Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine whose main symptom is a reduction in the intervertebral discs and a disorder in their work.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease among people of different ages. In men and women, back pain is most often manifested by the age of 40. In old age, osteochondrosis affects 90% of the population. The most common type of such disease is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. We'll talk about him.
Causes of osteochondrosis
When the aging process begins, the functions of blood vessels, bones and cartilage deteriorate, and with all these indicators, the body still does not get enough vitamins, which complicates the process.
But there are also reasons, which are not related to aging, due to which the disease can manifest earlier than usual.
- Excess weight. It causes metabolic disorders and overloads the intervertebral disc.
- Heredity.
- Injury.
- Passive lifestyle. As long as in one position (driving).
- Diseases of the musculoskeletal system (flat feet, poor posture). Due to such diseases, the load on the spine is uneven.
- Severe stress on the spine (multiple pregnancies).
Signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
This type of osteochondrosis manifests itself more often than others. This is due to the fact that the cervical vertebrae are very close to each other and have a structure different from other vertebrae.
Why are the cervical vertebrae displaced? This is due to their age fragility and poor development of the neck muscular frame.
In addition to pain, arteries or nerve bundles can be squeezed by displacement of the cervical vertebrae. Due to pain 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 area of the heart, nape, neck, shoulders and collarbones. Weakness in the hands and problems with spreading the arms to the side can also occur. This is due to the pinched nerves in the cervical spine.
- Numbness of the fingers. Feeling of tingling on the fingertips and poor sensitivity of the hands.
- Discomfort when turning your head. Vertebral rupture, lumbago in the neck, dizziness, heaviness in the head or shortness of breath. If these symptoms are especially acute during sports, it indicates the initial phase of the development of osteochondrosis. All of the above comes from the appearance of bone formations on the neck.
- Vision problems. Deterioration of vision, haze or flickering black spots. This indicates a late stage of osteochondrosis and is caused by an insufficient amount of blood in the brain.
- Discomfort in the throat. Feeling of a lump in the throat, sweating and difficulty swallowing are signs of the initial stages of osteochondrosis. Frequent nausea may also occur.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
What happens during treatment?
Under X-ray control, needles are inserted into the facet joints of the cervical spine. Through them, two drugs are injected into the affected joints: a local anesthetic that relieves pain and a hormone that will further alleviate inflammation in the problem area.
This blockage can provide relief for quite some time. However, if the pain returns, provided that the blockade has a positive effect, it is possible to do radiofrequency ablation of the nerves in the future, which remove the pain from the joints.
Such a procedure is always performed only in the second phase and leads to a lasting positive effect (from one to several years).
What are the benefits of this type of osteochondrosis treatment?
- It does not require general anesthesia and does not last longer than an hour.
- The patient can go home within a few hours after the procedure.
- Minimal risk of complications.
- Both weak and elderly patients can be treated in this way.
- The recovery period does not exceed 2 days.
To speed up the recovery process, we recommend that you undergo postoperative exercise therapy. This is a type of therapy that involves some physical activity after surgery. All exercises are individually chosen by the attending physician.