Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

Cervical osteochondrosis is a chronic disease caused by degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs of the neck. As the disease progresses, surrounding structures become involved in the pathological process, which leads to the development of a number of unpleasant symptoms. Treatment of the disease is complex, conservative and includes taking medications and non-drug methods.

causes

The exact reasons are unknown. The theory that the development of the disease is associated with age-related changes has not been confirmed, since today this pathology is diagnosed even in adolescents.

The factors that can trigger the development of the disease include:

• low physical activity, sedentary lifestyle;
• mechanical neck injuries;
• sedentary work with high static load on the cervical spine;
• uncomfortable mattresses and pillows;
• Obesity;
• circulatory disorders;
• scoliosis and other posture problems;
• connective tissue dysplasia;
• Metabolic disorders.

Syndromes and symptoms

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis do not appear immediately. The disease can develop asymptomatically for a long period of time or disguise itself as another pathology. The most common signs of cervical osteochondrosis are:

• Tinnitus – usually occurs when changing position after staying in a stationary position for a long time;
• Dizziness – the patient periodically feels as if objects begin to rotate in front of his eyes;
• Pain in the neck, back of the head – the intensity of the pain depends on the degree of pathological changes;
• Feeling of lack of air – the patient cannot breathe deeply;
• Visual impairment – occurs in later stages;
• Nausea, vomiting – are also associated with impaired blood supply to certain parts of the brain due to compression of important arteries by deformed intervertebral discs;
• Sore throat, dry throat, foreign body sensation;
• pressure changes that are poorly controlled by medications;
• numbness of fingers;
• Shoulder pain.

In addition to general clinical symptoms, several characteristic syndromes are distinguished:

Whirl:

• pain when turning the neck;
• Impaired mobility;
• X-rays show signs of damage to the vertebrae and discs.

Heart:

• burning and pain in the chest;
• increased fatigue, weakness for no reason;
• Tachycardia.

Vertebral artery. This syndrome occurs due to a narrowing of the vertebral artery that supplies blood to the brain. Manifested by tinnitus, dizziness and blurred vision.

Koreshkovy. It is caused by pinching or squeezing the nerve roots that exit the cervical spine.

stages

Stages of the disease:

1. The patient feels slight discomfort in the neck area. The intervertebral discs begin to lose stability.
2. Pain occurs. The intervertebral discs deform, the destruction of the fibrous ring begins and the vertebrae move closer together.
3. Neck movements are limited. Turning your head can cause nausea and dizziness. A constant lack of blood in the brain leads to symptoms such as lethargy, weakness, reduced performance and fatigue. The intervertebral discs become thinner, the vertebrae begin to rub against each other, the fibrous ring is destroyed and intervertebral hernias form.
4. The neck area is unable to move and the blood supply to the brain is completely disrupted. To correct this condition, the patient must constantly take special medications. The vertebrae begin to fuse together.

diagnosis

Diagnosis can be difficult due to the non-specific clinical picture and the large variability of possible symptoms. The patient may need the help of several specialists at once (surgeon, neurologist, cardiologist, vertebrologist, orthopedist and others).

At the appointment, the doctor listens to the patient's complaints, takes an anamnesis, conducts an examination and makes a preliminary diagnosis.

To confirm this, the following may be prescribed:

• blood analysis;
• MRI of the neck – allows you to detect pathological changes even at the initial stage of the disease, when the clinical manifestations are not yet too pronounced; with the help of this study you can assess the current condition of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs and identify the presence of deformations, osteophytes, compression of nerves and blood vessels;
• Dopplerography of the cervical arteries – allows you to assess the degree of compression and damage to blood vessels, as well as the speed of blood flow;
• Myelography with contrast medium – allows identification of pinched nerves;
• ECG – performed for differential diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases.

Treatment

Drug therapy includes taking the following groups of drugs:

1. NSAIDs. Effectively relieves inflammation, pain and swelling. These are agents for symptomatic therapy that do not affect the causes of the disease. NSAIDs can be used in short courses of 10-14 days.
2. Angioprotectors, agents that accelerate blood flow. Improves cerebral circulation and protects blood vessels from damage.
3. Glucocorticosteroids. Effectively relieves pain and nerve compression. Drugs in this group have many side effects and should only be taken as prescribed by a doctor if NSAIDs and analgesics do not help.
4. Chondroprotectors. Improves the health of the intervertebral discs and influences the causes of the disease. They inhibit the destruction of cartilage tissue and improve the shock-absorbing properties of the intervertebral discs.

Non-drug treatment may include the use of the following techniques:

1. Movement therapy. Regular exercise strengthens muscles and relieves cramps. It is recommended to conduct classes (at least at the initial stages) under the guidance of a specialist
2. Manual therapy. Tight neck muscles are one of the main causes of pain in this condition. Properly performed manual therapy helps eliminate spasms and compression of blood vessels and nerves. As a result, the nutrition of the intervertebral discs improves, cerebral circulation normalizes and pain disappears.
3. Kinesio taping. The use of special tapes relaxes the muscles, relieves cramps, swelling, inflammation and at the same time keeps the spine in a physiologically correct position.
4. Orthopedic devices. To minimize the load on the cervical spine, it is recommended to use orthopedic mattresses and pillows for sleeping. In addition, some patients are recommended to wear a special device (Schanz collar) that fixes the neck in the correct position.
5. Massage. An effective remedy for the cervical form of the disease. Perfectly relieves swelling, pain and congestion, improves local blood circulation and relieves muscle spasms. Do not massage if you have acute neck pain.
6. Physical therapy. Another effective technique. The sessions take place several times a year in courses. This allows you to eliminate unpleasant symptoms, relieve muscle spasms and slow down the further progression of the disease. To treat cervical osteochondrosis, laser therapy, magnetic therapy, mechanotherapy, traction therapy, hydromassage, UVT and mud therapy are most often used.

If conservative therapy does not bring results and the disease continues to progress, surgical treatment may be prescribed.

• operations to remove intervertebral hernias;
• Removal of the vertebral arch or spinous processes results in decompression of the spinal cord roots.
• Removal of part of the disc nucleus to repair a herniated disc.

The doctor makes the decision about treating the disease individually for each patient. Self-medication is prohibited and can lead to a number of complications.

Complications

If the disease is neglected, the following complications can occur:

• VSD;
• lack of oxygen to the brain;
• arterial hypertension;
• blurred vision, retinal dystrophy;
• breathing spasm;
• Violation of the act of swallowing due to dysfunction of the esophagus;
• Thyroid dysfunction;
• cramps and numbness of the neck muscles;
• chronic upper body pain that is not relieved by analgesics;
• hormonal imbalances.

prevention

To minimize the risk of developing the disease, you should follow the following recommendations:

• maintain posture;
• Set up the workplace properly to avoid neck strain.
• Healthy food;
• Stop smoking and drinking alcohol;
• avoid neck injuries;
• move more, do sports;
• do not overcool;
• control weight;
• sleep on a special orthopedic mattress and pillow;
• Do gymnastics regularly to avoid congestion.
• prevent curvature of the spine;
• Take regular massage classes to improve blood circulation and relieve congestion.
• do not sit for a long time in a position with your head tilted forward;
• If you feel discomfort in the neck area, you need to make an appointment with a specialist and undergo an examination. This means that possible changes to the intervertebral discs can be detected early, which makes treatment much easier and improves the prognosis.