A strong cough, but it should be noted that cough with osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is also a common occurrence. In this case, sports are contraindicated, because sports can exacerbate the problem. It is better to sleep on an orthopedic mattress.
Why is osteochondrosis dangerous?
Many people wonder why cervical osteochondrosis is dangerous. This section contains the nerve roots and the spinal cord, as well as the arteries that supply blood to the back of the brain and cerebellum. When a person develops OSOP, the artery narrows and blood circulation to the brain fails. Then there is inflammation, fever, lasts 30 minutes, a feeling of a lump in the throat, pain in the back and under the shoulder blade, sometimes difficult to eliminate.
In case of pain attacks, you should immediately consult a doctor, who will be able to prescribe the necessary painkillers. Folk remedies or a forum where you can find a lot of advice will not help in this situation. Exercise or massage is strictly contraindicated in acute attacks.
Compression of the artery in the advanced stage can lead to:
- coordination problems;
- impaired vision and hearing;
- temperature may appear;
- sore throat;
- stroke.
If the disease is not detected in the first stage and treatment is not started in time, the consequences occur in the form of intervertebral hernias and protrusions.
Degrees of osteochondrosis
A disease like OSHOP develops gradually. And it is important to know the degree of cervical osteochondrosis before starting treatment. Doctors say there are 3 degrees of the disease.
1 degree
From this stage begins the process of deformation of the intervertebral discs. The fibrous ring is covered with small cracks, the process of reducing the elasticity and strength of the disc occurs, the height is reduced. All this helps to compress the nerve roots. In such a situation, it is necessary to understand that only light sports are allowed.
The first sign of this stage is the appearance of excruciating pain, fever and sore throat while a person is sleeping. However, it often happens that osteochondrosis in the cervical region does not have clear clinical manifestations, and a person has virtually no pain and discomfort in the cervicothoracic region.
2 degrees
This stage of the disease is chronic. In the first stage, it occurs when help is not provided in time. A person feels constant pain, a swelling in the throat, fever may occur when going to bed, sore throat appears. Some patients with cervical osteochondrosis have shortness of breath. The process of compression and destruction of the disc continues and causes small dislocations of the cervical vertebrae.
At this stage, the "falling" head water develops. At the same time, a person feels sharp pains in the head and should hold his head with his hands for about 20 minutes to relieve some of the pain. It is necessary to sleep on an orthopedic pillow, sports are contraindicated.
3 degrees
ICD-10 code - M42. Grade 12 - 3rd degree osteochondrosis is the most difficult stage of the disease. It has the following features:
- a severe headache that keeps you awake
- frequent nausea;
- high temperature rises;
- dizziness and loss of coordination;
- loss of sensitivity in the upper extremities.
In stage 3, the fibrous ring is practically deformed, leading to serious complications such as intervertebral disc herniation or hernia.
Due to the complete destruction of cartilage tissue, the person stops feeling sharp pain attacks, the pain still remains because the nerve roots are compressed. The temperature can often rise. Any, even light sports at this stage is strictly prohibited.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at a young age
Osteochondrosis of the cervical region in children (it has an ICD-10 code - M42. 02, established by the medical forum) is a very rare and at the same time dangerous disease. In children, the spine still has a fragile structure and is therefore very easily affected by adverse factors, especially at this age, as the intervertebral discs and spine continue to grow.
Osteochondrosis in children can develop for several reasons:
- lack of useful minerals and vitamins in the child's diet;
- problems with the cardiovascular system;
- spinal cord injury;
- allergies;
- sports;
- somatic diseases;
- genetic predisposition;
- various pathologies in bone development;
- when the child's body regularly carries infectious diseases.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in children
Many parents are wondering how to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis in children. First of all, conservative treatment methods are used to treat this disease, which is accompanied by symptoms such as swelling in the throat, severe pain, inability to sleep, inflammation and swelling.
- Drugs with analgesic effect. As a rule, with the help of such drugs, the pain disappears after 20 minutes.
- Drugs used against edema and eliminate inflammation.
- Therapeutic massage course, manual therapy and acupuncture, exercise therapy.
- Operational intervention. It is rarely prescribed and is directed against radicular syndrome.
Few parents know what cervical osteochondrosis is, especially in children, so you should contact a vertebrologist immediately when a child first complains of frequent neck pain.
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis
At present, it is necessary to consult a doctor who will conduct an initial examination for the diagnosis of osteochondrosis. Then, if necessary, sends for additional examination. For this, the cervicothoracic region is examined by magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. Thanks to this examination, it is possible to determine the diagnosis and degree of the disease.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
When a patient is asked how to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis (code M42. 12), the doctor will be able to answer by determining the degree of the disease and studying the main clinical manifestations. To date, there are many different treatments.
It is good to use a complex treatment that includes traditional and non-traditional methods: hand therapy, medication, exercise therapy, acupuncture, massage, physiotherapy and folk remedies. However, it should be understood that in the latter case, it is better to visit a doctor and consult with him, you should not go to the forum and get information there.
For the treatment of the disease (code M42. 12) to be effective, you need to consult several specialists: a massage therapist, a vertebral neurologist, a neurologist, a surgeon and a physiotherapist, who will prescribe these methods in combination. will be the most effective.
Osteochondrosis, like all diseases, is best treated in the early stages of the disease, when you can skillfully help. However, grades 2 and 3 are practically untreatable, so a long recovery process is needed in this situation.