Osteochondrosis is a progressive degenerative change affecting the intervertebral discs. The pathology can appear in any part of the spine, but most often affects the cervical spine.
The problem cannot be ignored, because over time the symptoms increase, 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 from cartilaginous 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 together with the aging of the human body and begin no earlier than 50-55 years. But every year the pathology becomes younger, cases of premature wear of cartilage tissue have been registered even in young people (25-30 years).
The high rate of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine compared to, for example, the lumbar spine, is associated with a load 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 bones of the skull is about 1400 g, about the same is the weight of the brain, about 500 g is the mass of circulating blood in the skull.
A feature of the cervical spine is the closer arrangement of the vertebrae to each other and the smaller thickness of the intervertebral discs, which leads to complications even with minor changes in them.
Reasons for development
Factors contributing to the development of pathological changes in cartilage tissue:
- sedentary way of life;
- forced tense postures during work (driving, in front of the computer);
- Overweight;
- state of nervous tension;
- neck injuries;
- muscle weakness.
Neck muscles try to compensate for the load caused by these factors, which leads to their spasm. Blood circulation, nutrition of the cartilage tissue and metabolic processes are disturbed, which leads to a change in its structure.
The following also play a role in premature aging of intervertebral discs:
- hereditary predisposition;
- autoimmune diseases that provoke cartilage tissue degeneration;
- congenital pathologies of the development of the spine.
Stages and symptoms of pathology development
Degenerative changes go through several stages, which are accompanied by specific symptoms:
Stage 1. The symptoms are still practically invisible. At this stage, you can stop or slow down the pathological process without the help of drugs (diet, exercise). The patient may feel:
- discomfort in the muscles of the neck and shoulders, their tension, stiffness;
- slight pain when turning or tilting the head;
- headache that occurs rarely and with low intensity (most often occurs after static or strenuous work, nervous experiences).
Stage 2. The height of the intervertebral discs decreases, compression of the nerve endings occurs, due to which severe pain occurs in the neck, especially when making movements and turns. Muscle spasm disrupts the blood supply to the skull, so symptoms associated with vascular insufficiency are added. The person notices:
- crunching in the joints of the neck when turning the head;
- reduced visual acuity;
- noise in the ears;
- vertigo;
- frequent headaches for no apparent reason;
- numbness of the face and neck, loss of sensitivity of the skin of the hands and the cervical region;
- shooting pains that radiate to the scapula;
- sleep disorders.
Stage 3. A disc herniation is formed (its nucleus protrudes into the spinal canal), which leads to disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. Symptoms may include:
- numbness of the hands, possible paralysis of the upper limbs;
- the pain affects the entire area of the cervix and may radiate to the area of the heart;
- "floaters" appear in the eyes, nausea and vomiting;
- feeling of a lump in the throat or pain, like a sore throat;
- the skin in the upper part of the body may not be felt at all;
- dizziness occurs with almost any movement;
- the headache is migraine-like.
Stage 4. It is characterized by complete destruction of the disk:
- tinnitus may be constant;
- dizziness may be accompanied by loss of consciousness;
- Disorders of coordination appear because the blood supply to the cerebellar region of the brain is reduced.
Single intervertebral discs are extremely rarely affected. The process usually involves the entire department. The destruction of individual disks can be at different stages.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis includes instrumental studies and evaluation of the symptom complex.
Of the instrumental methods, the main information will be provided by:
- radiography - will show changes in the structure of the spine, but in an advanced stage of the pathology;
- computed tomography - shows changes in the vertebrae, but intervertebral hernias and compression of the spinal cord are difficult to distinguish;
- nuclear magnetic resonance - allows you to see intervertebral hernias and the direction of their growth;
- Ultrasound duplex scan - shows the speed of blood flow in the area of suspected osteochondrosis.
When making the diagnosis, the doctor relies on the syndrome manifested in the patient. A syndrome is a combination of symptoms of a disorder.
The following syndromes can develop with cervical osteochondrosis:
Vertebrates- indicates that the pathological process involves bone and cartilage tissue. Manifestations:
- 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 flow:
- noise in the ears;
- vertigo;
- nausea and vomiting;
- pressure surges;
due to irritation of the nerve endings of the artery:
- severe headache (migraine);
- tingling of the skin on the scalp;
- "floaters" in the eyes or temporary blindness;
due to oxygen starvation;
- seizure;
- lethargy;
- loss of ability to concentrate on something;
- depression;
- panic attack.
Hearty.Signs similar to problems with the cardiovascular system:
- pain in the sternum (sometimes as a burning sensation);
- shortness of breath and fatigue;
- acceleration of the heart rate.
Koreshkovy.Associated with impaired conduction of nerve impulses depending on damage to a specific pair of roots innervating the cervical region:
- 1-2 pairs of roots - pain or numbness in the back of the head;
- 3rd pair – numbness of the tongue, difficulty chewing food;
- 4th pair – pain in the collarbone, lump in the throat, difficulty swallowing food;
- 5th pair - difficult movement of the hands with a concentrated problem in the shoulder area;
- 6th pair – discomfort in the shoulder blades and forearms;
- 7th pair – numbness of the hands, more often on the middle and index fingers;
- 8 pair - tingling in the ring finger and little finger.
Treatment options
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, only an integrated approach is applicable. The fight against pathology can even last for many years.
Drug therapy
The use of drugs for cervical osteochondrosis is aimed at:
- relieve pain;
- relieve inflammation and swelling;
- reduction of muscle tension in the neck area;
- improving blood circulation;
- protects cartilage tissue from destruction and promotes its regeneration.
To diagnose and treat cervical osteochondrosis, you need to contact a neurologist. If there is a vertebrologist in the clinic who deals directly with diseases of the spine, you can immediately contact him.
Your doctor may prescribe the following medicines:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - relieve inflammation and swelling, reduce pain.
- Vitamins of group B - help to improve the functioning of nerve tissue.
- Chondroprotectors - protect cartilage tissue from destruction and restore its structure.
- Medicines that improve blood flow.
- Muscle relaxants are drugs that relieve muscle spasms.
Physiotherapy methods
Physiotherapy methods can quickly relieve the patient's condition and are combined with drugs:
- Electrophoresis– exposure of the affected area to a low-intensity electric current. Delivers healing substances directly to the problem area. It is usually prescribed with an anesthetic to relieve pain or with medicine to improve blood flow to the cervical area.
- Ultrasound– has anti-inflammatory properties, improves blood flow and metabolic processes.
- Magnetotherapy– helps to quickly relieve tissue swelling and improve metabolic processes.
- Laser therapy– helps to improve blood circulation at the site of impact, and also has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Massage
During the course of drug and physiotherapy treatment, it is better to undergo a cervical massage by a specialist.
Self-massage can be used in the future, only very carefully, without trying to repeat the depth of impact shown by a professional massage therapist.
When performing the procedure, the specialist uses classic massage techniques:
- stroking – activates the surface layers of the skin;
- squeezing - connects the deep layers of the skin;
- rubbing – warms and relaxes the muscles, improves blood circulation;
- kneading - affects very deeply located tissues, so they are used carefully;
- vibration - tapping and shaking that completes the procedure.
Manual therapy
Sometimes with cervical osteochondrosis it is recommended to consult a chiropractor. But this technique causes conflicting reviews: in some cases it certainly helps, in others it almost worsens. The whole thing is as follows:
- There is no doubt that a chiropractor must be a highly qualified physician with medical training and qualifications such as a neurologist or orthopedic traumatologist.
- Manual therapy for cervical osteochondrosis has many contraindications. Two people with similar symptoms may get different answers about the need for manual therapy – one can and should, the other definitely not.
In order to contact a chiropractor, there must be strict indications and no contraindications. They are determined by the attending physician and a referral for this type of therapy is given.
A highly qualified chiropractor will not work on a patient without reviewing the x-ray results.
Treatment at home
Traditional prescriptions for treatment or the use of any home remedies should be discussed in advance with the doctor, since in each specific case they can either help or worsen the condition.
This applies for example to the needle applicator used. It consists of plastic spikes attached to a wide strip that one applies to the painful area (you can lie on them). The thorns cause irritation of skin receptors and increase local blood circulation. But it cannot be used for infectious and vascular diseases.
It is also popular to warm the sore area with mustard or a bag of salt or sand. But with vascular diseases, this can also be dangerous.
Physical therapy (physical therapy)
Therapeutic exercises are the safest method of treating cervical osteochondrosis. It is recommended to do both in the period of exacerbation and in the future - to prevent the disease.
The patient should not feel pain while performing the exercises. Doing it "through pain" will not only do no good, it can harm your health.
The simplest but most effective movements are twists, bends and head turns. It is strictly forbidden to do this with high speed and amplitude. Movements should be barely noticeable. Despite such low mobility, the exercise ensures blood flow and improves its circulation in the neck area.
Chance collar
The Shants collar is a rigid head support that relieves tension from the neck muscles and prevents movements that can cause pain. It is recommended to be worn both during treatment and for the prevention of cervical osteochondrosis.
The collar has been worn all the time. The vertebrae are fixed in the correct position and do not exert pressure on each other, as well as on blood vessels and nerve endings. As a result, the pain disappears, blood circulation normalizes and many symptoms of the pathology disappear.
If 5-7 cervical vertebrae are unstable, the bandage cannot be used, as it will not be possible to fix it in the correct position. It is also not recommended to wear a collar if the thyroid gland is enlarged.
Application of an orthopedic pillow
Very often, osteochondrosis worsens due to compression of the cervical artery and nerve roots while sleeping on an uncomfortable pillow. An orthopedic pillow ensures an even horizontal position of the spine at night.
By itself, it will not cure osteochondrosis, but it will alleviate the condition, and it will also be a good measure to prevent the development of degenerative processes in the spine.
Prevention
There are simple rules that, if followed, will help prevent early aging of the intervertebral discs:
- monitor your weight; exceeding the norm by 10 kg creates a critical load on the entire spine;
- try not to lift or carry heavy things;
- if you have to carry a heavy bag, hold it alternately in your right and left hand (or it is better to use a backpack that will distribute the load evenly across your back);
- every half hour of static work should be alternated with light exercises to relieve muscle tension and improve blood circulation;
- It is useful to engage in physical education and sports exercises, for example swimming, but running, jumping and lifting weights are harmful to the spine;
- for sleeping, use an orthopedic mattress and pillow.
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 when it develops, daily performance of a set of exercises, compliance with the rules of prevention, massage and other measures prescribed by the doctor allow you to lead a comfortable life.