Cervical osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a common disease in knowledge workers. Rapidly progressive disease. It is with cervical osteochondrosis, complicated by the development of herniated discs, that an increased incidence of early stroke is associated. For diagnosis, an MRI is required.
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 scapula. Currently, the frequency of cervical osteochondrosis has increased significantly, as the role of the computer in our lives has grown.
However, a fall or injury can encourage osteochondrosis, and 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, impaired mobility, many patients with cervical osteochondrosis experience numbness, tingling and even weakness in the neck, arm or shoulder as a result of chemical irritation and pinched nerves in the spine. cervical.
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 middle finger sensation.
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 this happen?
Osteochondrosis is nothing more than a degeneration of vertebral structures, usually caused by the natural aging of the body. With age, ligament thickening, bone growth in the vertebrae, and other changes occur. When spinal ligaments 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, that is, 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. Intervertebral discs act as friction dampers between the vertebrae, thus preventing their destruction. Over time, the disc loses moisture and nutrients, becomes flatter, more fragile 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.
Diagnosis
The successful diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis begins with a medical visit. The doctor compiles the patient's medical history and performs a physical examination to check the mobility and sensitivity of 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 test indicates that more tests are needed, your doctor may recommend radiographic tests such as radiography, 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 (eg, calcification or arthritis) that may be the cause of the patient's symptoms.
The best radiographic examination option at the moment is MRI because With the help of an MRI, it is possible to obtain detailed, high-quality images not only of the bone tissue, as in radiography, but also of the soft tissues of the spine, including muscles. , ligaments, vessels, nerves and intervertebral discs. CT is usually prescribed if there is any contraindication to MRI, the main one being the presence of metallic 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 soft tissue in the spine.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
Conservative treatment (without surgery) of osteochondrosis is always recommended as the primary strategy, and surgical intervention is only considered if complex conservative treatment for at least six months does not produce results or if pain and other symptoms significantly interfere with the patient's daily routine. . .
Methods used in the conservative treatment of cervical osteochondrosis may include:
- column pull (traction). Unloaded spinal traction methods, which have been used recently, allow you to completely remove the complications of this treatment method, without which loaded traction cannot do. As the intervertebral distance increases, the nutrition of all intervertebral discs improves, the pain syndrome disappears.
- Corrective gymnastics. Corrective gymnastics can improve spinal segment mobility. In the mobile vertebral segment, hernias and protrusions do not grow or form, as intervertebral discs do their job.
- massage therapy.
- drug therapy. It includes NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and pain relievers. In most cases, drug therapy has little or no temporary effect.
- cervical corsets, orthopedic pillows. They can be recommended to stabilize the cervical spine and reduce pressure on the nerve root after trauma and spinal 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 performed to immobilize the affected vertebral segment. This surgery involves removing the intervertebral disc, decompressing the nerve root, and placing 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 in one vertebral segment; in rare cases, the issue of performing an operation on two vertebral segments may be considered. In any case, the patient needs to know that surgery to alleviate the symptom of neck pain is much less likely to lead to positive results than similar surgery to alleviate pain in the arm 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 failed. If 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, don't forget that spinal surgery can have very 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 about 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 cervical spine surgery often leads to spinal impairment.
What is cervical osteochondrosis?
Official medicine interprets osteochondrosis as a degenerative dystrophic lesion of the intervertebral discs.
In which part of the spine these discs are located, the definition of the disease is also given.
Let's specifically consider the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, which accounts for nearly 80% of all back conditions.
The sad thing is that the disease affects the category of patients aged between 30 and 50 years, that is, at the height of their working capacity.
In the young, the disease acts as an independent illness; in old age it is already a pathology that developed in the context of other joint diseases.
How does the disease develop?
For any part of the spine, a phased development of the disease is characteristic. Cervical osteochondrosis does not go beyond this picture, so it is worth dwelling on each of its stages.
- In the initial phase, there is a gradual destruction of the intervertebral discs. Between them is located a fibrous ring, in which cracks appear, leading to a reduction in the elasticity and resistance of the discs themselves. They shrink and compress nerve roots.
- The second phase is a consequence of the untreated first phase. The onset of disc destruction spills over into a chronic form, tissue compaction occurs, displacement of cervical vertebrae is observed. Head droop syndrome often develops at this stage.
- In the third stage, the painful sensations intensify, constant headaches appear, the sensation of the upper limbs is lost and the cervical "lumbago" is tormented. This is due to the fact that the fibrous ring, at this stage, is almost completely destroyed.
There is often a decrease in the painful sensations of third-degree cervical osteochondrosis. This happens the moment the cartilage tissue is gone and there is nothing to hurt.
causes
Given the prevalence of osteochondrosis in general, doctors began to closely study its causes. Many of the negative factors have been identified, but there is no definitive list. Here are the ones that have been announced so far:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- all types of intoxication and infection;
- great physical activity;
- smoke;
- constant weight lifting;
- stress and nervous tension;
- uncomfortable shoes or uneven feet that create unnecessary pressure on the spine;
- inadequate nutrition;
- frequent hypothermia and exposure to the elements;
- age-related changes;
- spinal injury;
- poor heredity;
- a strong refusal to train, if they have been doing it for a long time before that.
Having familiarized yourself with the reasons, it is obvious that cervical osteochondrosis can arise at any age. And if at first the symptoms of osteochondrosis are negligible and are marked by rare attacks of pain, then, in time, it will also be 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 great worker. She's been involved all day, and her little vertebrae stoically resist all our twists and turns. If bones are displaced, nerves are pinched and blood vessels are compressed, and the vertebral artery, which is 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 effusion, ischemia, intervertebral hernia - these are the serious consequences of cervical osteochondrosis. We add here a general decrease in mobility and osteophyte formation. As a result, we have a disability that threatens complete immobility. With such a disappointing 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 does a person talk about if their cervical vertebrae are destroyed? The image of the disease is like this:
- dizziness;
- Splitting headache;
- "Flies" and colored spots in the eyes in contrast to the headache;
- 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 existed in doctors' arsenal for the recognition of 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 condition, a specialist vertebronologist prescribes the necessary treatment. The first thing the doctor takes is to relieve pain, then swelling and inflammation. For pain relief, these anti-inflammatory drugs are used. As we recall, compression of the vertebral artery cuts off the brain's supply, which means it needs to be improved. This is done with the help of muscle relaxants.
Knowing that the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are related to the spine, massage and physical therapy exercises are necessarily included in the complex of measures to improve health. The massage is performed by a professional and by the patient. There are also special exercises that aim to develop the cervical vertebrae and restore their mobility.