A STRATEGY TO ENHANCE THE EFFICACY OF CHONDROPROTECTIVE THERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH TMJ ARTHRITIS–ARTHROSIS AND CONCOMITANT CERVICAL OSTEOCHONDROSIS

Resume. Many investigators of spinal osteochondrosis (SO) consider that one of the key determinants of the tendency toward chronicity of the principal clinical manifestation—pain in lumbar osteochondrosis (LO)—is the progression of a central pathogenetic driver: catabolic processes within the affected intervertebral disc (IVD). On this rationale, chondroprotective agents are incorporated into multimodal conservative therapy for SO to promote repair of damaged IVD tissues. We hypothesized that pharmacologically promoting a switch from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism in IVD chondrocytes would up-regulate IES and thereby enhance anabolic activity, mitotic renewal of chondrocytes, and restoration of the damaged extracellular matrix. On this basis, we evaluated whether combining an antihypoxant (antihypoxic) regimen with a chondroprotective agent improves the effectiveness of conservative therapy for SO. Keywords: Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) arthritis–arthrosis, chondroprotective therapy, cervical osteochondrosis, integrated treatment strategy, treatment efficacy.