Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, the main symptom of which is a reduction in the intervertebral discs and impaired function in them.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease among people of all ages. In men and women, back pain most often occurs before 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 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 complicates the process.
But there are also non-aging causes that can cause the disease to appear earlier than usual.
- Overweight. It causes metabolic disorders and overloads the intervertebral disc.
- Heredity.
- injury.
- Passive lifestyle. As well as a long time 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 occurs more often than others. This is due to the fact that the cervical vertebrae are located 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 muscular frame of the neck.
In addition to pain, arteries or nerve bundles can also be compressed by dislocation of the cervical spine. Due to pain with different localization, osteochondrosis can be confused with other diseases.
Here are other symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Pain in different parts of the body. In the heart, back of the head, neck, shoulders and collarbones. There may also be weakness in the arms and problems with spreading the arms. This is due to pinched nerves in the cervical spine.
- Numbness of the fingers. Feeling of tingling in the fingertips and low sensitivity of the hands.
- Discomfort when turning the head. Vertebral cracking, lumbago in the neck, dizziness, heaviness in the head or shortness of breath. 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. Deterioration of vision, fog or flickering black spots. This indicates a late stage of osteochondrosis and is caused by an insufficient amount of blood in the brain.
- Throat discomfort. A lump in the throat, sweating and difficulty swallowing are signs of the initial stage of osteochondrosis. Frequent nausea may also occur.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
What happens during treatment?
Under X-ray control, the needles are inserted into the facet joints of the cervical vertebrae. They inject two drugs into the affected joints: local anesthesia, which relieves pain, and a hormone that will further relieve inflammation in the problem area.
This blockade can provide relief for quite some time. However, if the pain has returned, provided that the blockade has a positive effect, it is possible in the future to perform radiofrequency ablation of the nerves that take away the pain from the joints.
Such a procedure is always performed 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 osteochondrosis treatment?
- It does not require general anesthesia and lasts no more than an hour.
- The patient can return 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 a course of postoperative therapy. This is a type of therapy that involves some physical activity after surgery. All exercises are selected individually by the attending physician.