Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, the main symptom of which is a decrease in the intervertebral discs and the disruption of work on them.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease among people of different ages. In men and women, pain in the spine occurs most often in the 40s. 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 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, not related to aging, why the disease can manifest earlier than usual.
- Overweight. It causes metabolic disorders and overloads the intervertebral disc.
- Inheritance.
- Injury.
- Passive lifestyle. In addition to being in one position for a long time (driving).
- Musculoskeletal system diseases (flat feet, poor posture). Due to such 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 happened due to the fact that the cervical vertebrae are located very close to each other and have a different structure than other vertebrae.
Why are the cervical vertebrae displaced? This is due to their age-related frailty and poor development of the muscular structure of the neck.
In addition to pain, arteries or a bundle of nerves can also be pinched 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 region of the heart, back of the head, neck, shoulders and clavicles. There may also be weakness in the arms and problems extending the arms 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. Cracking of the vertebrae, lumbago in the neck, dizziness, heaviness in the head or shortness of breath. If these symptoms are especially acute during sports, this indicates the initial stage of the development of osteochondrosis. All of the above comes from the appearance of bone formations in the neck.
- Eye sight problems. Vision impairment, haze, or blinking black dots. This indicates a late stage of osteochondrosis and arises from insufficient blood in the brain.
- Discomfort in the throatA feeling of a lump in the throat, sweating, and difficulty swallowing are signs of the early stage of development of osteochondrosis. Frequent nausea can 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 medications are injected into the affected joints: a local anesthetic, which eliminates pain, and a hormone, which will further relieve inflammation in the problem area.
This blockage can provide relief for a long time. However, if the pain has returned, as long as the blockage has a positive effect, it is possible in the future to perform radiofrequency ablation of the nerves that take the 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 advantages of this type of treatment for osteochondrosis?
- It does not require general anesthesia and does not last more than an hour.
- The patient can go home a couple of 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 course of postoperative exercise therapy. This is a type of therapy that includes some physical activity after surgery. All exercises are selected individually by the attending physician.