Osteochondrosis is a progressive degenerative change in the intervertebral discs. Pathologies can occur in any part of the spine, but most often it affects the cervical spine.
The problem cannot be neglected, as symptoms increase over time and the pathology itself can lead to serious health problems.
what is
The human spine consists of individual vertebrae, between which there is a specific spacer - the intervertebral disc. It is formed by cartilage tissue and acts as a shock absorber, protecting the bone tissue of the vertebra from abrasion and destruction, but at the same time it flattens and wears out.
Usually, such processes occur as the human body ages and begin no earlier than 50-55 years of age. But every year the pathology becomes younger, cases of premature wear of cartilage tissue have been recorded even in young people (25-30 years old).
The high rate of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in comparison, for example, with the lumbar spine is associated with loads on this particular part caused by the need to keep the skull in an upright position.
The weight of the head of an adult can reach 3-5 kg: the weight of the skull bones is about 1400 g, the brain weighs about the same, about 500 g is the mass of circulating blood in the skull.
A feature of the cervical spine is the closer location of the vertebrae to each other and the smaller thickness of the intervertebral discs, which leads to complications even with minor changes.
Reasons for development
Factors contributing to the development of pathological changes in cartilage tissue:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- forced tension during work (driving a car, at the computer);
- obesity;
- state of nervous tension;
- neck injuries;
- Muscle weakness.
The neck muscles try to compensate for the strain caused by these factors, resulting in spasms. Blood circulation, nutrition of cartilage tissue and metabolic processes are disrupted, which leads to a change in its structure.
The following also play a role in the premature aging of the intervertebral discs:
- hereditary predisposition;
- Autoimmune diseases that cause degeneration of cartilage tissue;
- congenital pathologies of spinal development.
Stages and symptoms of pathology development
Degenerative changes go through several stages that are accompanied by specific symptoms:
Stage 1. The symptoms are still virtually invisible. At this stage, you can stop or slow down the pathological process without the help of medications (diet, exercise). The patient may feel:
- Discomfort in the neck and shoulder muscles, their tension, hardness;
- mild pain when turning or tilting the head;
- Headaches that occur rarely and are of low intensity (most often after static or strenuous work, nervous feelings).
Level 2. The height of the intervertebral discs decreases and the nerve endings are compressed, so that severe pain occurs in the neck, especially when moving and turning. Muscle spasms disrupt the blood supply to the skull, resulting in symptoms of vascular insufficiency. The person notes:
- Crunching in the joints of the neck when turning the head;
- reduced visual acuity;
- tinnitus;
- Dizziness;
- frequent headaches for no apparent reason;
- Numbness of the face and neck, loss of sensitivity of the skin of the hands and the cervical collar area;
- stabbing pain radiating to the shoulder blade;
- Sleep disorders.
level 3. A herniated disc occurs (its core protrudes into the spinal canal), which leads to dysfunction of the nervous system. Symptoms may include:
- Numbness of the hands, paralysis of the upper limbs is possible;
- the pain affects the entire cervical collar area and can radiate to the heart area;
- "Floaters" occur in the eyes, nausea and vomiting;
- Sensation of a lump in the throat or pain similar to a sore throat;
- the skin on the upper body may not be felt at all;
- Dizziness occurs with almost every movement;
- Headaches are migraines in nature.
Level 4. Characterized by complete destruction of the hard drive:
- Tinnitus can be permanent;
- Dizziness may be accompanied by loss of consciousness;
- Coordination problems occur because the blood supply to the cerebellar region of the brain is reduced.
Individual intervertebral discs are extremely rarely affected. The entire department is usually involved in the process. The destruction of individual data carriers can occur in different stages.
diagnosis
Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis includes instrumental examinations and assessment of the symptom complex.
The most important information about instrumental methods is provided by:
- Radiography – shows changes in the structure of the spine, but in advanced stages of pathology;
- Computed tomography – shows changes in the vertebrae, but intervertebral hernias and compression of the spinal cord are difficult to distinguish;
- Magnetic resonance imaging – allows you to see intervertebral hernias and the direction of their growth;
- Ultrasound duplex scanning – shows the speed of blood flow in the area of suspected osteochondrosis.
When making a diagnosis, the doctor relies on the syndrome manifested in the patient. A syndrome is a combination of symptoms of a disorder.
With cervical osteochondrosis, the following syndromes can develop:
whirl- indicates that the pathological process affects bone and cartilage tissue. Manifested:
- limited neck mobility;
- pain when turning the neck;
- structural changes in the vertebra or intervertebral disc (shown by x-ray).
Vertebral artery syndrome– means that the vertebral artery, which supplies blood to the brain, is involved in the pathological process. Main symptoms:
due to lack of blood circulation:
- noise in the ears;
- Dizziness;
- nausea and vomiting;
- pressure surges;
due to irritation of the nerve endings of the artery:
- severe headaches (migraines);
- Numbness of the skin in the scalp;
- "floaters" in the eyes or temporary blindness;
due to lack of oxygen;
- fainting;
- Lethargy;
- loss of ability to concentrate on anything;
- Depression;
- Panic attacks.
Heart.Signs similar to problems with the cardiovascular system:
- pain in the sternum (sometimes like a burning sensation);
- shortness of breath and fatigue;
- Acceleration of heart rate.
Koreshkovy.Associated with impaired conduction of nerve impulses, depending on the damage to a specific pair of roots that innervate the neck region:
- 1st -2ndRoot Pair – Pain or numbness in the back of the head;
- 3rd pair – numbness of tongue, difficulty chewing food;
- 4th pair - pain in clavicle, lump in throat, difficulty swallowing food;
- 5th pair – difficulty moving the arms, with the problem concentrated in the shoulder area;
- 6th pair – discomfort in the shoulder blades and forearms;
- 7th pair - numbness of the hands, more often of the middle and index fingers;
- 8th pair – Numbness of the ring finger and little finger.
Treatment options
Only an integrated approach is applicable to the treatment of osteochondrosis. The fight against pathology can even last many years.
Drug therapy
The use of drugs for cervical osteochondrosis is aimed at:
- Relieve pain;
- relieve inflammation and swelling;
- reduce muscle tension in the neck area;
- improve blood circulation;
- protect the cartilage tissue from destruction and promote its restoration.
To diagnose and treat cervical osteochondrosis, you should contact a neurologist. If there is a vertebral doctor in the clinic who directly deals with diseases of the spine, you can contact him immediately.
Your doctor may prescribe the following medications:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – relieve inflammation and swelling, relieve pain.
- B vitamins – help improve the function of nervous tissue.
- Chondroprotectors – protect cartilage tissue from destruction and restore its structure.
- Medicines that improve blood circulation.
- Muscle relaxants are medications that relieve muscle spasms.
Physiotherapeutic methods
Physiotherapeutic methods can quickly alleviate the patient's condition and are combined with medications:
- Electrophoresis– Exposure of the affected area to low intensity electrical current. Delivers medicinal active ingredients directly to the problem area. It is usually prescribed with an anesthetic to relieve pain or with a medication to improve blood flow to the cervical spine.
- Ultrasonic– has anti-inflammatory properties, improves blood circulation and metabolic processes.
- Magnetic field therapy– helps to quickly relieve tissue swelling and improve metabolic processes.
- Laser therapy– Contributes to improving blood circulation at the site of impact and also has an anti-inflammatory effect.
massage
As part of drug and physiotherapy treatment, it is better to have a massage of the cervical collar area carried out by a specialist.
Self-massage can only be used very carefully in the future, without trying to repeat the depth of action of a professional masseur.
When carrying out the procedure, the specialist uses classic massage techniques:
- Stroking – activates the superficial layers of skin;
- Pressing – connects the deep layers of the skin;
- Rubbing – warms and relaxes muscles, improves blood circulation;
- Kneading – affects very deep tissues and should therefore be used carefully;
- Vibration – tapping and shaking that completes the process.
Manual therapy
Sometimes with cervical osteochondrosis it is recommended to visit a chiropractor. But this technique leads to contradictory reviews: in some cases it certainly helps, in others it almost makes things worse. The crux of the matter is this:
- There is no doubt that a chiropractor must be a highly qualified doctor with medical training and qualifications as a neurologist or orthopedic traumatologist.
- Manual therapy for cervical osteochondrosis has many contraindications. Two people with similar symptoms may receive different answers to the need for manual therapy - one can and should, the other absolutely not.
To contact a chiropractor, there must be strict indications and no contraindications. They are determined and instructed for this type of therapy by the attending physician.
A highly qualified chiropractor will not work with a patient without studying the results of the x-ray.
Home treatment
Conventional treatment recipes or the use of home remedies should be discussed with the doctor in advance, as these can either help or worsen the condition in individual cases.
This applies, for example, to the needle applicator used. It consists of plastic tips attached to a wide adhesive tape, which a person attaches to the painful area (you can lie on them). The thorns irritate the skin receptors and increase local blood flow. However, it cannot be used for infectious and vascular diseases.
It is also popular to warm the affected area with mustard plasters or a bag of salt or sand. But this can also be dangerous in the case of vascular diseases.
Remedial gymnastics (physiotherapy)
Therapeutic exercises are the safest method of treating cervical osteochondrosis. It is recommended to do this both during the exacerbation period and in the future to prevent the disease.
The patient should not feel any pain when performing the exercises. Doing it "through pain" not only brings no benefit, but can also harm your health.
The simplest but most effective movements are twists, bends and head turns. It is strictly forbidden to do this at high speed and amplitude. Movements should be barely noticeable. Despite this low mobility, the exercise ensures better blood circulation and improves blood circulation in the neck area.
Shants collar
The Shants collar is a rigid headrest that relieves tension in the neck muscles and prevents movements that can cause pain. It is recommended to wear it both during treatment and for the prevention of cervical osteochondrosis.
The collar is worn constantly. The vertebrae are fixed in the correct position and do not put pressure on each other, as well as on blood vessels and nerve endings. As a result, pain disappears, blood circulation normalizes and many symptoms of pathology disappear.
If 5-7 cervical vertebrae are unstable, a bandage cannot be used, since fixation in the correct position is not possible. Wearing a collar is also not recommended if the thyroid gland is enlarged.
Application of an orthopedic pillow
Very often, osteochondrosis is aggravated by compression of the cervical artery and nerve roots when sleeping on an uncomfortable pillow. An orthopedic pillow ensures that the spine remains evenly horizontal at night.
It alone does not cure osteochondrosis, but it alleviates the condition and is also a good measure to prevent the development of degenerative processes in the spine.
prevention
There are simple rules that, if followed, will help prevent premature aging of the intervertebral discs:
- Monitor your weight. Exceeding the norm by 10 kg leads to a critical load on the entire spine.
- Try not to lift or carry heavy objects.
- If you need to carry a heavy bag, hold it alternately in your right and left hands (or better, use a backpack that evenly distributes the load over your entire back);
- every half hour of static work should alternate with light exercises to relieve muscle tension and improve blood circulation;
- It makes sense to play sports and play sports, for example swimming, but running, jumping and weightlifting are harmful to the spine;
- Use an orthopedic mattress and pillow to sleep.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can significantly worsen a person's quality of life. The disease can be treated in the early stages, but even as it progresses, daily performance of a set of exercises, compliance with the preventive rules prescribed by the doctor, massage and other measures will allow you to live a comfortable life.