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Cervical osteochondrosis

Cervical osteochondrosis often affects people who work in a sedentary position

Cervical osteochondrosisis a progressive degenerative-dystrophic disease of the most mobile part of the spine, consists of seven discs and has a relatively weak muscle corset, combined with mobility and instability of the cervical vertebrae.Cervical vertebrae have relatively the smallest height and thickness of the discs and fit together quite tightly, and since the neck muscles are poorly developed, with regular loads, this can lead to displacement of the intervertebral discs.

The high sensitivity of the cervical spine to degenerative changes is, in fact, osteochondrosis, and various injuries are explained by constant physical activity with the need to support the head, control turning and bending.

Causes of cervical osteochondrosis

Until recently, the diagnosis of osteochondrosis was considered most of the elderly;today is rapidly rejuvenating.

Cervical osteochondrosis and its manifestations can be caused by a violation of three body systems:

  • Pathological effect of the focus of degenerative changes on the peripheral nervous system.
  • When the blood supply to the vertebral arteries of brain cells is disturbed.
  • In severe cases - compression and violation of the integrity of the spinal cord.

There are many reasons for the development of cervical osteochondrosis:

  • curvature of the spine - scoliosis, kyphosis;
  • other posture disorders;
  • various back and spine injuries;
  • physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle;
  • metabolism is disturbed;
  • overweight;
  • excessive physical activity;
  • mistakes during the training process among athletes;
  • stressful conditions;
  • poor level of physical fitness;
  • hypothermia;
  • infectious diseases;
  • hereditary factor;
  • bad habits, for example, the habit of holding the telephone receiver with your shoulder;
  • working in a sitting position in office workers, as well as driving for a long time, etc.the strained back condition associated with;
  • abnormal development of the spine in the cervical region;
  • age-related changes.

All of the above factors affect the increase in the load on the cervical spine.The excessive load is compensated by the neck muscles, but as a result of excessive tension, the muscles spasm, which leads to the deterioration of blood circulation and, as a result, degenerative changes - cervical osteochondrosis.

Pathological changes occur in the structure of intervertebral discs, their nutrition is disturbed, and changes occur in small intervertebral joints.The increased load on the changed intervertebral discs leads to bone growth of the vertebral bodies.

The degree of development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

When determining the degree of cervical osteochondrosis, they are based on the patient's clinical picture and complaints.

  • I degree- with minimal clinical manifestations.Usually there is no pain, or the patient complains of mild pain and discomfort, which is aggravated by turning the head, and quick fatigue of the neck muscles after prolonged exercise.During the examination, slight tension in the neck muscles can be detected.All this happens as a result of the partial loss of moisture and elasticity in the core of the intervertebral disc, and its compaction occurs.
  • II degree- the increase in changes in the cervical spine, in which the pain bothers the patient, becomes more pronounced, and the pain intensifies as a result of sitting for a long time, especially as a result of lowering the head.The pain spreads to the shoulder and arm.
  • III degree- increased manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis.It is characterized by constant, painful pain in the cervical spine, spreading to the shoulder and arm.Numbness or weakness of arm muscles, signs of dizziness.Often, this stage is the beginning of the formation of an intervertebral hernia.
  • IV degree- sharp pains in the neck, partial loss of limb control, vestibular disorders, headaches, dizziness, loss of consciousness, because the vertebral artery supplying the occipital part of the brain and the cerebellum is involved in the process.The intervertebral disc is completely destroyed and replaced by connective tissue.This leads to the growth of bone osteophytes, fusion of the vertebrae can occur, as a result of which the neck loses mobility.

Classification of cervical osteochondrosis according to the degree of change in the intervertebral disc - radiological stages:

  • Stage I- absence of changes in the disk, slight changes in the configuration of the vertebrae, correction of physiological lordosis;
  • Stage II- small changes related to the instability of the spinal segment, then the possible development of subluxation, torsion of the vertebrae, the height of the intervertebral segment is slightly reduced.
  • III stage- obvious changes in the disk - the height of the disk decreases by ¼ compared to the one located above, while protecting the outer surface, the intervertebral holes and the spinal canal are narrowed, the presence of anterior, posterior and posterolateral compact osteophytes;
  • IV stage- the height of the intervertebral disc is significantly reduced - 2 times, significant pathological changes in the intervertebral joints, the presence of massive posterior osteophytes, significant narrowing of the intervertebral holes and the spinal canal.

Signs and symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis

Neck pain is the first symptom of neck osteochondrosis observed in almost all patients.This pain occurs when lying down after waking up and gets worse when you try to roll over.Increased pain is caused by an unsuccessful turn of the head, coughing, sneezing or laughing.The pain is dull, boring, sometimes shooting and localized deep in the neck.The nature of pain in the cervical spine can be periodic or constant.The intensity of the pain decreases during the day, and may even disappear completely.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis without complications:

  • stiffness, limited mobility in the neck;
  • pain and discomfort in the cervical region;
  • adoption of forced head position;
  • there is a feeling of "creaking" in the neck when moving the head;
  • tension in the muscles of the cervical region.

Subsequently, the development of symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis occurs as a result of compression of blood vessels and nerve roots.Specific symptoms characteristic of cervical spine osteochondrosis appear.

Vertebral artery syndrome

The development of this syndrome of cervical osteochondrosis occurs as a result of disruption of the vertebral artery by strained muscles and deterioration of blood supply to the occipital lobe of the brain and cerebellum, hearing and vision organs.

Arterial spasm can also occur as a reaction to irritation of the nerve fibers going from the spinal cord to the artery.Brain ischemia can occur as a result of compression.

Symptoms of vertebral artery syndrome:

  • paroxysmal, migraine-like pain in the head, beginning with a pulsation in the back of the head and then spreading to the temples, forehead, and ears;
  • pain that increases with turning or bending the head in a sitting position;
  • neck muscle tension;
  • dizziness;
  • lack of coordination;
  • heaviness in the head;
  • tinnitus;
  • fainting;
  • decreased vision;
  • hearing loss;
  • numbness of the tongue with a sharp deterioration of blood supply to the brain;
  • memory impairment;
  • sleep disorders.

Humeroscapular periarthrosis is a disease that affects periarticular soft tissues - the muscles and tendons of the shoulder joint, most often develops with cervical osteochondrosis of the vertebral discs between IV and V cervical vertebrae.The innervation in the shoulder-scapular zone is disturbed, and in connection with this, dystrophic changes develop and gradually increase.The tissue nutritional disorder that occurs at the very beginning of the pathological process is ignored for a long time.With the development of glenohumeral periarthrosis, other symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis fade into the background.Deep pain is localized at the attachment points of ligaments and tendons.The gradual destruction of the disc causes irritation of the autonomic nerve fibers entering the shoulder joint in the form of impulses.Nutrition of periarticular tissues is disturbed, which affects the functions of the joint.

Characteristic signs of glenohumeral periarthrosis:

  • pain in the shoulder joint that spreads to the neck and arm;
  • restriction and pain are observed when moving the arm to the side;
  • increased pain when lying on the affected side;
  • the development of shoulder and scapular muscle atrophy over time.

Radicular syndrome

Radicular syndrome develops as a result of degenerative changes in the spine, reduction of intervertebral discs, loss of elasticity of the fibrous ring.The appearance of certain symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis depends on the location of the changes.

If the nerve root is damaged:

  • In C 1 (the first cervical vertebra) - there is a loss of sensation at the back of the head.
  • radicular syndrome C 2 segment C I-C II - localization of pain in the parietal and occipital region.
  • With 3 in the C II-C III segment, it is quite rare.Painful sensations are accompanied by a decrease in the sensitivity of the half of the neck, where there is compression of the spinal nerve, speech disorder, and a decrease in the sensitivity of the tongue.
  • With damage to the C 4 nerve root in the C III-C IV segment, localization of pain in the region of the shoulder girdle and collarbone and a decrease in sensitivity may be accompanied by hypotonicity of the neck and head muscles.Damage to the C 4 root can cause breathing problems, heart pain, and hiccups, which are caused by the presence of the phrenic nerve.A very rare pathology.
  • C IV-C V segment C 5 – causes pain in the shoulder girdle and outer surface of the shoulder.Weakening of the deltoid muscle, disturbance of sensitivity of the shoulder on the outer surface.
  • In C V-C VI and C VI-C VII segments, C 6 and C 7 are the most common abnormalities.In the case of C 6 - pain radiating from the neck to the shoulder, forearm, outer surface of the shoulder, radial surface of the forearm and then to the thumb.Even loss of sensitivity in the skin.In the case of C 7 - pain spreading from the neck to the back, forearm, back of the shoulder, the surface of the arm and the back of the second and fourth fingers, loss of skin sensitivity in these areas.
  • 8 to C VII-T I segment - localization of pain and loss of sensitivity from the neck spreads to the back surface of the shoulder, elbow edge of the forearm, little finger.There may be no pain in the little finger, but there will be noticeable muscle weakness in the finger.

Anterior scalene syndrome

The anterior rib muscle is located in the region of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae and connects to the first rib, the medial rib muscle also connects to it, and the subclavian artery and the curly plexus pass through the space formed between these muscles.As a result of disc destruction, autonomic nerve fibers are irritated and impulses are sent to the anterior scalene muscle.

A muscle spasm occurs, resulting in compression of the brachial plexus and vertebral artery.

Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis characteristic of anterior scalene syndrome:

  • The pain ranges from sharp to aching, radiating to the wrists and hands.
  • Pain that moves the arm to the side and increases with bending of the head.
  • A compressed artery is characterized by cold hands, numbness and swelling.

Diagnosis of cervical osteochondrosis

The main methods of diagnosing osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are:

  1. X-ray examination of the spine– in direct and lateral projections and functional positions of the patient – (open mouth) to determine the decrease in the height of intervertebral discs and degenerative bone growths.
  2. MRI - Magnetic resonance imaging- is the most informative diagnostic method that allows to detect the localization of pathological changes in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with high accuracy.It detects protrusions and intervertebral tears, the size and direction of their growth.
  3. CT - computed tomography- determines the presence of changes in the vertebrae in cervical osteochondrosis, but this diagnostic method is less informative.
  4. Ultrasound duplex scan- a method that allows determining the decrease in blood flow rate and the presence of obstacles to normal blood flow.

In order to exclude pathological processes from the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, organs of sight and hearing, and digestive organs, for differential diagnosis, such types of examination as ultrasound, ECG, electroencephalography are used, and laboratory examinations are prescribed.

Principles of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

The main methods of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis are:

  • drug treatment,
  • physiotherapeutic treatment,
  • cervical neck massage,
  • therapeutic exercises.

The following main drug groups are used for drug treatment of cervical osteochondrosis:

  • non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that reduce pain, help eliminate swelling and inflammation of the damaged nerve root;
  • B vitamins that improve metabolic processes;
  • drugs to improve the rheological properties of blood and blood flow, to improve nutrition of damaged roots;
  • chondroprotectors - for cartilage tissue regeneration;
  • muscle relaxants - to relieve muscle spasms.

Physiotherapy in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

  • Electrophoresis to relieve pain or improve blood flow.
  • Ultrasound - as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory method to improve metabolic processes.
  • Magnetic therapy - to relieve swelling and relieve pain.
  • Laser therapy - to improve blood circulation and have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Therapeutic exercise

For cervical osteochondrosis, during the recovery period, physical therapy is prescribed after the pain is eliminated, because there should be no pain and discomfort when performing a number of exercises.It is good that a patient with such a diagnosis regularly engages in physical therapy, limiting excessive stress on the cervical spine.Restoration of muscle tone is the main task in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.

Prevention of cervical osteochondrosis

Physical activity, sleeping in a comfortable bed with an anatomical mattress, combining prolonged sitting with warm-up periods, maintaining proper posture and proper nutrition are the keys to cervical spine health.You should try to avoid neck injuries and lifting too much weight.

As the Japanese say: a crooked neck is a sign of a short life.

This is an assessment of the health of the most mobile part of the spine.

Complications of this disease are various and dangerous in their manifestations.The minimum dimensions of the diameter of the spinal canal of the cervical spine make the spinal cord very sensitive, its compression can lead to paresis and paralysis.

Another danger of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a violation of blood supply to the brain.Decreased blood circulation due to compression of the spinal artery can lead to ischemia of the brain and spinal cord, and in the worst case, a spinal stroke.

It is recommended to see a doctor as soon as possible to prevent irreversible damage.