Cervical spinal cartilage degeneration (ICD code – 10 – M42) ranks second in frequency of cases after lumbar disc damage.High daily loads or, conversely, low physical activity cause negative changes in the structure of the vertebrae.
What are the typical signs of cervical spondylosis?How dangerous is disc compression and destruction?What are the symptoms and treatment, prevention methods, consequences of untreated disease?
reason
Deformation of the vertebral structure of the cervical spine is a consequence of the impact of negative factors and pathological processes:
- bad posture;
- disruptions in metabolism due to poor nutrition;
- spinal injury;
- disc wear during the natural aging process of structures in old age;
- genetic predisposition to orthopedic diseases;
- Physical inactivity, prolonged computer use, causing neck muscle strain;
- the development of the inflammatory process due to hypothermia, exposure to drafts;
- defects in the development of vertebral structures in the cervical region.
Factors that cause damage to vertebrae, cartilage tissue and intervertebral discs:
- obesity;
- training is too intense;
- head tilted back for long periods of time or lowered to the chest while working;
- flat feet;
- incorrect body posture when working in a sitting position;
- Minor injuries to the cervical spine often occur due to too intense exercise.
First signs and symptoms
In the early stages of the disease, patients rarely associate frequent headaches, shoulder discomfort, neck numbness when standing for a long time in a stationary position with damage to vertebral structures.Often, there is no effective treatment and the pathology progresses.
In the second to fourth stages of osteonecrosis, negative manifestations in the cervical region are more pronounced.In severe cases, negative signs spread to other parts of the body: hearing aids, eyes, upper limbs.
Doctors identify several types of characteristic symptoms:
- roots.Pain syndrome in the parietal, occipital, neck areas, discomfort in the back muscles, shoulder girdle.An important point is the loss of reflexes of the shoulder muscles.Nerve root syndrome is often observed in the third or fourth pathological stage, the condition of the vertebrae and intervertebral disc is significantly impaired, and the height of the bone structure is clearly reduced;
- muscle tonic.Pain appears in the chest and heart area.Acute symptoms usually occur in the muscles of the medial arm;
- vascular nerves.When the capillaries and vertebral arteries are compressed, the patient complains of headaches and dizziness.
Development stages:
- Firstly.Under the influence of negative factors, small cracks appear on the intervertebral discs, the integrity of the nucleus pulposus is broken, fluid gradually leaks out, elasticity decreases and the disc shrinks.When moving the head, a slight crunching sound of the vertebrae can be heard, pain and numbness in the neck area cause discomfort when the body is in one position;
- Monday.The pathology progresses, violations of integrity, rupture, decrease in density and thickness of the annulus fibrosus appear.The result of negative processes: squeezing the core into cracks and breaks.The patient's condition worsens and performance decreases.The intensity of the headache increases, stiffness of the cervical spine, face, neck and arms appear;
- Tuesday.The disc is bulging, the structure is actively compressed, losing elasticity leading to disc protrusion and herniation.Neurological disorders appear, the fiber ring is broken, the clinical picture is clear: reflex syndrome and nerve roots are having difficulty.Many patients complain of hand and finger weakness, hearing and vision loss;
- Wednesday.In severe cases, the discs collapse, imaging shows the development of bone spurs, and compensation develops to maintain the spine in its normal position.The pain syndrome weakens somewhat, but the stiffness of the cervical spine remains.
Diagnose
The appearance of pain in the cervical region, frequent dizziness, decreased mobility and sensitivity of the fingers, the development of other signs of spinal deformity are reasons to visit a spine specialist, neurologist or orthopedic traumatologist.The doctor learns about the clinical situation, lifestyle, diet, history of spinal injury, and chronic diseases.It is important to understand the causes of osteoarthritis and identify the factors that cause degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs.
Next, the specialist prescribes an examination:
- CT scan - computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging;
- Vascular Dopplerography is performed at advanced stages, when there are pronounced neurological disorders, frequent fainting, numbness in the shoulders, hands and fingers;
- X-ray of the cervical spine (in the early stages of the disease, this method does not provide much information).
Effective treatment method
In the early stages of the development of degenerative spondylolisthesis due to deformation in the cervical region, it is enough to do special exercises and external agents with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.The patient must monitor his or her posture.You should not stay in one position for a long time, remember to warm up every hour and do neck exercises every day.
As the pathology progresses, local treatment measures and gymnastics are not enough to eliminate complex negative symptoms.The degenerative-dystrophic nature of the changes affects the mobility of the neck region, the pain syndrome worsens, protrusions and disc herniations appear, doctors identify all kinds of nerve root and reflex symptoms of deforming spondylosis.
Important!Only comprehensive treatment combined with quitting smoking, alcohol and changing diet can partially or completely overcome the situation.It is important to eat right, including foods rich in calcium, phosphorus, fresh vegetables, cheese and drink enough fluids.In the absence of timely and effective treatment, patients will be at risk of disability.
Medicine
Doctors choose drugs to eliminate negative manifestations of various types:
- Fight against pain syndrome.Names that have pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory effects are effective.The best options are NSAIDs in the form of tablets, injections, gels and ointments.Additionally, you can take pain relievers as prescribed by your doctor;
- Eliminate swelling.Water retention in tissues is eliminated with diuretics, dehydrating compounds and hormonal drugs.Use medications in this group exactly as prescribed by your doctor: strong diuretics can cause serious heart and blood pressure problems;
- chondroprotectors to restore cartilage quality.When elastic tissue is damaged, friction between adjacent vertebrae increases, the density of the layer decreases, which can cause disc bulging and annulus fibrosus rupture due to vertebrae compression.Doctors prescribe drugs with combined effects.The formula not only contains glucosamine and chondroitin but also anti-inflammatory ingredients.Various multi-ingredient products provide good results;
- increases blood circulation in problematic vertebral structures.The doctor chooses blood-thinning drugs and compounds that dilate blood vessels;
- Fights muscle spasms.Against the backdrop of weakened bone structure and crumbling cartilage tissue, the muscles strive to maintain the correct position of the spine;Excessive exertion causes pronounced pain.To relax tissues, muscle relaxants are prescribed;
- Activate metabolism, increase local immunity.Patients take vitamin and mineral complexes, dietary supplements with calcium, biostimulants and antioxidants.
Physical therapy procedures
Increased impact on problem areas, activation of blood circulation, delivery of medicinal components to the affected area, nutrition, reduction of inflammation - this is not a complete list of beneficial properties of physiotherapy sessions.Doctors prescribe a variety of procedures in addition to medication and therapeutic exercises.
Types of effective influence:
- laser therapy;
- Darsonval;
- electrophoresis with drugs;
- electromotive force;
- infrared radiation;
- electrical stimulation of the affected muscles.
Exercise therapy
With osteoarthritis, it is important to maintain mobility of the cervical vertebrae and strengthen muscles and ligaments.After examining and clarifying the condition of the affected structures, the doctor prescribes special exercises for the cervical spine.Simple actions maintain elasticity and flexibility of the structure.
Therapeutic exercises for neck muscles:
- turn your head left then right;
- tilt the head with increasing amplitude, forward and backward;
- circular motion.At first, the amplitude was minimal, gradually increasing "round", but there was no obvious brittleness of the cervical vertebrae.
Perform all movements smoothly, avoid jerking.During exercise, you should not let your vertebrae become too brittle, causing acute pain.The amplitude must be gradually increased, otherwise injury to the cervical spine may occur.Simple but effective exercises should be performed not only during therapy but also to prevent osteoarthritis.The frequency of classes is two to three times a day, exercise time does not exceed five to seven minutes.Doctors recommend mandatory daily performance of the complex for people with “sedentary” work.
Manual therapy
Doctors are cautious about realigning cervical vertebrae.Most experts do not recommend manual treatment for osteoarthritis in this area.The slightest deviations during execution, more sudden movements, incorrect application of technique - and the session can end in paralysis or fracture of the cervical vertebrae with serious consequences, including death.
Osteonecrosis gets “younger” each year.To prevent damage to bone and elastic structures, you need to pay daily attention to important parts of the spine, perform simple exercises, change body position more often during work, do not smoke and eat moderately.If characteristic signs of degenerative spondylosis due to deformity appear, you should contact an orthopedic traumatologist or a vertebra specialist.