Headache and cervical osteochondrosis

Headache and cervical osteochondrosis-May indicate one of the earliest signs of the development of the disease. First, they appear paroxysmal and then permanent, accompanied by a sharp deterioration of happiness, stiffness, and syncope. It is important to understand that without proper treatment, the disease can progress and cause dangerous consequences.

Osteochondrosis-definition and development mechanism

Osteochondrosis-Chronic progressive disease of the spine. During the examination, the cartilage will gradually be destroyed and the bone segments will be deformed. The cervical spine consists of six vertebrae (bone segments connected by ligaments). In order to absorb the vibrations of the movement, head rotation and tilt, the intervertebral cartilage is located between the adjacent vertebrae. The vertebral arteries and nerves pass through special holes that lead directly to the brain. Protecting them from injury is one of the functions of the cervical spine.

In osteochondrosis, the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc loses its elasticity. The main reason is the insufficient blood and nutrient supply of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc. This process may be related to age-related changes, insufficient blood supply to cartilage, and the consequences of joint injuries and inflammatory diseases. The intervertebral disc is thin and insufficiently elastic, so it cannot absorb movement. This can cause reduced neck mobility, pain, and compression of nerves and blood vessels passing through the area. This process is in progress because the cervical spine is the easiest to move and the muscle waist is weak.

Causes of cervical spine osteochondrosis headache

Cervical Chondrosis-Diseases common in the elderly and young people. It is accompanied by restricted movement of the neck in all directions or in a certain direction, hearing or vision impairment, and acute headache. These symptoms have already appeared in the initial stages of the disease and will only develop over time.

The headache of cervical osteochondrosis is related to many pathological changes:

• The lumen between adjacent vertebrae of the cervical spine is reduced;
• Compress the nerves and blood vessels that enter the brain;
• Insufficient blood supply to brain cells;
• The deformation of bone tissue, the formation of growth, and the fusion of vertebrae-the body's adaptation mechanism to resist bone wear during exercise.

The headache of osteochondrosis only occurs when the cervical spine is damaged. In this area, arteries and nerves pass, bringing blood to the brain and participating in its innervation. With the exhaustion of the thoracic and lumbar spine areas, there will be no head pain. However, because the disease is the most mobile and the supportive muscle corsets are not well developed, the disease is most often diagnosed in this area. Poor posture, sitting for a long time, lack of physical activity, or on the contrary, too heavy load and insufficient warm-up, will cause the rapid development of osteochondrosis of all ages.

The nature of the pain caused by osteochondrosis

The headache of suffering from osteochondrosis is a symptom that can be distinguished by this symptom even without any neck injury. However, it is impossible to make a definite diagnosis based on inspection alone. There are several options for headaches caused by osteochondrosis, depending on the cause:

• When squeezing the vertebral artery-the pain is similar to a migraine and usually only extends to half of the head;
• When pinching spinal nerve roots-violent beating, which increases when the head turns and tilts;
• Chronic headache-related to ischemia, lack of oxygen and nutrients in certain areas of the brain.

When suffering from osteochondrosis, headaches are often accompanied by other symptoms. The main symptoms are neck stiffness, muscle cramps and discomfort. In addition, the patient may feel numbness in the hands and numbness in the skin of the palms. Due to insufficient blood supply to the brain, hearing and vision are reduced, and movement coordination difficulties appear. Moreover, the sensitivity to bright lights and loud sounds and tactile stimuli is also increased. These signs disappear after the blood circulation is restored.

diagnosis method

Cervical osteochondrosis headache is a symptom that is difficult to diagnose accurately. To start treatment, one must determine the location of the problem area, the stage of the disease, and the pathological changes caused by the disease. To this end, a series of inspections are stipulated, including:

• Head MRI is one of the most useful and accurate diagnostic methods, so it can assess the state of brain tissue.
• Cervical MRI is a simple method to obtain accurate images of all diseases in the area (thinning and elasticity of cartilage between joints, excessive growth of bone and joint surface;
• Doppler ultrasound examination of the blood vessels in the neck and head by adding a contrast agent to monitor blood flow in the brain and determine the brain area suffering from ischemia.

Neck osteochondrosis for headache

The headache treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is symptomatic. Seizures can be treated at home, but they will continue to show up. It is important to understand that osteochondrosis is a chronic progressive disease and it is impossible to completely restore the structure of the diseased spine. The purpose of treatment is to slow down the further destruction of the vertebrae, restore normal blood supply and innervation, and eliminate soreness and other symptoms of discomfort.

medical treatement

Most patients are prescribed a comprehensive treatment plan for osteochondrosis. You can take painkillers at home, but the headache will recur. It is important to find a set of effective drugs that will not only affect the symptoms, but also the cause of the headache. Starting treatment in time will keep the spine at the same level and prevent further deterioration of health.

Doctors can prescribe several types of drugs to relieve the headache of cervical osteochondrosis:

• Non-hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs-relieve pain and relieve joint inflammation (ibuprofen);
• Muscle relaxants-a group of drugs that relieve muscle spasms and improve blood circulation in the vertebral arteries (toperisone hydrochloride);
• Vasodilators-necessary for high blood pressure and to eliminate vasospasm (magnesium sulfate);
• Nootropics are another class of drugs chosen to improve the blood circulation of brain cells.

If osteochondrosis injures the head and neck, it can be prescribed in the form of tablets or injections or ointments. In order to improve blood circulation and cartilage nutrition, gels with warming ingredients and anti-inflammatory effects are useful. They stimulate the blood circulation and regeneration process, therefore, maintain the condition of the spine during the worsening of the disease.

Other techniques

The treatment of osteochondrosis headache includes a variety of techniques that strengthen the cervical spine and prevent compression of important nerves and arteries. They are special exercises for forming muscular corsets and physical methods and other methods that affect the affected area. Combine them with medications and prescribe them over several courses.

1. Physical therapy exercises-simple exercises can strengthen muscles and ligaments and increase their elasticity. Warming up includes turning and bending, and circular movement of the head. Next, you should place your palms alternately on your forehead, temples and the back of your head. Tilt your head to the side of your hand, and your palms resist. At home, you can exercise in the morning and evening, at least 20-30 minutes of physical exercise every day.
2. Massage is an effective technique that will help relieve severe osteochondrosis headaches and prevent the progression of the disease. At home, you can perform a self-massage by kneading the back and side muscles of the neck and the trapezius muscles together. Participating in a therapeutic massage will be very useful. The massage will be performed in 5-10 sessions. The course is repeated every 4-5 months.
3. Physical therapy is a set of techniques that doctors can prescribe to improve the health of patients with cervical osteochondrosis. This can be magnetic therapy, electrophoresis, paraffin application and other exposure methods. Under external influence, blood flows to the damaged area faster, and the nutrition and oxygenation of the damaged intervertebral disc are improved. In addition, the recovery process is activated at the cellular level, so the disease no longer develops.

Regular exercise, massage and physical therapy will help eliminate severe headaches from osteochondrosis. The main condition is to complete the entire program process. The interval varies from a few days to a week, and up to 10 courses of treatment may be required to achieve the maximum effect. During the treatment process, pay attention to move freely, without headaches and other symptoms, and improve attention and performance. However, it is important to remember that osteochondrosis is a chronic disease, so the procedure is repeated every 4-6 months.

Surgical treatment of osteochondrosis

Surgery is only performed if conservative treatment fails. This can happen in advanced cases if the adjacent vertebrae of the patient fuse or the bones on the joint surface forming the osteophyte-skeleton grow. These changes lead to persistent headaches, stiff necks, and chronic ischemia in certain parts of the brain. This operation can be performed in several ways:

• Remove the pathological growth on the surface of the vertebrae, making them unable to participate in sports;
• Connect adjacent vertebrae to reduce compression of nerves and blood vessels;
• Replace damaged segments with implants.

Decisions about surgical intervention are made individually. It should be understood that this is a complicated operation and will require a longer recovery time. Since there is no threat to the patient's health, this operation is not performed in the early stage.

Prevention method

The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and headache treatment are related to the development mechanism of the disease. Injury is one of the causes, but pathological processes can also show up in healthy people. The doctor recommends to develop correct habits from an early age, which will help maintain the health of the cervical spine and prevent the development of dangerous diseases:

• The correct posture when walking and working on the monitor is the main condition for uniform load on the spine;
• Moderate physical exercise-even healthy people can strengthen and increase the elasticity of neck muscles and ligaments through simple daily exercises, thereby benefiting from it;
• The correct choice of mattresses and pillows will help to avoid ischemic pinching of nerves and brain cells during sleep;
• Avoid the power load in daily life-don't try to carry heavy objects in uncomfortable bags and bags;
• For sedentary people-take regular breaks for small warm-up exercises;
• In the cold season-wear a scarf.