Symptoms and treatment of headache with cervical osteochondrosis

1 Etiology of the disease

Headache with osteochondrosis of the cervical region in the patient is always observed. The reasons for which the head can hurt, stands out somewhat. And, not all of them are connected with the spine.

Headache in cervical osteochondrosis is often triggered by convulsive muscle contractions;Muscle spasms occur as a response to pain in the cervical vertebrae. This means that the body itself tries to protect the diseased part of the spine, restricting the movement in the only way that is acceptable to it, namely, straining muscles. Therefore, when a person has osteochondrosis, his head hurts on the occiput, in the temporal and posterior parietal region. Also, the patient experiences a feeling of tension in the neck. In other words, the patient has a reflective pain. In such situations, many drugs of anesthetic action will not give a positive result.

In the human body, in the holes of the horizontal vertebra processes on the right and left, arteries are located, that is, they pass near the cervical region. Syndrome of the vertebral artery is no less important cause of pain in the head. Why?

The development of the disease together with the irritation of the surrounding blood vessels and fibers leads to compression of the artery, which provokes symptoms in the form of migraine, dizziness, dark circles in the eyes of the patient.

In vertebral artery syndrome, headaches are characterized by their duration, pulsation, and, rarely, burning. Eliminate such pain is very difficult.

In addition, the presence of arteries in a compressed state can contribute to disruptions in the filling of blood vessels in the brain, which leads to oxygen starvation of nerve cells and to malfunctions in arterial pressure. Therefore, the often occipital pain that signals an increase in blood pressure, in the absence of failures in the heart, is actually associated with problems in the spine. Cure with the occipital pain will be able to medication to lower blood pressure and medications spasmolytic action.

Another cause of pain in osteochondrosis of the cervical region is the pinching of the nervous tissue of the head at the back of the head. The patient experiences pain the same as with the vertebral artery syndrome. In this case, over time, not only the occiput begins to ache, but also the parietal part, the facial part, the pressure on the eyes is felt. The blame for all this is the build-ups observed in the case of osteochondrosis, displaced vertebrae and a deformed disc located between the vertebrae.

Pain in osteochondrosis of the cervical region becomes stronger due to the following factors:

• patient for a long time is in the same sitting position;
• spine injury;
• the patient sleeps in an unsuitable position;
• metabolic disorder caused by malnutrition;
• performing the wrong neck massage;
• excess weight.

Therefore, in order not to experience severe attacks of headache, you need to monitor your actions: avoid stress, eat right, do not self-medicate.

2 The course of the disease

Headaches have a certain pronounced character and last for a long time( up to 48 hours).Due to the pressure exerted by the ossicles on the artery of the spine. An attack of pain in the head begins with the appearance of unpleasant painful sensations directly in the cervical region.

The first thing you need to pay attention to is the location of the localization. It can be from the occipital part of the head to the parietal. At the same time, the pain sensations are squeezing, blunt and bursting. Sometimes tingling in the eyes or temples may occur. In some cases, there may be pain near the ears, on the forehead - near the eyebrows.

Cervical osteochondrosis may in some cases be accompanied by pain in one part of the head. Symptomatic in this case is similar to migraine, which often causes the wrong purpose of treatment.

In osteochondrosis of the cervical region, in addition to the headache, other symptoms also appear. The most common are:

• dizziness;
• weakness;
• fast fatigue;
• nausea( in some cases, vomiting);
• pain in the chest and in the hands;
• abnormal reactions to bright light;
• syncope possible;
• paresthesia;
• fuzzy perception of the eyes of the surrounding images;
• tinnitus;
• sleep disturbance;
• nerve disorders.

Often the headache is accompanied by dizziness. These symptoms cause a deterioration in the patient's well-being, as the attacks become stronger when the head turns and other sharp movements. In addition, dizziness can develop against a background of high blood pressure. This is due to violations of the vegetative system, which always accompanies the disease in question.

Pain in the head with osteochondrosis can be accompanied by pain in the chest and hands. The latter symptom may be accompanied by minor colic and decreased sensitivity of individual limb sites. From the chest pain can go to the shoulder and shoulder area, they differ from the pain caused by heart disease, duration( from several hours to several days).

Symptoms can be even more pronounced with sharp head bends, excessive neck strain. It can be difficult to move, because there is a lot of pain in the muscles.

3 Medical care

Very often with cervical osteochondrosis, the head is aching. With this pain it is necessary to struggle, as strong attacks literally interfere with normal vital activity of the person. To do this, it is necessary to undergo examination by a specialist and get specific recommendations on how to treat attacks of headache in the disease under consideration.

In order to relieve the headache in cervical osteochondrosis, specialists do not often resort to the use of drugs of analgesic nature. The most effective are ointments, whose action is aimed at improving blood circulation in the neck. They warm up the affected area and thereby relieve pain and tension.

How to relieve the headache with osteochondrosis as quickly as possible? To do this, it is necessary to carry out complex measures. In addition to using the drug, you need to provide neck and head rest. The patient should lie on his back, put a small and comfortable pillow under his head, while the neck and shoulders should also be on it.

The headache can be treated on the basis of medicines that have a combined composition. A combination of an analgesic and a medicament of an antispasmodic effect is considered quite effective.

To eliminate many symptoms of the disease in question, it is enough to relieve the inflammatory process in the cervical region. To do this, non-steroid drugs are prescribed. Most often resort to Aspirin and Diclofenac. However, they are not able to defeat the osteochondrosis of the cervical region, but only have a temporary anesthetic effect. In addition, it is often not recommended to take these medicines because they are addictive.

When using the above mentioned drugs, it is necessary to take into account the presence of other diseases in the patient and the appearance of possible allergic reactions to the components that make up the composition. In addition, there may sometimes appear side effects that will adversely affect the work of other organs. Among them, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, violations in the work of the cardiovascular system.

Effective treatment of headache in cervical osteochondrosis based on the use of neuroprotectors, which can save the patient from attacks for a long period of time. Their action is based on the stabilization of metabolic processes in the brain. However, they must be used only for their intended purpose.

4 Therapeutic gymnastics

To eliminate the symptoms of the disease, in the complex treatment and as preventive measures, the implementation of therapeutic gymnastics often comes to the rescue. It allows you to quickly achieve positive results, because often the ailment is associated with the lack of mobility of its owner.

Daily exercises include 2 parts: those that should be done in a lying position, and those that need to be performed, sitting or standing.

To perform the first version of the exercises, you need to lie on your back, bend the lower extremities in the knee joints and press them to the stomach. After that, touch the frontal part of the head to the knees. Once it was possible to perform such an operation, you should slowly straighten the limbs and straighten your neck.

For the next exercise a person should lie on his stomach. Then, without lifting the lower part of the trunk off the floor, you need to slowly raise your head, and then your shoulders. After 30 seconds, you must return to the starting position.

Lying down in the face, you need to place your arms in the sides, then try to turn your entire body to the right side so that you touch the left upper limb. After the manipulation is repeated in the reverse order.

Exercise is done by lying on the abdomen. Chin should lean on the wrist and, without straining the neck muscles, turn the head in different directions.

For the second variant it is necessary to carry out such actions: on a frontal part of the face to put a hand and to press on it a head so that muscles of a neck were in pressure. With the help of the hand to counteract the movement. This operation should be done 4 times for 10 seconds. This manipulation is performed with the occipital part of the head or temple on the left, and then on the right side.

You can throw your head back and, holding the muscles of the neck in a tone, gradually gently guide it forward so that at the end you can touch your chin to the body.

If the headaches in cervical osteochondrosis, then the complex of gymnastic exercises is required to be performed every day. Such manipulations will promote good circulation and mobility of the vertebrae in the cervical region. However, therapeutic actions aimed at eliminating cervical osteochondrosis should be carried out very carefully. At occurrence of the slightest discomfort it is required to move less intensively. Eliminate osteochondrosis of the cervical area, experts do not recommend using a rotation of the head in a circle, as this can cause an exacerbation.

5 Preventive measures

Preventive measures that will help get rid of osteochondrosis are as follows:

• from the earliest childhood is required to maintain a correct posture, not slouch;
• avoid carrying a heavy bag on your left or right shoulder;
• to ensure that the daily diet is correct;
• to lead a healthy lifestyle;
• follow the body weight, do not allow the appearance of excess weight;
• observe the doctor's instructions while working at the computer.

Treatment of headache with osteochondrosis of the cervical region can not be as productive as it does not allow to eliminate directly the cause that caused certain symptoms. Therefore, all the efforts of the sufferer should be directed at combating the disease itself.