Osteochondrosis usually refers to a degenerative change in any articular cartilage. Thus, this pathological condition can occur in all joints of the musculoskeletal system. However, the most obvious symptoms, such as headache and headache, as well as heartache, are observed in cervical osteochondrosis, i. e. damage to the cartilage tissue between the vertebrae of the cervicobrachial spine.
According to WHO statistics, about 60% of Europeans suffer from osteochondrosis to some degree. The disease occurs in men about 10 years earlier than in women. Representatives of the stricter sex face symptoms around the age of 45 somewhere. Half of the women are 55-60 years old, respectively. At the same time, experts give an alarm about the ongoing rejuvenation of this disease. If no action is taken in time, the number of 30-year-old osteochondrosis patients will literally increase significantly over the next decade.
Causes of osteochondrosis
Dystrophic changes in cellulose occur for a variety of reasons. The first place is given to the natural aging of the cartilage tissue, which is unfortunately an objective and irresistible circumstance. However, as mentioned above, this disease is getting younger, which is no longer due to aging but to other causes.
In young patients, the disease results from metabolic disorders that are usually accompanied by an inadequate diet. Fat abundance and low vitamin content in foods are the reason cartilage literally “starves” and gets into a state of dystrophy.
Another provocative factor is physical inactivity. Read the forums where people with the disease communicate and you will see that most are still relatively young residents of megacities who usually do mental work in a long sitting position. Low motor activity of the cervical vertebrae leads to loss of cartilage elasticity in the intervertebral discs.
As a result of poor nutrition and associated metabolic disorders, as well as physical inactivity, the pulp begins to degenerate and become denser. In the later stages of osteochondrosis, a complication occurs in the replacement of bone cartilage and thickening of the intervertebral plates. This leads to compression of the nerve roots and blood vessels found here. The involvement of elements of the nervous and vascular system in the pathological process determines the specific course of osteochondrosis.
Specificity of the disease
The difficulty in treating the disease lies in the delayed diagnosis, which is explained by the camouflage of osteochondrosis under other pathologies. People lack valuable time and do not treat this pathology because they are unaware of its presence. And patients cannot be blamed for that. If the pressure jumps, the high blood pressure is treated. We're going to a pricked cardiology. The head hurts regularly and now a person cannot fall asleep without ibuprofen or analgin. It doesn’t even occur to us that we need to see a neurologist.
And meanwhile, just a few visits to a specialist with such a profile will allow you to begin restoring the cartilage of each cervical vertebra, which will gradually eliminate false high blood pressure, suspected angina pectoris, persistent headaches, and other conditions associated with the neck-shoulder region. symptoms. the spine, to us, does not seem to be connected.Early detection of pathology prevents pulp dystrophy and allows osteochondrosis to be treated at home and outpatiently - without hospitalization. Unfortunately, the lion’s share of patients already consult a neuropathologist with a sufficiently severe lesion of the intervertebral discs - when the neck begins to cause unbearable pain.
Diagnostic Methods
Diagnosing osteochondrosis is a complex job. Research can take a long time, but its cost is justified because early treatment of this disease avoids the worst-case scenario - surgery to replace a ossified vertebral disc in which the pinched nerve roots are released or replaced with full-function implants or simple height compensators. What solution a particular patient needs is determined by orthopedics after a comprehensive diagnosis.
Since the disease, as indicated above, is masked, one must first make sure that the symptoms are not accompanied by problems with other organs. For example, in case of heart pain, you need to undergo a cardiological examination and confirm the absence of heart disease. Comprehensive diagnosis allows not only to confirm the suspicion of osteochondrosis, but also to know the general condition of the body along the way.
The final diagnosis is made based on the results of X-ray examination of the cervicobrachial spine in frontal and lateral projections. A more informative method is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This allows a more accurate determination of the localization of dystrophic changes. As a result, the doctor is given the opportunity to prescribe point treatment literally.
Treatment with home folk remedies
The advantage of osteochondrosis, if this word is used at all in this case, is that the patient can be treated at home without mandatory hospital care. The treatment course includes taking special medications and performing exercises from the exercise complex.
The following table shows the medications (types) used to treat osteochondrosis at home.
| Analgesics | In most cases, these are tablets, sometimes capsules. These foundations are designed to relieve cervical spine pain. |
| Anti-Inflammatory | Hormonal drugs that stop the inflammatory process caused by changes in the intervertebral cartilage. It also relieves pain. |
| Chondroprotectors | Medicines that contain ingredients needed to repair cartilage tissue, such as hyaluronic acid. Designed for long-term use. |
| Muscle Relaxers | Used to relieve muscle tension. These medicines should only be taken under the supervision of your doctor. Limited use due to a large list of contraindications. |
| Outdoor | Ointments, gels and more. Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and warm-up agents are used. You should consult a professional before using these funds. |
| Vitamins | Vitamin preparations that improve the conductivity of nerve fibers and the functioning of the peripheral nervous system in general. These are group B vitamins as well as vitamins A and C. In some cases, vitamin D is prescribed. |
It should be understood that thelist of drug types does not provide a basis for self-medication. A specific agent should only be prescribed by a certified neurologist, indicating the dosage and taking into account the pathogenesis in each case. Reckless adherence to television commercials by “recommending” the best drugs for osteochondrosis does not cure this disease but, on the contrary, exacerbates the situation. BE CAREFUL!
Injection therapy
Injectable medicines are used to treat osteochondrosis, along with taking tablets and ointments. There is a wide range of injectable drugs. Treatment courses include all types of injections, including:
- subcutaneously;
- intramuscular;
- intravenous;
- epidural.
Injections are more effective than oral medications and all kinds of folk remedies. The blood flow quickly delivers the substance to the sore spot, which explains the rapid healing effect. For example, by epidural injection, the drugs are injected directly into the spinal cord and begin to work immediately.
Vitamins and other supportive medications are usually given by subcutaneous injection. Anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are injected intramuscularly. For example, injections of the anti-inflammatory drug, so popular among patients, are injected into muscle tissue. Drugs are injected intravenously to speed up cerebral circulation. This is needed when the overgrown vertebrae of the blood vessels are compressed, through which the blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Epidural injections are given for the purpose of preventing severe pain when other methods of pain relief are ineffective. With this injection, the needle passes through the vertebral processes and delivers the anesthetic directly to the spinal cord. This procedure should only be performed by a trained professional anesthesiologist.
Injections are only effective if you exercise regularly in medical gymnastics. That is, administration of drugs alone is not sufficient to completely treat osteochondrosis. Only in combination with exercise can the symptoms of the disease be relieved and the affected cartilage tissue restored in the future.
What to do in case of exacerbations?
Although cervical spine osteochondrosis is chronic and more or less unnoticeable for a long time, patients sometimes face exacerbations. They occur at different intervals in each patient and can occur unpredictably. During these periods, it is important that timely action is taken to prevent a significant deterioration in the condition.
Aggravating provocateurs
Exacerbations of osteochondrosis, like any other disease, do not occur, as they say, from blue. Acute conditions are usually caused by the following factors:
- stress;
- non-professional massage;
- weather phenomena;
- visit to a thermal bath (sauna);
- excessive physical activity after prolonged physical inactivity.
In women, osteochondrosis often worsens during menstruation. Alcohol consumption is also a strong provoking factor.
Exacerbation symptoms
Symptoms of exacerbations of osteochondrosis manifest in different ways in individual patients and are determined by the overall clinical picture of pathogenesis. For example,cervical and acute headaches are noticed by all patients, and loss of sensitivity until facial numbness is not felt by everyone during exacerbations, however, it is quite common. And, of course, during this period, the symptoms of the diseases under which osteochondrosis are masked worsen. These include heartaches, dizziness, tinnitus, hot flashes and more. Exacerbations, in which inflammation of the cervical spine occurs, are particularly dangerous.
Aggravation measures
During an exacerbation of osteochondrosis, you should first consult your doctor. It is not necessary to disregard this rule, as a delay in the case may do poor service. The neurologist assesses the patient’s condition and suggests steps to effectively and, more importantly, safely get out of the crisis.
Injections of analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs are usually prescribed for acute conditions of osteochondrosis. But gymnastics must be interrupted during this period. On the contrary, the patient should be kept calm. Kneading the neck is unacceptable - it can make the condition worse. It is advisable to place the aggravation in a supine position and fix the head under a cylinder or at least one folded sheet.
Prevention is important in reducing the frequency of exacerbations, which consists in maintaining the correct motor regime in everyday life.Patients with osteochondrosis should monitor their posture, keep their heads straight, and avoid sudden movements.In damp and cold weather, the cervical vertebrae should be protected from hypothermia. And of course, you shouldn’t forget about the medical gymnastics for a minute - you should do it regularly. This is the key to the course of osteochondrosis without exacerbations.
2 degree illness
Neuropathologists distinguish between 3 degrees of osteochondrosis - 1st, 2nd and 3rd. In the lion’s share of patients, the disease is recorded in the second stage. This is due to the following points. Grade 1 disease is characterized by the appearance of short-term pain in the neck that resembles an electrical discharge. In the initial stage, the fibrous ring that holds the central part of the intervertebral disc collapses. The guideline for diagnosing grade 1 osteochondrosis is dilation of the pupils, which is not related to other phenomena in the body.
The number of patients with grade 1 osteochondrosis is not very high. The disease is temporary at this stage, or disappears (with timely treatment), or quickly progresses to the second stage - if the moment is missed. The situation is similar in the number of patients with grade 3 osteochondrosis. This is also small. This is due to the fact that most often doctors manage to start treatment in time and prevent the pathology from passing from the second stage to the third. This degree of disease is characterized by symptoms such as acute neck pain that does not subside even after taking painkillers, partial loss of control of the upper extremities, constant dizziness, and frequent fainting. Grade 3 osteochondrosis is usually treated with surgery because drug therapy is often ineffective.
Due to the fact that most patients have grade 2 osteochondrosis, this form of the disease is of the greatest clinical interest, and at this stage the greatest experience is gathered in the treatment of the disease. According to statistics, the II. The proportion of patients with stage osteochondrosis among patients with this pathology is about 75%.
A feature of this form of the disease is its chronic course, exacerbated for a short time.The second degree differs from the first in that the space between the vertebrae is constantly decreasing. That is, the intervertebral disc does not yet collapse as in the third stage, but it becomes significantly thinner, leading to pinching of the nerve roots and triggering all the classic symptoms of osteochondrosis.
As grade 2 pathology is the most common, in general, for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, it involves the implementation of therapeutic measures related to this specific form of the disease. And these, we repeat, include drug therapy and physiotherapy practices. Properly performed treatment will allow the disease to be eradicated and prevented by the almost inevitable operation of intervertebral disc replacement in the third stage.
Main symptoms and appropriate treatment
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a difficult-to-diagnose degenerative lesion of the intervertebral discs. It is most commonly encountered by people between the ages of 45 and 50, but in recent years the pathology has “rejuvenated, ” and now neuropathologists often admit 30-year-old patients.
The difficulty of detecting osteochondrosis is explained by the “simulating” nature of the course of the disease - when disguised as other pathologies.The cause of the disease is a deterioration in the elasticity of the cartilage tissue, which forms a dampening paste between the vertebrae. . The cartilage becomes thinner and denser. As a result, the nerve roots are compressed (called radical injury), which causes the following symptoms:
- headache and heart pain;
- increased blood pressure;
- decreased sensitivity of the face (until numbness);
- is a partial paresis of the upper limbs.
All of these symptoms are certainly associated with neck pain. Often, this pain is mild and does not force the patient to take painkillers. Ignoring the mild pain in the neck, the patient does not give an alert for osteochondrosis but tries to treat other pathologies such as angina pectoris or high blood pressure that are probably not in it.
Treatment Methods
According to modern approaches, osteochondrosis progresses in waves. It initially manifests itself in the form of exacerbation (acute period). Then the symptoms weaken and a subacute period begins. The third stage is remission, the condition of which lasts until the next exacerbation. The task of treating osteochondrosis is to quickly stop the acute phase, alleviate the patient’s condition in the subacute period, and ensure long-term remission.
In the acute and subacute phases, the patient takes painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. An effective solution at these stages is to use a Shants neck-gauze collar that gives the head a position in which the neck muscles relax, which eliminates pain. During remission, medication with chondroprotectors to improve cartilage tissue quality and a range of physical therapy therapies are indicated. Gymnastics is even more important than hyaluronic acid injections because healthy physical activity naturally stimulates the formation of collagen fibers in cartilage.
Cervicothoracic pathology
Strictly speaking, cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis are two different forms of the disease. However, they are often combined. This is due to the fact that the cervical and thoracic spines are closed to each other, which connects these two pathologies of the intervertebral discs. That is, with dystrophic changes in the cervical vertebrae, virtually the same lesions are observed in the thoracic region. Therefore, these two forms of the disease are combined, especially because their symptoms are very similar to each other. The main symptom is pain. In cervical osteochondrosis, the pain is localized in the neck, and in the case of cervicothoracic lesions, sternal pain is added.
Common symptoms include:
- facial numbness;
- headache and heart pain;
- instability of blood pressure;
- loud tinnitus.
In case of damage to the thoracic vertebrae, the list is supplemented by violation of the coordination of movements, activation of arthrosis of the shoulder joints, numbness of the hands.
Treatment of the cervical spine
Treatment is prescribed by X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after a thorough diagnosis. Treatment of osteochondrosis is complex - medication and physiotherapy. Medication includes the use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.An important part of treatment is the use of chondroprotectors, which directly restore cartilage tissue in the intervertebral space. Physiotherapy measures include compresses and the use of all kinds of ointments, as well as physiotherapy practices.
If osteochondrosis is detected in the thoracic spine, professional massage is recommended. The massage effects trigger the natural processes of cartilage tissue regeneration. Massage is more effective in eliminating chest vertebral disease than gymnastics because the spine is inelastic at this site, so it is not always possible to provide a normal range of motion for each vertebra when performing exercises. On the contrary, the massage therapist is able to have a precise effect on a patient’s intervertebral disc. All you need to do is contact a spine massage specialist who is duly certified. In addition, the massage therapist must be licensed.
Timely measures to eliminate cervicothoracic osteochondrosis allow surgery to be replaced by replacing the destroyed vertebral disc with an endoprosthesis. Early diagnosis of pathology and discipline saves money in outpatient treatment with medications and folk remedies. If you have the slightest suspicion of osteochondrosis, consult a neurologist. But better. . .
Be sure to consult your doctor before treating any illness. This helps to take into account individual tolerance, confirm the diagnosis, ensure that treatment is appropriate, and rule out negative drug interactions. If you use prescriptions without consulting a doctor, it is at your own risk. All information is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. You are solely responsible for the application.