Spinal distortion: description, causes and symptoms of the disease

Cervical distortion is a dangerous disease of the spine in which the cervical vertebrae are affected, but the function of the spinal column is completely preserved. Distortion significantly worsens a person’s quality of life, accompanied by damage to ligaments in the cervical spine or sprain, so immediate treatment is required at the first signs.

Cervical distortion

Causes

Various factors can provoke distortion of the cervical spine, but the most common of them include the following:

• an uncomfortable bed or sleeping in a position that is uncomfortable for the neck. As a rule, the disease can occur if a person constantly sleeps on a very high pillow;

  
  Spinal distortion

• prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position;
• mechanical damage to the neck caused by trauma;
• too soft mattress , in which the spine bends unnaturally (the person cannot fully rest);
• intense and frequent movements of the neck , non-compliance with technique when lifting weights (often occurs in athletes);
• sedentary lifestyle , as a result of which muscle tone in the neck decreases and it becomes more susceptible to various injuries;
• genetic predisposition;
• the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can also lead to distortion.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is characterized by accelerated aging of the intervertebral discs, and subsequently of the cervical vertebral bodies

Anyone can encounter pathology, regardless of age or gender, so distortion is often diagnosed in young children. First of all, this is due to a deficiency of beneficial vitamins and minerals in childhood or lack of physical activity. If a person sits in an inclined position for too long, the neck muscles and ligaments will be weakened at this time. Therefore, the risk group, as a rule, includes office workers who have to stay in one position all day long.

The disease is common among office workers

Prices for massagers

Massage and therapeutic exercises

For the first few days, the patient is required to be immobilized, then gradual development of the muscles and vertebrae is necessary. For this purpose, therapeutic exercises, professional acupressure and manual therapy are used.

The exercise therapy complex is selected by a specialist taking into account the patient’s characteristics. In order for the exercises to work correctly and not cause harm, you need to pay attention to the following recommendations when performing:

1. The first few days after the start of treatment, exercise therapy should be carried out under the supervision of a physician;
2. You should start the course with the simplest exercises, gradually moving on to difficult ones;
3. Sudden movements are prohibited, all actions must be performed smoothly;
4. If pain occurs, you should stop doing gymnastics and consult a doctor.

Physiotherapeutic methods

Physiotherapy can improve the effect of the above methods on the affected areas, as well as reduce inflammation, swelling, discomfort and pain. To treat distortion use:

1. Laser therapy;
2. Phono- and electrophoresis using an analgesic;
3. Magnetotherapy;
4. Acupuncture;
5. Balneotherapy;
6. Galvanization therapy.

The course of treatment may consist of one or more methods and procedures. It is selected individually for each patient.

Characteristic symptoms

The patient encounters signs of pathology immediately after the injury, and the severity of the signs of the disease directly depends on the force of impact on the affected area of ​​the spine. When there is distortion in the cervical spine, the patient experiences the following symptoms:

• muscle spasms in the neck;
• swelling of soft tissues;
• stiffness of movements;
• local pain of an acute nature.

Note! When palpating the affected area, tenderness of the transverse or spinous vertebral processes can be detected. If the swelling is pronounced, then it can be detected even visually, paying attention to the asymmetry of the cervical spine.

Symptoms of spinal distortion

In rare cases, distortion is accompanied by pinched nerve roots (radiculopathy), in which pain can spread to the chest, shoulders or back of the head. Even minor movements in the neck can cause increased pain. In addition, other symptoms may occur with radiculopathy:

• increased sweating;
• pale skin;
• weakness in the arms;
• decreased sensitivity in the neck area;
• partial numbness of the skin.

Neck pain

Massage pillow for neck and shoulders

The peculiarity of such manifestations is that over time they subside (when the swelling occurs). But if we talk about local symptoms, they will go away only after the damaged ligamentous fibers are restored.

Who is at risk?

Symptoms

Cervical pain

Pathology gives clear symptoms that worry patients, and they consult a doctor. Manifestations of distortion are as follows:

• pain in the neck, increasing during movement, when turning the head, pain can be felt in the back of the head, patients suffer from paresthesia;
• muscle spasm – with almost any injury, a person experiences a muscle spasm. The muscles react extremely painfully to stretching, so pain and stiffness are constantly felt in the collar area;
• pale skin, numbness, decreased sensitivity, muscle tension;
• neurological disorders - patients have decreased reflex activity, decreased tone of the upper extremities, which indicates compression of the nerve endings.

Not only the patient’s complaints help determine the diagnosis of distortion, but also the MRI results - this is the main diagnostic indicator.

Typically, symptoms of distortion appear immediately after injury. Patients experience severe pain in the cervical region; due to sudden muscle tension, the pain can be disguised as muscular, so victims do not always realize the amount of damage they received as a result of the injury. And when the pain persists for several days, patients go to the clinic.

Diagnostic features

At the first suspicious symptoms or pain in the neck, you should immediately consult a doctor for a diagnostic examination. To make an accurate diagnosis, a number of diagnostic measures may be required. Below are the most basic and effective of them.

Diagnosis of cervical spine distortion

Table. Methods for diagnosing cervical spine distortion.

On a note! To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor must also exclude the possibility of a bruise or fracture of the spine in the cervical region. This is due to the fact that such injuries are accompanied by similar symptoms to spinal distortion.

The most important

Distortion of the cervical spine is directly related to the stretching of the tendon fascia, which serves to strengthen the vertebrae of the cervical spine. At the same time, the function of the vertebrae and their integrity is preserved. In most cases, distortion is the result of a traumatic injury, but the occurrence of injury is also influenced by other predisposing factors, in particular, degenerative-dystrophic processes of the musculoskeletal system, physical inactivity, etc.

Treatment of distortion is predominantly conservative. Patients need to wear a cervical collar to ensure immobility in this area, as well as take medications to relieve inflammation and speed up healing. Physiotherapeutic procedures are also prescribed as rehabilitation therapy.

First aid

If you receive a neck injury, you must immediately ensure the immobility of the head by immobilizing it. For this purpose, the victim must be placed on the floor or other hard surface and a small pillow placed under his head. Then the patient requires urgent hospitalization.

The patient's head should be placed on a pillow

If the victim's head is not immobilized after injury, the vertebrae may become displaced, which will only worsen the situation. Immediately after hospitalization, the doctor will conduct all the necessary tests, examine the affected area and prescribe appropriate treatment. You should not engage in self-diagnosis, as this can lead to serious consequences.

First aid

If a person has suffered a serious injury (road accident, accident) and there is a suspicion of a bruise of the cervical spine, then it is important to correctly provide first aid to the victim so as not to provoke aggravation of the situation. In this case, without hardware research methods, it is impossible to determine the nature of the injury - it is a distortion or a spinal fracture, so care is provided as in case of severe trauma.

ADVICE! The patient must be laid on a flat and hard surface, and then a cushion (can be made from folded clothes or a towel) placed under the neck to give a stable position to the patient’s neck.

The back of the head and shoulder blades should be located on the same plane; the head should not hang and bend over the roller - this can cause additional stretching. An ambulance team is called to transport the victim - doctors use methods for additional immobilization and correctly transport the victim.

If necessary, painkillers can be administered on site. A definitive diagnosis in the hospital helps rule out other types of injury and confirm distortion. Further treatment is carried out according to indications.

Treatment methods

Damage to the ligaments in the cervical spine, like any other pathology of the back, requires comprehensive and adequate treatment. Therefore, in case of distortion, doctors prescribe not only medications, but also other therapeutic measures. We are talking about the use of the Shants collar, therapeutic exercises, massage and physiotherapeutic procedures. Let's consider each treatment method separately.

Distortion of the cervical spine - how to treat

Pharmacy drugs

The main task of drug treatment of distortion is as follows:

• relieving tension from muscle tissue;
• improving blood circulation in the affected area;
• relieving pain or alleviating painful symptoms;
• elimination of swelling.

The most effective medications used for cervical ligament injuries include:

• "Actovegin" (improves blood circulation);
• "L-lysine aescinate" (an effective decongestant);
• "Tolperision" (relieves muscle tension);
• “Novocaine” (an anesthetic drug prescribed for severe pain);
• "Indomethacin", "Diclofenac" - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

"Diclofenac"

Note! The patient is also prescribed drugs for external use in the form of creams or ointments that have an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect on the body. The most commonly used are Ketoprofen and Viprosal. Throughout the entire therapeutic course, the patient is prescribed vitamin complexes.

"Ketoprofen"

If you want to know in more detail what pain-relieving ointments for the back exist, and also consider their composition and application, you can read an article about this on our portal.

Physiotherapeutic procedures

To improve the regeneration of affected tissues and increase the effectiveness of drug treatment, doctors use physical methods of influence. This makes it possible to alleviate or completely eliminate local signs of distortion, as well as improve blood circulation and biochemical processes in the affected area. For this purpose, the following procedures are used:

• balneotherapy (treatment with mineral waters);
• reflexology (a type of manual therapy);
• magnetotherapy (impact of a magnetic field on the body);
• galvanization (treatment with direct electric current);
• UHF therapy (exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields);
• laser treatment;
• electrophoresis.

Electrophoresis apparatus

Balneotherapy

A physiotherapist will be able to determine which technique is suitable in a particular case. The duration of the treatment course is at least 10 sessions, but if necessary, the doctor can extend the course.

Using the Shants collar

This is a unique device designed to fix (not tight) neck muscles. Using a collar, you can prevent displacement of the cervical vertebrae and muscle spasms that often occur when moving. The patient's neck is secured in such a way that he cannot tilt his head back or forward. The Shants collar is worn so that its lower part rests on the collarbone, and the upper part rests on the lower jaw. This will allow you to achieve maximum neck fixation.

Shants collar

Depending on the height of the patient’s neck, the doctor selects a splint. For maximum therapeutic effect, the collar must be worn for 1.5 to 2 months, but the duration of the treatment period can be longer if necessary.

Physiotherapy

To restore the functionality of the neck, doctors prescribe a course of therapeutic exercises. Even despite the fact that distortion is a mild injury, exercise therapy plays an important role in the rehabilitation process after treatment. The duration of such a course, as a rule, is 10-20 days, and it is necessary to practice regularly several times a day.

Strengthening the neck muscles

To begin with, all prescribed exercises must be performed in a physical therapy room, where the doctor will monitor everything and, if necessary, make adjustments, and then you can do physical therapy at home. It is worth remembering that the load, like the intensity of training, should be increased gradually to prevent overwork or injury.

Massage

Another method of treating cervical spine distortion, which will speed up the healing process. Regular therapeutic massage helps regenerate damaged tissues and relieve muscle spasms. But as a complement to classic massage, the doctor may prescribe acupuncture. Often, massage is prescribed immediately after therapeutic exercises, which makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of the procedure (after the exercise, all tissues have had time to warm up well, and blood circulation has improved).

Massotherapy

Effective methods of therapy

The disease does not pose a serious threat to the life and health of the patient, but it significantly worsens the quality of life. Therefore, when diagnosing cervical spine distortion, it is recommended to begin treatment immediately.

Drug therapy

Medicines can relieve inflammation, relieve pain and other symptoms, and also speed up the tissue healing process. The following groups of medications are used for this:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Movalis, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, Meloxicam);

  
  Movalis

  
  Diclofenac

  
  Ibuprofen

  
  Meloxicam

• Muscle relaxants to eliminate muscle spasms (Mydocalm, Sirdalud);

  
  Mydocalm

  
  Sirdalud

• Strengthening drugs to improve blood circulation and metabolism (vitamins B and C, calcium supplements).

In some cases, with intense pain, blockades are also used.

Possible complications of pathology

As noted earlier, such spinal injuries are not severe, but the signs should not be ignored , since if the distortion is treated incorrectly or untimely, complications may arise, for example, severe migraines, stiffness of movement, or pain in the neck area that is chronic. A timely visit to a doctor will prevent any complications after an injury.

Possible complications

General description of distortion

Spinal distortion is a minor or major injury to the spine . But unlike a bone fracture, possible dislocation, inflammation, or abrasion of bone tissue, distortion does not lead to serious disruptions in the functioning of the spinal cord or displacement of the vertebrae.

Most often, severe pain of a constant nature makes a patient suspect a developing disease. Pain is caused by damage to the spinal ligaments, which can be torn or completely torn.

Distortion does not have a specific code in the international classification ICD-10, as it occurs as a result of injuries to the spine or neck.

Distortion accounts for approximately a third of the total number of registered back and spinal injuries, while men and women suffer from this pathology equally often. Distortion is recorded in most cases in the neck area, but in some cases in the chest and lower back areas.

Distortion accounts for 15-25% of all spinal injuries

In addition to dividing the disease into cervical, thoracic or lumbar distortion, experts also distinguish:

• direct, with such distortion the impact goes directly to the spinal column due to sharp turns, bending or other movements;
• indirect, with such distortion the ligaments suffer due to falls or impacts.

Attention! The nature of the disease does not play a significant role in prescribing therapy. Direct and indirect distortion manifest themselves in the same way and require the same type of treatment.

Prevention measures

To prevent distortion and other diseases of the spine, you must follow simple recommendations. First of all, if we are talking about the cervical spine, all movements of the head must be controlled, so all turns of the head must be smooth and accurate. It is not recommended to make any jerks or sudden movements.

If you want to learn in more detail the structure of the human spine, its sections, functions, and also consider disease prevention, you can read an article about this on our portal.

Prevention

If you are used to constantly dealing with heavy loads, then you need to follow some rules:

• when lifting weights, the back should always be straight and the gaze directed forward;
• you cannot bend down before lifting any heavy object - you must sit down before doing this;
• try to always shift your weight in the center of your body, thereby distributing the load evenly;
• avoid jerks or sudden movements when lifting objects, trying not to look to the side at this time - only in front of you;
• You also need to put the load in place correctly, performing all movements in the reverse order so as not to injure your back.

How to lift objects correctly

The quality of the pillow and the firmness of the mattress also play an important role. Therefore, to prevent distortion, it is necessary to provide optimal conditions for sleep: the pillow should not be too large and hard, and the mattress, on the contrary, should not be too soft. It is advisable to give preference to moderately hard sleeping products - these are ideal conditions.

Orthopedic mattresses

Video - How to strengthen the cervical spine

Classification

Distortion is classified according to its causes. So, there are two types of pathology:

1. Straight. It occurs as a result of the reaction of the musculoskeletal system to inconvenience, heavy lifting, sudden turns of the head, and improper distribution of load.
2. Indirect. It is a consequence of traumatic injuries.

Indirect distortion is considered the most difficult type, since in this case more serious damage and associated injuries are possible.

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Preventive measures

It is quite difficult to prevent the occurrence of the disease due to the instability of the modern rhythm of life. However, there are ways to significantly reduce the likelihood of damage occurring. To do this you will need to use the following recommendations:

• Be careful: avoid traumatic situations, do not ignore safety rules, do not make sudden movements;
• Ensure comfortable rest and sleep, if possible, purchase an orthopedic pillow and mattress;
• Refuse from overwork and carrying heavy objects, and if action is required, when lifting a load you must keep your back straight;
• Properly distribute the load: any load should be located in the center of the body;
• Organize a comfortable workplace;
• Exercise regularly (preferably with a trainer) and avoid muscle flaccidity;
• Timely eliminate diseases of muscles and ligaments, the spine, and also undergo diagnostics.

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