Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, the main symptom of which is a decrease in intervertebral discs and interruption of work.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease in people of different ages. In both men and women, pain in the spine most commonly begins around the age of 40. In old age, osteochondrosis affects 90% of the population. The most common type of such a disease is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. We will talk about him.
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 worsens the process.
But there are also reasons, not related to aging, because of which the disease can manifest itself earlier than usual.
- Overweight. It causes metabolic disorders and overloads the intervertebral disc.
- Heredity.
- Injury.
- 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 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 is because the cervical vertebrae are located very close to each other and have a different structure from other vertebrae.
Why are the cervical vertebrae displaced? This is due to their age-related fragility and poor development of the muscle structure of the neck.
In addition to the pain, arteries or a nerve bundle 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, back of the head, neck, shoulders and collarbones. There may also be weakness in the arms and problems spreading the arms to the sides. This is due to pinched nerves in the cervical spine.
- Numbness in the fingers. Tingling sensation at the fingertips and low sensitivity of the hands.
- Discomfort when turning the head. Crackling of the vertebrae, lumbago 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 development of osteochondrosis. All of the above comes from the appearance of bone formations in the neck.
- Vision problems. Vision deterioration, haze or flickering blackheads. This indicates a late stage of osteochondrosis and results from an insufficient amount of blood in the brain.
- Discomfort in the throat. A lumpy feeling in the throat, sweating, and difficulty swallowing are signs of the initial stage of osteochondrosis development. Frequent nausea can also occur.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
What happens during the treatment?
Under radiological control, needles are inserted into the facet joints of the cervical spine. Thanks to them, two drugs are injected into the affected joints: a local anesthetic, which suppresses the pain, and a hormone, which will further relieve the inflammation in the problem area.
This blockade can provide relief for quite a long time. However, if the pain has returned, provided the blockage has a positive effect, in the future it is possible 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 advantages of this type of treatment for osteochondrosis?
- Does not require general anesthesia and does not last more 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 that you take 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.