Is it possible to cure cervical osteochondrosis?

How to cure 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 number of complications. In these conditions, the issue of effective therapy is extremely important.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

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

Imagine an intervertebral disc. It consists of a soft inner part - nucleus pulposus and an outer shell - fibrous capsule. It is this that gives the soft part a certain shape so that the core fulfills its shock-absorbing 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 penetrates through it - a protrusion of the spinal discs is formed.
3. As the process progresses, part of the core falls out - a disc herniation is formed.

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

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

By understanding the essence of the disease and the mechanism of its development, we can assume which methods can completely and permanently cure the patient from this disease.

There are several different effects that we can expect from each therapy 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 we will try to find this in each of the methods proposed by modern medicine.

The symptomatic effect is also very important. The full course of therapy prescribed by the attending physician should always include an impact on the manifestations of the disease, because during the therapy 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.
• Spine operations.
• Radiofrequency ablation.

A few words should be said about prevention, which allows you to avoid the appearance of the disease altogether.

Drug therapy

Not all medications that the doctor prescribes for osteochondrosis help to remove 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 combination with vertebral artery syndrome.
5. Glucocorticosteroids - these hormonal drugs have a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.

However, some drugs have a pathogenic effect. First of all, chondroprotectors should be mentioned. These drugs are used only in the first stages of osteochondrosis, when there is still no disc herniation. They slow down the degeneration process and prevent the formation of protrusions. It should be taken for a long time and continuously, but the therapeutic effect will be quite significant.

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

Thus, among all drugs, only timely prescribed chondroprotectors help to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis.

Orthopedic products

Another method of treatment, which is very popular in modern medicine, is the use of orthopedic devices. The use of corsets, bandages and orthoses 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 without a doubt. However, are they able to influence the course of the disease?

For the treatment of osteochondrosis, the following characteristics 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 from the nerve roots and the intervertebral discs themselves.
3. If there are existing extensions or degenerative changes, the corset will not help to remove them. However, when used regularly, the drug 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, in order 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. It is the exercises and regular activities that help to remove most of the 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 compression effects on the vertebral artery and other vessels. This means that with regular exercise, you can reduce the need for symptomatic therapy.
2. Exercises help to form the muscular corset of the cervical spine. Trained muscles support internal structures, including bones and cartilage, and prevent protrusions from forming.
3. Degenerative changes in the disc develop under the influence of excessive, incorrectly applied load or its absence. Proper exercises prevent the degenerative process and activate blood flow in the area of the intervertebral discs.

Even knowing about such beneficial effects of exercise, many patients are too lazy to do the exercise. Start training with a specialist and then implement it into your daily routine. Soon you won't 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 to eliminate muscle spasms and physiotherapy relieves inflammation, pain and prevents the occurrence 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 together with physiotherapy and the use of medications. The effects of different treatment methods reinforce each other:

1. Electro- 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 different methods of therapy can be given further.

We must also not forget that all physiotherapy and massage methods increase local blood circulation and therefore metabolism in damaged tissues. As a result, degenerative processes slow down or stop altogether.

Surgical treatment

In some cases, the pathology of the intervertebral disc can be eliminated only through surgery. This method also cannot be considered an etiological treatment - 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 to permanently eliminate its symptoms.

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

1. Plastic disc surgery with palliative measures. During the operation, all complications of the disease are also eliminated.
2. Prosthesis of intervertebral cartilage 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 rehabilitation after surgery. Many of the above methods of therapy help restore performance. It is convenient to combine them during treatment in the sanatorium.

Radiofrequency ablation

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

The essence of the procedure is as follows:

• Through a needle puncture, a special electrode is applied to the damaged intervertebral disc.
• The disc is heat treated using electricity.
• There is destruction of nerves and disc tissue itself in the area of impact.
• After ablation, the disc remains between the vertebrae. It is not able to perform a shock-absorbing function, but it 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 the quick recovery. The technique can be used as the first stage of treatment if the symptoms have not been completely removed.

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

Preventing

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

This process cannot be eliminated, but it can be prevented. For this purpose, numerous methods are used to prevent osteochondrosis.

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

1. Normalize physical activity in the spine and neck in particular. Do preventive exercises, swim, ski. Do not allow your neck to remain still for long periods of time.
2. Eat properly. A balanced diet without harmful foods, which contains sufficient amounts of protein and calcium, will help prevent the disease.
3. Eliminate bad habits that can cause a degenerative process. First of all, this is smoking and frequent drinking of alcohol.
4. When sleeping, use orthopedic aids and appropriate mattresses to avoid additional stress on the cervical spine.
5. If you have diseases or injuries of the spine, be sure to use orthopedic products.

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