Cervical osteochondrosis of the spine

Osteochondrosis is a progressive degenerative change affecting the intervertebral discs. Pathology can appear in any part of the spine, but most often affects the cervical spine.

The problem cannot be neglected, because over time the symptoms increase, and the pathology itself can result in serious health problems.

What is

The human spine consists of individual vertebrae, between which there is a specific spacer - the intervertebral disc. It is formed by cartilage tissue and acts as a shock absorber, protects the bone tissue of the vertebra from abrasion and destruction, but at the same time it flattens and wears out.

Normally, such processes occur along with the aging of the human body and begin no earlier than 50-55 years. But every year the pathology becomes younger, cases of premature wear of cartilage tissue have been recorded even in young people (25-30 years old).

The high percentage of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine compared, for example, with the lumbar spine, is associated with loads on this particular part, caused by the need to keep the cranium in an upright position.

The weight of an adult’s head can reach 3-5 kg: the weight of the skull bones is about 1400 g, about the same is the weight of the brain, about 500 g is the mass of circulating blood in the skull.

A feature of the cervical spine is the closer location of the vertebrae to each other and the smaller thickness of the intervertebral discs, which leads to complications even with minor changes in them.

Reasons for development

Factors contributing to the development of pathological changes in cartilage tissue:

• sedentary lifestyle;
• forced tense postures during work (driving, at the computer);
• overweight;
• state of nervous tension;
• neck injuries;
• muscle weakness.

The neck muscles try to compensate for the load caused by these factors, resulting in their spasm. Blood circulation, nutrition of cartilage tissue and metabolic processes are disrupted, which leads to a change in its structure.

The following also play a role in premature aging of intervertebral discs:

• hereditary predisposition;
• autoimmune diseases that provoke degeneration of cartilage tissue;
• congenital pathologies of spinal development.

Stages and symptoms of pathology development

Degenerative changes go through several stages, which are accompanied by specific symptoms:

• Stage 1. The symptoms are still practically invisible. At this stage, you can stop or slow down the pathological process without the help of medications (diet, exercise). The patient may feel:

  • discomfort in the neck and shoulder muscles, their tension, hardness;
  • mild pain when turning or tilting the head;
  • headaches that occur infrequently and are of low intensity (most often appear after static or strenuous work, nervous experiences).

• Stage 2. The height of the intervertebral discs decreases, compression of the nerve endings occurs, so severe pain appears in the neck, especially when performing movements and turns. Muscle spasm disrupts the blood supply to the skull, so symptoms associated with vascular insufficiency are added. The person notices:

  • crunching in the joints of the neck when turning the head;
  • decreased visual acuity;
  • tinnitus;
  • dizziness;
  • frequent headaches for no apparent reason;
  • numbness of the face and neck, loss of sensitivity in the skin of the hands and cervical-collar area;
  • shooting pains that radiate to the shoulder blade;
  • sleep disorders.

• Stage 3. A herniated disc is formed (its core protrudes into the spinal canal), which leads to disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. Symptoms may include:

  • numbness of the hands, paralysis of the upper limbs is possible;
  • the pain affects the entire cervical-collar area and can radiate to the heart area;
  • "floaters" appear in the eyes, nausea and vomiting;
  • feeling of a lump in the throat or pain, like a sore throat;
  • the skin in the upper body may not be felt at all;
  • dizziness occurs with almost any movement;
  • headaches are migraine in nature.

• Stage 4. Characterized by complete destruction of the disk:

  • tinnitus may be permanent;
  • dizziness may be accompanied by loss of consciousness;
  • Coordination disturbances appear, as the blood supply to the cerebellar region of the brain is reduced.

Single intervertebral discs are affected extremely rarely. Usually the process involves the entire department. The destruction of individual disks may be at different stages.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis includes instrumental examinations and assessment of the symptom complex.

Of the instrumental methods, the main information will be provided by:

• radiography - will show changes in the structure of the spine, but at advanced stages of the pathology;
• computed tomography - shows changes in the vertebrae, but intervertebral hernias and compression of the spinal cord are difficult to distinguish;
• magnetic resonance imaging - allows you to see intervertebral hernias and the direction of their growth;
• Ultrasound duplex scanning - shows the speed of blood flow in the area of suspected osteochondrosis.

When making a diagnosis, the doctor relies on the syndrome manifested in the patient. A syndrome is a combination of symptoms of a disorder.

With cervical osteochondrosis, the following syndromes can develop:

1. Vertebral- indicates that the pathological process involves bone and cartilage tissue. Manifests:

   • limited neck mobility;
   • pain when turning the neck;
   • structural changes in the vertebra or intervertebral disc (shown by x-ray).

2. Vertebral artery syndrome– means that the vertebral artery, which supplies blood to the brain, is involved in the pathological process. Main symptoms:

   • due to lack of blood flow:

     • noise in ears;
     • dizziness;
     • nausea and vomiting;
     • pressure surges;

   • due to irritation of the nerve endings of the artery:

     • severe headache (migraine);
     • numbness of the skin in the scalp;
     • "floaters" in the eyes or temporary blindness;

   • due to oxygen starvation;

     • fainting;
     • lethargy;
     • loss of ability to concentrate on anything;
     • depression;
     • panic attacks.

3. Cardiac.Signs similar to problems with the cardiovascular system:

   • pain in the sternum (sometimes like a burning sensation);
   • shortness of breath and fatigue;
   • acceleration of heart rate.

4. Koreshkovy.Associated with impaired conduction of nerve impulses depending on damage to a specific pair of roots innervating the cervical region:

   • 1st-2nd pairs of roots – pain or numbness in the back of the head;
   • 3rd pair – numbness of the tongue, difficulty chewing food;
   • 4th pair – pain in the collarbone, lump in the throat, difficulty swallowing food;
   • 5th pair – difficulty moving the arms with the problem concentrated in the shoulder area;
   • 6th pair – discomfort in the area of the shoulder blades and forearms;
   • 7th pair – numbness of the hands, more often of the middle and index fingers;
   • 8th pair – numbness of the ring and little fingers.

Treatment options

Only an integrated approach is applicable to the treatment of osteochondrosis. The fight against pathology can even last for many years.

Drug therapy

The use of medications for cervical osteochondrosis is aimed at:

• relieve pain;
• relieve inflammation and swelling;
• reduce muscle tension in the neck area;
• improve blood circulation;
• protect cartilage tissue from destruction and promote its restoration.

To diagnose and treat cervical osteochondrosis, you should contact a neurologist. If the clinic has a vertebrologist who deals directly with diseases of the spine, you can immediately contact him.

Your doctor may prescribe the following medications:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - relieve inflammation and swelling, reduce pain.
• B vitamins – help improve the functioning of nervous tissue.
• Chondroprotectors – protect cartilage tissue from destruction and restore its structure.
• Drugs that improve blood flow.
• Muscle relaxants are medications that relieve muscle spasms.

Physiotherapeutic methods

Physiotherapy methods can quickly alleviate the patient’s condition and are combined with medication:

• Electrophoresis– exposure of the affected area to low-intensity electric current. Delivers medicinal substances directly to the problem area. It is usually prescribed with an anesthetic to relieve pain or with a drug to improve blood flow to the cervical region.
• Ultrasound– has anti-inflammatory properties, improves blood flow and metabolic processes.
• Magnetotherapy– helps to quickly relieve tissue swelling and improve metabolic processes.
• Laser therapy– helps improve blood circulation at the site of exposure, and also has an anti-inflammatory effect.

Massage

During the course of medication and physiotherapeutic treatment, it is better to undergo a massage of the cervical-collar area from a specialist.

Self-massage can be used in the future, only very carefully, without trying to repeat the depth of impact shown by a professional massage therapist.

When performing the procedure, the specialist uses classical massage techniques:

• stroking – activates the surface layers of the skin;
• squeezing – connects the deep layers of the skin;
• rubbing – warms up the muscles and relaxes them, improves blood circulation;
• kneading - affects very deep-lying tissues, so they are used carefully;
• vibration - tapping and shaking that ends the procedure.

Manual therapy

Sometimes, with cervical osteochondrosis, it is recommended to consult a chiropractor. But this technique causes conflicting reviews: in some cases it certainly helps, in others it almost makes it worse. The whole point is this:

• There is no doubt that a chiropractor must be a highly qualified doctor with a medical education and qualifications as a neurologist or orthopedic traumatologist.
• Manual therapy for cervical osteochondrosis has many contraindications. Two people with similar symptoms may receive different answers about the need for manual therapy - one can and should, the other absolutely cannot.

To contact a chiropractor there must be strict indications and no contraindications. They are determined by the attending physician and given a direction for this type of therapy.

A highly qualified chiropractor will not work with a patient without studying the results of the x-ray.

Treatment at home

Traditional treatment recipes or the use of any home remedies should be discussed in advance with the doctor, because in each specific case they can either help or worsen the condition.

This applies, for example, to the needle applicator used. It consists of plastic spikes attached to a wide tape, which a person applies to the painful area (you can lie on them). The thorns cause irritation of skin receptors and increase local blood circulation. But it cannot be used for infectious and vascular diseases.

It is also popular to warm the diseased area with mustard plaster or a bag of salt or sand. But with vascular diseases this can also be dangerous.

Therapeutic exercise (physical therapy)

Therapeutic exercises are the safest method of treating cervical osteochondrosis. It is recommended to do it both during the period of exacerbation and in the future - to prevent the disease.

The patient should not feel pain when performing the exercises. Doing it "through pain" will not only bring no benefit, but can also harm your health.

The simplest but most effective movements are turns, bending and head rotations. It is strictly forbidden to do this at high speed and amplitude. Movements should be barely noticeable. Despite such low mobility, the exercise ensures blood flow and improves its circulation in the neck area.

Shants collar

The Shants collar is a rigid head support that relieves tension from the neck muscles and prevents movements that can cause pain. It is recommended to wear both during treatment and for the prevention of cervical osteochondrosis.

The collar is worn constantly. The vertebrae are fixed in the correct position and do not put pressure on each other, as well as on blood vessels and nerve endings. As a result, pain disappears, blood circulation is normalized and many symptoms of the pathology disappear.

If 5-7 cervical vertebrae are unstable, a bandage cannot be used, since it will not be possible to secure it in the correct position. It is also not recommended to wear a collar if the thyroid gland is enlarged.

Application of an orthopedic pillow

Very often, osteochondrosis is aggravated due to compression of the cervical artery and nerve roots while sleeping on an uncomfortable pillow. An orthopedic pillow ensures an even horizontal position of the spine at night.

By itself, it will not cure osteochondrosis, but it will alleviate the condition, and will also be a good measure to prevent the development of degenerative processes in the spine.

Prevention

There are simple rules that, if followed, will help prevent early aging of intervertebral discs:

• monitor your weight; exceeding the norm by 10 kg creates a critical load on the entire spine;
• try not to lift or carry heavy things;
• if you need to carry a heavy bag, hold it alternately in your right and left hand (or it is better to use a backpack that will evenly distribute the load across your entire back);
• every half hour of static work should alternate with light exercises to relieve muscle tension and improve blood circulation;
• It is useful to engage in physical education and sports exercises, for example, swimming, but running, jumping, and weightlifting are harmful to the spine;
• for sleeping, use an orthopedic mattress and pillow.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can significantly worsen a person’s quality of life. The disease can be treated in the early stages, but even as it develops, daily performance of a set of exercises, compliance with the rules of prevention, massage and other measures prescribed by the doctor allow you to lead a comfortable life.