Osteochondrosis is a progressive degenerative change that affects the intervertebral discs. The pathology can appear in any part of the spine, but it most often affects the cervical spine.
The problem cannot be neglected, because over time the symptoms increase, and the pathology itself can result in serious health problems.
What is it
The human spine consists of individual vertebrae, between which there is a specific separator - the intervertebral disc. It is formed from cartilage tissue and acts as a shock absorber, protects the bone tissue of the vertebra from erosion and destruction, but at the same time it flattens and wears out.
Normally, 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 consumption of cartilage tissue have been registered even among young people (25-30 years old).
The high percentage of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine compared, for example, to the lumbar spine, is associated with loads on this particular 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 same is the weight of the brain, about 500 g is the mass of blood circulating in the skull.
A feature of the cervical spine is the closer location of the vertebrae to each other and the smaller thickness of the intervertebral discs, which leads to complications even with small changes in them.
Reasons for development
Factors that contribute to the development of pathological changes in cartilage tissue:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- forced tense postures 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, resulting in their spasm. Blood circulation, cartilage tissue nutrition and metabolic processes are interrupted, which leads to a change in its structure.
The following also play a role in premature aging of the intervertebral discs:
- hereditary predisposition;
- autoimmune diseases that provoke cartilage tissue degeneration;
- congenital pathologies of the 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 medications (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;
- headaches that occur rarely and are of low intensity (most often appear after static or strenuous work, nervous experiences).
Phase 2. The height of the intervertebral discs decreases, compression of the nerve endings occurs, so severe neck pain appears, especially when making movements and turns. Muscle spasm disrupts the blood supply to the skull, so the symptoms related to vascular insufficiency increase. The person notes:
- crackling in the joints of the neck when turning the head;
- decrease in visual acuity;
- tinnitus;
- dizziness;
- frequent headaches for no apparent reason;
- numbness of the face and neck, loss of sensation in the skin of the hands and cervical area;
- shooting pains radiating to shoulder blade;
- sleep disorders.
Phase 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, paralysis of the upper limbs is possible;
- the pain affects the entire cervical 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 on the upper part of the body may not be felt at all;
- dizziness occurs with almost every movement;
- headaches are of a migraine nature.
Phase 4. It is characterized by the complete destruction of the disc:
- tinnitus can be permanent;
- dizziness may be accompanied by loss of consciousness;
- Coordination disorders appear, as the blood supply to the cerebellar region of the brain is reduced.
Single intervertebral discs are extremely rarely affected. Usually the process involves the entire department. The destruction of individual disks can be in different stages.
Diagnosing
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:
- x-ray - will show changes in the structure of the spine, but in advanced stages of the pathology;
- computed tomography - shows changes in the vertebrae, but intervertebral hernias and spinal cord compression are difficult to distinguish;
- Magnetic resonance imaging - allows you to see intervertebral hernias and the direction of their growth;
- Duplex ultrasound scan - shows the speed of blood flow in the suspected area of osteochondrosis.
When making a diagnosis, the doctor relies on the syndrome manifested in the patient. A syndrome is a combination of symptoms of a disorder.
With cervical osteochondrosis, the following syndromes may develop:
Vertebral- indicates that the pathological process involves bone and cartilage tissue. Manifests:
- 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– it means that the vertebral artery, which supplies the brain with blood, is involved in the pathological process. Main symptoms:
due to lack of blood circulation:
- tinnitus;
- dizziness;
- nausea and vomiting;
- pressure increases;
due to irritation of the nerve endings of the artery:
- severe headache (migraine);
- numbness of the skin on the scalp;
- "floaters" in the eyes or temporary blindness;
due to oxygen starvation;
- faint;
- lethargy;
- loss of ability to concentrate on anything;
- depression;
- panic attacks.
Cardiac.Signs similar to problems with the cardiovascular system:
- pain in the sternum (sometimes as a burning sensation);
- shortness of breath and fatigue;
- acceleration of heart rate.
Koreshkovy.It is accompanied by impaired conduction of nerve impulses depending on the damage to a certain pair of roots innervating the cervical region:
- 1-2 pairs of roots - pain or numbness in the back of the head;
- The third 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 – difficulty in moving the arms with the problem concentrated in the shoulder area;
- 6th pair - discomfort in the area of the shoulders and forearms;
- 7th pair – numbness of the hands, most often the middle and index fingers;
- 8th pair - numbness of the ring and little fingers.
Treatment options
Only an integrated approach is applicable to the treatment of osteochondrosis. The fight against pathology can last for many years.
Drug therapy
The use of drugs for cervical osteochondrosis is aimed at:
- pain relief;
- relief of inflammation and swelling;
- reduce muscle tension in the neck area;
- improvement of blood circulation;
- protect cartilage tissue from destruction and promote its restoration.
To diagnose and treat cervical osteochondrosis, you should contact a neurologist. If the clinic has a vertebrologist who deals directly with diseases of the spine, you can contact him immediately.
Your doctor may prescribe the following drugs:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - relieve inflammation and swelling, reduce pain.
- B vitamins – help improve the functioning of nerve tissue.
- Chondroprotectors – protect cartilage tissue from destruction and restore its structure.
- Medicines that improve blood circulation.
- 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 in the cervical region.
- ULTRASOUND- has anti-inflammatory properties, improves blood circulation and metabolic processes.
- Magnetotherapy- helps to quickly relieve tissue swelling and improve metabolic processes.
- Laser therapy– helps to improve blood circulation in the place of exposure, and also has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Massage
During the course of medication and physiotherapeutic treatment, it is better to undergo a massage of the cervical area by a specialist.
Self-massage can be used in the future, only with great care, without trying to repeat the depth of influence shown by a professional massage therapist.
During the procedure, the specialist uses classic massage techniques:
- stroking – activates the surface layers of the skin;
- squeezing - connects the deep layers of the skin;
- friction - warms the muscles and relaxes them, improves blood circulation;
- kneading - affects very deep tissues, so they are used with care;
- vibration - shock and vibration that completes the procedure.
Manual therapy
Sometimes, with cervical osteochondrosis, it is recommended to consult a chiropractor. But this technique causes contradictory assessments: in some cases it certainly helps, in others it almost worsens it. The whole point is this:
- There is no doubt that a chiropractor must be a highly qualified physician with a medical education and qualifications as a neurologist or orthopedic traumatologist.
- Manual therapy for cervical osteochondrosis has many contraindications. Two people with similar symptoms may have different answers to the need for manual therapy - one can and should, the other absolutely not.
To contact a chiropractor there must be strict indications and no contraindications. They are determined by the attending physician and given a direction for this type of therapy.
A highly qualified chiropractor will not work on a patient without studying the x-ray results.
Treatment at home
Traditional treatment prescriptions or the use of any home remedies should be discussed with the doctor in advance, because in each specific case they can help or worsen the condition.
This applies, for example, to the applicator of the used needle. It consists of plastic spikes attached to a wide strip, which a person places on 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 known to warm the diseased area with a mustard plaster or a bag of salt or sand. But with vascular diseases this can also be dangerous.
Therapeutic exercises (physiotherapy)
Therapeutic exercises are the safest method for treating cervical osteochondrosis. It is recommended to do it both during the period of deterioration and in the future - to prevent the disease.
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 also harm your health.
The simplest but most effective movements are twists, bends and rotations of the head. It is strictly forbidden to do this at high speed and amplitude. The movements should be barely visible. Despite such low mobility, the exercise ensures blood flow and improves its circulation in the neck area.
Shants 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 wear both during treatment and for the prevention of cervical osteochondrosis.
The collar is worn continuously. The vertebrae are fixed in the correct position and do not put pressure on each other, as well as on 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, a bandage cannot be used, as it will not be possible to secure it in the correct position. It is also not recommended to wear the 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 during the night.
By itself, it will not cure osteochondrosis, but it will alleviate the condition and also be a good measure to prevent the development of degenerative processes in the spine.
Preventing
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 need to carry a heavy bag, hold it alternately in your right and left hand (or it is better to use a backpack that will evenly distribute the load on your 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;
- to sleep, 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 group of exercises, compliance with the rules of prevention, massage and other measures prescribed by the doctor allow you to lead a comfortable life.