Osteochondrosis is a progressive degenerative change affecting the intervertebral discs. Pathology can appear in any part of the spine, but it most often affects the cervical spine.
The problem cannot be ignored, because over time the symptoms intensify, and the pathology itself can result in 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 cartilage tissue and acts as a shock absorber, protecting the bone tissue of the vertebrae 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 and younger, cases of premature wear of cartilage tissue have been recorded even in young people (25-30 years old).
A high percentage of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine compared to, for example, the lumbar spine, is associated with the load on this part, caused by the need to keep the skull in an upright position.
The weight of an adult's head can reach 3-5 kg: the weight of the bones of the skull is about 1400 g, the weight of the brain is about the same, and the mass of circulating blood in the skull is about 500 g.
A characteristic of the cervical spine is the closer position 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 that contribute to the development of pathological changes in cartilage tissue:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- forced tense positions during work (driving, at the computer);
- overweight;
- state of nervous tension;
- neck injuries;
- muscle weakness.
The neck muscles try to compensate for the load caused by these factors, which results in their spasm. Blood circulation, cartilage tissue nutrition and metabolic processes are disturbed, which leads to a change in its structure.
Premature aging of the intervertebral discs is also influenced by the following:
- hereditary predisposition;
- autoimmune diseases that cause cartilage tissue degeneration;
- congenital pathology of spine development.
Stages and symptoms of pathology development
Degenerative changes go through several stages, which are accompanied by specific symptoms:
Phase 1. 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 neck and shoulder muscles, their tension, hardness;
- slight pain when turning or tilting the head;
- headaches that occur rarely and are of low intensity (most often occur after static or hard work, nervous experiences).
Phase 2. The height of the intervertebral discs decreases, compression of the nerve endings occurs, and severe neck pain occurs, especially when performing movements and turns. Muscle spasm disrupts blood flow to the skull, adding to symptoms associated with vascular insufficiency. The person notices:
- crunching in the neck joints 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 cervical-neck area;
- shooting pains radiating to the scapula;
- sleep disorders.
Phase 3. A disc herniation is formed (its nucleus protrudes into the spinal canal), which leads to disturbances in the work of the nervous system. Symptoms may include:
- numbness of the hands, paralysis of the upper limbs is possible;
- the pain affects the entire cervical-neck area and may radiate to the heart area;
- "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 body may not be felt at all;
- dizziness occurs with almost every movement;
- headaches are migraine in nature.
Phase 4. It is characterized by complete disc destruction:
- tinnitus may be permanent;
- dizziness may be accompanied by loss of consciousness;
- Coordination disorders appear, because blood flow to the cerebellar part of the brain decreases.
Individual intervertebral discs are affected extremely rarely. Usually the process involves the whole department. Destruction of individual disks can be in different stages.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis includes instrumental examinations 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 the advanced stages of the pathology;
- computed tomography - shows changes in the vertebrae, but it is difficult to distinguish between intervertebral hernias and compression of the spinal cord;
- 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 establishing a diagnosis, the doctor relies on the syndrome that manifests itself in the patient. A syndrome is a combination of symptoms of a disorder.
The following syndromes can develop with cervical osteochondrosis:
Vertebral- indicates that the pathological process involves bone and cartilage tissue. manifests itself:
- limited mobility of the neck;
- 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 the brain with blood, is involved in the pathological process. Main symptoms:
due to lack of blood flow:
- tinnitus;
- dizziness;
- nausea and vomiting;
- pressure surges;
due to irritation of the nerve endings of the artery:
- severe headache (migraine);
- numbness of the scalp;
- "floating" in the eyes or temporary blindness;
due to oxygen starvation;
- fainting;
- lethargy;
- loss of ability to concentrate on anything;
- depression;
- panic attacks.
Heartfelt.Signs similar to problems with the cardiovascular system:
- pain in the sternum (sometimes burning);
- shortness of breath and fatigue;
- increased heart rate.
Koreshkovy.Associated with disturbed conduction of nerve impulses depending on damage to a certain pair of roots innervating the cervical region:
- 1. -2. a pair of roots - pain or numbness in the back of the head;
- 3rd pair – numbness of the tongue, difficulty in chewing food;
- 4th pair – pain in the clavicle, lump in the throat, difficulty in swallowing food;
- 5th pair – difficult movement of the hands 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 the middle and index fingers;
- 8th pair – numbness of ring fingers and little fingers.
Treatment options
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, only an integrated approach is applicable. The fight against pathology can last even for 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;
- they protect cartilage tissue from destruction and promote its renewal.
For diagnosis and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, you should contact a neurologist. If the clinic has a vertebrologist who deals directly with spine diseases, you can contact him immediately.
The doctor can prescribe you the following medicines:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - relieve inflammation and swelling, reduce pain.
- B vitamins - 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 low-intensity electric current. Delivers medicinal substances directly to the problem area. It is usually prescribed with an anesthetic to relieve pain or with a medicine to improve blood flow to the cervical region.
- 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 improve blood circulation at the site of exposure, and has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Massage
During medication and physiotherapeutic treatment, it is better to undergo a cervical-neck area massage by a specialist.
In the future, self-massage can only be used very carefully, without trying to repeat the depth of influence shown by a professional massage therapist.
During the procedure, the expert uses classic massage techniques:
- caressing – activates the surface layers of the skin;
- compression - connects the deep layers of the skin;
- rubbing – warms the muscles and relaxes them, improves blood circulation;
- kneading - affects very deep-lying tissues, so they are used carefully;
- vibration - tapping and shaking which completes the procedure.
Manual therapy
Sometimes a consultation with a chiropractor is recommended for cervical osteochondrosis. But this technique causes conflicting reviews: in some cases it certainly helps, in others it almost makes it worse. The whole point is this:
- There is no doubt that a chiropractor must be a highly qualified doctor with medical education and qualifications as a neurologist or orthopedic traumatologist.
- Manual therapy of cervical osteochondrosis has many contraindications. Two people with similar symptoms can get different answers about the need for manual therapy - one can and should, the other absolutely cannot.
There must be strict indications and no contraindications for contacting a chiropractor. They are determined by the attending physician who gives direction for this type of therapy.
A highly qualified chiropractor will not work on a patient without studying the results of the x-ray.
Treatment at home
Traditional prescriptions for treatment or the use of any home remedy should be discussed with a doctor in advance, because in each specific case they can 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 a person applies to the painful area (you can lie on them). 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 heat the affected area with mustard or a bag of salt or sand. But with vascular diseases it can be dangerous.
Therapeutic exercise (physical therapy)
Therapeutic exercises are the safest way to treat cervical osteochondrosis. It is recommended to do this both during the period of deterioration and in the future - for disease prevention.
The patient should not feel pain while performing the exercises. Doing it "through the pain" not only won't do you any good, it can actually harm your health.
The simplest but most effective movements are turns, bending and rotations of the head. It is strictly forbidden to do it at high speed and amplitude. Movements should be barely noticeable. Despite such low mobility, exercise ensures blood flow and improves its circulation in the neck area.
Collar
The Shants collar is a firm head support that relieves tension in 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 necklace is worn all the time. The vertebrae are fixed in the correct position and do not exert pressure on each other, nor on the 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, the bandage cannot be used, because 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. The 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 be a good measure to prevent the development of degenerative processes in the spine.
Prevention
There are simple rules that, if followed, will prevent early aging of the intervertebral discs:
- track 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 need to carry a heavy bag, hold it alternately in the right and left hand (or it is better to use a backpack that will evenly distribute the load on the entire 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;
- 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 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 live a comfortable life.