Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, whose main symptom is the reduction of intervertebral discs and their interruption in their functioning.
Osteochondrosis is a very common disease among people of different ages. In men and women, back pain is most often manifested at age 40 years. In old age, osteochondrosis affects 90% of the population. The most common type of this disease is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Let's talk about it.
Causes of osteochondrosis
When the aging process begins, the functions of blood vessels, bones and cartilage deteriorate, with all these indicators, the body still does not receive enough vitamins, which aggravates the process.
But there are also reasons, unrelated to aging, why the disease may present itself earlier than normal.
- Overweight. It causes metabolic disturbances and overloads the intervertebral disc.
- Heredity.
- Loss.
- Passive lifestyle. In addition to staying in the same position for a long time (driving).
- Musculoskeletal system disorders (flat feet, poor posture). Due to these diseases, the load on the spine is uneven.
- Strong stress on the spine (multiple pregnancies).
Signs of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
This type of osteochondrosis manifests itself more often than others. This was 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 dislocated? This is due to age-related frailty and poor development of the neck muscle structure.
In addition to pain, arteries or a bundle of nerves can also be pinched with displacement of the cervical vertebrae. Due to pain from different locations, osteochondrosis can be confused with other diseases.
Here are other symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Pain in different parts of the body. In the heart region, nape, neck, shoulders and collarbones. There may also be weakness in the arms and problems opening them to the sides. This is due to pinched nerves in the cervical spine.
- Numbness in the fingers. Tingling sensation in the fingertips and low sensitivity in the hands.
- Discomfort when turning the head. Clicking of the vertebrae, lumbago in the neck, dizziness, feeling of heaviness in the head or shortness of breath. If these symptoms are especially acute during sports, this indicates the early stage of development of osteochondrosis. All of the above come from the appearance of bone formations in the neck.
- Vision problems. Deterioration of vision, fog or black glittering spots. This indicates an advanced stage of osteochondrosis and arises from an insufficient amount of blood in the brain.
- Discomfort in the throat. A lump in the throat, sweating, and difficulty swallowing are signs of early development of osteochondrosis. Frequent nausea can also occur.
Osteochondrosis treatment
What happens during treatment?
Under X-ray control, needles are inserted into the joints of the cervical spine. Through them, two drugs are injected into the affected joints: a local anesthetic, which removes the pain, and a hormone, which will further alleviate inflammation in the problem area.
This block can provide relief for a very long time. However, if the pain returns, as long as the blockage has a positive effect, it is possible in the future to perform radiofrequency ablation of the nerves that remove the pain from the joints.
This procedure is always performed only in the second stage and leads to a lasting positive effect (from one to several years).
What are the advantages of this type of treatment for osteochondrosis?
- It does not require general anesthesia and lasts no longer than an hour.
- The patient can go home a few hours after the procedure.
- Minimal risk of complications.
- Weak and elderly patients can also be treated in this way.
- The recovery period does not exceed 2 days.
To speed up the recovery process, we recommend undergoing a post-operative exercise therapy course. This is a type of therapy that includes some physical activity after surgery. All exercises are individually selected by the attending physician.