Cervical osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a common disease of knowledge workers. Rapidly progressive disease. It is with cervical osteochondrosis, complicated by the development of herniated discs, that an increased incidence of early strokes is associated. An MRI is required for diagnosis.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
Cervical osteochondrosis is a common cause of neck pain, headache, pressure spikes, shoulder pain, numbness in the fingers, pain under the shoulder blade. Currently, the frequency of cervical osteochondrosis has increased significantly, as the role of the computer in our life has grown.
However, a fall or injury can trigger the onset of osteochondrosis, and the 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, arm, or shoulder due to irritation and nerve chemicals. pinched in the cervical spine.
For example, pinching a nerve root in the C6-C7 segment can cause weakness in the triceps, shoulder, or forearm muscles, weakness in the wrist muscles, causing the hand to "hang" and a change in the sensitivity of the middle finger.
Cervical osteochondrosis also often leads to the development of stenosis (narrowing) of the spinal canal and other progressive conditions, such as intervertebral hernia. How does it happen?
Osteochondrosis is nothing more than the degeneration of vertebral structures, caused, as a rule, by the natural aging of the body. With age, thickening of the ligaments, formation of bone growths on the vertebrae and other changes occur. When the ligaments in the spine thicken or bony growths appear, as well as for a variety of other reasons, there is less room for the spinal cord and nerves within the spinal canal. This condition is called stenosis, i. e. narrowing of the spinal canal. Severe narrowing of the spinal canal can lead to compression of the nerve roots or even the spinal cord itself.
Intervertebral hernia is also, in most cases, a consequence of degeneration. The intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers of friction between the vertebrae, thus preventing their destruction. Over time, the disc loses moisture and nutrients, flattens, becomes more brittle and less elastic. As a result, a crack can form in the ring, through which part of the nucleus pulposus is squeezed into the spinal canal. This condition is called an intervertebral hernia. If an intervertebral hernia compresses a nearby nerve root, pain syndrome and / or corresponding neurological symptoms occur.
Diagnostics
Successful diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis begins with a doctor's consultation. Doctors fill out the patient's medical history and perform a physical exam to check for mobility and sensitivity in the neck. During the examination, the patient may be asked to perform certain movements and report how the pain symptoms change (increase or decrease).
If the exam indicates that further tests are needed, your doctor may recommend X-ray tests such as X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT). These diagnostic tests, with varying degrees of reliability, can confirm the presence and location of osteochondrosis, as well as identify other conditions (such as calcifications or arthritis) that may be causing the patient's symptoms.
The best option for X-ray examination at the moment is MRI, becauseWith the help of an MRI it is possible to obtain high-quality detailed images not only of the bone tissue, as in the X-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 of which is the presence of metal structures or devices in the body (artificial joints, pacemakers, etc. ). The quality of CT scans is inferior to the quality of MRI scans, but they can also show the condition of the soft tissues of the spine.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
Conservative (non-surgical) treatment of osteochondrosis is always recommended as a primary strategy and surgery is considered only if complex conservative treatment for at least six months has failed or if pain and other symptoms significantly interfere with routine. patient's daily routine. .
Methods used in the conservative treatment of cervical osteochondrosis can include:
- spine traction (traction). The methods of spinal traction without load, which have been used recently, allow you to completely remove 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.
- Corrective gymnastics. . Remedial gymnastics can improve the mobility of the spinal segment. In the mobile vertebral segment, hernias and protrusions do not grow or form, as the intervertebral discs perform their function.
- massage therapy.
- pharmacological therapy. It includes NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and pain relievers. In most cases, drug therapy has a temporary or no effect.
- cervical corsets, orthopedic pillows. They may be recommended to stabilize the cervical spine and reduce pressure on the nerve root after vertebral trauma and 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 vertebral segment. This surgery involves removing the intervertebral disc, decompressing the nerve root, and inserting a bone or metal implant to maintain or create a normal disc space and stabilize the spinal segment.
As a rule, spinal fusion is performed on a vertebral segment; in rare cases, the question of performing an operation on two vertebral segments may be considered. Be that as it may, the patient should know that surgery to relieve neck pain symptom is far less likely to lead to positive results than similar surgery to relieve arm pain 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 have 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. Also, do not forget that spinal surgery can be fraught with rather serious consequences both in the operated area (local infection, implant rejection, etc. ) and for the whole body (blood clots, allergic reactions 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 surgery on the cervical spine more often leads the patient to vertebral disability.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
Official medicine interprets osteochondrosis as a degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the intervertebral discs.
From which part of the spine these discs are located, the definition of the disease is also given.
We consider specifically the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, which accounts for almost 80% of all diseases of our back.
The sad factor is that the disease affects the category of patients between the ages of 30 and 50, that is, at the height of their working capacity.
In young people, the disease acts as an independent ailment, in old age it is already a pathology that has developed against the background of other diseases of the joints.
How does the disease develop?
For any part of the spine, a gradual development of the disease is characteristic. Cervical osteochondrosis does not go beyond this picture, so it is worthwhile to dwell in detail on each of its stages.
- In the initial stage, there is a gradual destruction of the intervertebral discs. Between them is a fibrous ring, in which cracks appear, which lead to a decrease in the elasticity and strength of the discs themselves. The nerve roots shrink and compress.
- The second stage is a consequence of the untreated first stage. The initial destruction of the discs pours into a chronic form, compaction of tissues occurs, dislocations of the cervical vertebrae are observed. Head dropping syndrome often develops at this stage.
- In the third stage, pain sensations intensify, constant headaches appear, sensitivity in the upper limbs is lost, and cervical "low back pain" 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. This happens when the cartilage tissue disappears and there is nothing to hurt.
causes
Given the prevalence of osteochondrosis in general, doctors have begun to study its causes closely. Many of the negative factors have been identified, but there is no definitive list. Here are the ones that have been announced to date:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- all kinds of intoxication and infection;
- great physical activity;
- to smoke;
- constant weight lifting;
- stress and nervous tension;
- uncomfortable shoes or uneven foot that creates unnecessary pressure on the spine;
- incorrect nutrition;
- frequent hypothermia and exposure to the elements;
- age-related changes;
- spinal injury;
- poor inheritance;
- a clear refusal to train, if they had been doing them for a long time before.
Having become familiar with the reasons, it becomes obvious that cervical osteochondrosis can come at any age. And if at first the symptoms of osteochondrosis are insignificant and are characterized by rare attacks of pain, over time it turns out that it is impossible to turn the neck and it is difficult to tilt the head. And these aren't the only dangers of the disease.
What is the danger of the disease
Our neck is a hard worker. She is involved all day and her little vertebrae stoically resist all our turns and tilts of the head. If the bones are moved, the nerves are pinched and the blood vessels are compressed and the vertebral artery, responsible for nourishing the brain, also passes through the cervical spine. The artery is compressed, the nerve root is compressed and the inflammatory process begins.
What does this lead to? Spinal stroke, ischemia, intervertebral hernia - these are the serious consequences of cervical osteochondrosis. We add here a general decrease in mobility and the formation of osteophytes. As a result, we have a disability that threatens complete immobility. With such a poor prognosis, it is important to quickly recognize the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.
Symptoms
The shortest way to identify osteochondrosis is the patient's complaints. So what kind of sensations is a person talking about if his cervical vertebrae are destroyed? The picture of the disease looks like this:
- dizziness;
- Bad headache;
- "Flies" and colored spots in the eyes against the background of pain in the head;
- pain when turning, lifting weights;
- pain that radiates to other organs (heart region, other organs).
Sometimes the signs of osteochondrosis can be classified among other diseases, but they cannot be ignored, even if they are temporary.
Diagnosis and treatment
In continuation of the feelings expressed by the patient, the neurologist makes a more accurate 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 resulting image, a vertebroneurologist specialist 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 recall, compression of the vertebral artery cuts off the supply of the brain, which means that 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 complex of measures for improving health. The massage is carried out by a professional and by the patient himself. There are also special exercises aimed at developing the cervical vertebrae and restoring their mobility.