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 various complications. In this situation, the issue of effective therapy is very relevant.

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

Before you find out whether cervical osteochondrosis can be cured, it is worth understanding the essence of this disease. Osteochondrosis is a degenerative process that begins in the intervertebral disc - the layer of cartilage between each two adjacent vertebrae.

Imagine the intervertebral disc. It consists of a soft inner part - nucleus pulposus and an outer skin - fibrous capsule. This is what gives the soft part a certain shape so that the core fulfills the function of absorbing shock.

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

1. Under the influence of damaging factors, defects are formed.
2. The soft core of the disc breaks through it - a protrusion of the spinal disc is formed.
3. As the process progresses, part of the nucleus falls off - a herniated disc is formed.

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

This process can occur in any part of the spine. One of the most common locations 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 consider which method can completely and permanently cure the patient of this disease.

There are several different effects that we can expect from any therapy method: symptomatic (eliminating the manifestation of the disease), pathogenetic (interfering with the mechanism of pathological development), etiological (directly affecting the cause of development).

In osteochondrosis, the cause is various risk factors for this disease. It is impossible to influence them if the disease already exists. However, preventive measures are aimed specifically at eliminating the cause.

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

The effect of symptoms is also very important. The full course of therapy prescribed by the attending physician should always include the effect on the manifestation of the disease, because during therapy it is necessary to alleviate the patient's health condition.

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

• Exposure to drugs.
• Orthopedic products.
• Physiotherapy.
• Physiotherapy, massage, manual therapy.
• Spinal surgery.
• 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 drugs prescribed by doctors for osteochondrosis help to get rid of it. Many drugs perform a purely symptomatic function:

1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - eliminate inflammation.
2. Relaxes muscles – prevents reflex muscle spasms.
3. Local analgesics - pain relief.
4. Vascular agent - used for cervical osteochondrosis in combination with vertebral artery syndrome.
5. Glucocorticosteroids - these hormonal drugs have a clear anti-inflammatory effect.

However, some drugs have pathogenetic effects. First of all, chondroprotectors should be mentioned. These drugs are only used in the first stage 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 continuously, but the therapeutic effect will be quite noticeable.

Vitamin B - this drug does not affect the degeneration process itself and does not help to cure osteochondrosis. However, it is very important to use it in the presence of reflex or compression syndrome. Vitamins support metabolism in nerve tissue and prevent nerve death.

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

Orthopedic products

The next treatment method, 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. This product effectively relieves pain, which is beyond doubt. However, are they able to influence the course of the disease?

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

1. Corsets and collars have a compressive effect - they put pressure on certain parts 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 disc itself.
3. If there are existing protrusions 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 features should be taken into account not only by doctors, but also by patients, so as not to expect too much from the use of bandages.

Physiotherapy

Therapeutic exercise is one of the most underestimated methods of treating orthopedic diseases by patients. It is regular exercise and activity that helps eliminate most manifestations of any disease.

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

1. Exercise helps relieve pain, reflex muscle spasms, and compressive effects on vertebral arteries and other vessels. This means that with regular exercise, you can reduce the need for symptomatic therapy.
2. Exercise helps shape the muscular corset of the cervical spine. Trained muscles hold internal structures, including bones and cartilage, and prevent protrusions from forming.
3. Degenerative changes in the disc develop under the influence of excessive load, improper use or lack thereof. Proper training prevents the degenerative process and activates blood flow in the intervertebral disc area.

Despite knowing about the beneficial effects of the exercise, many patients are lazy to do the exercise. Start training with an expert, and then implement it into your daily routine. Soon you will not be able to imagine your day without exercise and a set of useful exercises.

Physiotherapy and massage

A rather controversial method of treatment is physiotherapy and massage. These methods really help relieve some of the symptoms of the disease. Neck massage helps relieve muscle spasms, and physiotherapy relieves inflammation, pain, and prevents the appearance of compression syndrome.

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

1. Electro- and phonophoresis help the medicine reach the spine.
2. Manual therapy relaxes muscles after prolonged exercise.
3. Acupuncture and electromyostimulation in combination with exercise therapy create strong muscle corsets and relieve pain.

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

We must also not forget that all physiotherapy and massage methods increase local blood flow, and therefore metabolism in the damaged tissue. As a result, the degenerative process slows down or stops altogether.

Surgical treatment

In some cases, intervertebral disc pathology can only be removed through surgery. This method also cannot be considered an etiological treatment - the surgeon does not act on the cause of the disease, but eliminates its consequences. However, in the presence of local osteochondrosis, surgery can help eliminate the symptoms permanently.

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

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

Regardless of the choice of treatment method, recurrence of cervical osteochondrosis is 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 recovery after surgery. Many of the above therapy methods help restore performance. It is easy to combine them during sanatorium treatment.

Radiofrequency ablation

A very effective and promising treatment method is radio frequency ablation. Not so long ago, this method was completely unknown, but now ablation is carried out 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.
• Discs are heat treated using electricity.
• There is destruction of the nerves and tissue of the disc itself in the area of impact.
• After ablation, the disc remains between the vertebrae. It is not able to perform the function of absorbing shock, but does not cause pathological symptoms.

The advantages of this method are the absence of the need for general anesthesia, a short duration of the procedure, and a quick recovery. This technique can be used as the first stage of treatment if the symptoms have not completely disappeared.

In most cases, ablation helps eliminate all symptoms of osteochondrosis, but patients are not immune from damage to other intervertebral discs by this disease.

Prevention

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

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

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

1. Normalize physical activity on the spine and neck in particular. Do preventive exercises, go swimming, skiing. Do not keep your neck immobile for long periods of time.
2. Eat properly. A balanced diet without harmful foods, which contains a sufficient amount of protein and calcium, will help prevent this disease.
3. Eliminate bad habits that can cause degenerative processes. First of all, this is smoking and frequent alcohol consumption.
4. When sleeping, use orthopedic aids and the right mattress to avoid additional pressure on the cervical spine.
5. If you have a spinal disease or injury, be sure to use orthopedic products.

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