Osteochondrosis is an outdated term that is often used in some countries to refer to degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs, facet joints, and the vertebral bodies themselves. In the cervical spine, these changes are common due to its mobility and cause neck pain in both men and women. Sometimes a degenerative disease is complicated by an intervertebral hernia that compresses the spinal root, which can lead to muscle weakness and numbness of the skin of the upper extremities. We will talk about the symptoms and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the article.
Cause of pain
The cervical spine is very mobile. It consists of seven vertebrae, intervertebral discs located between them and ligaments. With osteochondrosis, the intervertebral discs become thinner and deformed, their elasticity and shock absorption decrease. Gradually the internal part of the disc, the nucleus pulposus, comes out through microdamages in the external part, the fibrous ring. This is how intervertebral bumps and hernias form, which irritate the ligament pain receptors along the back surface of the spine, causing pain. When the spinal roots are compressed, the pain can spread to the upper limbs and neurological symptoms may appear: decreased sensitivity of the skin of the arm, muscle weakness, etc. As a protective reaction to injury and damage, bony growths - osteophytes - may appear along the edges of the bodies and on the arches of the vertebrae.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine usually develops due to the aging process, but some risk factors aggravate and accelerate the course of the degenerative disease of the spine. Between them:
- Genetic predisposition.The presence of osteochondrosis in close relatives, especially at a young age, increases the risk of its early onset and complications.
- Physical inactivity.With a sedentary lifestyle, the nutrition of the intervertebral discs is disrupted. They have no blood vessels and receive nutrients by diffusion from the vertebral bodies. These processes actively occur during physical activity.
- Injury.Spinal injuries accelerate the development of degenerative changes in the spine.
- Uneven load on the spine.Possible situations: improper physical exercise, incorrect posture, predominant load on one side of the body or one limb, prolonged posture with the head tilted, for example when reading from a phone.
- Metabolic disorders.The condition of the vertebrae is influenced by the presence of endocrine diseases, in particular diabetes, which make tissue nutrition difficult.
Symptoms
The dominant symptom of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is pain. Its location depends on the nature of the lesion. When irritated by a bulging disc or osteophytes of a sensitive ligament, neck pain is felt and is associated with a reflex muscle spasm. If the hernia compresses the spinal nerve, the pain may radiate to the arm.
Most often, pain in the neck and back of the head is noted and occurs or intensifies with sudden head movements, prolonged static tension or uncomfortable position, for example after sleep.
Other signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- Limited neck mobility, pain when turning head.
- Neck muscle spasm.
- Decreased tone and strength of the muscles of the upper limbs, typical of compression from a spinal root hernia.
- Impaired sensitivity of the skin of the upper extremities.
- When a hernia of the vertebral artery is compressed, symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency appear, which develop sharply when turning or tilting the head: dizziness, nausea, tinnitus, fainting, impaired short-term memory, unsteadiness in walking, disturbances vision, hearing and speech, severe muscle weakness of the limbs.
Diagnostics
With pain and discomfort in the neck area, the patient is advised to consult a neurologist or vertebrologist. Sometimes it is necessary to consult other specialists: an orthopedic traumatologist if there is a history of injuries.
A neurologist conducts an examination and clarifies complaints and medical history. Cervical osteochondrosis can manifest itself in the form of dozens of diseases, so further examination is often required to determine the cause of pain and make a clinical diagnosis.
A diagnostic plan for neck pain may include the following examination methods:
- Laboratory tests (general blood count, biochemical blood test, urinalysis, others - as indicated).
- X-ray of the cervical spine to detect fractures and other injuries.
- CT scan of the cervical spine to determine lesions, cancer and other changes in the vertebrae.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine to evaluate the conditions of the spinal cord, nerve roots, visualize protrusions and hernias.
- Electroneuromyography to determine the conduction of impulses along the spinal roots.
During the differential diagnosis, other tests are also prescribed at the discretion of the specialists.
When is treatment possible without surgery?
For osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, conservative treatment is carried out if there are no progressive neurological manifestations: muscle weakness and numbness of the limbs. They occur when the spinal roots, arteries, and spinal cord are compressed.
The neurologist determines how to treat osteochondrosis of the neck after examination and receipt of the examination results. Most patients receive effective conservative therapy with long-term stable remission. Modern techniques are also effectively used to prevent the progression of osteochondrosis and its manifestations.
Conservative treatment methods
For cervical osteochondrosis, therapy begins with conservative methods. Its goals: pain relief, elimination of muscle spasms, improvement of metabolic processes in nervous tissue and microcirculation.
Drug therapy is carried out to relieve pain and muscle spasms. For this, the neurologist prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants. If the pain lasts more than 12 weeks, that is, it becomes chronic, anticonvulsants and antidepressants with persistent analgesic effect may be recommended.
In addition to drug therapy, modern effective techniques are used:
- Acupuncture.The neurologist uses special sterile needles to irritate biologically active points. This alleviates the condition: reduces pain, relaxes muscles.
- Plasma therapy.With local administration of the patient's blood plasma enriched with platelets, the regeneration of damaged tissue is stimulated. Recovery times after operations, illnesses and injuries are shortened.
- High intensity magnet.The electromagnetic field stimulates and accelerates the regeneration of damaged tissues. Relieves pain and reduces swelling.
- Laser physiotherapy.The method has anti-inflammatory, anti-edematous and analgesic effects. It allows to reduce the size of the hernial protrusion. It is used as a basic method within the framework of the treatment of intervertebral hernias using the resorption method.
- Physiotherapy.Classes aim to strengthen muscles, increase flexibility of the spine, restore mobility in the joints of the spine and develop correct posture. Exercises are selected by a specialist individually for the patient, after the acute pain has been relieved.
- Kinesiotaping.Combined with physical therapy. Before classes, the doctor fixes tapes on the neck area in a certain direction to relax the muscles and influence the pain receptors. As a result, the pain decreases. With regular use, the mobility of the spine is restored and muscle tone is normalized.
- Medical massage.The specialist relieves muscle spasm by acting on receptors in the skin, muscles and fascia. Quickly and permanently relieves pain and improves spinal mobility.
Therapy is selected individually based on the cause of neck and back pain and associated symptoms.
Forecast
With timely diagnosis and treatment, the outcome is favorable. If complications of osteochondrosis appear in the form of intervertebral hernia with various neurological symptoms, surgical treatment may be necessary. After that, rehabilitation can take years. Without treatment, the risk of permanent disability is high. Comorbidities and advanced age worsen the prognosis.
Patients are often concerned about the question of how to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis forever. Unfortunately, it cannot be completely cured. Degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine are natural aging processes of the body that cannot be avoided. But you can slow their progression and avoid complications.
Prevention
There are no specific preventive measures for osteochondrosis.
The recommendations boil down to improving overall health:
- Maintaining optimal body weight.
- Maintain an active lifestyle.
- Sleep on an orthopedic mattress and pillow.
- Regular and moderate physical activity: half an hour of walking is sufficient, warming up the neck and back every day.
- Workplace ergonomics. The table and chair should be suitable for your height, the computer monitor should be at eye level or slightly higher.
These measures will maintain the health of the musculoskeletal system by reducing the rate of wear of the intervertebral discs.
Abstract:
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a degenerative-dystrophic change in the vertebrae, accompanied by the formation of herniations of the intervertebral discs.
- Cervical osteochondrosis is manifested by neck pain, limited mobility and muscle spasms. When a spinal root is compressed by a hernia, muscle weakness and numbness of the skin of the upper extremities may occur.
- Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis consists in examining a neurologist and conducting the necessary additional examination: CT, MRI of the spine and other methods.
- Treatment of osteochondrosis is often conservative and aims to relieve pain, inflammation and muscle spasm.
- Prevention of osteochondrosis consists in maintaining an active lifestyle, regular physical activity and ergonomics of the workplace.