Stenosis of the cervical spinal canal: causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Diseases of the spinal column have a negative effect on the entire human body. Stenosis of the cervical spinal canal can provoke not only problems with control over the upper body, but even a stroke or death. Therefore, you should treat the presented pathology immediately after you feel its first signs.

What is the disease?

Stenosis of the cervical spinal canal is a decrease in the volume of its lumen, which can be congenital or acquired. There is such a disease quite often. However, it is typical for people who have already crossed the 60-year mark.

At a young age, pathology is extremely rare. If it does, it is often provoked by innate factors. The narrowing of the canal in which the spinal cord is located is a dangerous phenomenon, therefore it is necessary to treat it.

Classification of the disease

So, the stenosis of the cervical spine can be:

1. Acquired. In this case, its development was influenced by external factors.
2. Congenital. The pathology is laid down genetically or has started to develop owing to not absolutely correct intrauterine fetal formation.
3. Combined. There are already two groups of factors that influence: external and internal.

By clinical degree, the pathology can be classified as follows:

• Acquired non-degenerative.
• Constitutional (here we mean the anatomical features of the organism).
• Degenerative.
• Caused by an anomaly or dysplasia of the spine.

According to the area of the lesion, the stenosis of the cervical spine can be absolute (if the channel has an area of more than 75 mm ² ) and relative (if this figure falls below 75 mm square).

Causes of pathology development

This disease usually provokes such factors:

• Compression fracture or other types of spinal injuries.
• Congenital abnormal vertebral structure, provoked by a woman's diseases during pregnancy.
• Inflammatory processes in the spine.
• Bechterew's disease.
• Intervertebral formation: a hernia, malignant or benign tumor, metastases in the spine.
• Spondyloarthrosis, which promotes deformity of the spinal column.
• Osteochondrosis of cervical department.
• Bony growths and osteophytes.

Symptomatology of pathology

Stenosis of the spinal canal of the cervical spine is a complex and dangerous disease characterized by such signs:

1. Pain in the neck. They can be one-sided or localized on both sides. There is discomfort initially only after a long stay in an uncomfortable position. However, as the pathology progresses, the pain becomes noisy and almost constant.
2. Headache in the temporal and occipital region. It has a different degree of intensity.
3. Loss of sensitivity of the skin, neck, head and even upper limbs.
4. Dizziness, which has the ability to intensify during a sharp turn of the head.
5. Weakness in the hands, a feeling of discomfort.
6. Disturbance of respiratory functions.
7. Increased muscle tone in the arms and neck, although weakness does not go anywhere.

Features of pathology diagnostics

Relative or absolute stenosis of the cervical spinal canal can be determined using the following methods:

• Palpation of the affected area by the doctor, external examination of the patient, and fixation of his complaints. The doctor must collect a complete medical history in order to exclude a hereditary predisposition or confirm it.
• Radiography. It is done in 2 projections: lateral and anteroposterior. This method of diagnosis is the most important and informative. It allows to determine the presence and size of bone growths, the degree of vertebral integrity, the presence of tumors or hernias, their size, structure and location.
• CT scan. Thanks to this research, the doctor has the opportunity to determine the factor that triggered the onset of the disease. The procedure allows you to see even the most microscopic changes in the spine.
• MRI. This procedure is also considered very informative, but it is not always carried out because of its high cost. In addition, the patient in the case of its implementation receives a strong radiation, so this study has a lot of contraindications.
• Myelogram. To carry out this study, a special contrast agent is introduced into the spine, with which it is possible to examine its structure well. In addition, the state of the cerebrospinal fluid and its number are determined.

Conservative treatment of pathology

If you have stenosis of the cervical spinal canal, treatment should be started immediately. It starts with taking medications. Among them you can choose the following:

• Depending on the intensity of pain, the patient is given certain dosages of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: "Piroxicam", "Ibuprofen", "Diclobert".
• To reduce puffiness, eliminate pain syndrome and squeeze vertebral structures, injections of hormonal preparations or glucocorticosteroids can be used: Prednisolone, Diprospan.
• To reduce the volume of cerebrospinal fluid, diuretics are used: magnesia or "Lasix".

Naturally, drug therapy should be prescribed only by a specialist. It is impossible to take the above medicines without consulting your doctor on your own. Otherwise, you can hurt yourself even more.

Features of physiotherapeutic treatment

Degenerative stenosis of the cervical spinal canal without proper treatment can lead to disastrous consequences. But at an early stage in the fight against the disease can help physiotherapy. Your doctor will give you one of the following procedures:

1. Electrophoresis with novocaine. This procedure promotes effective anesthesia, since the drug is delivered directly to the affected area.
2. Magnetotherapy. It provides an opportunity to eliminate pain and swelling.
3. Back massage and manual therapy. These procedures help to reduce muscle tone and at the same time strengthen them. Thanks to the massage, you can also reduce pain.
4. Exercise therapy. Therapeutic physical training makes it possible to make the spine more flexible and mobile. At the initial stage of the exercise should not be difficult, and the load - intensive. The fact is that with narrowing of the channel, there may be a violation of blood circulation.
5. Acupuncture. This procedure should be done only by an experienced specialist, so as not to harm the patient even more.
6. Traction of the spine. The procedure of traction can provoke the appearance of intervertebral hernias, therefore it is not always shown.

Physiotherapy treatment gives very good results if the pathology is still at the first stages of development. Otherwise, surgery may be necessary.

Features of surgical intervention

If you are diagnosed with stenosis of the cervical spinal canal, surgery may be unavoidable. They resort to it, if conservative therapy has not given good results, or the area of the lumen of the canal is catastrophically small. You can name several types of operations that are performed with this disease of the spine:

1. Removal of those growths and formations that could provoke a narrowing of the lumen: tumors, osteophytes, hernias. This operation is called "decompressive laminectomy."
2. Installation of systems that contribute to strengthening and stabilizing the spinal column.
3. Intermittent fixation of the vertebrae. This operation involves the installation of an implant instead of a remote affected area.

The main principle by which surgeons should act is not to harm. That is why before the appointment of any intervention of these specialists, the patient must undergo a thorough examination and have absolute testimony. The health risk should be lower than the probability of a positive result.

What complications can occur?

As you already understood, both primary and secondary stenosis of the cervical spinal canal requires careful treatment. However, if the therapy for some reason was not started on time, the patient may experience such complications:

• Reversible or irreversible loss of sensitivity or paralysis of the body (its individual parts).
• The possibility of complete immobilization.
• Stroke. This happens due to impaired blood circulation and innervation of the spine. Normal mutual functionality of the spinal cord and brain becomes impossible.
• Myelopathy. This is an extremely complex disease of a neurological nature, in which there is a strong weakness in the extremities. But the muscle tone is very high.
• Lethal outcome.

As you can see, complications can be fatal, so treatment should be started as quickly as possible.

Prevention of pathology

If you do not want to develop stenosis of the spine (the symptoms, causes and treatment of the disease we have already considered), you must follow simple rules:

• Do not allow a long stay in the same position or lack of motor activity. It is desirable to periodically do gymnastics neck.
• Exercise therapy. It is used not only for treatment, but also for prevention.
• In all circumstances, watch your posture. This is especially important with sedentary work.
• Try to eat right, so that the body receives all the necessary substances.
• Any pathology should be treated on time.

Timely appeal for specialized care gives a chance for recovery. Be healthy!