Cervical osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a common disease among knowledge workers. Rapidly progressive disease. It is with cervical osteochondrosis, complicated by the development of herniated discs, that an increased incidence of early stroke is associated. For diagnosis, an MRI is necessary.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
Cervical osteochondrosis is a common cause of neck pain, headache, pressure surges, shoulder pain, numbness in the fingers, pain under the scapula. Currently, the frequency of cervical osteochondrosis has increased dramatically, as the role of the computer in our life has increased.
However, a fall or injury can stimulate the development of osteochondrosis, and degeneration (wear and tear) of the intervertebral discs over time can lead to symptoms.
Symptoms
In addition to moderate or mild pain, a feeling of stiffness in the neck, and in some cases reduced mobility, many patients with cervical osteochondrosis experience numbness, tingling, and even weakness in the neck. back of neck, arm or shoulder from chemicals. irritation and pinched nerves in the cervical spine.
For example, pinching a nerve root at the C6-C7 segment can cause weakness of the triceps, shoulder or forearm muscles, weakness of the wrist muscles, causing the hand to "hang". and a change in sensitivity of the middle finger.
Cervical osteochondrosis also often leads to the development of spinal stenosis (narrowing) and other progressive conditions, such as intervertebral hernia. How can this happen?
Osteochondrosis is nothing more than a degeneration of the vertebral structures, caused, as a rule, by the natural aging of the body. With age, ligaments thicken, bone growths on the vertebrae, and other changes occur. When the ligaments in the spine thicken or bone growths appear, as well as for a number of other reasons, there is less space for the spinal cord and nerves inside the spinal canal. . This condition is called stenosis, which is narrowing of the spinal canal. Severe narrowing of the spinal canal can cause compression of the nerve roots or even the spinal cord itself.
The intervertebral hernia is also, in most cases, a consequence of the degeneration. The intervertebral discs act as friction dampers between the vertebrae, thus preventing their destruction. Over time, the disc loses moisture and nutrients, flattens out, becomes more brittle and less elastic. As a result, a crack can form in the ring, through which part of the nucleus pulposus is compressed into the spinal canal. This condition is called intervertebral hernia. If an intervertebral hernia compresses a nearby nerve root, pain syndrome and / or corresponding neurological symptoms occur.
Diagnostic
The successful diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis begins with a medical consultation. The doctor takes the patient's medical history and performs a physical exam to check for mobility and tenderness of the neck. During the examination, the patient may be asked to perform certain movements and to report the progression of pain symptoms (increase or decrease).
If the exam indicates that further tests are needed, your doctor may recommend x-ray tests such as an x-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT). These diagnostic tests, which are more or less reliable, can confirm the presence and location of osteochondrosis, as well as identify other conditions (for example, calcification or arthritis) which may be at the origin of the patient's symptoms.
The best option for x-ray examination at present is MRI, because with the help of a magnetic resonance imager, it is possible to obtain high-quality detailed images not only of bone tissue, as inx-ray, but also of the soft tissues of the spine, including muscles, ligaments, vessels, nerves and intervertebral discs. CT is usually prescribed if there are contraindications to MRI, the main one being the presence of metal structures or devices in the body (artificial joints, pacemakers, etc. ). The quality of CT scans is inferior to MRI scans, but they can also show the condition of soft tissue in the spine.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
Conservative treatment (without surgery) of osteochondrosis is always recommended as the primary strategy, and surgery is only considered if complex conservative treatment for at least six months has not been successful or if pain and dOther symptoms significantly interfere with the patient's daily activities. .
Methods used in the conservative treatment of cervical osteochondrosis may include:
- spinal traction (traction). Methods of spinal traction without a load, which were used recently, completely eliminate the complications of this method of treatment, without which traction with a load cannot do. With an increase in the intervertebral distance, the nutrition of all intervertebral discs improves, the pain syndrome disappears.
- Catch-up gymnastics. . Catch-up gymnastics can improve the mobility of the spinal segment. In the mobile vertebral segment, hernias and protuberances do not develop or form, as the intervertebral discs perform their function.
- massage therapy.
- drug therapy. Includes NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and pain relievers. In most cases, drug treatment has little or no temporary effect.
- cervical corsets, orthopedic pillows. They can be recommended to stabilize the cervical spine and reduce pressure on the nerve root after trauma and spinal fractures.
Surgical treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
If there is no significant relief after six months of conservative treatment and the daily routine becomes difficult for the patient, surgery may be considered. Typically, for cervical osteochondrosis, a procedure called spinal fusion is done to immobilize the affected spinal segment. This surgery involves removing the intervertebral disc, decompressing the nerve root, and placing a bone or metal implant to maintain or create normal disc space and stabilize the spinal segment.
Typically, spinal fusion is performed on one vertebral segment; in rare cases, the question of performing an operation on two vertebral segments may be considered. Either way, the patient should know that surgery to relieve the symptom of neck pain is much less likely to lead to positive results than similar surgery to relieve pain in the arm with cervical osteochondrosis. Therefore, if neck pain is the main or only symptom, spinal fusion should only be recommended as a last resort or if all conservative treatments have been tried and failed. If the disc space cannot be identified as the most likely source of neck pain, surgery is best avoided, even if conservative treatment does not provide significant pain relief. In addition, don't forget that spine surgery can have quite serious consequences both for the operated area (local infection, implant rejection, etc. ) and for the whole body (blood clots, reactions. allergic to drugs, etc. ). Therefore, before making a decision on surgical treatment, it is necessary to discuss all the details of the operation directly with the surgeon who will perform it. It should also be noted that cervical spine surgery most often leads the patient to a vertebral handicap.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
Official medicine interprets osteochondrosis as a degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the intervertebral discs.
From what part of the spine these discs are located, the definition of the disease is also given.
Consider specifically the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, which accounts for almost 80% of all diseases of our back.
The saddest thing is that the disease affects the category of patients aged 30 to 50 years, that is to say in the prime of life.
In young people, the disease acts as an independent disease, at an older age it is already a pathology that has developed against the background of other diseases of the joints.
How does the disease progress?
For any part of the spine, a gradual development of the disease is characteristic. Cervical osteochondrosis does not go beyond this framework, so it is necessary to dwell in detail on each of its stages.
- At the initial stage, there is a gradual destruction of the intervertebral discs. Between them is a fibrous ring, in which cracks appear, which leads to a decrease in the elasticity and strength of the discs themselves. They shrink and compress the nerve roots.
- The second stage is a consequence of the untreated first stage. The onset of destruction of discs turns into a chronic form, compaction of tissues occurs, dislocations of the cervical vertebrae are observed. Drooping head syndrome often develops at this stage.
- At the third stage, the painful sensations intensify, constant headaches appear, the sensitivity of the upper limbs is lost, and the cervical "lumbago" is tormented. This is due to the fact that the fibrous ring at this stage is almost completely destroyed.
Often there is a decrease in pain sensations of third degree cervical osteochondrosis. It happens when the cartilage tissue disappears and there is nothing to hurt.
Causes
Given the prevalence of osteochondrosis in general, doctors began to closely study its causes. Many negative factors have been identified, but there is no definitive list. Here are the ones that have been announced so far:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- all kinds of poisoning and infections;
- great physical activity;
- smoking;
- constant weight lifting;
- stress and nervous tension;
- uncomfortable shoes or an irregular foot that puts unnecessary pressure on the spine;
- bad nutrition;
- frequent hypothermia and exposure to the elements;
- age-related changes;
- Injury of the spine;
- bad heredity;
- a categorical refusal to train, if before that they had been doing them for a long time.
After familiarizing yourself with the reasons, it becomes obvious that cervical osteochondrosis can occur at any age. And if at first the symptoms of osteochondrosis are insignificant and are marked by rare attacks of pain, over time it turns out that it is also impossible to turn the neck, and it is difficult to tiltthe head. And these are not the only dangers of the disease.
What is the danger of the disease
Our neck is a hard worker. She's involved all day long, and her tiny vertebrae stoically resist all of our head turns and tilts. If the bones are moved, the nerves are pinched and the blood vessels are compressed, and the vertebral artery, which is responsible for nourishing the brain, also passes through the cervical column. The artery is compressed, the nerve root is compressed, and the inflammatory process begins.
What does it lead to? Stroke, ischemia, intervertebral hernia - these are the serious consequences of cervical osteochondrosis. Added to this is a general decrease in mobility and the formation of osteophytes. As a result, we have a disability threatening complete immobility. With such a disappointing prognosis, it is important to recognize the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis early on.
Symptoms
The shortest way to identify osteochondrosis is the patient's complaint. So what kind of sensations is a person talking about if their cervical vertebrae are destroyed? The picture of the disease looks like this:
- dizziness;
- Severe headaches;
- "Flies" and colored spots in the eyes against a background of pain in the head;
- pain when turning, lifting weights;
- pain radiating to other organs (heart area, other organs).
Sometimes the signs of osteochondrosis can be classified as other diseases, but they cannot be ignored, even if they are temporary.
Diagnosis and treatment
Following on from the feelings expressed by the patient, the neurologist makes a more precise diagnosis of the disease. A few years ago, only x-rays were in the arsenal of doctors to recognize osteochondrosis. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are actively used today. They allow you to accurately determine the stage of the disease.
After evaluating the image obtained, a specialized vertebroneurologist prescribes the necessary treatment. The first thing the doctor takes is to relieve the pain, then the swelling and inflammation. To relieve pain, such anti-inflammatory drugs are used. As we remember, the compression of the vertebral artery disrupts the supply to the brain, which means it needs to be improved. This is done with the help of muscle relaxants.
Knowing that the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis concern the spine, massage and physiotherapy exercises are necessarily included in the package of health improvement measures. The massage is performed by a professional and by the patient himself. There are also special exercises aimed at developing the cervical vertebrae and restoring their mobility.