Is it possible to cure cervical osteochondrosis?

How to treat cervical osteochondrosis? This question is asked by many patients and doctors around the world. Degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system are very difficult to treat and lead to a wide variety of complications. Under these conditions, the question of effective therapy is extremely relevant.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

Before finding out whether cervical osteochondrosis can be cured, it is worth understanding the very essence of this disease. Osteochondrosis is a degenerative process that begins in the intervertebral discs - the layers of cartilage located between two adjacent vertebrae.

Imagine an intervertebral disc. It consists of a soft internal part - the nucleus pulposus and an external covering - the fibrous capsule. This is what gives the soft part a certain shape so that the core fulfills its cushioning function.

In osteochondrosis, the primary degenerative process occurs precisely in the fibrous capsule:

1. Under the influence of damaging factors, a defect is formed.
2. The soft core of the disc passes through it - a protrusion of the intervertebral discs is formed.
3. As the process progresses, part of the nucleus falls off and a herniated disc forms.

All of these processes involve inflammation of surrounding tissues. First, a reflex pain syndrome develops, then a compression syndrome - the nerve roots are compressed by the herniation.

This process can occur in any part of the spine. One of the most common places is the neck. Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine?

Treatment options

Understanding the essence of the disease and the mechanism of its development, we can assume what methods can completely and permanently cure the patient of this disease.

There are several different effects that can be expected from any therapeutic method: symptomatic (eliminates the manifestations of the disease), pathogenetic (interrupts the pathological mechanism of development), etiological (directly affects the cause of development).

In osteochondrosis, the cause is a wide variety of risk factors for the disease. It is impossible to influence them if the disease already exists. However, preventive measures are specifically aimed at eliminating the causes.

Many treatment methods have a possible pathogenetic effect, and this is what we will try to find in each of the methods proposed by modern medicine.

The symptomatic effect is also very important. The comprehensive treatment prescribed by the attending physician should always have an impact on the manifestations of the disease, because during treatment it is necessary to alleviate the patient's health condition.

Among the variety of treatment methods, we will try to understand the following treatment options:

• Exposure to drugs.
• Orthopedic products.
• Physiotherapy.
• Physiotherapy, massage, manual therapy.
• Spinal operations.
• Radiofrequency ablation.

It will be necessary to say a few words about prevention, which allows you to completely avoid the occurrence of the disease.

Drug therapy

Not all medications prescribed by a doctor for osteochondrosis can get rid of it. Many drugs perform a purely symptomatic function:

1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – eliminate inflammation.
2. Muscle relaxants – prevent reflex muscle spasms.
3. Local analgesics – relieve pain.
4. Vascular agents - used for cervical osteochondrosis in association with vertebral artery syndrome.
5. Glucocorticosteroids - these hormonal drugs have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.

However, several drugs have a pathogenetic effect. First of all, it is necessary to mention chondroprotectors. These drugs are used only in the early stages of osteochondrosis, when there is no disc herniation yet. They slow down the degeneration process and prevent the formation of protrusions. It must be taken for a long time and constantly, but the therapeutic effect will be quite significant.

B vitamins - these drugs do not affect the degeneration process itself and do not help cure osteochondrosis. However, it is very important to use them in the presence of reflex or compression syndromes. Vitamins support the metabolism of nerve tissues and prevent nerve death.

So, among all medications, only timely prescribed chondroprotectors help to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis.

Orthopedic products

The next method of treatment, which is very popular in modern medicine, is the use of orthopedic devices. The use of corsets, bandages and orthotics is widespread.

For cervical osteochondrosis, collars are most often used, but there are other types of orthopedic devices. These products effectively eliminate pain, which is beyond doubt. However, are they capable of influencing the progression of the disease?

For the treatment of osteochondrosis, the following features of this type of therapy are important:

1. Corsets and collars have a compression effect: they put pressure on a certain part of the spine. This prevents the appearance of protrusions and hernias, that is, the formation of complications.
2. Orthopedic devices always separate the vertebrae from each other in a vertical plane. This helps relieve pressure on the nerve roots and spinal discs themselves.
3. If there is a protrusion or degenerative changes, the brace will not help get rid of them. However, when used regularly, the remedy helps not to remember the manifestations of the disease.

The listed properties should be taken into account not only by the doctor, but also by the patient, so as not to expect too much from the use of bandages.

Physiotherapy

Therapeutic exercises are one of the most underestimated methods of treating orthopedic diseases by patients. These are regular exercises and activities that help eliminate most manifestations of any disease.

Osteochondrosis is no exception. In case of cervical spine pathology, physical activity has the following healing properties:

1. Exercises help eliminate pain, reflex muscle spasms and compressive effects on the vertebral artery and other vessels. This means that with regular physical activity you can reduce the need for symptomatic treatment.
2. Exercises help to form the muscular corset of the cervical spine. Trained muscles maintain internal structures, including bones and cartilage, and prevent protrusions from forming.
3. Degenerative changes in the disc develop under the influence of excessive and incorrectly applied load or its deficit. Proper exercises prevent the degenerative process and activate blood circulation in the intervertebral discs.

Even knowing the beneficial effects of exercise, many patients are lazy to do the exercises. Start training with a specialist, then make it part of your daily routine. Soon you will no longer be able to imagine your day without exercise and a set of useful exercises.

Physiotherapy and massage

Quite controversial treatment methods are physiotherapy and massage. These methods certainly help to relieve some symptoms of the disease. Neck massage helps eliminate muscle spasms, and physiotherapy relieves inflammation, pain and prevents the appearance of compression syndrome.

But can these methods cure cervical osteochondrosis? The pathogenetic effect is achieved only as part of complex treatment. Physiotherapy and massage should be used in conjunction with physiotherapy and the use of medications. The effects of different treatment methods potentiate each other:

1. Electrophoresis and phonophoresis help drugs reach the spine.
2. Manual therapy relaxes muscles after prolonged exercise.
3. Acupuncture and electromyostimulation in combination with exercise therapy create a strong muscle corset and eliminate pain.

Examples of the combined effect of various therapeutic methods can be given further.

It should also be remembered that all methods of physiotherapy and massage increase local blood flow, and therefore the metabolism of damaged tissues. As a result, degenerative processes slow down or stop altogether.

Surgical treatment

In some cases, intervertebral disc pathology can only be eliminated by surgery. This method cannot be considered as an etiological treatment either: the surgeon does not act on the cause of the disease, but removes its consequences. However, in the presence of local osteochondrosis, surgery can help permanently eliminate its symptoms.

There are different methods of surgical intervention, but most of them come down to two options:

1. Disc plastic surgery with palliative measures. During the operation, all complications of the disease are also eliminated.
2. Intervertebral cartilage prostheses or replacement of the entire vertebral movement segment with a prosthesis.

Regardless of the choice of treatment method, relapses of cervical osteochondrosis are possible. The disease can affect any other adjacent intervertebral disc. To prevent this from happening, preventive measures are taken.

You should also remember the need for postoperative rehabilitation. Most of the above therapeutic methods help restore performance. It is convenient to combine them during sanatorium treatment.

Radiofrequency ablation

Radiofrequency ablation is a very effective and promising treatment method. Not so long ago, this method was not known at all, but now ablation is practiced in many large cities.

The essence of the procedure is as follows:

• Using a needle prick, a special electrode is applied to the damaged intervertebral disc.
• The disc is heat treated with electricity.
• There is destruction of the nerves and the disc tissue itself in the impact area.
• After removal, the disc remains between the vertebrae. It is not capable of performing a damping function, but does not cause pathological symptoms.

The advantages of the method are the absence of the need for general anesthesia, the short duration of the procedure and rapid recovery. The technique can be used as a first step in treatment if symptoms have not been completely relieved.

In most cases, ablation allows you to eliminate all the symptoms of osteochondrosis, but the patient is not immune from damage to other intervertebral discs caused by this disease.

Prevention

From the above, we can conclude that all modern treatment methods help only to prevent the progression of cervical osteochondrosis or eliminate its manifestations only on a specific disc. There is a high probability of recurrence of the disease and spread to adjacent cartilage layers.

This process cannot be eliminated, but it can be avoided. To this end, many methods are used to prevent osteochondrosis.

If the disease has just started to bother you, has occurred in many relatives or you have been treated for osteochondrosis, follow these tips:

1. Normalize physical activity on the spine and neck in particular. Perform preventive exercises, go swimming, skiing. Do not let your neck sit still for long periods of time.
2. Eat well. A balanced diet, without harmful foods, containing sufficient amounts of protein and calcium, will help prevent the disease.
3. Eliminate bad habits that can cause a degenerative process. First of all, it involves smoking and frequent drinking alcohol.
4. When sleeping, use appropriate orthopedic aids and mattresses to avoid additional stress on the cervical spine.
5. If you suffer from spinal diseases or injuries, be sure to use orthopedic products.

Simple preventive measures help support the cervical spine and prevent the development of osteochondrosis.