Cervical osteochondrosis is diagnosed more often in women than in men. And this is not only due to the lower strength of the ligaments, the weakness of the muscular corset. Throughout life, a woman's body is exposed to fluctuations in the level of hormones that can adversely affect the condition of cartilage and bone tissue. But the methods of conservative and surgical treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in both sexes practically do not differ.
Features of female osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in women develops and proceeds according to the same scenario as in men. Intervertebral discs lose their ability to retain moisture and slowly begin to collapse, involving bone structures, ligaments and tendons in the destructive process. But due to weak neck muscles, more fragile vertebral segments, the first symptoms of the disease appear faster in women. Distinct symptoms that restrict mobility can already occur in the initial phase of development.
It should be noted that women of all ages are less resistant to stress. Having learned about the impossibility of completely curing osteochondrosis, they can put themselves in a depressed state with experiences. Therefore, antidepressants, antipsychotics, tranquilizers, and depressants are often included in therapeutic treatments.
Causes of the disease in women
The main reason why disc damage is more common in women is a fall or rise in hormone levels in the body. After the onset of natural menopause, the production of estrogens involved in regulating the biosynthesis of cartilage and bone tissue gradually decreases. A decrease in the level of estrogen during menopause leads to damage of the intervertebral discs and provokes the development of osteoporosis (increased fragility of the bones).
Women monitor their weight, so they often refuse foods rich in calcium - sour cream, cheese, peas, soybeans, beans. And if the diet is observed, not only will body weight decrease, but there will also be a lack of the most important trace elements and vitamins, which provokes premature destruction of the intervertebral discs.
symptoms
At the first X-ray stage, the signs of osteochondrosis are weakly expressed. Only the uneven surface of the intervertebral discs is noticeable. Therefore, a woman feels only a slight discomfort in the neck, which occurs after physical exertion or a long stay in a position with her head down. But gradually the intensity of the pain increases. It occurs not only when turning and tilting the head, but also at rest. In the absence of medical intervention, the pathology steadily progresses. As a result of injury by osteophytes, displaced intervertebral discs of the vertebral artery, the following clinical manifestations appear:
- jumps in blood pressure;
- headache (cervical migraine), dizziness, fainting;
- decreased visual acuity and hearing, double vision of objects in front of the eyes, tinnitus;
- Fatigue, apathy, sleep disturbances;
- Feeling of tickling, "coma" in the throat.
Crunching can also be heard when the head is tilted or turned, and the mobility of the neck region is restricted.
diagnosis of pathology
The primary diagnosis can be made based on an external examination, patient complaints, and the results of a battery of functional tests evaluating range of motion, reflexes, and sensitivity. To confirm this, radiography is performed in 2 projections. The study is informative not only for the detection of osteochondrosis, but also for establishing its stage, the degree of damage to the intervertebral discs and vertebrae. Discography allows for a detailed examination of the affected intervertebral discs, and if there is a suspicion of damage to the nerve tracts, patients are shown electrophysiological diagnostics:
- evoked potentials;
- electroneurography;
- electromyography.
CT, MRI serve as additional diagnostic methods, which are often used to assess the condition of the spinal cord, detect complications - protrusions or intervertebral hernia. These studies are conducted to distinguish cervical osteochondrosis from tuberculous spondylitis, osteomyelitis, benign and malignant neoplasms, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatism.
First aid for exacerbations
With a recurrence of cervical osteochondrosis, there is such severe pain in the neck that the woman is afraid to turn or tilt her head. To decrease the intensity, lie on a hard surface. It is necessary to take a position of the body in which the pain subsides. If a shant collar or semi-rigid bandage has already been purchased on the recommendation of a doctor, it must be worn when moving.
To stop an attack of pain, you can take a tablet of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Ointments and gels with NSAIDs have a pronounced analgesic effect.
When providing first aid, the use of cold or heat is undesirable. Often there is a relapse due to muscle spasms, and cold compresses only increase the tension of skeletal muscles. Dry heating is an effective tool to eliminate symptoms, but only if there is no inflammatory process in the soft tissues of the throat.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis in women
Osteochondrosis of any localization has not yet completely healed. A neurologist or vertebrologist will definitely explain to a woman the meaning and principles of the upcoming therapy. Treatment aims to achieve a stage of stable remission. At this stage, painful sensations appear extremely rarely, and the range of motion is fully preserved.
It is impossible to limit yourself only to taking medicines, since the means for restoring intervertebral discs and vertebrae have not yet been synthesized. It is necessary to follow all the doctor's instructions - visit physiotherapy, massage activities, exercise therapy and gymnastics.
From the first days of treatment, patients are recommended to wear shants - orthopedic devices that stabilize intervertebral discs and vertebrae. They prevent the displacement of vertebral structures, thereby reducing the likelihood of relapses.
Overview of medications for treatment
Sometimes with exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis, burning, stabbing pains appear due to injury to the roots of the spine. They can only be eliminated by administering NSAID solutions intramuscularly. And if they are ineffective, drug blockades with anesthetics and hormonal agents are used. Glucocorticosteroids are not often used because of their negative effects on internal organs, cartilage and bone tissue.
To get rid of pain of mild severity, a woman is allowed to take NSAIDs in the form of tablets or capsules. Nonsteroidal agents in the form of gels and ointments are prescribed for mild pain, as well as to reduce the dose of systemic drugs.
| A group of drugs used to treat cervical osteochondrosis | therapeutic effect |
|---|---|
| chondroprotectors | Partially restore cartilage tissue of intervertebral discs |
| Means that improve blood circulation | Eliminate the lack of oxygen and nutrients and stimulate regeneration |
| B vitamins | Normalize the transmission of impulses to the central, peripheral nervous system |
| muscle relaxants | Relax skeletal muscles, eliminate muscle spasms |
| Warming ointments | Accelerate blood circulation, have analgesic, anti-exudative effect |
| Antidepressants, tranquilizers, tranquilizers | Relieves increased anxiety, restlessness, sleep disorders |
Remedial gymnastics, gymnastics, gymnastics
The most effective method of treating osteochondrosis is daily exercise therapy. With the help of dosed loads on the cervical spine, the muscular corset is strengthened, blood supply to tissues with nutrients is improved, and the risk of exacerbations is reduced. It is necessary to start gymnastics immediately after the cessation of acute pain. The doctor of physical therapy creates a set of exercises individually for a woman, taking into account her physical fitness and the severity of the pathology. All movements are performed smoothly with a small amplitude. This strengthens the muscles without damaging the cartilage tissue. What exercises do physiotherapists recommend:
- Sit up straight, put your hand under your chin. Try tilting your head and resisting with a brush;
- In a sitting position, place your hand on your cheek. Tilt your head to the side and resist with a brush;
- Get up, put your hands on your belt. Turn your head first one way, then the other, without throwing it far back.
With osteochondrosis, patients are recommended swimming, yoga, Pilates, water aerobics, Nordic walking. Biking, running, lifting weights are prohibited.
nutrition and diet
With cervical osteochondrosis, nutritionists recommend limiting the consumption of alcohol, coffee and strong tea. These drinks interfere with the absorption of calcium and quickly flush it out of the body. Preference should be given to lightly salted mineral waters, fruit compotes and jelly, vegetable juices, berry fruit drinks. The optimal amount of liquid to drink is 2-2. 5 liters per day.
It is necessary to abandon fast food, semi-finished products, smoked meat and fatty meat. The daily diet menu should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, cereal flakes, dried white or rye bread, and fermented milk products. Useful turkey, chicken breast, rabbit meat, lamb. 2-3 times a week you need to eat fatty fish, such as salmon or Norwegian herring.
It is better to completely abandon fried foods. The most useful products are baked in foil, stewed or stewed in water.
physical therapy
At the rehabilitation stage, patients are assigned 5-10 sessions of physiotherapy. Electrophoresis or ultraphonophoresis with chondroprotectors, solutions of calcium salts, B group vitamins is carried out to restore cartilaginous tissue, improve innervation and increase the strength of the ligamentous-tendon apparatus. The same procedures, but only with the use of glucocorticosteroids, analgesics, anesthetics in the subacute period are designed to relieve pain and inflammation.
The following physiotherapeutic procedures can also improve the well-being of women:
- UHF therapy;
- magnetotherapy;
- galvanic currents;
- laser therapy;
- shock wave therapy.
Applications with ozokerite, bishopite, paraffin are used. The use of medicinal mud and mineral waters, the setting of medicinal leeches have proven their worth in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
massages
During the massage, the muscles of the entire back are mechanically affected and not just the cervical spine. But the specialist focuses on them in particular. Kneading, smoothing, pressing and chopping relax spasmodic skeletal muscles, strengthen ligaments and improve blood circulation. In the treatment of osteochondrosis, the following types of manual and hardware massage are used:
- classic;
- Point;
- Vacuum;
- Swedish;
- segmental.
Pharmacies and medical supply stores sell manual electric massagers. They are equipped with special nozzles, speed controllers. And the comfortable long handle of the devices allows you to massage the neck independently.
home remedies
In folk medicine, home-made ointments, alcohol and oil rubs, compresses, decoctions and tinctures are used to treat osteochondrosis. Representatives of official medicine are skeptical about such methods of therapy for degenerative-dystrophic pathologies due to their low clinical effectiveness. Exceptions are herbal teas from chamomile, St. John's wort, rosehip infusion.
Features of the treatment of older women
The therapy of elderly patients is carried out with the same techniques as the treatment of young women. However, when determining the dosage regimen, the neurologist takes into account the presence of chronic pathologies in the elderly, a decrease in the functional activity of the liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. The doctor selects drugs, the use of which has a mild effect on the internal organs and reduces the risk of side effects.
What is dangerous cervical osteochondrosis?
The leading signs of cervical osteochondrosis are similar in both sexes. But neurological symptoms are more pronounced in women. They are more commonly diagnosed with an injury to the roots of the spine and the vertebral artery, which supplies nutrients to the brain.
With cervical osteochondrosis of the 2nd and 3rd degree of severity, the roots of the spine are often injured, which leads to acute pain, loss of reflexes and a decrease in sensitivity. Serious complications of pathology are intervertebral hernia, radicular syndrome, discogenic myelopathy.
preventive measures
Cervical osteochondrosis is often found in women who prefer narrow shoes with high heels. When worn, the load on the spine is unevenly distributed, which leads to microtrauma of the cartilage tissue. Women also often suffer from hypothermia, they acutely experience ordinary domestic conflicts. And these factors are prerequisites for the development of pathology. Therefore, their exclusion from the usual way of life becomes an excellent prevention of osteochondrosis of any localization and its consequences.