Cervical osteochondrosis (cervical osteochondrosis) is a chronic degenerative disease of the spine, in which the structure of the vertebrae is distorted, 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 always an opportunity to alleviate the exacerbation of the process, as well as control the progression of changes in the spine.In more advanced cases, neurosurgical operations are possible.However, this does not deny the fact that the disease can be “triggered”.It is very important to consult a doctor when the first symptoms of osteochondrosis appear in order to diagnose the disease and prescribe early preventive measures!
Reasons for development
The anatomical structure of the spine suggests greater mobility in the cervical spine, and it is in the cervical spine that the vertebrae are smaller.These two factors make the neck one of the “weak points” of the spine.
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.
- Spine injuries...
- Age-related changes in the tissue of intervertebral structures.
- Wrong diet, poor in essential vitamins and minerals.
It must be said that almost all people develop osteochondrosis with age;according to some researchers, it is “a kind of revenge for walking upright”.However, in the modern world, with a fast-paced life, a sedentary lifestyle and prolonged work at the computer, it is cervical osteochondrosis that stands out among spinal problems.
Symptoms
Symptoms can vary widely depending on the level of damage to the spine, the severity of degenerative changes, the individual characteristics of the human body and many other factors.Neurologists prefer to distinguish three main symptom complexes that occur in cervical osteochondrosis, as well as their combination:
- Vertebrogenic neck pain.
- Vertebrogenic cervicocranialgia.
- Vertebrogenic cervicobrachialgia.
Based on the names, we can identify the main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.Thus, in neck pain, the main complaint will be pain directly in the neck;in vertebrogenic cervicocranialgia, neck pain also spreads to the head;in cervicobrachialgia, pain in the neck spreads to one or both arms, arm cramps also occur, 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, clicking in the neck, limitation of movement in the neck.
Radiculopathy
In the presence of severe osteochondrosis, complicated by the presence of protrusions or herniated discs, the so-called radiculopathy may form: a disturbance in the functioning of a certain spinal root with the development of weakness of the innervated muscles, weight loss and sensitivity disorders.
X-ray diagnosis and signs
Osteochondrosis is a radiographic diagnosis, since a detailed clinical picture is available only at the time of exacerbation, while changes in the spine can occur with complete subjective well-being of the person.Without an x-ray examination, we can only talk about suspicion of osteochondrosis, as similar symptoms can be caused by other diseases (myositis, vertebral neoplasms and others).
To diagnose osteochondrosis, the following research methods are used: radiography (preferably with functional tests), MSCT and MRI.The latter study is more preferable because it allows you to visualize the state of the intervertebral structures very clearly.
Radiographic signs of osteochondrosis include the following changes in the spine:
- Reduced height of intervertebral discs.
- Presence of marginal bone growths.
- Violation of the location of the vertebrae relative to each other.
- Deformations of vertebral bodies and arches, etc.
The presence of the changes described above, as well as changes in the structure of the intervertebral disc, detected by MSCT and MRI, serve as reliable signs that confirm the presence of osteochondrosis.
Treatment
Treatment must be comprehensive and targeted at all aspects of the pathogenesis of clinical manifestations.Chronic dystrophic changes during exacerbations lead to inflammation of the spinal cord roots, which in turn reflexively causes pain.Pain is a signal for muscles to develop 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.That is why 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.They partially change in the presence of a predominance of certain symptoms, but present a general pattern.
Medication
Anti-inflammatory drugs (aceclofenac, ketoprofen, meloxicam, diclofenac, etc.), muscle relaxants (tolperisone hydrochloride, baclofen, tizanidine), neuroprotective drugs (complex preparations of B vitamins and thioctic acid) are used.
Non-medicated
Includes massage, physiotherapy and exercise therapy.Massage for cervical osteochondrosis very effectively relieves muscle spasm, improves blood flow to the tissues of the spine, which reduces the severity of the inflammatory process.Physiotherapy can aim either at relieving pain (electrophoresis with analgesics) or relieving muscle tension (diadynamic currents).Therapeutic exercise is a unique and extremely effective method of disease prevention.You can see a set of exercise therapy exercises for cervical osteochondrosis here.
Folk remedies
Among the traditional treatment methods, we highlight the use of various heated water and alcohol-based compresses, 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 site of pain.
Some of the traditional methods of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine include the use of applicators - special devices or simply tissue surfaces lined with needles.Applying moderate pressure to the neck region, as well as simply lying on this surface for 10 to 15 minutes, causes a reflexive relaxation of the cervical muscles and disturbing pain relief.