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Cervical osteochondrosis: treatment and symptoms

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is indicated by pain

Neck pain is a warning sign.Maybe it's just overwork and you should just relax and unwind.But what happens if the pain is associated with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?It is important to pay close attention to symptoms and treatment, because complications can affect the most important organ: the brain.

What is cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a degenerative disease of the osteochondral system of the body.This leads to the destruction of the cervical intervertebral discs, the growth of bone tissue of the vertebrae and the formation of growths on their surface.

The cervical spine is made up of seven vertebrae, the first of which articulates with the skull.The anatomical and functional unit of the spine is the spinal movement segment.This is a joint complex through which the spine moves.The complex consists of two vertebrae, an intervertebral disc, articular surfaces of the vertebrae (facets), nerves, ligaments and muscles.

Osteochondrosis begins with damage to the intervertebral disc and affects all surrounding tissues.Over time, the process leads to a disruption of the biomechanics of the spine as a whole.With the development of osteochondrosis, intervertebral disc herniations and compression of nerve roots and blood vessels may form.

Pathological processes in the intervertebral disc go through four stages: malnutrition, weakening of ligaments, disc damage and nerve compression.

  • Step 1

    The nutritional and metabolic conditions of the intervertebral disc are disrupted.Due to their structure, the discs are only powered by movement.If it is not there, degenerative changes in the tissues begin: the disc starves and becomes dehydrated.Water loss leads to the fact that the intervertebral disc cannot perform shock-absorbing functions.The load on the annulus fibrosus increases, cracks and tears appear in it.At this stage, slight pain may appear.

  • Step 2

    In the second stage, the ligamentous apparatus of the spinal movement segment is weakened.The connection becomes pathologically mobile.The pathological process in the disc worsens, herniation (prolapse) begins - leakage of the nucleus pulposus through cracks in the annulus fibrosus.The pain becomes periodic.

  • Step 3

    Then, the intervertebral disc is permanently damaged.The nucleus pulposus of the disc extends beyond the annulus fibrosus.The resulting herniation can reach the nerve roots.An inflammatory process develops.This manifests itself as an exacerbation of pain, called radicular syndrome.

  • Step 4

    In the fourth stage, the lesion affects neighboring tissues.Compression of the radicular artery is possible, leading to insufficient blood supply to the spinal cord.As a result, part of the spine may be completely immobilized.

First signs and main symptoms

At the beginning of the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, discomfort, limitation of movements and pain in the neck region appear.Often this is not taken into account.

Over time, the pain intensifies, becomes aching, burning, headache, aching neck, shoulder blades, shoulders - this may be the development of vertebral artery syndrome.The artery becomes pinched or spasmed and blood flow is disrupted.

In stages 1 and 2 of cervical osteochondrosis, ophthalmological problems associated with vascular spasms often occur.Darkening of the eyes, flickering, the appearance of “floaters”, colored spots in front of the eyes - all these are symptoms of osteochondrosis.

The most common symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis:

  • Migraines, dizziness, nausea and cough;
  • Hearing impairment, pain in the ear, face;
  • Motor problems of the arms and legs.The sensitivity of the skin of the head may disappear;
  • Hand pain.If a nerve root is pinched, the entire area to which it sends impulses may hurt or "fall off."

In addition to the above symptoms, three main pain syndromes can be distinguished:accompanying osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.A syndrome is a set of symptoms.It is important to determine the main pain syndrome, since the entire treatment regimen is based on the elimination of pain.But it is impossible to eliminate it without knowing its origin.

  1. Myofascial syndrome- pain in the skeletal muscles and adjacent fascia.The disorder is associated with overload, which causes spasms, hypertonia and painful lymph nodes inside the muscle (trigger points).
  2. Radicular syndrome- pain caused by prolonged compression of the spinal nerve roots.The process of herniation in osteochondrosis of the spine leads to pinching of nerve fibers and a subsequent inflammatory reaction.The pain spreads along the nerve.
  3. Facet syndrome- pain in the spinal joints.The vertebrae of the second cervical have articular processes connected to each other by facet joints.With osteochondrosis, the intervertebral discs are destroyed, their height decreases, which leads to the fact that the joint capsules of the facet joints are in constant tension.It causes pain.In addition, the pain increases towards the end of the day, especially in the event of prolonged forced posture.

Causes of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

One of the main causes of osteochondrosis is the progressive maladaptation of the spine to high vertical loads.Human ancestors walked on four legs, like other mammals.They did not suffer from osteochondrosis, because in a horizontal position of the body, the intradiscal pressure is two times lower than in a vertical position.By evolutionary standards, the transition to vertical posture occurred not so long ago, and the spine simply did not have time to adapt to the high vertical load.So, in addition to walking upright, a person also contracted diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

The structure of the human neck makes it even more vulnerable.The human cervical region is made up of seven small movable vertebrae, articulated with each other like a child's pyramid.This structure can hardly be described as stable outside of a state of rest.In addition, the muscle structure in this area is weak and the loads can be high - all this makes the neck vulnerable.Any injury has serious consequences.Even if the damage occurred in another part of the spine, the redistribution of the load can cause osteochondrosis.

Another factor is aging.The formation of the skeleton and cartilaginous tissue is completed by the age of 21, after which the irreversible process of aging (degeneration) begins.Nutrition of cartilaginous tissue occurs only by diffusion, and if the intervertebral disc does not receive enough nutrients, it begins to gradually deteriorate.

In addition, the development of cervical osteochondrosis is favored by:

  1. Autoimmune diseases.They involve the body's own cells in the pathological process of destruction of cartilage tissue.
  2. Infections, hormonal imbalance, slow metabolism - all these circulatory disorders can also serve as factors in the development of osteochondrosis.
  3. A sedentary lifestyle, working conditions in which a person spends most of his time in a forced static position.
  4. High loads leading to injury can result in compression.
  5. Genetic abnormalities associated with weakness of the musculoskeletal system and inferiority of cartilaginous tissue.

The spinal canal of the cervical spine is very narrow, so high loads, any disorders or injuries can lead to compression of the spinal cord.And it's very dangerous.

Additionally, a large number of nerve endings and blood vessels pass through this area.If blood stops flowing in the proper volume to the brain, a stroke can occur.

Diagnosis

When initially diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis, the doctor collects the patient's medical history.He finds out what hurts and how, with what intensity, during exercise or at rest, at what time of day it hurts most, whether there have been injuries to the cervical spine.

During a neck examination, the doctor palpates the cervical vertebrae and muscles, lymph nodes;assesses range of motion, excludes or confirms radicular syndrome.

After that, to exclude autoimmune diseases, laboratory diagnostics are prescribed: general blood count, ESR, rheumatoid factor, HLA B27 antigen.

The main role in establishing the diagnosis is played by radiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

  • X-rayhelps to assess the condition of bone structures;soft tissue and cartilage are not shown in the images.To visualize these structures, a contrast product is injected: angiography, discography, myelography.
  • Computed tomography (CT).This method also uses the principle of radiography, but with the help of computer processing it is possible to obtain a series of images of longitudinal and transverse sections in which bone and cartilaginous tissue can be seen.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).It is the “gold standard” in the diagnosis of pathologies, particularly cartilage and soft tissues.MRI provides insight not only into the structure of organs and tissues, but also into how they function.In the case of osteochondrosis, a common complication is spinal herniation.MRI allows you to diagnose the process of hernia formation at an early stage.

Treatment

Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine comes down to conservative methods.First, the pain syndrome is relieved, then various procedures are prescribed.But in the most extreme cases, when the pain does not go away for more than three months and medication is not enough, surgery is the only option.

Non-surgical treatment methods

Osteochondrosis has been affecting the osteochondrosis system for many years, so treatment will take time.You must be patient.Goals of conservative treatment:

  1. Eliminate pain.
  2. Relieve inflammation.
  3. Restore the functions of the spinal roots.
  4. Strengthens the muscular corset and ligaments.

Conservative treatment includes drug treatment and physical therapy.Medications help relieve pain during an exacerbation, and physiotherapy helps initiate the body's self-healing processes.

In case of severe pain accompanied by radicular syndrome, “blocks” are performed: the drug is administered in the immediate vicinity of the inflamed spinal nerve root.

Physiotherapeutic treatment is based on natural and artificially recreated physical factors: cold, heat, electric current, magnetic radiation, laser and others.To recreate them, special devices, devices and manual techniques are used.

  • Laser therapy— biological activation of intervertebral disc regeneration processes.The body begins to heal itself.
  • Plasma therapy (PRP therapy)- injections of plasma isolated from the patient's blood.Plasma is rich in platelets, growth factors and hormones.After injections, local immunity increases and regeneration processes begin.
  • Acupuncture- stimulation of nerve endings with special needles.Improves metabolism in affected areas, relieves pain.
  • Shock wave therapy- exposure to high frequency waves.Allows you to initiate natural recovery processes.
  • Physiotherapy- movement therapy.It can be active (physiotherapy) and passive (massage, traction).Exercise therapy strengthens the back muscles, traction relieves tension and pain.Selected taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient.
  • Manual therapy and massage- impact on soft tissues and joints in order to restore balance to the body and synchronize processes.Restore mobility and eliminate pain.
  • Registration- stick special patches on the skin in places where it is necessary to influence muscle stretch and compression receptors.It can both relax and improve tone.

During periods of acute pain, the patient is recommended to wear special bandages and collars around the neck to relieve the load on the spine.

The positive effect of conservative treatment is achieved within 2-3 months.If there are no results, the patient is recommended to undergo surgery.

Surgical methods for treating osteochondrosis

Surgery for cervical osteochondrosis is an extreme measure that requires special indications.Surgery is recommended if:

  1. The pain cannot be relieved by therapeutic treatment for more than 3 months.
  2. There is a herniated disc.
  3. Loss of sensation in the limb.

Postoperative rehabilitation also takes time and may include therapeutic treatment.

Cervical osteochondrosis is a complex degenerative disease.We can't leave her without treatment.Such serious disorders of the musculoskeletal system can lead to disability.Neck pain can become chronic, and osteochondrosis can spread to multiple parts of the spine.Prompt prevention can prevent the development of this disease.

Prevention

To keep your cervical spine healthy, daily physical activity is necessary.Nutrition of the intervertebral discs occurs during movement, therefore it is extremely necessary.It is important that the loads are optimal and regular.

If the work involves constantly being in a static position, periodic warming up is necessary.And at home after a day's work, you can lie on your back for a while on a flat surface, placing a cushion under your neck.This method will help restore the cervical curve of the spine and eliminate muscle tension.

In the prevention of cervical osteochondrosis, correct posture during sleep is important.If a person wakes up in the morning with neck pain, it means that the muscles have not had time to rest and recover.An orthopedic pillow will help here, which is selected individually for 3-5 years.