Treatment of cervical osteonecrosis

Cervical osteosarcoma is a degenerative and dystrophic disease of one of the parts of the spine. With the development of the disease, the discs in the neck are most damaged, and the damage also spreads to the joint surfaces, ligaments and vertebrae.

Cervical osteosarcoma is a degenerative and dystrophic disease of one of the parts of the spine. With the development of the disease, the discs in the neck are most damaged, and the damage also spreads to the joint surfaces, ligaments and vertebrae. Treatment of cervical spondylosis depends on the current stage of the disease. The pathology mainly occurs in patients over 30 years of age, but cases have also been reported in young people, especially if a person leads an unhealthy lifestyle and is at risk for the disease.

Common symptoms are severe pain in the neck, which can spread down the spine, move up the upper extremities, deformed into a severe headache. Below we will look at what the symptoms of cervical spondylosis are to start treatment, find out the cause of the disease and the methods applied to combat this problem.

Causes and risk factors

The main reason for the development of osteosarcoma in humans is the evolutionary ability to walk upright. When walking, the vertebrae put excessive pressure on each other. Each year this leads to a decrease in the amount of disc fluid and connective tissue between the vertebrae, resulting in the bones starting to rub against each other, causing severe pain.

The longer cervical osteosarcoma develops without the necessary treatment, the less chance there is to stop the degenerative process. In old age, it is almost impossible to restore connective tissue.

Cervical fibroids in old age are a mostly natural process, without the impact of external factors. If the problem began to develop at an early age, if the pain increased too quickly, then it is necessary to find the cause of such a violation.

The development of cervical osteonecrosis at an early age is usually due to the following factors:

• Lack of physical activity in daily life. In the modern world, a person leads mainly a sedentary lifestyle - he works in an office all day, spends time in the evenings sitting on the couch or at the computer, often driving a car;
• During the performance of work tasks, the human body often has an unnatural, tense posture (strong forward deviation when working in front of a computer);
• Excessive sports. The opposite reason is playing sports with uncontrolled loads. The problem is faced not only by ordinary citizens, but also by professional athletes;
• The reasons for bad posture of the spine are flat feet, uncomfortable high heels, scoliosis, arthritis, etc. v. ;
• Abuse of junk food, obesity;
• Severe hypothermia of the cervical spine;
• Nervous stress - frequent stress in daily life and work, lack of reasonable sleep at night.

Vertebral syndrome

The complexity of symptoms involves damage to the bones and cartilage of the spine. It includes:

• impaired mobility in the cervical region;
• pain when turning the head;
• X-rays show damage to the vertebrae and the space between them.

vertebral artery syndrome

Symptoms are caused by a narrowing or constriction of the vertebral artery, the part responsible for the blood supply to the brain. It manifests itself with the following symptoms:

• noise in the ears;
• dizzy;
• hypertension;
• nausea and vomiting;
• headache;
• blind;
• decrease in working capacity;
• sleepy;
• faint.

Heart syndrome

It resembles a condition with damage to the heart muscle and includes:

• pain or burning sensation behind the breastbone;
• weakness and fatigue;
• rapid pulse.

lens syndrome

This condition involves damage (compression or compression) of nerve roots that emerge from the spine in the neck region. Depending on the extent of the damage, a person may experience:

• numbness or pain in the back of the head;
• tongue numbness;
• collarbone pain, difficulty swallowing, hiccups;
• discomfort in the shoulder area, aggravated by hand movements;
• shoulder and forearm pain;
• numbness of the index and middle fingers;
• ring and little finger numbness.

Often, several nerve roots are involved in the pathological process at the same time, as a result of which several characteristic symptoms are observed at the same time.

Symptoms of cervical osteonecrosis

All these risk factors and lifestyle features lead to the fact that the discs in the cervical region are undernourished. If the problem is not identified and eliminated, the discs will begin to gradually flatten, the distance between them will decrease, so this will lead to constant friction of the bones against each other. When the connective tissue is exhausted, bone begins to form on the spines, which are easy to grow uncontrollably. In severe cases, tumors begin to put pressure on the surrounding tissues, blood vessels, and nerves located in the cervical spine.

Cervical osteosarcoma does not develop immediately, without proper treatment of cervical osteosarcoma symptoms, the problem will become worse. The entire course of the disease can be divided into 4 stages. The symptoms the patient experiences directly depends on the current stage of the problem. Symptoms of cervical osteonecrosis include:

• Discomfort in the neck extending to the shoulder area;
• Occurrence of pain in the cervical region when playing sports;
• Stiffness when turning the neck;
• Vaginal headaches that are not caused by external factors;
• When you change the position of the head, you can hear a characteristic crackle;
• Numbness and loss of sensitivity in some areas of the skin behind the head, shoulders, arms, neck;
• Hypoxia of nutritionally dependent organs;
• Development of pathologies of the circulatory system;
• Severe pain leading to complete immobilization of the upper shoulder ligament.

The more advanced the disease, the more discomfort the patient experiences. In the final stages of the problem, the patient's quality of life deteriorates significantly. Symptoms common to all stages of the problem include headache, ringing in the ears or noise in the ears, visual impairment, nausea and vomiting with a sharp change in head position.

Diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the cervical spine

If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, you should seek medical attention immediately. The earlier the problem is diagnosed, the more likely it is to be completely fixed. A neurologist engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine.

After the patient appeals, the neurologist will interview the patient and based on his complaints will conclude whether the disease is present or not. Often, patients complain of pain, discomfort, and problems with movement of the upper extremities. After the interview, the doctor will conduct an imaging examination of the patient. Will be evaluated:

• correct posture;
• Shoulder blade, shoulder blade and pelvis at what angle;
• Location of the line of spiny processes along the length of the spine.

Imaging tests allow you to determine what pathological processes have begun in the spine, how much they affect the spine and surrounding tissues.

The final diagnosis is not made solely on the basis of examination and questioning of the patient. Additional exams are required. Usually, patients are sent for X-ray, computed tomography. If, for one reason or another, a final diagnosis cannot be made, the patient is referred for magnetic resonance imaging. Additional examinations include dopplerography, which allows you to find out the state of the circulatory system in the cervical region.

Degree of cervical bone necrosis

The choice of treatments for osteonecrosis directly depends on the stage of the disease, diagnosed in a particular patient. Usually people subdivide the 4 stages of osteonecrosis, the division is conditional, because some symptoms may pass from one stage to another or be completely absent.

1 degree

In the early stages of the problem, at this stage, if pain is felt, it is often attributed to stress or other disorders (improper sleep, prolonged exposure to an uncomfortable position). Patients may experience mild stiffness and limited range of motion, especially sudden movements. If you seek treatment for cervicitis at this stage, you can eliminate symptoms at home. To get rid of the problem completely, it is possible to limit yourself to special exercises and visit physical therapy procedures. To prevent disease, it is recommended to start an active lifestyle (20 minutes of walking daily in the fresh air is enough), adjust the diet (exclude too fatty, fried, salty foods, give preference to dairy products). fermented foods, fruits and vegetables, foods with enough calcium and trace elements, necessary for the process of restoring connective tissue and cartilage).

2 degrees

The pain gradually increases, begins to become permanent. Strong movements and turning bring discomfort, the patient is faced with severe headaches, begins to notice that he is very tired after normal activities. Often patients become distracted, because they only think about the pain. Some experience numbness in certain areas of the face.

3 degrees

At the damaged disc area, herniated masses begin to grow, causing dizziness and arm weakness. Not only the head and neck area, the pain gradually spread to the entire shoulder area.

4 degrees

A characteristic process is the destruction of the intervertebral discs, the replacement of "spaces" by connective tissue. This leads to pinched nerves, the pain becomes unbearable, not going away without special medication. Patients feel dizzy, especially sudden head turning and body position change, tinnitus appears, sleep is disturbed, quality of life is greatly reduced, can be disabled if not treated. treat.

Treatment of cervical osteonecrosis

Depending on the stage of the disease, the doctor chooses the appropriate method to treat the patient. Drug treatment of cervical fibroids is most commonly used in conjunction with physical therapy. In severe cases, surgery may be required to remove connective tissue and bone overgrowth.

Conservative treatment

Usually based on taking certain medications. Drug treatment helps relieve pain, relieve muscle tension and reduce inflammation locally. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as analgesics, are used.

Often, doctors also include chondroprotectors in their prescriptions. This group of drugs activates the restoration of damaged tissue in the intervertebral disc region.

These medications are prescribed as injections or tablets. A good therapeutic result is demonstrated by NSAID-based ointments. They are rubbed into the damaged area, relieving pain within 10-20 minutes. The main advantage of the ointment is its local effect on the painful area and minimal effect on other organs.

Physical therapy

The physical therapy procedure has several goals at once:

• Localization of the inflammatory process;
• Eliminate muscle spasms;
• Pain relief syndrome;
• Start the regeneration process;
• Increases general and local immunity;
• Restore the normal position of nerve fibers, eliminate compression, compression.

Most often, with cervical osteonecrosis, the following procedures are prescribed:

1. Shockwave therapy. With the help of a special device, a sound wave is transmitted directly to the cartilage tissue of the spine, where it has been damaged. As a result, metabolism is started, salt and calcium deposits are destroyed, which interferes with the normal movement of joints and vertebrae. The procedure is characterized by a cumulative effect, often the first results become noticeable only 2-3 months after the start of treatment.
2. Acupuncture. Acupuncture is commonly used to treat and prevent cervical osteochondrosis. It is important that this procedure be performed only by a qualified medical practitioner, otherwise you may not only be ineffective, but also make your existing condition worse. The essence of the procedure is that special needles are inserted into biologically active points, forcing the body to kick-start metabolism, stimulating the production of natural pain relievers.
3. Massage. The main goals are to relieve pain and improve blood circulation in the damaged area of the cervical spine. With proper massage, the muscles gain the lost tone, so the risk of future recurrence of osteonecrosis can be eliminated. When visiting for the first massage sessions, the patient has to face severe pain, it is important not to stop the treatment because of the pain, but to complete the course of treatment as prescribed by the doctor. .

Surgery

It is mainly indicated in the advanced stages of the disease, when the use of drugs and examination of physiotherapeutic procedures have not yielded any results. Indication for surgical intervention is a complication of spinal stenosis.

Modern surgical methods allow patients to leave the hospital after 3-5 days and switch to outpatient treatment for symptoms of cervical osteosarcoma. Over the next three months, the patient was rehabilitated.

Physical therapy

A correctly selected set of exercises for osteonecrosis can not only improve the general condition of the patient, but also speed up the course of the disease. There are several effective exercises:

1. Turn and tilt your head in different directions. The exercise is performed in a sitting position, it is important not to jerk, all movements should be rhythmic with an increasing number of repetitions and the amplitude of the slope.
2. Head tilted to one side has resistance. Body position - sit at the table, one elbow resting on the table, while the palm is pressed to the temple. Tilt your head toward your hands, while creating slight resistance.
3. Shoulder lift. Raise your shoulders as high as possible and stay in this position for a moment.
4. Massage the back of your head and neck yourself with your fingertips. It is important that the movements are soft and painless. You can massage yourself in any comfortable position.

It is important not to arbitrarily treat cervical spondylosis at home without consulting a neurologist, to agree on exercises with the doctor.

Manual therapy for cervical osteonecrosis

Manual therapy relieves muscle tension and joint congestion, relieves pain, and restores musculoskeletal function. The doctor evaluates the condition of the muscles, determines pain points and the degree of elasticity of the spinal joints. Furthermore, through active and passive movements of the hand, it affects damaged tendons, ligaments and muscles. Manual therapy is contraindicated in the period of acute inflammation and instability of the vertebrae.

Acupuncture

Cervical fibroid acupuncture is performed using sterile needles, which are inserted into preselected points at different depths and left for a certain period of time. Needles are chosen to be very thin to minimize discomfort. The procedure relieves pain, activates microcirculation, normalizes metabolism, improves overall health and increases the effectiveness of drug treatment.

Kinetic tape recording

This is the placement of a Y-shaped elastic bandage over the cervical area while maintaining neck mobility. Cervical spondylosis tape helps to relieve pain, inhibit inflammation and support the vertebral muscles.

Orthopedic collar

Neck collars are required for cervical osteonecrosis in the acute phase of the disease. It immobilizes the joint, reducing the load on the affected segment. The collar also helps correct the position of deformed vertebrae and bones of the skeleton, reducing pain.

Depending on the degree of fixation, orthopedic necklaces are of several types:

• soft splint (Schanz collar). This product is made of dense, elastic polyurethane foam in a fabric wrap with fasteners in the form of Velcro, buttons or plastic fasteners. With its help, you can adjust the volume of the collar. Soft tires have a wear time of 2 weeks to 4 months, every two hours of use need a break;
• inflatable collar. Composed of dense, flexible material. The course of treatment depends on the stage of bone necrosis. In the early days, it is recommended to wear the collar for five minutes twice a day, gradually increasing the time to 30 minutes. Inflatable collars are worn to prevent cervical necrosis;
• semi-rigid collar. A semi-rigid neck corset made of polyurethane with a clasp at the back. Compared with the soft brace, it fixes the neck more firmly. It comes in different sizes;
• Rigid collar. Made of thermoplastic material with front and rear calipers. It is individually sized and is recommended for use in the entire treatment of cervical osteosarcoma.

Complications of osteonecrosis

Osteochondrosis causes disruption of the most important structures: blood vessels and nerves. If left untreated, the disease can lead to the following complications:

• ischemic stroke;
• loss of sensation or motor function of the hand;
• difficulty swallowing;
• violation of the thyroid gland;
• significant loss or decrease in vision.

In addition, the discs and joints are damaged resulting in significant limitation of neck mobility.

What are dangerous cervical fibroids?

Many patients complain that their neck and head hurt at the same time. The patient must choose a certain position so that the pain lessens or appears less acute. This is not always comfortable, so performance is degraded.

As the disease progresses, disc protrusion develops, disc tissues are destroyed, and the clefts decrease. In the late stages of the disease, the disc is completely destroyed and connective tissue forms in its place. Because of this, the patient has limited mobility: he cannot turn or tilt his head, for example.

If time does not cure osteonecrosis in the neck region, it can lead to spinal cord compression, disability and paralysis.

Prevent

The main principle of preventive measures is that they should be comprehensive and continuously observed. Only in this way will they bring about the expected results. Prevention is shown to those at risk.

1. Observe your posture. Ideal body position - head and back are in the same straight line. Always make sure your shoulders are straight, your stomach in and chest out. The gait also plays an important role - it should be fluid and regular. Never let yourself loose, the first stage is important to discipline yourself, later on, the correct posture will become a habit.
2. Well organized workplace. When working, the shoulders should be relaxed, the constant tension of the lumbar belt has a direct effect on the cervical spine. Basic requirements - chair with comfortable backrest and armrests, screen at eye level, keyboard below elbow (shoulder and forearm angle about 120 degrees). During work, make a habit of resting every 40-50 minutes with basic stretching exercises.
3. Adjust the car seat correctly. Many car drivers are facing cervical spondylosis due to improper placement of the driver's seat. Correct position of the body in the chair - the entire spine touches the back, not just the shoulders. You should buy special lumbar pillows that will help support the body in the desired position. With a long car ride, it's important to hit the road after 1. 5-2 hours and warm up well.
4. Track your nutrition. Cervical spine problems are often related to poor eating habits. Dangerous foods that increase the risk of osteonecrosis include: white bread, high-fat products, sweets, foods high in salt and sugar, fried and fatty foods. The main danger is refined sugar - substances that contribute to the process of leaching calcium out of the body. Include legumes and nuts, protein-rich foods, vegetables and seasonal fruits in your daily diet. Low-fat fermented dairy products - kefir, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese, natural yogurt - will also have a positive effect. If you have problems with being overweight, see a dietitian.
5. Daily physical activity. Treatment of cervical spondylosis at home with the help of physical education is an excellent preventive measure against diseases of the spine. It is important to perform the exercise at an easy pace, without exceeding the allowable load. If there is no time for formal exercises, make daily walking a rule.
6. Massage. Proper technique restores muscle tone, relieves tension, kickstarts metabolism and regeneration in the body. It is not necessary to visit a specialist, a proper cervical spine massage can be done independently.
7. Sleep properly. During the day, the discs are under increased stress, complete relaxation and rest can only be achieved during a night's sleep. To prevent osteonecrosis, it is important to organize sleep in the right place and monitor the time (at least 8 hours).

Nursing treatment and its benefits

The sanatorium specializes in the identification of symptoms of cervical osteonecrosis and the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, including osteonecrosis in various localities. Procedures are selected individually for each patient, taking into account the degree of damage to the tissues of the spine, the presence of concomitant diseases, the age of the patient and possible contraindications.

An integrated approach is practiced - combining drug therapy with physiotherapy and physiotherapy exercises. This approach helps to forget about the problem forever.

The positive effect in treating the symptoms of cervical spondylosis is also demonstrated by mud therapy, manual and hardware massage, and various physiotherapy.