Cervical osteochondrosis (cervical osteochondrosis) is a chronic degenerative disease of the spine in which the structure of the vertebrae is disturbed, the integrity of the intervertebral structures is disturbed, and the roots of the spinal cord are damaged.
Important to know!Osteochondrosis is not a death sentence.There is an opportunity to eliminate the aggravation of the process, as well as to control the progression of changes in the spine.In the most advanced cases, neurosurgery is possible.However, this does not negate the fact that the disease can be a "trigger".It is very important to consult a doctor in order to diagnose the first symptoms of osteochondrosis and prescribe early preventive measures!
Reasons for development
The anatomical structure of the spine shows the greatest mobility of the cervical spine, and it is the cervical spine in which the vertebrae are the smallest.These two factors make the neck one of the "weak points" of the back.
The main reasons for the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are a combination of the following unfavorable factors:
- Incorrect posture and neck position (including when working at the computer) ..
- High physical loads on the cervical spine and shoulder girdle.
- Spinal injuries...
- Age-related changes in the tissue of intervertebral structures.
- Bad diet, lack of necessary vitamins and minerals.
It should be said that almost every person develops osteochondrosis with age;According to some researchers, "a kind of payback for walking upright."However, in the modern world, with fast life, sedentary lifestyle and prolonged work at the computer, cervical osteochondrosis is at the top among spine problems.
Symptoms
Symptoms can be different, depending on the severity of degenerative changes in the spine, the individual characteristics of the human body and the severity of many other factors.Neurologists prefer to distinguish three main symptom complexes that occur with cervical osteochondrosis, as well as their combination:
- Vertebrogenic cervicalgia.
- Vertebrogenic cervicocratic.
- Vertebrogenic CervicobRachialgia.
Based on the names, we can determine the main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.Thus, the main complaint with cervicalgia will be pain directly in the neck;With vertebrogenic cervicocractic, pain in the neck also spreads to the head;With cervicobrachialgia, pain in the neck may radiate to one or both arms, arm cramps, numbness and a crawling sensation in the arms may appear.In all cases of osteochondrosis, the following symptoms may appear: tension in the neck muscles, tightness in the neck, restriction of movements in the neck.
Radiculopathy
In addition to strong osteochondrosis, with the presence of protrusions or disc herniations, complex radiculopathy may occur: the development of innervated muscle weakness, weight loss, and impairment of the activity of a specific spinal root with sensory disturbances.
Diagnostics and X-ray signs
Osteochondrosis is an X-ray diagnosis, because a detailed clinical picture can only occur at the moment when it becomes acute, changes in the back can occur with the complete subjective well-being of a person.Without X-ray examination, we can talk about osteochondrosis only suspiciously, because similar symptoms can be caused by other diseases (myositis, spinal neoplasms, etc.).
The following research methods are used to diagnose osteochondrosis: radiography (preferably functional tests), MSCT and MRI.The last case is the most superior because it allows you to visualize the state of the intervertebral structures very clearly.
X-ray signs of osteochondrosis include the following changes in the spine:
- Reducing the height of the intervertebral discs.
- The presence of marginal bone growths.
- Displacement of the vertebrae relative to each other.
- Deformations of vertebral bodies and arches, etc.
The presence of the changes described above, changes in the structure of the intervertebral disc detected by MSCT and MRI serve as reliable signs confirming the presence of osteochondrosis.
Treatment
Treatment should be comprehensive and focused on all aspects of the pathogenesis of clinical manifestations.During separation, chronic dystrophic changes cause inflammation of the spinal cord roots, which in turn causes pain.Pain is a signal of the muscles to prepare a protective reaction - muscle spasm.Muscle spasm brings the vertebrae closer together and increases compression (squeezing) and inflammation of the roots.The circle is closed.Therefore, it is necessary to remove inflammation, pain and muscle spasms and protect the roots from inflammatory effects.
There are drug and non-drug treatment methods.In part, they vary in the predominance of certain symptoms, but there is a general pattern.
Medicine
Anti-inflammatory drugs (aceclofenac, ketoprofen, meloxicam, diclofenac, etc.), muscle relaxants (tolperisone hydrochloride, baclofen, tizanidine), neuroprotective drugs (B vitamins and thiionic acid) are used.
Lawsuit
Includes massage, physiotherapy and exercise therapy.Massage for cervical osteochondrosis very effectively relieves muscle spasm, reduces the severity of the spine, improves blood flow to the tissues of the spine.Physiotherapy can both relieve pain (electrophoresis with analgesics) and relieve muscle tension (diadynamic currents).Therapeutic exercise is a unique and extremely effective method of disease prevention.Here you can see exercise therapy exercises for cervical osteochondrosis.
Folk treatment
Among the traditional methods of treatment, we should emphasize the use of various warming compresses based on water and alcohol, which can reduce the intensity of neck pain and reduce inflammation.The "dry heat" method has also proven itself well, the essence of which is to heat salt or sand placed in a cloth bag and then apply it to the place of pain.
Some of the traditional methods of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine include the use of applications - special devices or simply needle-coated tissue surfaces.Applying moderate pressure to the neck area, as well as just lying on such a surface for 10-15 minutes, causes reflexive relaxation of the cervical muscles and distraction from the pain reliever.