Osteochondrosis is a degenerative bone disease that most commonly affects the spine and knees. This mainly causes excruciating pain and movement problems. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out a complex treatment.
Osteochondrosis - what is it?
It is based on the violation of endochondral ossification. However, this condition is the result of local ischemia of the hyaline cartilage in the metaphyses of the growing bone. This condition is often called juvenile osteochondrosis precisely because it develops in the developing skeletal system.
In patients with osteochondrosis, the cartilage tissue is ischemic, depleted and, as a result, dies. Cartilage does not mineralize, but ossifies and then breaks off from the bone in which it was formed because it is not very strong. The separation of cartilage from bone may be due to mechanical factors.
Osteochondrosis can manifest in various forms, but patients usually have:
- Osteochondrosis of the spine, which in most cases includes the lumbar or cervical spine.
- Osteochondrosis of the knee with overload of the tibial tuberosity, which forms the knee joint.
In this article, we will pay special attention to osteochondrosis of the cervical spine (OHSS).
Osteochondrosis - causes
Osteochondrosis is a disease whose degenerative dystrophic causes depend largely on the form of the disease that occurs in a given patient. In the case of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, its development may result from the violation of tension in the structures responsible for stabilizing the spine. The cause of the disease may also be a gradual loss of the cushioning properties of the intervertebral discs. On the other hand, osteochondrosis of the knee usually occurs as a result of an avulsion fracture of the tibial tuberosity. It is an overload resulting from an imbalance between the muscle's cross section, the surface of its insertion and the forces acting on a very small area, that is, the tibial tuberosity.
Characteristics of osteochondrosis of the cervical segment
Osteochondrosis of the cervical segment of the spine differs in the manifestations of osteochondrosis of the lumbar and thoracic segments.
The neck region contains many blood vessels and nerves, including the vertebral artery, which enters the spinal canal. Therefore, in osteochondrosis of the cervical segment of the spine, when the vertebrae are displaced, nerve formations appear in the lateral sections (which can irritate the muscles and areas around the ligaments).
When the vertebral artery is compressed due to narrowing of the artery (stenosis), the blood supply to the brainstem and cerebellum decreases.
Symptoms of Cervical Osteochondrosis
The symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are caused by: compression of the spinal roots (cervical radiculitis), compression of the spinal cord (myelopathy), damage to the spinal cord due to circulatory disorders associated with stenosis (narrowing) of the arteries and veins.
Root syndromes (cervical sciatica)
The symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are associated with compression (compression) of the nerve roots. Pain can start from the neck to the shoulder and spread to the outer surface of the shoulder, forearm, and fingers. It can affect the sensitivity of the skin on the forearm, hand and fingers.
Spinal Artery Syndrome
Headache (paroxysmal, persistent, impulsive, which intensifies when turning the head), dizziness, blurred vision, ringing in the ears.
SHO treatment
In the acute phase, accompanied by severe pain, local administration of analgesics and corticosteroids is indicated to relieve muscle tension in the motor segment of the vertebrae and reduce pain.
Combinations of NSAIDs, antispasmodics, pain relievers, and vitamins are effective.