Cervical spine tumor (CS) is one of the common diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Every year, more and more doctors diagnose this disease, and it gets worse and worse. According to statistics, in women, degenerative-dystrophic changes in the upper spine occur more often, especially for patients in the post-menopausal period. The main symptoms of genital warts in women are pain, limited movement, impaired cerebral circulation, which is dangerous not only for health but also for life. To protect yourself from the dangerous consequences of the disease, you need to start treating the disease at the very beginning. It is important to carry out complex therapy, make lifestyle changes to prevent destruction of spinal segments and prevent serious complications.
Disease develops
The cervical spine is the most vulnerable to various injuries and degenerative changes. This is due to the fact that this segment is the most mobile and the muscles here are weak. The small cervical vertebrae are subjected to heavy stress every day which leads to the gradual destruction of the discs. The vertebrae press against each other, which is why the cartilage cushions between them lose a lot of fluid, begin to degenerate and deform.
In addition, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine develops because the cartilage tissue is not provided with enough nutrition. And the spinal canal in this area is narrow, so it is often compressed, causing neurological symptoms.
Pathology in women in the early stages is manifested by heaviness in the back of the head, tingling in the hands, . . . . Often, sick people confuse the first signs of illness with overwork.
A large number of blood vessels and nerve roots are located on the neck region, when they are pinched can also suffer from neurological disorders. It is especially dangerous if a deformed disc or vertebra compresses the vertebral artery, which feeds important parts of the brain. When it is squeezed tightly, coordination of movements is disturbed, a woman can lose balance, vision and hearing are impaired, and the risk of stroke is increased.
References. According to statistics, cervical fibroids are common in patients aged 25-40 years. That's due to a lot of reduced physical activity, sedentary. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than men, because they have more fragile vertebrae and thin bone tissue.
Doctors distinguish 4 stages of osteonecrosis SHOP:
- Stage 1 - disc loses some moisture, height decreases, cracks may appear in the annulus (outer sheath). This is the stage of cervical fibrosis, which is difficult to recognize because it has no symptoms. The neck is tired quickly, there is a feeling of discomfort, it is heavier in the injured area, sometimes there is a slight pain and it quickly passes.
- Stage 2 - fissures in the disc surface increase, the nucleus pulposus (the gel-like substance of the disc) is displaced, possibly protruding through the damaged areas. This is how the protrusion of the cartilage layer appears, which can compress the spinal cord and its roots. Periodically there may be severe pain, weakness, limited mobility, numbness of the face, neck, shoulders, arms.
- Stage 3 - the protrusion penetrates the outer sheath of the disc, thus forming a herniated mass. The pain is more and more obvious, autonomic dysfunction.
- Stage 4 - the disc is almost completely destroyed, the vertebrae rub against each other, growing bone (osteogenesis) appears on their edges, designed to stabilize the damaged segment. The nerve endings, spinal cord, blood vessels are impaired. Adjacent joints begin to hurt. The clinical signs are obvious.
It is easiest to prevent degenerative-dystrophic changes in the first two stages of SHOP osteonecrosis. In stage 3, complex treatment will help prevent further destruction of the spinal segment. In the final stages, you can't do without surgery.
The reasons
SHOP OF BONES is a complex and lengthy process that is most often due to a number of causes. In most cases, the pathology occurs due to a sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, metabolic disorders. Usually, the disease occurs due to trauma or due to the natural aging process of the body and the weakening of the defenses.
Doctors identify the main causes of SHOP osteonecrosis in women:
- Disruption of metabolism.
- Passive lifestyle.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Chronic muscle tension around the cervical segment.
- Posture curvature.
- Deficiency of fluids and nutrients in the body.
- Hold an uncomfortable position for long periods of time (neck forward and back hunched).
- Excessive weight.
- Wear high heels often.
- SHOP is injured.
- Lift heavy objects.
- Autoimmune diseases.
- Constant stress, chronic fatigue.
- Hypothermia.
- Infectious diseases.
- Neck too long or too short, etc. v.
All these factors make the discs malnourished and lead to their degeneration.
Cervical fibroids in women can be caused by diseases of the vertebral arteries related to genetic factors, intrauterine disorders, and birth trauma. The disease can occur due to rheumatism, endocrine disorders, overload on the cervical segment during pregnancy, local overload.
Important. The main cause of cervical necrosis in women is menopause, as well as the changes associated with this period. At this stage, the level of progesterone, which is important for bone tissue, decreases in the body. The possibility of degenerative changes is associated with age-related weakening of the neck muscles and the weakening of the support of the vertebrae in this area.
The symptoms
For osteonecrosis, a wave-like course is characteristic, as the acute phase is replaced by remission. An exacerbation can cause infection, trauma, hypothermia, and prolonged stress on the neck.
![back pain with cervical osteonecrosis](/images/article/933/back%20pain%20with%20cervical%20osteonecrosis.jpg)
The first sign of fibroids in women is a headache, discomfort, and heaviness in the neck. It is important to promptly distinguish epidural pain from migraine or autonomic dysfunction.
The clinical presentation of SHOP osteonecrosis in women is due to neurological syndromes:
- Cervical pain occurs when nerve endings are irritated by pieces of damaged cartilage lining. Then, in particular, the pain of the nape of the neck, becomes more apparent with head movement and after sleep.
- Squamous muscle syndrome results from damage to the vessels and nerves of the brachial plexus and the subclavian artery. This symptom complex is accompanied by pain from the inner surface of the shoulder to the hand from the injured side. The limbs become pale, cool, edematous, numb. Neck pain that extends to the back of the head when the patient turns the head.
- Peri-shoulder fibrosis - dystrophic changes affecting the tendon fibers surrounding the shoulder. Pain radiates from the neck and radiates to the shoulder blades and back of the neck. There is a fixed position of the neck - it is tilted to the affected side, and the shoulders are slightly lowered.
- Vertebral artery syndrome - a blood vessel is compressed by fragments of damaged discs or bone cells (depending on the stage of the disease). Patients with dizziness and headache, nausea, sometimes vomiting. The pain is localized in the occipital, crown, and temporal region.
- Heart - the nerve bundles of the spinal cord are damaged. There are signs of heart attack, arrhythmia. If C3 is damaged, pain appears in the half of the neck, the tongue is swollen, the patient cannot chew food normally. If C4 is injured, discomfort appears in the shoulder blades, collarbone, and heart. With failure of C5, the pain response from the neck extends to the shoulder blades, the inner surface of the shoulder. C6 burning pain manifests as pain from the neck of the neck to the shoulder blades and spread over the arm to the thumb. If C7 is damaged, pain syndrome spreads to the back of the shoulder blade, catching the entire hand, including the index and middle fingers. When the C8 is squeezed, pain spreads from the affected area to the elbow and little finger.
In addition, the emotional sphere of a woman may be disturbed, weakness appears, she becomes anxious, emotional. Insomnia often occurs, memory and attention are impaired due to frequent headaches.
Symptoms of a stroke appear when a woman suddenly tilts her head back, leans over, or performs tasks that put pressure on her arms and neck, such as digging, painting ceilings, and carryingweights.
Violation of cerebral circulation is manifested by dizziness, trembling gait, "flies" in front of the eyes, tinnitus, weakness, nausea. In some patients, the voice becomes hoarse, sometimes disappears, there is a sore throat.
Bone tumors in menopause accompanied by migraine headaches, the body increases sweating in the area between the neck and shoulders. When the vertebral artery is compressed, the work of the cardiovascular system is interrupted.
If the disease is left for a long time, it will lead to circulatory failure of important centers performing neuro-endocrine functions. Due to the increased permeability of the vascular wall, the development of atherosclerotic plaques of the cerebral and cardiac arteries.
![neck pain with osteonecrosis](/images/article/933/neck%20pain%20with%20osteonecrosis.jpg)
Diagnostic setting chẩn
If you notice symptoms of osteonecrosis, see your therapist. After the imaging exam, the specialist will refer you to an orthopedist, chiropractor, or neurologist.
To diagnose cervical osteonecrosis, the following methods are used:
- X-rays allow you to detect the patient has displacement of the vertebrae, bone cells appear on their edges, the distance between the vertebrae has decreased. For this, research is carried out on different planes. To detail the characteristic changes, the imaging doctor sees.
- CT of the cervical spine provides detailed information about pathological changes in the vertebrae. This method allows you to obtain volumetric images for more detailed study, it is used in serious diagnostic cases.
- MRI is used to accurately assess the condition of the soft tissues (nerves, blood vessels, ligaments, muscles) in the affected area.
- Electromyography allows you to check the conduction of a nerve fiber.
In addition, the doctor may order a Doppler ultrasound (Doppler ultrasound of the major arteries of the brain) to determine the state of blood flow in this area.
Conservative treatment
In the early stages, SHOP's treatment of varicella in women can be done at home. However, the doctor should come up with a treatment regimen. It should be understood that this is a long process and difficult to completely cure (especially for older women).
Complex treatments include:
- Taking medication.
- Use orthopedic devices.
- Physical therapy.
- Physiotherapy procedures.
- Massage, impact by hand.
- Alternative treatments.
Conservative techniques will help relieve pain, stop inflammation, normalize muscle tone, improve metabolism and nutrition of damaged spinal segments. With timely therapy, pathological changes can be prevented.
![drugs to treat cervical osteonecrosis](/images/article/933/drugs%20to%20treat%20cervical%20osteonecrosis.jpg)
Medications for cervical ectropion will help eliminate inflammation and relieve pain.
Treatment of warts in women is carried out by using drugs that will help improve the metabolism of the cartilage that cushions the vertebrae, ending inflammation and pain. For this purpose, the following drugs are used:
- NSAIDs. May help reduce inflammation and mild to moderate pain.
- Analgesic. The pain is relieved.
- The product improves cerebral circulation.
- Muscle relaxants help reduce muscle spasms.
- Chondroprotectors. They help prevent disc damage, improve metabolism, and accelerate recovery.
- Magnesium-based drugs.
- Nootropics. They stimulate the work of the brain by normalizing blood circulation, have a mild sedative effect.
References. For severe pain that is not relieved by oral drugs, therapeutic blockade measures are used, for example, with a solution of Novocaine or an NSAID.
Treatment can be supplemented with anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs in the form of gels, creams and ointments. They will be effective in the remission stage or in combination with oral medications.
The decision about the selection of drug combinations is made by the physician. The specialist will prescribe the medication regimen and determine their dosage. It is important to follow his recommendations, as many of the drugs above carry the risk of dangerous complications.
During the acute phase of the SHOP phase of osteonecrosis, a woman must give up heavy physical activities. To remove the cervical segment, you need to wear a special corset (Shants collar), which will fix the vertebrae in the correct position. This device is recommended for use during periods of sedentary or strenuous work.
Physical therapy procedures will help relieve pain and improve blood circulation in the damaged area:
- Diadynamic therapy.
- Magnetic therapy.
- Electrophoresis.
- Electronegativity.
- UV irradiation and so on.
The therapeutic effect is manifested after about the third session, after which headaches, hearing disturbances, vision disturbances, dizziness, sleep normalize or disappear, and the general condition improves.
With the help of the underwater traction of the cervical segment, it is possible to widen the distance between the vertebrae, release nerves or blood vessels from compression, and restore the normal position of the vertebrae.
Massaging will normalize muscle tone, reducing the flow of lymph fluid, which causes swelling. After several sessions, blood circulation in the damaged area improves.
![gymnastics for the neck with osteonecrosis](/images/article/933/gymnastics%20for%20the%20neck%20with%20osteonecrosis.jpg)
Gymnastics is one of the most effective methods of treating osteoarthritis of the SHOP today. Exercise therapy allows you to strengthen the weak muscles of the neck, which will then take some of the load from the spine and help prevent or slow degenerative-dystrophic changes. During classes, blood circulation is improved, metabolism, nutrition of the discs is accelerated, which has a positive effect on their condition.
Women should exercise every day. They include simple but effective exercises. The complex includes turning movements, tilting the head in different directions, as well as neck movements, where the hands are used. These factors can be done at home, but only with your doctor's approval. Physical therapy exercises are performed only in the stage of remission.
Complex treatments can be supplemented with acupressure (acupuncture), hirudotherapy (leech therapy), swimming, etc. v.
Surgery
The operation is indicated at the end of SHOP bone resorption, which is accompanied by severe destruction of osteolytic structures. In addition, surgical intervention is indispensable if conservative techniques are ineffective or the spinal canal is significantly narrowed.
In the cases described above, anterior cervical discectomy is performed. During surgery, the doctor will fix the damaged spinal segment and remove the hernia that is compressing the spinal nerve. Then the vertebrae, where the disc was removed, are fused. If necessary, the space between the vertebrae is filled with a synthetic insert (cage).
After 3-5 days, the patient is discharged home. The rehabilitation period is about 12 weeks. To speed up your recovery, you need to take medication, wear a corset, lead a healthy lifestyle, go to physical therapy procedures, and finally, exercise therapy.
Lifestyle recommendations
To quickly get rid of the unpleasant symptoms of osteonecrosis and put an end to the degenerative-dystrophic changes in the cervical segment, you need to adjust your lifestyle. To do this, the patient must adhere to the following recommendations:
- Take a daily walk, avoiding running, jumping, and other explosive activities.
- Heavy objects are not allowed.
- You can not sit for long, in severe cases, put on a corset and periodically lie down.
- Do back-specific exercises at home.
- Sleep on an orthopedic mattress and a special pillow.
- Follow the diet, add foods rich in magnesium, calcium (nuts, dairy products, seafood, legumes), as well as vegetable fiber, chondroitin (jelly meat, jelly). Refuse greasy, fried, overly salty, and alcohol foods. Your doctor will advise you on the nutritional rules in more detail. But in any case, it must be correct.
Do not cool down, warm-up will be beneficial in the absence of an inflammatory process.
Complications
In the absence of timely treatment of cervical fibroids, a woman may experience the following pathological consequences:
- Possibility of convexity, after a while turning into a hernia. The bulge compresses the spinal cord as well as its nerves, causing nerve damage.
- Bone tumors occur when the discs are severely damaged, they irritate the spinal nerves and blood vessels.
- In severe cases, there may be neck muscle weakness or incomplete paralysis, after which the head involuntarily hangs sideways or forward.
- Compress the vertebral arteries, impairing blood circulation in the affected area. This condition can cause neuralgia (pain along the path of the nerve), hearing and vision impairment.
- Paralysis (incomplete or total) of the hand.
- Brain stroke.
If a woman addresses this in the early stages of osteonecrosis SHOP, she will be able to prevent the above conditions.
Precautions
Ideally, it is necessary to participate in the prevention of SHOP bone necrosis even during the period of intrauterine development. The expectant mother should exclude factors that negatively affect the development of the fetus: infection, oxygen starvation, intoxication. If a birth injury has occurred, the infant must be treated.
To reduce the likelihood of developing SHOP osteonecrosis, a woman should follow these recommendations:
- Load evenly on the spine, for example, carry with both hands or do the right and left side alternately.
- Don't lift too much weight yourself.
- Try to avoid neck injury, hypothermia.
- When working in the garden plot, every 1. 5 hours, I get a break, take a 20-minute break.
- Choose shoes with cushioned soles to cushion the impact of running or jumping.
- When sitting for a long time, it is recommended to use a high-backed chair, with support or wear a corset.
It is also important to eat right, control weight, avoid stress, use vitamin preparations to cure diseases, promptly treat diseases that can cause bone necrosis. At the stage of the disease in remission, it is advisable to go to the sanatorium to undergo a course of treatment.
The most important thing
As you can see, in women, cervical spondylosis occurs more often than in men, because the former vertebrae have more fragile vertebrae and thin bone tissue. The patient's disease is especially susceptible to infection in the post-menopausal period. The disease manifests as pain, vegetative nerve disorders and dangerous symptoms of cerebrovascular accident. Treatment should be initiated at the early stage to avoid dangerous complications of osteonecrosis. To do this, a woman must take medication, adjust her lifestyle, participate in physiotherapeutic procedures, massage and perform physical therapy exercises. Surgical treatment is indicated only in severe cases. To prevent pathology, you need to observe moderate physical activity, promptly treat injuries and diseases that can cause osteonecrosis.