Cervical osteochondrosis is a chronic degenerative disease of the spine, characterized by distortion of the vertebral structure, destruction of the integrity of the intervertebral structure, and damage to the spinal cord roots.
It's important to know!Osteochondrosis is not a death sentence.There is always an opportunity to mitigate the progression of the process and control the progression of spinal changes.In the most severe cases, neurosurgery may be performed.However, this does not negate the fact that diseases can be "triggered".When the first symptoms of osteochondrosis appear, it is important to consult a doctor to diagnose the disease and take early preventive measures!
Development reasons
The anatomy of the spine indicates that the cervical spine has the greatest range of motion, while the vertebrae in the cervical spine are the smallest.These two factors make the neck one of the "weak points" of the spine.
The main cause of cervical osteochondrosis is the combined effect of the following adverse factors:
- Incorrect posture and neck position (including when working at a computer).
- The physical load on the cervical spine and shoulder girdle is high.
- Spinal injury...
- Age-related changes in intervertebral structural tissue.
- Wrong diet, low in essential vitamins and minerals.
It should be said that almost everyone will develop osteochondrosis as they age; some researchers believe that this is "a reward for walking upright."However, in a modern society with a fast pace of life, long periods of sitting, and long hours of working in front of the computer, cervical osteochondrosis ranks first among spinal problems.
symptom
Symptoms can vary widely depending on the degree of damage to the spine, the severity of degenerative changes, the body's individual characteristics, and many other factors.Neurologists prefer to distinguish three main symptoms and their combinations that occur in cervical osteochondrosis:
- Vertebral neck pain.
- Vertebral cervical pain.
- Vertebral cervicobrachial pain.
Based on the name, we can identify the main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.Therefore, the main symptom of neck pain is direct pain in the neck; with vertebral cervicocranial pain, the neck pain will also spread to the head; with cervicobrachial pain, the neck pain will spread to one side or both arms, and cramps will also occur in the arms, and numbness and crawling sensations may occur in the arms.In all cases of osteochondrosis, the following symptoms may occur: tightness of the neck muscles, creaking in the neck, limited neck movement.
Radiculopathy
If severe osteochondrosis is present, accompanied by herniation or disc herniation, so-called radiculopathy may develop: disruption of the function of certain spinal roots, weakness of the innervated muscles, weight loss and sensitivity disorders.
Diagnosis and X-ray signs
Osteochondrosis is an X-ray diagnosis because detailed clinical images are only available when it worsens, and changes in the spine can occur despite a person's complete subjective health.Without X-rays, we can only talk about suspected osteochondrosis, since similar symptoms can also be caused by other diseases (myositis, vertebral tumors, etc.).
To diagnose osteochondrosis, the following investigation methods can be used: radiography (preferably with functional tests), MSCT and MRI.The latter study is most preferred because it allows one to see very clearly the condition of the intervertebral structures.
X-ray signs of osteochondrosis include the following changes in the spine:
- The intervertebral disc height is reduced.
- There is marginal bone growth.
- Violation of the relative position of the vertebrae.
- Vertebral body, vertebral arch deformation, etc.
The presence of the above changes, as well as changes in the disc structure detected by MSCT and MRI, can serve as reliable markers to confirm the presence of osteochondrosis.
treat
Treatment should be comprehensive and target all aspects of the pathogenesis of clinical manifestations.Chronic dystrophic changes during exacerbations lead to inflammation of the spinal roots, which reflexively causes pain.Pain is a signal for the muscles to produce a protective response - muscle spasm.Muscle spasms move the vertebrae closer together and increase stress and inflammation at the roots.The circle is closed.That is why it is necessary to eliminate inflammation, pain and muscle spasms and protect the roots from inflammation.
Treatment methods include drug treatment and non-drug treatment.They vary partially when certain symptoms are dominant, but they have a general pattern.
drug treatment
Use anti-inflammatory drugs (aceclofenac, ketoprofen, meloxicam, diclofenac, etc.), muscle relaxants (tolperisone hydrochloride, baclofen, tizanidine), and neuroprotective drugs (complex preparations of B vitamins and lipoic acid).
non-drug
Includes massage, physical therapy and exercise therapy.Massage for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can be very effective in relieving muscle spasms and improving blood flow to the spinal tissues, thus reducing the severity of the inflammatory process.The goals of physical therapy are both to relieve pain (electrophoresis with analgesics) and to relieve muscle tension (kinetic electrophoresis).Therapeutic exercise is a unique and extremely effective method of disease prevention.Here you can see a set of exercise therapy exercises for cervical osteochondrosis.
folk remedies
Among traditional treatments, we should emphasize the use of various water- and alcohol-based hot compresses, which can reduce the intensity of neck pain and reduce inflammation.The "dry heat" method has also been shown to be effective, which essentially involves heating salt or sand in a rag bag and applying it to the painful area.
Some traditional methods of treating cervical osteochondrosis include using an applicator - a special device or a simple needle to coat the surface of the tissue.Applying moderate pressure to the neck and simply lying on such a surface for 10-15 minutes can cause reflex relaxation of the neck muscles, thereby relieving pain.