Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, the main symptom of which is a decrease in the intervertebral discs and disruption of work in them.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease among people of different ages. In men and women, pain in the spine most often occurs at the age of 40. In old age, osteochondrosis affects 90% of the population. The most common type of this disease is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. We will talk about him.
Causes of osteochondrosis
As the aging process begins, the functions of blood vessels, bones and cartilage deteriorate; with all these indicators, the body still does not get enough vitamins, which aggravates the process.
But there are also reasons, not related to aging, why the disease can occur earlier than usual.
- Excess weight. It causes metabolic disorders and overloads the intervertebral disc.
- Inheritance.
- Wound.
- Passive lifestyle. In addition to being in one position for a long time (driving).
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (flat feet, poor posture). Due to such diseases, the load on the spine is not uniform.
- Strong stress on the spine (multiple pregnancy).
Signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
This type of osteochondrosis occurs more often than others. This happened due to the fact that the cervical vertebrae are located very close to each other and have a different structure from the other vertebrae.
Why are the cervical vertebrae displaced? This is due to their age-related fragility and poor neck muscle structure development.
In addition to pain, arteries or a bundle of nerves can also be pinched by the displacement of the cervical vertebrae. Due to pains of different localization, osteochondrosis can be confused with other diseases.
Here are other symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Pain in different parts of the body. In the region of the heart, behind the head, neck, shoulders and collarbones. There may also be weakness in the arms and problems with spreading the arms to the sides. This is due to the pinched nerves in the cervical spine.
- Numbness in the fingers. Tingling sensation in the fingertips and low sensitivity in the hands.
- Discomfort when turning your head. Crepitus of the vertebrae, low back pain in the neck, dizziness, heaviness in the head or lack of air. If these symptoms are particularly acute during sports, this indicates the initial stage of the development of osteochondrosis. All of the above arises from the appearance of bone formations in the neck.
- Poor eyesight. Deterioration of vision, haze or flickering blackheads. This indicates an advanced stage of osteochondrosis and results from insufficient blood in the brain.
- Discomfort in the throat. A feeling of a lump in the throat, sweating and difficulty swallowing are signs of the early stage of development of osteochondrosis. Frequent nausea may also occur.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
What happens during the treatment?
Under the control of X-rays, needles are inserted into the joint facets of the cervical spine. Through them, two drugs are injected into the affected joints: a local anesthetic, which removes pain, and a hormone, which further relieves inflammation in the problem area.
This blockage can provide relief for quite a long time. However, if the pain has returned, provided the blockage has a positive effect, it is possible in the future to perform radiofrequency ablation of the nerves that take pain away from the joints.
Such a procedure is always carried out only in the second stage and leads to a lasting positive effect (from one to several years).
What are the benefits of this type of treatment for osteochondrosis?
- It does not require general anesthesia and lasts no more than an hour.
- The patient can go home within a couple of hours of the procedure.
- Minimal risk of complications.
- Even weak and elderly patients can be treated in this way.
- The recovery period does not exceed 2 days.
To speed up the recovery process, it is recommended to undergo a postoperative physical therapy course. This is a type of therapy that includes some physical activity after surgery. All exercises are selected individually by the attending physician.