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Cervical osteochondrosis: treatment and symptoms

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is characterized by pain

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

What is cervical osteochondrosis

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

The cervical spine consists of seven vertebrae, the first of which articulates with the skull.The anatomical and functional unit of the spine is the spinal motion segment.This is a joint complex due to which the spine moves.The complex consists of two vertebrae, an intervertebral disc, the 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 disruption of the biomechanics of the spine as a whole.With the development of osteochondrosis, herniated intervertebral discs and compression of nerve roots and blood vessels may occur.

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

  • Stage 1

    The nutritional and metabolic conditions of the intervertebral disc are disturbed.Due to their structure, the discs are only powered when moving.If it is not there, degenerative changes in the tissue begin: the disc starves and dehydrates.The loss of water causes the intervertebral disc to be unable to perform shock absorption functions.The load on the fibrous ring increases, cracks and tears appear in it.At this point, a small pain may appear.

  • Stage 2

    At the second stage, the ligamentous apparatus of the motor segment of the spine is weakened.The connection becomes pathologically mobile.The pathological process in the disc worsens, hernia (prolapse) begins - leakage of the nucleus pulposus through cracks in the fibrous ring.The pain becomes periodic.

  • Step 3

    Then the intervertebral disc becomes permanently damaged.The nucleus pulposus of the disc extends beyond the annulus fibrosus.The resulting hernia can affect the nerve roots.An inflammatory process develops.This is manifested by an exacerbation of pain, the so-called radicular syndrome.

  • Stage 4

    In the fourth stage, the injury affects nearby tissues.Compression of the radicular artery is possible, which leads to insufficient blood supply to the spinal cord.As a result, part of the spine may become completely immobilized.

First signs and main symptoms

At the beginning of the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, discomfort, limited movement and pain in the neck region appear.This is often not given importance.

Over time, the pain intensifies, becomes aching, burning, headache, neck, shoulder blades, shoulders hurt - perhaps this is developing vertebral artery syndrome.The artery becomes compressed or spasmed and blood flow stops.

In stages 1–2 of cervical osteochondrosis, ophthalmological problems associated with spasm in the vessels often arise.Darkening of the eyes, flickering, the appearance of “floaters”, colored spots before the eyes - these are all symptoms of osteochondrosis.

The most common symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis:

  • Migraines, dizziness, nausea and cough;
  • Hearing impairment, ear pain, face pain;
  • Motor disorders in the arms and legs.The sensitivity of the scalp skin may disappear;
  • Pain in the hand.If a nerve root is compressed, the entire area to which it sends impulses may hurt or “fall out.”

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

  1. Myofascial syndrome- pain in skeletal muscles and adjacent fascia.The disorder is associated with overload, which causes spasm, hypertonicity and painful nodules within the muscle (trigger points).
  2. radicular syndrome- pain caused by prolonged compression of spinal nerve roots.The process of hernia formation in spinal osteochondrosis leads to compression of nerve fibers and a subsequent inflammatory reaction.The pain spreads along the nerve.
  3. Facet syndrome- pain in the vertebral joints.The second cervical vertebrae have articular processes that are connected to each other by facet joints.With osteochondrosis, the intervertebral discs are destroyed, their height decreases, as a result of which the articular capsules of the facet joints are in constant tension.This causes pain.Furthermore, the pain increases towards the end of the day, especially with prolonged forced postures.

Causes of osteochondrosis in the cervical spine

One of the main causes of osteochondrosis is the evolutionary inadaptability of the spine to high vertical loads.Human ancestors walked on four legs, like other mammals.They did not suffer from osteochondrosis, since in the horizontal position of the body the intradiscal pressure is twice lower than in the vertical position.By the standards of evolution, the transition to an upright posture occurred not so long ago and the spine simply did not have time to adapt to the high vertical load.Thus, along with walking upright, the person also acquired diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

The structure of the human neck makes it even more vulnerable.The human cervical region consists of seven small movable vertebrae, which articulate with each other like a child's pyramid.This structure can hardly be called stable outside a state of rest.Furthermore, the muscular structure in this area is weak and the loads can be high - all this makes the neck vulnerable.Any injury is fraught with consequences.Even if the damage occurred in another part of the spine, redistribution of the load may be the cause of osteochondrosis.

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

Also, the development of cervical osteochondrosis is promoted by:

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

The spinal canal in the cervical spine is very narrow, therefore high loads, any disorders or injuries can lead to compression of the spinal cord.And that is very dangerous.

In addition, a large number of nerve endings and blood vessels pass through this area.If blood stops flowing to the brain in adequate volume, a stroke may occur.

Diagnosis

During the initial diagnosis of 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 the day it hurts the most, if there have been injuries to the cervical spine.

During a neck examination, the doctor palpates the cervical vertebrae and muscles, lymph nodes;evaluates 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 diagnosis is played by radiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

  • Radiographyhelps to assess the condition of bone structures;soft tissue and cartilage are not displayed in the images.To visualize these structures, a contrast agent 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 tissues can be visualized.
  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).It is the “gold standard” in the diagnosis of pathologies, including cartilage and soft tissues.MRI provides information not only about the structure of organs and tissues, but also about their functioning.In the case of osteochondrosis, a frequent complication is spinal hernia.MRI allows you to diagnose the process of hernia formation in the early stages.

Treatment

Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine comes down to conservative methods.First, the pain syndrome is relieved, and then several procedures are prescribed.But in the most extreme cases, when the pain doesn't go away for more than three months and medications don't help, 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 need to be patient.Objectives of conservative treatment:

  1. Eliminate the pain.
  2. Relieve inflammation.
  3. Restore spinal root functions.
  4. Strengthen the muscular corset and ligaments.

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

During severe pain with radicular syndrome, so-called “blocks” are performed: the medicine is administered close to the inflamed spinal nerve root.

Physiotherapy 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 natural recovery processes to begin.
  • Kinesiotherapy- 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 to restore balance in the body and synchronize processes.Restore mobility and eliminate pain.
  • Recording- stick special stickers on the skin in places where it is necessary to influence muscle stretching and compression receptors.It can 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 is no result, it is recommended that the patient undergo surgery.

Surgical methods for treating osteochondrosis

Surgery in the case of cervical osteochondrosis is an extreme measure that requires special indications.Surgery is recommended if:

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

Postoperative rehabilitation also takes time and may include therapeutic treatment.

Cervical osteochondrosis is a complex degenerative disease.It cannot be left untreated.Such serious disorders in the musculoskeletal system can lead to disability.Neck pain can become chronic and osteochondrosis can spread to various parts of the spine.Timely prevention can prevent the development of this disease.

Prevention

To keep the 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 warm-up is necessary.And at home, after a day's work, you can lie down on your back for a while on a flat surface, placing a pillow under your neck.This method will help restore the cervical curve of the spine and relieve muscle tension.

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