Osteochondrosis generally refers to degenerative changes in any joint cartilage. Therefore, this pathological condition can occur in all joints of the musculoskeletal system. However, the most pronounced symptoms, for example, headache and headache, as well as heart pain, are noted in the case of cervical osteochondrosis, that is, damage to the cartilage tissue between the vertebrae of the cervicobrachial spine.
According to WHO statistics, around 60% of Europeans suffer from osteochondrosis in one way or another. In men, the disease manifests itself about 10 years earlier than in women. Representatives of the more severe sex face symptoms somewhere around 45 years of age. The female half is 55-60 years old respectively. At the same time, experts sound the alarm about the ongoing rejuvenation of this disease. If you do not take timely measures, literally within the next decade, the number of 30-year-old patients with osteochondrosis will increase significantly.
Causes of osteochondrosis
Dystrophic changes in the pulp occur for various reasons. The first place must be given to the natural aging of the cartilage tissue, which unfortunately is an objective and irresistible circumstance. However, as mentioned above, this disease is getting younger, which is no longer associated with aging, but for other reasons.
In young patients, the disease manifests itself as a result of metabolic disorders associated, as a rule, with a poor diet. The abundance of fat and low vitamin content in food are the reason why cartilage literally starts "starving" and goes into a state of dystrophy.
Another provoking factor is physical inactivity. Read the forums on which people who have encountered this disease communicate, and you will see that most of them are still relatively young residents of megacities, which, as a rule, are engaged in mental work involving a long sitting position. Low motor activity of the cervical vertebrae leads to a loss of elasticity of the cartilage in the intervertebral discs.
Due to a bad diet and related metabolic disorders, as well as physical inactivity, the pulp begins to degenerate, becoming more and more dense. In the later stages of osteochondrosis, a complication occurs, which manifests itself in the replacement of the cartilage tissue of the bone and thickening of the intervertebral discs. This leads to compression of the nerve roots and blood vessels located here. The involvement of the elements of the nervous and vascular systems in the pathological process determines the specific course of osteochondrosis.
Specificity of the disease
The difficulty of coping with this disease lies in its late diagnosis, which is explained by the camouflage of osteochondrosis under other pathologies. People waste precious time and do not treat this pathology, because they are not aware of its presence. And patients can't be blamed for it. If the pressure goes up, we treat the hypertension. Stabbed heart: let's go to 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 neuropathologist.
Meanwhile, just a couple of visits to a specialist of this profile will allow you to start the process of restoring the cartilage of each cervical vertebra, which will gradually eliminate false hypertension and suspicions of persistent angina pectoris and headaches and othersSymptoms associated with conditions of the neck and shoulder region, it seems to us, do not appear to be related.Early detection of the disease prevents further pulp dystrophy and allows osteochondrosis to be treated at home and on an outpatient basis, without hospitalization. Unfortunately, most patients turn to a neuropathologist already with sufficiently severe injuries of the intervertebral discs - when the neck begins to hurt unbearably.
Diagnostic methods
Diagnosing osteochondrosis is a complex job. The search may take a long time, but its costs are justified, as early treatment of this disease avoids the worst-case scenario: surgery to replace the ossified intervertebral disc, during which pinched nerve roots and implants are released. full function or simple height compensators that replace the removed element of the spine. The type of solution required for a particular patient is determined by the orthopedist after a complete diagnosis.
Since the disease, as indicated above, is masked, it is first necessary to ensure that the symptoms are not associated with problems in other organs. For example, in case of pain in the heart, it is necessary to undergo a cardiological examination and confirm the absence of heart disease. Comprehensive diagnostics will allow not only to confirm suspicions of osteochondrosis, but also to find out the general condition of the body along the way.
The final diagnosis is made on the basis of the results of the radiographic examination of the cervicobrachial spine in the frontal and lateral views. A more informative method is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It allows you to more accurately determine the localization of dystrophic changes. Thanks to this, the doctor has the opportunity to literally prescribe timely treatment.
Treatment with folk remedies at home
The advantage of osteochondrosis, if this word is used in this case, is that the patient can be treated at home, without compulsory hospitalization. The course of treatment includes taking special drugs and performing exercises from the physical therapy complex.
Medicines (their types) used to treat osteochondrosis at home are presented in the table below.
| Painkillers | In most cases these are tablets, sometimes capsules. These funds are designed to relieve pain in the cervical spine. |
| Anti-inflammatory | Hormonal drugs that stop the inflammatory process resulting from changes in the intervertebral cartilage. It also relieves pain. |
| Chondroprotectors | Medicines containing components for the restoration of cartilage tissue, such as hyaluronic acid. Designed for long-term use. |
| Muscle relaxants | Means to relax muscle tension. These drugs are taken only under the supervision of a doctor. Usage is limited due to the large list of contraindications. |
| External | Ointments, gels, and so on. Anti-inflammatory, analgesic and warming agents are used. Before using these funds, you need to consult with a specialist. |
| Vitamins | Preparations with vitamins that improve the conductivity of nerve fibers and the functioning of the peripheral nervous system in general. These are B vitamins, as well as A and C. In some cases, vitamin D is prescribed. |
It should be understood thatour list of drug types gives no reason to self-medicate. A specific agent with an indication of the dosage and taking into account the pathogenesis in each individual case can only be prescribed by a certified neurologist. The reckless adherence to television advertisements that "recommend" the best drugs for osteochondrosis is not fraught with a cure for this disease, but, on the contrary, with an aggravation of the situation. WATCH OUT!
Injection therapy
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, along with taking pills and applying ointments, drug injection is used. There is a wide range of drugs for injection. Treatment courses include all types of injections, which include the following:
- subcutaneous;
- intramuscular; intravenous
- ;
- epidural.
Injections are more effective than drugs taken orally and all kinds of folk remedies. The bloodstream quickly transports the agent to the sore spot, which explains the rapid healing effect. And, for example, with an epidural injection, drugs are injected directly into the spinal cord and begin to act immediately.
Vitamins and other supportive drugs are usually injected subcutaneously. Anti-inflammatory drugs and chondroprotectors are injected intramuscularly. For example, injections ofof an anti-inflammatory drug, so popular among patients, are injected into the muscle tissue. The drugs are injected intravenously to speed up cerebral circulation. This is necessary in case of squeezing of the overgrown intervertebral discs of blood vessels, through which the blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain. Epidural injections are done with the goal of blocking severe pain when other pain relief methods are ineffective. With this injection, the needle passes between the vertebral processes and delivers the anesthetic directly to the spinal cord. This procedure is performed only by a qualified professional anesthetist.
Injections are fully effective only under the condition of regular physical exercise in medical gymnastics. That is, by itself, the administration of drugs is not enough for the complete treatment of osteochondrosis. Only in combination with physical therapy is it possible to relieve the symptoms of the disease and, in the future, restore the affected cartilage tissue.
What to do during exacerbations?
Although osteochondrosis of the cervical spine proceeds chronically and more or less imperceptibly over long periods of time, patients sometimes face exacerbations. In each patient, they occur at different intervals and can occur unpredictably. During these periods, it is important to take timely measures to prevent a significant deterioration of the condition.
Exacerbators
Exacerbations in osteochondrosis, as in any other disease, do not occur, as they say, out of the blue. Typically, acute conditions are triggered by the following factors:
- stress;
- unprofessional massage;
- meteorological phenomena;
- visit to a thermal bath (sauna);
- excessive physical activity after prolonged physical inactivity.
In women, osteochondrosis is often exacerbated during menstruation. Alcohol abuse is also a powerful provoking factor.
Symptoms of exacerbation
The symptomatology of exacerbations of osteochondrosis in each patient manifests itself differently and is determined by the general clinical picture of the pathogenesis. For example, cervicaland headache in acute conditions are noted by all patients and the loss of sensation to facial numbness during exacerbations is not felt by all, but nevertheless occursquite often. And, of course, during this period, the symptoms of those diseases in which osteochondrosis is masked are exacerbated. These are heart pains, dizziness, tinnitus, hot flashes and so on. Exacerbations are especially dangerous, during which inflammation of the cervical spine occurs.
Relief measures in case of exacerbations
In the period of aggravated osteochondrosis, it is necessary, first of all, to consult with your doctor. It is not necessary to ignore this rule, as delay in this matter can cause a disservice. The neurologist will assess the patient's condition and advise on the steps for an effective and, most importantly, safe way out of the crisis.
Usually during acute conditions with osteochondrosis, injections of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. But gymnastics during this period must be stopped. On the contrary, the patient must be kept calm. It is unacceptable to knead the neck - this can aggravate the condition. It is advisable to transfer the aggravation to the supine position and at the same time fix the head, placing a roller or at least a rolled sheet underneath.
An important role in reducing the frequency of exacerbations is played by their prevention, which is reduced to maintaining the correct motor regime in everyday life.A patient with osteochondrosis should monitor his posture, keep his head straight, avoid sudden movements. In wet and cold weather, it is necessary to protect the cervical vertebrae from hypothermia. And, of course, you shouldn't forget about medical gymnastics for a minute - you need to do it regularly. This is the key to the course of osteochondrosis without exacerbations.
2 degree of disease
Neuropathologists distinguish 3 degrees of osteochondrosis: 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the lion's share of patients, the disease is recorded in the second stage. This is due to the following points. The disease of 1 degree is characterized by the appearance of short-term pain in the neck, similar to an electric discharge. In the initial stage, the fibrous ring, which contains the central part of the intervertebral disc, begins to collapse. The guideline for the diagnosis of 1st degree osteochondrosis is pupil dilation, which is not associated with other phenomena in the body.
The number of patients with grade 1 osteochondrosis is not very high. The disease at this stage is transient and is eliminated (with timely treatment) or quickly passes to the second stage, if the moment is missed. The situation in the number of patients with grade 3 osteochondrosis is similar. It is also small. This is due to the fact that most often doctors manage to start timely treatment and prevent the passage of the pathology from the second stage to the third. The disease of this degree is characterized by symptoms such as acute neck pain, which does not subside even after taking painkillers, partial loss of upper limb control, constant dizziness, and often fainting. Osteochondrosis of the 3rd degree is treated, as a rule, surgically, since drug therapy is often ineffective.
Due to the fact that most patients suffer from osteochondrosis of the 2nd degree, this form of the disease is of great interest from a clinical point of view and it is in the treatment of the disease at this stage that the greatest experience has been accumulated. According to statistics, the percentage of patients with stage II osteochondrosis among all patients with this pathology is about 75%.
The specificity of this form of the disease is its chronic course with short periods of exacerbation. The second degree differs from the first in the continuous decrease of the space between the vertebrae. That is, the intervertebral disc still does not collapse, as in the case of the third stage, but becomes significantly thinner, which leads to pinching of the nerve roots and causes all the classic symptoms of osteochondrosis.
Since the 2nd degree pathology is the most widespread, speaking of the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in general, they involve the implementation of therapeutic measures in relation to this particular form of the disease. And, we repeat, they include drug therapy and physiotherapy exercises. Properly performed treatment allows you to eliminate the disease and prevent its transition to the third stage with an almost inevitable operation to replace the intervertebral discs.
Main symptoms and adequate treatment
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a degenerative lesion of the intervertebral discs that is difficult to diagnose. Most of the time it is found by people aged 45-50, but in recent years the disease has "rejuvenated" and now neuropathologists often see patients in their 30s.
The difficulty of detecting osteochondrosis is explained by the "simulating" nature of the course of the disease - when it is masked by other pathologies. The cause of the disease is the deterioration of the elasticity of the cartilage tissue, which forms a damping pulp between the vertebrae. The cartilage becomes thinner and denser. As a result, the nerve roots are compressed (the so-called radicular violation), which leads to the following symptoms:
- head and heartache;
- increased blood pressure;
- decreased sensitivity of the facial area (up to numbness);
- partial paresis of the upper limbs.
All these symptoms are certainly accompanied by neck pain. Often this pain is mild and does not force the patient to take pain medication. Ignoring the slight pain in the neck, the patient does not sound the alarm about osteochondrosis, but tries to treat other pathologies, for example, angina pectoris or hypertension, which he most likely does not have.
Treatment methods
According to modern approaches, osteochondrosis proceeds in waves. At first, it manifests itself as an exacerbation (acute period). Then the symptomatology weakens and a subacute period begins. The third stage is remission, the state of which continues 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.
During the acute and subacute phase, the patient takes painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. In these stages, an effective solution is the use of a neck gauze Shants collar, which gives the head a position where the neck muscles relax, eliminating pain. During the period of remission, drug treatment with chondroprotectors that improve the quality of cartilage tissue and a series of physical therapy physical exercises are indicated. Gymnastics is even more important than hyaluronic acid injections because healthy physical activity naturally stimulates the formation of collagen fibers in the cartilage.
Type of cervicothoracic disease
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 parts of the spine are closed with each other, which connects these two types of pathology of the intervertebral discs. That is, with dystrophic changes in the cervical vertebrae, practically the same violations are observed in the thoracic region. Therefore, these two forms of the disease are combined, especially since their symptoms are very similar to each other. The main symptom is pain. With cervical ostecondrosis, pain is localized in the neck, in the case of a cervicothoracic injury, pain in the sternum is added.
Common symptoms include the following:
- numbness of the face;
- headache and distress;
- blood pressure instability;
- strong tinnitus.
In case of damage to the thoracic vertebrae, the list is supplemented by impaired coordination of movements, activation of arthrosis of the shoulder joints, numbness of the hands.
Treatment of the cervico-thoracic spine
Treatment is prescribed after a thorough diagnosis by X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Treatment of osteochondrosis is complex: drugs and physiotherapy. Drug therapy involves taking anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.An important part of the treatment is the use of chondroprotectors that directly restore cartilage tissue in the intervertebral space. Physiotherapy measures include compresses and the use of all kinds of ointments, as well as physiotherapy exercises.
If osteochondrosis is detected in the thoracic spine, a professional massage is indicated. The effects of the massage trigger the natural regeneration processes of the cartilage tissue. Massage is more effective in eliminating the disease in the thoracic vertebrae than gymnastics, since the spine at this point is not flexible and therefore, when performing exercises, it is not always possible to provide a normal range of motion for the individual vertebrae. A masseur, on the other hand, is able to have an accurate effect on a diseased intervertebral disc. Only you should contact a spine massage specialist who has an appropriate certificate. Also, the masseur must be licensed.
Timely measures for the elimination of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis will allow to avoid surgery to replace the destroyed intervertebral disc with an endoprosthesis. Early diagnosis of pathology and discipline in outpatient treatment with medicines and folk remedies will save you money. If you have the slightest suspicion of osteochondrosis, consult a neurologist. But better. . .
Be sure to consult your doctor before treating any diseases. This will help take into account individual tolerance, confirm the diagnosis, ensure correct treatment, and rule out negative drug interactions. If you use prescriptions without consulting a doctor, it is entirely at your own risk. All information is presented for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical aid. All responsibility for the application is yours.