Poor circulation in cervical osteochondrosis: treatment, symptoms, causes of the disease

Osteochondrosis is a chronic degenerative-dystrophic pathology of the skeletal system, which is caused by metabolic disorders under the influence of provocative factors and is characterized by several symptoms of many organs and systems. With osteochondrosis, the vertebral cartilage is destroyed, and their bodies and processes are deformed.

Cervical osteochondrosis: symptoms and treatment

It is rare that anyone today does not face the manifestations of this widespread disease: according to statistics, about 60% of the population in developed countries experience manifestations of osteochondrosis to varying degrees. The main reason for its widespread prevalence is the sedentary work and lack of movement of modern people.
Previously, cervical osteochondrosis in men usually manifested itself starting from 45-50 years, in women - a little later - 50-55 years. But now there is a rapid rejuvenation: the typical picture is a noticeable sign of the disease in a 30-year-old person, and it is not uncommon for the first symptoms to appear at the age of 20.

symptoms

With a prolonged injury to the vertebral artery, the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. Due to hypoxia (lack of oxygen), the risk of ischemia (decreased local blood supply), circulatory encephalopathy (vascular damage to the brain), and stroke increases.

Dizziness is one of the symptoms of cerebrovascular accident with cervical osteochondrosis

Cerebrovascular accidents with cervical osteochondrosis have the following symptoms:

• Visual impairment, oculomotor impairment. In patients, visual acuity decreases, "fog" appears in front of the eyes, and diplopia (double vision) occurs. These symptoms appear in the early stages of the pathology.
• Violation of the vestibular apparatus. Then the coordination of movements is disturbed, the patient staggers when walking, and the tone of the muscles of the upper part is reduced. Other symptoms of cerebral circulation disorders include vertigo (dizziness), hearing disorders (noise, ringing, weak), disturbances in the perception of objects, etc.
• Changing sleeping and waking patterns. Due to the impaired blood circulation in the brain, the patient feels weak, increased fatigue, becomes sleepy during the day, and cannot sleep for a long time at night.
• Vegetative-vascular syndrome occurs. Sudden weakness appears, heart rate changes (increases or slows down), blood pressure spikes, and increased intraocular pressure are observed.
• Paroxysmal disorder. People with cervical osteochondrosis may faint after suddenly turning their head or throwing their head back. This happens because of severe compression of the vertebral artery and sudden slowing of blood flow.
• Mental disorder. The patient becomes suspicious, too quick to anger, and feels offended for no apparent reason. His memory and attention are deteriorating.

In addition to the symptoms described above, cervical osteochondrosis is accompanied by severe cephalgia (headache). As a rule, the painful sensation begins at the back of the head, but it can spread to the arms. In some patients, throbbing pain appears in the temple, which may be accompanied by an eruption of vomiting. The pain response increases when turning or tilting the head.

With prolonged compression of the vertebral artery, symptoms intensify and pathology develops. In the absence of efficient therapy, the risk of disability increases. To avoid dangerous complications, long-term complex treatment is required.

Stages of development of osteochondrosis

In the development of cervical osteochondrosis, it is customary to distinguish 4 stages. But this is a rather arbitrary division, because most of the symptoms of the disease can also manifest themselves in other pathologies. In addition, the actual degree of deterioration of the cervical spine tissue may not correspond to the outwardly manifested symptoms.

First stage (preclinical)

In the early stages, symptoms are mild and often associated with stress or other illnesses. You feel unpleasant stiffness in the neck, pain with sudden movements or bending. At this stage, it is quite possible to get rid of newly started osteochondrosis with the help of therapeutic exercises or just move more and adjust your diet.

Second stage

The pain gets worse, becomes constant, and worsens with sharp bends or bends. A severe headache appears, the patient begins to tire quickly, becomes unconscious, and the facial area periodically becomes numb.

Third stage

The formation of a herniated disc often causes dizziness, arm weakness, pain radiating to the back of the head and arm, and is always felt in the shoulder.

Fourth stage

Eventually, the intervertebral disc is destroyed and replaced by connective tissue. The nerve is pinched, which leads to difficulty in movement, acute pain, increased dizziness, and tinnitus.

Causes of cerebrovascular accidents in cervical osteochondrosis

To understand why blood circulation to the brain is affected during osteochondrosis, you need to study the anatomy of the cervical spine. The transverse process of the cervical segment has an opening that forms a canal, and veins, nerves and vertebral arteries pass through it. The latter arises from the subclavian artery, passes through the transverse foramen C6 (sixth cervical vertebra) and rises higher. At the level of the hindbrain, the left vertebral artery on the left and right side joins, forming an artery from which the posterior cerebral, internal auditory, and cerebellar (anterior and posterior) arteries.

Based on what was described above, the artery passes through the cervical spine, which is necessary for normal blood supply to the brain. In addition, veins and sympathetic nerves are located in the spinal canal.

Transverse foramina are considered narrow, but there is enough space for neurovascular bundles. Blood vessels and nerves are not pinched even when moving the head (turning, bending).

Cervical vertebrae are connected by elastic intervertebral discs. This is a type of cartilage pad that softens the shock when running and jumping. This structure also protects nerves and blood vessels from damage.

With cervical osteochondrosis, the disc loses a lot of fluid and becomes fragile. Increased load causes flattening of the cartilage pad and the appearance of cracks on its outer skin. As a result, protrusions (protrusions, disc herniations), osteophytes (bone growths) appear, which injure nerves and blood vessels.

Reference. According to medical statistics, about 30% of cases of circulatory failure in the cerebral vessels are associated with damage to the vertebral artery. In most cases, the disorder occurs against the background of cervical osteochondrosis and atheromatosis (excessive growth of connective tissue on the vessel wall).

Cerebral circulation in cervical osteochondrosis occurs for the following reasons:

• The nerves that supply the vertebral arteries are compressed. It causes arterial spasm, then blood flow to the brain is interrupted.
• Long-term compression of the vertebral artery. Due to continuous compression, the lumen of the vessel narrows or is completely blocked (occlusion). The risk of vertebral artery syndrome then increases.
• Brutal compression of the vertebral artery, which prevents the outflow of blood. This can happen when turning the head, then the person has a severe headache and may lose consciousness.

Vertebral artery compression and stretching can occur even in healthy people. With cervical osteochondrosis, important vessels are often damaged, and then dangerous complications arise.

Causes and risk factors

Surprisingly, the possibility of developing osteochondrosis in humans is due to one of its evolutionary advantages - upright posture: the vertebrae press against each other, and with age, the connective tissue deteriorates. As a result, in older people this is an almost inevitable process. But there are many factors that contribute to the earlier and more intense development of cervical osteochondrosis:

• First of all, this is a sedentary and inactive lifestyle, often observed in modern life (office workers, drivers and other "sedentary" professions, TV, hours on the computer), lack of physical activity
• A tense and unnatural posture while working: for example, at the computer, a person often leans forward, takes a tense posture
• The opposite reason is that the burden is too high and unusual for certain people; but trained athletes, for example, weightlifters, are at risk;
• Any reason that disturbs a person's natural posture: uncomfortable shoes, especially high heels, poor sleeping position, flat feet, rheumatism, scoliosis;
• Excess weight, which is often caused by a poor diet
• Frequent stress, severe nervous tension, constant overwork
• Local hypothermia

Why is cervical osteochondrosis dangerous?

Many important vessels, arteries and capillaries are concentrated in the neck area, so any disturbance there can have unpleasant consequences, including oxygen starvation, hypertension, and vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Cervical osteochondrosis affects the segment of the spine that controls the function of the shoulder and elbow joints, thyroid gland, hands and other organs. With osteochondrosis, if untreated, there is a high probability of pinched nerves and compression of blood vessels, which inevitably affects the function of other organs.

Diagnostics

Since the symptoms of osteochondrosis are mild and often overlap with other pathologies, it is better to conduct an initial examination with a therapist or other specialist - a neurologist, an orthopedic specialist. He will ask you about pain and other symptoms, check neck mobility, skin condition, balance, and reflexes.

If the primary diagnosis of "cervical osteochondrosis" is made, the doctor will refer you for additional studies. The most effective is MRI, followed by computed tomography. X-ray studies are less effective than the first two, especially with advanced disease. The condition of soft tissues is checked using ultrasound. If your doctor suspects blood vessel damage, you may be referred for a vascular duplex scan.

Since some of the symptoms overlap with the signs of angina and coronary heart disease, you may need to consult a cardiologist who will refer you for an ECG and echocardiography.

Treatment features

Insufficient blood supply to the brain due to osteochondrosis of the cervical segment must be treated comprehensively. The basis of therapy is medication, in addition, other conservative methods are used (physical therapy, physiotherapy, etc. ). And in advanced cases, surgery may be required.

Doctors have identified the main goals of therapy:

Osteochondrosis and panic attacks

• Restores the function of the brain, increases its blood supply, because the organ is saturated with a large amount of oxygen and nutrients.
• Relieves the inflammatory response, activation of the regeneration process of damaged tissue.
• Some drugs help normalize the composition of the blood, making it more fluid, which improves the quality and speed of its movement.
• Expand the lumen of blood vessels, make the damaged area thicker.
• Stabilizes blood pressure.
• Restore the normal structure of the spine, saturate the cartilage tissue with useful substances, and strengthen it.

It is important to understand that complex therapy will help eliminate blood circulation problems in the brain, but it is not possible to completely cure osteochondrosis. But with the right treatment, it is possible to delay the development of pathology for a long time.

Be careful. You can take any medicine for cerebral circulation disorders due to cervical osteochondrosis only for medical reasons. Otherwise, the symptoms of the disease may worsen or be supplemented by new ones, for example, drug-dependent headaches. When drugs are abused, blood circulation in the brain deteriorates.

A group of drugs to increase cerebral blood flow

The following group of drugs will help improve brain circulation in cervical osteochondrosis:

• Vasodilators accelerate blood flow and nutrient transport to the brain by increasing the lumen of blood vessels.
• Medicines that prevent blood clotting, as well as aspirin-based medicines. They increase the permeability of blood vessels and prevent red blood cells and platelets from sticking to their walls. As a result, the blood becomes thinner and flows faster to the brain.
• Diuretic. These medicines prevent stagnation and swelling. The first drug is used for excessive fluid accumulation in brain cells, the second is suitable for eliminating swelling of any localization.
• Osmodiuretics are the only drugs that do not prevent the formation of urine. Used to stimulate diuresis in cervical osteochondrosis.
• Antioxidants. This tablet improves the condition of nerve endings and reduces harmful oxidative processes in body cells.
• Antipsychotics. These drugs slow down the transmission of nerve impulses, relieving pain for a long time. They help to cope with stress, prolonged pain, and improve the condition of the spinal nerves.

However, it should be remembered that all drugs have contraindications, so taking them without the knowledge of a doctor is prohibited.

Drugs to improve cerebral circulation

Doctors have identified drugs that improve blood circulation in the intracranial vessels for neck osteochondrosis:

• A bronchodilator that relieves spasms and normalizes blood flow. It is often used during electrophoresis, a physiotherapeutic procedure in which drugs penetrate the body through the skin under the influence of current.
• Drugs based on theophylline and nicotinic acid saturate the blood with oxygen and improve its quality. When used, microcirculation accelerates, blood vessels expand, and blood circulation becomes normal. Medicines can lower blood pressure quickly.
• Medicines containing thioctic acid, which helps expand the lumen of blood vessels. It improves metabolic processes and eliminates vascular spasms.
• Drugs based on cow's blood. It helps normalize the condition of intracranial vessels, enriching neurons with oxygen and glucose.
• Nicotinic acid helps dilate small blood vessels, reduce the concentration of bad cholesterol, and restore blood supply to the brain.
• Medicines for vasodilation, making blood less viscous, normalizing microcirculation, helping to get rid of dizziness.

Reference. In case of cerebrovascular accidents related to osteochondrosis, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are used. These drugs help relieve pain that occurs in the final stages of pathology. However, it is forbidden to take them for a long time without the knowledge of a doctor, because they have many contraindications.

As a rule, several drugs are used during therapy according to a specific regimen.

Additional Treatment

Combined treatment is complemented by physical therapy, which affects the cause of the disease. With the help of exercise therapy, you can improve blood circulation, metabolic processes, and increase spinal trophism. With regular exercise, the muscles around the damaged vertebrae are strengthened, which allows them some relief. However, to get good results, classes must be conducted regularly.

In the case of cerebral circulation disorders associated with cervical osteochondrosis, special gymnastics is indicated

Patients must follow these training rules:

• Start with simple movements at a slow pace and minimal amplitude, gradually increasing the pace.
• Before exercising, massage your neck or take a warm shower to warm up your muscles.
• During the exercise, pay attention to how you feel. At first there may be some discomfort, but after 3-4 days the body will adapt and your health will improve. If this does not happen or acute pain occurs, then visit a doctor.

The complex for each patient is compiled by the doctor, taking into account symptoms, severity of pathology, age and general health.

Reference. It is recommended to supplement exercise therapy in case of cerebral circulation disorders by walking or cycling, swimming, yoga, breathing exercises and cardio exercises (elliptical, exercise bike).

An additional treatment method is physiotherapy. To improve brain circulation, electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, medicated baths, and acupuncture are prescribed.

In order for the spine and blood vessels to function normally, the patient must eat properly. The diet should be supplemented with foods rich in fiber, fatty acids, B group elements, tocopherols, and ascorbic acid. To do this, you need to eat more vegetables, fruits, berries, and herbs. In addition, it is useful for patients to eat fatty sea fish, lean meat, nuts, vegetable oil, etc. It is recommended to drink at least 2 liters of filtered water every day.

With a poor diet, the lack of nutrients can be compensated with the help of vitamin and mineral complexes. Your doctor will help you choose the right medication.

Surgery for poor circulation in the brain due to cervical osteochondrosis is performed only in extreme cases. The need for surgical intervention may arise if there is a large bony growth that compresses the vessel. During the procedure, osteophytes are removed; if this cannot be done for some reason, then a stent is inserted into the blood vessel.

How to treat cervical osteochondrosis

Real, sustainable success in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis can be achieved only with an integrated approach, which includes drugs, massage of the collar area, therapeutic exercises, and physiotherapy. In particularly advanced cases, surgical intervention may be necessary. Naturally, the patient must eliminate or minimize the factors that contribute to the development of the disease: move more, eat better, etc.

We strongly advise not to use self-medication, especially because the symptoms of osteochondrosis can mean a completely different disease: not only do the drugs you choose not help in treatment, they can also cause harm. Even during a painful exacerbation, do not rush to the pharmacy for painkillers - it is better to make an appointment with a doctor, and even better - do it in advance, at the first symptoms.

Relieves acute pain

Osteochondrosis, especially in the later stages, is accompanied by severe pain, so the first task of the attending physician is to alleviate your suffering. He will give you painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamins, chondroprotectors to restore cartilage tissue, drugs to improve blood circulation and reduce muscle spasms.

In this article, we deliberately do not give the names of specific drugs - it is better to leave their choice to the doctor who will take into account all possible consequences and evaluate contraindications.

Therapeutic exercises for cervical osteochondrosis

The simplest and most accessible method, including at home, is therapeutic exercises. At the same time, it is also quite effective, because it strengthens the neck muscles, restores blood circulation in the damaged area, and compensates for the lack of movement in daily life. Physical therapy can be supplemented with swimming and aqua gymnastics.

There are many methods, including the use of simulators: most of them do not require special equipment or any special conditions, but we advise you to contact the exercise therapy office, where they will choose the most effective set of exercises for you and conduct a class. under the guidance of experienced experts.

Physiotherapy

The correct and continuous use of physiotherapeutic methods improves blood circulation in the damaged area, reduces inflammation and pain, and slows down the ossification process.

For osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, laser therapy, shock wave therapy, therapeutic baths and baths, mud therapy and other methods are used.

Neck massage for cervical spine osteochondrosis

For osteochondrosis, massage can be very effective: it improves blood circulation, reduces the possibility of spasms by reducing muscle tone, relieves pain symptoms and improves the general well-being of the patient.

But massage and manual therapy must be used very carefully, because inefficient and rough influence on the diseased part of the body can only cause harm. We strongly advise you to consult your doctor first.

Surgery

In more advanced cases, even surgical intervention cannot be ruled out: narrowing of the lumen of the spinal column, the formation of a herniated intervertebral disc, or spondylolisthesis.

The decision on the need and method of surgical intervention is made by the surgeon, who also determines the preparatory operation, the duration of the postoperative period and recovery.

Causes of cerebral circulation disorders and venous outflow

Impaired venous outflow with cervical osteochondrosis is a common cause of headaches, decreased mental performance, constant weakness and drowsiness. Stagnation of venous blood leads to the flow of fluid into the intercellular space. This can cause increased intracranial pressure. The structure of the brain is under enormous pressure and cannot function normally. Blood pressure levels may start to rise. In general, this situation is dangerous because there may be a threat of hemorrhagic stroke. It has a very high mortality rate even among young patients.

Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a disease whose negative effects can be minimized with proper and timely prevention. You need to think about its prevention in childhood: poor posture and flat feet in children is a reason to consult a doctor for a diagnosis.

The basis for the prevention of osteochondrosis is the correct lifestyle: reasonable physical activity and regular exercise during sedentary work, healthy diet, weight control.

Complications

Chronic oxygen starvation quickly leads to disruption of processes in the human body. If there is no timely and adequate treatment, the above symptoms will gradually increase. Depending on which brain is most affected by the lack of necessary substances, there is a possibility of developing some complications.

Consequences of cerebrovascular accidents in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:

• hypertonic disease;
• cerebral ischemia;
• heart rhythm disorders;
• problems with orientation and coordination;
• changes in the quality and type of breathing;
• decreased mobility of the upper limbs.

Although the listed conditions have started to appear, this is not a reason to panic. In such cases, there is also an opportunity to heal and fully restore the affected function. The main thing is not to delay in visiting the doctor, but to start therapy quickly.