Previous statistics show that about 7% to 10% of people in the country suffer from cervical spondylosis, more than half of the number of patients under 40 years old, 25% of people around 50 years old suffer from cervical spondylosis, and 50% of people over 60 years old. Nowadays, with the development of high technology and changes in the structure of life and diet, the incidence of cervical spondylosis is getting higher and higher, and there is a trend of lowering the age. Many patients are suffering from the pain caused by cervical spondylosis, and the increase in treatment methods has added to their worries. How to treat cervical spondylosis has attracted social attention and become a hot topic of conversation.
Experts point out that for the treatment of cervical spondylosis, symptomatic treatment is crucial, and “conservative, minimally invasive and open” therapy should be applied flexibly according to the patient’s symptoms, signs and imaging examinations to determine the degree of the disease.
I. Conservative treatment
Main therapies
1.Oral medication: mainly used for pain relief, local anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxation treatment.
2, traction: through the mutual balance between traction force and anti-traction force, the head and neck is relatively fixed in the physiological curve state, so that the cervical spine curve incorrect phenomenon gradually changed, but its efficacy is limited, only suitable for mild neurogenic cervical spondylosis patients; and in the acute period, traction is prohibited to prevent local inflammation, edema aggravation.
3, physiotherapy: physiotherapy is the abbreviation of physical therapy. It is the application of natural and artificial physical factors, such as sound, light, electricity, heat, magnetism and other effects on the human body, in order to achieve the purpose of treatment and prevention of disease.
Most conservative therapies mainly play a role in relieving symptoms, and are more suitable for patients with initial onset or short duration of the disease, and are often used as an adjunctive therapy.
Minimally invasive interventional therapy
Minimally invasive interventional therapy is operated under CT or C-arm fluoroscopic guidance, using ozone, radiofrequency, laser, collagenase, rotary cutting, plasma and other substances to oxidize, dissolve, vaporize and rotary cut the herniated disc tissue respectively, so as to eliminate the herniated disc and release the compression on the spinal nerve or nerve root, so as to achieve the purpose of treatment.
Indications.
Those with poor conservative treatment effect;
Those with compression caused by simple cervical disc herniation (small inclusive herniation);
Those with > 50% intervertebral space height (75% or more required for cut and suction);
Those with good cervical spine stability;
Those who have contraindications to open surgery.
Comment: In recent years, scholars at home and abroad have done a lot of exploration on minimally invasive interventional treatment of cervical spondylosis, and minimally invasive interventional treatment of cervical spondylosis is increasingly accepted by the majority of patients. Summarizing more than 10 years of clinical experience, the above minimally invasive interventional techniques can release the compression of nerves at the lesion site and achieve the cure of cervical spondylosis. At present, it is also a common treatment means internationally. In addition, the combined application of the above minimally invasive interventional techniques can expand the indications. At present, it is not only more effective for nerve root type of strong spondylosis, but also plays a certain role for cervical type, spinal cord type, vertebral artery type and sympathetic type of cervical spondylosis. It makes up for the shortage of single method application and plays an advantageous complementary role in the application process, thus improving the curative effect.
Comment: In view of the complexity of the increased symptoms of patients with cervical spine diseases, traditional conservative treatment has been far from satisfying the needs of patients and relieving their pain. And the injury and risk of orthopedic open surgery are not accepted. Minimally invasive techniques have emerged to gradually occupy the orthopedic market.
III. Open surgery therapy (open surgery)
For a long time open surgery (open surgery) insists on the principle of removal and decompression to achieve the purpose of nerve root release and decompression, but surgical treatment has anesthesia accidents, trauma, often irreversible complications, long postoperative recovery time, postoperative spinal instability, easy recurrence, postoperative may be accompanied by adhesions and neuropathy due to scar formation and other complications, therefore, surgical treatment is generally not recommended, but some special diseases Still need open surgery treatment.