Existing methods of treating cervical osteochondrosis are aimed at reducing symptoms, preventing complications, stopping further destruction of the cartilaginous and bone tissue of the spinal column and preventing the patient from becoming disabled.
Osteochondrosis is a pathological degenerative-destructive process that first captures the intervertebral disc, and then the vertebra itself.
It is necessary to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical region immediately after the first signs of the disease appear.
Mechanisms for the development of osteochondrosis
The spinal column consists of the vertebrae and the intervertebral discs located between them. The intervertebral disc has a gel-like nucleus pulposus in the center, surrounded on the periphery by a dense fibrous ring. The nucleus pulposus is hydrophilic - saturated with moisture and is characterized by high elasticity. Due to the elastic properties of the intervertebral discs, cushioning and mobility of the spine are provided.
In people over the age of 20, discs are already beginning to gradually lose their elasticity. This is due to the obliteration of the vessels that fed the discs, and further blood supply is due to diffusion from the bodies of adjacent vertebrae. In the cartilage tissue, against the background of a lack of nutrients, regeneration processes slow down - the disc begins to "age". Initially, the nucleus pulposus dehydrates, loses its elasticity, becomes flat, which increases the load on the fibrous ring. Microcracks, tension zones, ruptures, delamination appear in the structure of the ring.
The degenerated disc protrudes towards the spinal canal and irritates the nerve endings of pain receptors located on the posterior longitudinal ligament.
Features of the pathological process in cervical osteochondrosis are associated with the anatomical structure of this spine: different structure and size of the cervical vertebrae, tighter articulation in the intervertebral joints and underdeveloped muscular frame. With a prolonged static load on the cervical region (work at a computer), weak muscles do not hold the head well, and the main load falls on the spine.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in a specialized clinic is carried out using a unique technology based on a combination of manual therapy, electrophoresis and photodynamic laser therapy under the supervision of doctors.
The main reasons leading to the development of osteochondrosis:
- Congenital or acquired anomalies of the spine.
- Natural aging processes of the body.
- genetic predisposition.
- Long-term static and dynamic overload of the spine: forced posture, hypodynamia.
- Passion for sports that are dangerous for the spine: professional wrestling.
- Smoking.
- Autoimmune diseases with damage to the connective tissue - collagenoses.
- Improper nutrition with a predominance of carbohydrate and fatty foods, with a deficiency of proteins, vitamins, micro and macro elements.
- Overweight, obesity.
- Injuries and diseases of the spine.
Osteochondrosis of the spine - is there such a diagnosis?
In English medicine, this term refers to a completely different group of diseases that have nothing to do with our "native" osteochondrosis. In the International Classification of Diseases - a book that all neurologists should be guided by when indicating a diagnosis - there are such terms as "osteochondrosis of the spine in adults", "juvenile osteochondrosis of the spine", "osteochondrosis of the spine, unspecified".
However, sometimes this diagnosis is not entirely justified, when the doctor actually cannot fully figure out what is happening to the patient. Under this term, diseases such as:
- Myofascial pain syndrome- a condition in which a spasm constantly occurs in the same muscles.
- Muscle injury.After an injury, pain begins to disturb, and after a while they pass on their own.
- OtolithiasisA condition in which calcium salt crystals accumulate in the inner ear. They lead to dizziness - sometimes they are mistaken for a manifestation of diseases of the spine.
- Headache.They are also often linked to degenerative changes in the cervical spine. In fact, they often have other causes.
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Treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine
The standard set of therapeutic measures for exacerbation of the disease looks like this:
- Anti-inflammatory and painkillers.The doctor may prescribe Voltaren, Movalis, ibuprofen, and other drugs.
- If the pain is very strong and does not go away- use novocaine blockade. The doctor, armed with a needle and syringe, injects an anesthetic into special places where it blocks the transmission of pain nerve impulses.
- Physiotherapy helps:drug electrophoresis with novocaine, ultrasound, ultraviolet irradiation, diadynamic currents.
- If the pain makes you constantly in nervous tension,Prescribe medications to help calm you down.
- To the area of painapply dry heat.
- In order to unload the spine,different types of traction are used. The patient can be placed on a special bed with a raised headboard and fixed with rings under the armpits. Underwater traction in the pool is also used.
- The doctor may recommendyou visit a chiropractor, acupuncture sessions.
- During an exacerbationwear special orthopedic devices that help unload the muscles and support the spine - corsets, Shants collar.
When the exacerbation passes, you need to take measures that will help prevent a new one. Therapeutic exercises and massage help strengthen the muscles that support the spine. Appoint courses of physiotherapy. Good for swimming. All methods of treatment for osteochondrosis have contraindications, they must be used wisely, so self-medication is not the best choice. Visit a doctor.
Sometimes the symptoms of the disease, despite treatment, continue to grow, the patient's condition worsens. In this case, the neurologist may raise the question of surgical treatment.
Why should you visit a doctor soon? Firstly, "real" osteochondrosis is not such a harmless disease. Over time, it can make a person disabled if left untreated. Secondly, the symptoms can be caused by the same myofascial pain syndrome - a neurologist will be able to quickly detect the cause of the pain and eliminate it.
Back pain is a symptom that, according to statistics, more than 90% of people have experienced at least once in their lives. Most often it is attributed to osteochondrosis. Not all people experiencing back pain go to the doctor. Many are treated on their own with medicines that can be obtained without a prescription at a pharmacy, folk remedies. Sometimes such a "treatment" brings temporary relief - and in the meantime, the disease may continue to progress and, perhaps, the next time the back or lower back will "twist" much more.
An experienced neurologist will be able to correctly assess the symptoms of osteochondrosis, understand their causes and prescribe the correct treatment for osteochondrosis.
With pain - the main manifestation of osteochondrosis - you can more or less successfully fight for a long time with the help of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, some folk remedies. But this does not solve the main problem, pathological changes in the spine continue to grow.
Over time, this is fraught with compression of the spinal cord and the arteries that feed it, the development of serious neurological complications: severe weakening, up to complete loss, of movements and sensitivity, impaired control of the bladder, rectum.
Stages of development of cervical osteochondrosis
In its development, cervical osteochondrosis, as a disease, goes through several stages:
I stage. The initial period is characterized by local pain in the neck, aggravated by turning and tilting the head. There is a smoothness of the cervical lordosis and muscle tension. Morphological changes begin in the structure of the intervertebral discs: drying of the nucleus pulposus, cracks in the fibrous ring.
II stage. Pain in the neck increases with irradiation to the arm, shoulder. Severe headaches, weakness, decreased efficiency join. The destruction of the fibrous ring continues, signs of pathological mobility and instability of the vertebrae appear.
Stage III. Pain in the neck is strong, constant, radiating to the arms and shoulders. The muscles of the hands become weak, numbness of the upper limbs is noted. Patients have headaches, dizziness, disturbances of orientation in space. At this stage, the fibrous ring is completely destroyed. The gelatinous nucleus pulposus is not fixed, goes beyond the vertebrae and enters the spinal canal, forming a hernia. Hernial protrusion compresses the nerves and blood vessels, which leads to impaired blood circulation in the cervical spine.
IV stage. This is the final stage of the disease. The cartilage of the intervertebral discs is replaced by connective tissue, adjacent segments of the spine are involved in the pathological process. The joints grow together, become immobile (ankylosis). The patient's condition is severe: severe pain not only in the neck, but also in the arms, in the chest, between the shoulder blades, signs of cerebrovascular accident, sensitivity disorders. This is a life-threatening condition that can result in a stroke.
The success of treatment is 90% dependent on the experience and qualifications of the doctor.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is made on the basis of: patient complaints, a characteristic clinical picture, an anamnesis of the disease, data from a neurological and orthopedic examination of the patient using modern diagnostic methods: radiography, magnetic and computed tomography, and the results of functional tests.
After making an accurate diagnosis, the doctor decides how to treat osteochondrosis of the neck in this patient, which technique should be applied in a particular case.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Cervical osteochondrosis is treated symptomatically, mainly by conservative methods, which include:
- Drug therapy, which includes painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, B vitamins.
- Methods of physiotherapy: electrophoresis, laser therapy.
- Manual therapy.
- Acupuncture.
- Physiotherapy.
Surgical intervention is used extremely rarely when there is a real threat of developing a stroke, paralysis, or in violation of the internal organs.
At this stage in the development of medical science, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine cannot be completely cured, but further progress of the pathological process can be prevented and the condition of the affected spinal segment can be stabilized.
An integrated approach, sparing nature of the applied therapeutic methods allows you to effectively treat even advanced forms of cervical osteochondrosis.
The main methods of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in a modern clinic
Manual therapy and osteopathy. This method of manual impact on problem areas of the spine, the purpose of which is to restore the normal physiological position of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs. During the procedure, pinching of the nerve roots of the spine is eliminated, neck muscles relax in the area of pathological changes.
Electrophoresis is a method of delivering drugs directly to the area of the affected spinal segment. Prescribe medications that improve blood circulation, relieve inflammation and muscle spasm.
Photodynamic phototherapy. The method is based on the ability of a photosensitive preparation to be activated by laser radiation. A layer of a medicinal substance is applied to the skin in the area of the affected segment, which, penetrating deep into the tissues by 10-13 cm, has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.
The author's three-component technique, including manual therapy, electrophoresis and laser therapy, allows you to quickly relieve pain, remove swelling of surrounding tissues, improve blood supply in the area of inflammation, and activate the metabolic processes of cartilage tissue of damaged intervertebral discs. The goal of treatment is not only to reduce pain and improve the patient's condition, but also by acting on various parts of the pathological process, to stop further destruction of the intervertebral discs and the destruction of the vertebrae themselves.
The techniques used for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the neck in modern clinics have been tested in the best manual therapy centers in Europe and the USA, they are safe, effective, have practically no contraindications, and are well tolerated by patients even of older age groups.
Recommendations on what to do with cervical osteochondrosis, the patient will receive after consulting a neurologist, depending on the stage of the disease, the severity of symptoms, comorbidities and examination results.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical region
Osteochondrosis of the neck is a degenerative disease in which there is literally "premature aging", "wear and tear" of intervertebral discs, joints, vertebrae in the cervical spine.
Some facts about the disease:
- Osteochondrosis of the neck occurs in men and women about equally often.
- Most often, people aged 30-60 get sick.
- As a rule, pathology occurs in people who at work have to constantly be in the same position and perform monotonous movements.
- The cervical spine has some structural features, due to which the disease can have many different manifestations.
What features of the cervical spine cause the symptoms of osteochondrosis?
- There are openings in the lateral processes of the vertebrae - the carotid arteries pass through them on the right and left, which supply the brain with blood.
- In the cervical region passes the initial part of the spinal cord - it contains fibers that carry nerve impulses to all parts of the body, provide movement, sensitivity. If there is compression of the spinal cord in the neck, neurological disorders occur throughout the body.
- This section of the spinal column has great mobility, and this predisposes to the occurrence of osteochondrosis (although, in most cases, the disease still develops in the lumbar region - it not only has high mobility, but also experiences the greatest stress).
- In the neck, nerve roots emerge from the intervertebral foramina, forming the cervical and brachial nerve plexuses. They are responsible for movements in the muscles of the neck, arms, shoulder girdle, skin sensitivity, regulation of autonomic functions.
- The first vertebra does not have a massive front part - the body - it is a bone ring that is put on the tooth - a bone outgrowth on the second vertebra. This allows the head to turn side to side.
Neck pain, headaches, a feeling of weakness, numbness in the hands are symptoms that should make you turn to a neurologist. Examination by a specialist and examination using modern equipment will help to understand the causes of the pathology and take the most effective measures.
What happens to the vertebrae in cervical osteochondrosis?
The incomprehensible medical term "degenerative process" refers to the following pathological changes that occur in the cervical spine:
- First of all, the lesion in osteochondrosis covers the intervertebral discs. They become thinner, thus reducing the distance between adjacent vertebrae. In their outer part, small gaps, microcracks are formed. Over time, this can lead to a herniated disc.
- As a result of damage to the discs, the stability of the connection of the vertebrae is disturbed.
- Suffer with osteochondrosis of the cervical and intervertebral joints - spondylarthrosis develops. It also promotes compression of the nerve roots.
- The pathological process extends to the vertebrae themselves. Due to the fact that the functions of the intervertebral discs are impaired, the load on them increases. The spine tries to compensate for this violation, bone outgrowths appear on it - osteophytes.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
During an exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra, traction is used (the patient is placed on a bed with a raised headboard and the head is fixed with a special loop) to unload the intervertebral discs. For the same purpose, you need to wear a Shants collar. To relieve pain, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. With severe pain that does not go away, the doctor can perform a blockade: inject an anesthetic solution into the area of \u200b\u200bthe affected nerve roots. Physiotherapy is used: ultrasound treatment, electrophoresis with novocaine.
When the exacerbation subsides, the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine includes massage, physiotherapy, physiotherapy.
One of the main signs of cervical osteochondrosis is pain in the neck. Many people who are faced with this symptom do not go to the doctor, but prefer to treat "chondrosis" with home methods. There are at least two good reasons to refuse self-treatment and consult a specialist doctor.
Firstly, painkillers and folk methods, although they help relieve pain for a while, do not solve the main problem. Pathological changes in the spinal column continue to grow. Over time, this threatens with more serious consequences. To the extent that surgery may be required.
Secondly, neck pain occurs not only with osteochondrosis. There are many other reasons. Only a doctor can understand and prescribe the right treatment.
Physiotherapy
Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis is a long processrequiring an integrated approach. After you get rid of the primary symptoms, you can proceed to the use of various physiotherapy procedures:
- UHF therapy.Exposure to high frequency electromagnetic field. It has an anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect, and also promotes the launch of regenerative processes.
- Amplipulse.Low-frequency currents are applied to problem areas of the body. There is an expansion of blood vessels, getting rid of pain and spasms.
- Phonophoresis and electrophoresis.The introduction of drugs into deep tissues using ultrasound and direct current.
Massage procedures are also widely used, which are possible only after the removal of the inflammatory process. Massage promotes muscle relaxation, getting rid of spasms.
Diet - complex treatment of osteochondrosis
With this disease, it is necessary to act in a complex way, so changing the diet is a completely effective method of treatment. The diet is quite consistent with the generally accepted understanding of the concept of healthy eating, so try to add the following types of foods to your diet:
- Citrus fruits (in the absence of allergies).
- Olive oil.
- Fresh herbs and vegetables.
- Mineral water.
- Fish and foods high in phosphorus, protein, magnesium and calcium.
- Dairy and dairy products.
An excellent auxiliary tool will be ready-made vitamin complexes, which can be found in a large assortment in pharmacy chains. Remember that all medications should be taken only as prescribed by a doctor.
What symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine should make you see a doctor?
The main symptom of cervical osteochondrosis is pain. It can occur in different places, depending on the level at which the pathological process is localized: in the neck, in the shoulder girdle, in the arm, in the region of the heart. By nature, the pain sensations are dull, can be burning, aching.
Other manifestations of the disease:
- Headaches, dizziness, "flies before the eyes", noise, ringing in the ears.
- Weakness in the muscles of the neck, shoulder girdle, arms.
- Violation of the sensitivity of the skin.
- Shoulder-shoulder periarthritis: aching pains in the neck that pass to the arm, difficulty in abducting the arm above 90 °, weakness and atrophy of the muscles of the shoulder girdle.
- Shoulder-hand syndrome: pain in the shoulder and hand, swelling and stiffness of the fingers, weakness and atrophy of the muscles of the hand.
- Syndrome of the vertebral artery. Bone growths appear on the vertebrae, which compress the nerves, resulting in a reflex spasm of the vertebral artery, which takes part in the blood supply to the brain. The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are joined by constant headaches that start from the back of the head, spread to the temple, to the crown, nausea, noise in the head, ringing in the ears, flickering of bright spots before the eyes.
- Anterior scalene syndrome. There is an anterior and middle scalene muscle on the neck - they are nearby, and between them there is a small space in which nerves and blood vessels pass. With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the anterior scalene muscle becomes tense and squeezes them, resulting in symptoms such as pain on the inner surface of the forearm, shoulder, and fingers. Sometimes the pain radiates to the back of the head. The skin of the hand may become cold, pale, and numbness occurs.
- epicondylitis syndrome. In the lower part of the shoulder, on the sides of the elbow joint, there are bony protrusions - epicondyles. With epicondylitis syndrome caused by cervical osteochondrosis, pain occurs in them, which increase when pressed. Other symptoms also occur: pain in the neck, soreness when pressing certain points in the region of the cervical vertebrae.
If two sections of the spine are affected at once, with cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, symptoms may include pain between the shoulder blades, in the region of the heart.
With osteochondrosis, the risk of intervertebral hernia and stroke increases. If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, see your doctor.
Conclusion
Now you know how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine without resorting to the use of surgical intervention. The operation is the most radical method of treatment when the disease is already running and there is no other way out. But it is in your power to do so as not to run your health to such a state.