Osteochondrosis is a degenerative condition of the bone that most commonly affects the spine and knees. This primarily causes excruciating pain and movement problems. It is therefore necessary to conduct a complex treatment.
Osteochondrosis - What is it?
This is based on a violation of endocondral ossification. However, this condition is the result of local ischemia of the hyaline cartilage in the growing bone metaphyses. This condition is often referred to as juvenile osteochondrosis precisely because it develops in the developing skeletal system.
In patients with osteochondrosis, cartilage tissue is ischemic, depleted, and dies as a result. The cartilage does not mineralize but ossifies and then separates from the bone on which it is formed because it is not very strong. Separation of cartilage from bone may be due to mechanical factors.
Osteochondrosis can take many forms, but patients often have:
- Osteochondrosis of the spine, which in most cases involves the lumbar or cervical spine.
- Osteochondrosis of the knee with a load on the tibia that forms the knee joint.
In this article we have paid special attention to cervical osteochondrosis (SHO).
Osteochondrosis - Causes
Osteochondrosis is a disease whose degenerative-dystrophic causes largely depend on the form of the disease present in a particular patient. In the case of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, its development may be the result of a disturbance in the tension of the structures responsible for stabilizing the spine. The cause of the disease may also be the gradual loss of the soothing properties of the intervertebral discs. As for osteochondrosis of the knee, it usually occurs as a result of an avulsive fracture of the tubercle. This is an overload caused by an imbalance of the cross-section of the muscle, the surface of its attachment, and forces acting on a very small area, or tibial tuberculosis.
Characteristics of osteochondrosis of the cervical segment
Osteochondrosis of the cervical segment of the spine differs in manifestations from osteochondrosis of the lumbar and thoracic segments.
The neck region contains many blood vessels and nerves, including the vertebral artery, which meets the spinal canal. Therefore, in osteochondrosis of the cervical segment of the spine, when the spine moves, nerve formations appear on the lateral sections (which can irritate the muscles and ligaments).
Due to narrowing of the vertebral artery due to narrowing of the artery (stenosis), the blood supply to the brain stem and brain decreases.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are caused by the following factors: spinal cord compression (cervical sciatica), spinal cord compression (myelopathy), spinal cord injury due to circulatory disorders associated with narrowing of the arteries (narrowing).
Radical syndromes (cervical sciatica)
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are associated with compression of the nerve roots. The pain may start from the neck to the shoulder and spread to the outer surface of the shoulder, forearm, and fingers. It can affect the sensitivity of the skin on the forearm, hands and fingers.
Spinal artery syndrome
Headache (paroxysmal, persistent, impulsive, intensified on turning), dizziness, blurred vision, tinnitus.
SHO TREATMENT
In the acute phase, accompanied by severe pain, local administration of pain relievers and topical corticosteroids is indicated to relieve muscle tension in the spinal motor segment and reduce pain.
The combination of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antispasmodics, analgesics and vitamins is effective.