Cervical osteochondrosis is a condition in which the delicate intervertebral pulp, which acts as a shock absorber between the vertebrae, turns into ossified tissue, and the roots and blood vessels are involved. This change is hidden under various manifestations, where the main feature of the disease of the cervical spine is pain in the cervical region, upper back, radiating to the head. Mandatory treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is necessary.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The disease is characterized by typical symptoms.
With cervical osteochondrosis, patients feel:
- dizziness, nausea, pressure drop, loss of consciousness;
- lack of air;
- numbness of the tongue;
- angina attacks and other changes in the cardiovascular system.
All these symptoms encourage the patient to turn not only to a neurologist, but also to other doctors of such specialties as a cardiologist, therapist, orthopedist, which greatly complicates the correct diagnosis in the early stages of the development ofdisease. The dystrophic process of tissue deviations of the cervical vertebrae usually affects middle-aged people. This happens due to the upright position of the human skeleton and the separation of static and dynamic pressure.
Symptoms such as pain in the back of the head, shoulders, arms, sternum and retrosternal region indicate the exit of roots from nerve endings in the upper spine and lack of mobility in the joints of the neck, which bear the weight, keeping the skull in an upright position.
Effective treatment
Medicine does not stand still. The method of treatment is different, for this it is important to take into account the stage of the pathology (weakening or crisis), the form of the disease (acute or chronic), the manifestation of symptoms - for example, the presence orthe absence of pain.
You need to know how to cure cervical osteochondrosis and how long it takes to be treated. The treatment includes:
- conservative therapy (drug or non-drug);
- surgical intervention;
- complex method of two methods.
Features of classical therapy
To ensure that osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can be cured, you need to correctly use simple methods - recreational physical education, massage, self-massage. This can bring an improvement in the well-being of a patient who experiences neck pain with this disease.
But with a prolonged course of degenerative processes, it would be good to be examined in a hospital or in an outpatient clinic. This will help to choose an adequate method of treatment procedures.
If this is not possible, it is important to use light methods - for example, to do exercises aimed at hydration (filling the interarticular space with fluids due to a change in blood supplyneck and back of head).
Improve physical education
Executing therapeutic gymnastics exercises with precision, you can achieve excellent results. For example, there are many methods of treating osteochondrosis of the neck, but not all of them are based on increasing the nutrition of cartilage and bone tissues.
The task of exercise therapy is to restore blood circulation in the changed area. During a visit to exercise therapy, you cannot sharply turn or tilt your head, you can only imitate such movements. It seemed that everything is so simple, but it works.
To perform exercise therapy correctly, you must use physical exercises, excluding:
- prolonged stress on the neck joints (do an exercise for no more than two minutes);
- bends, bends, rotations of the neck (such actions relieve the development of pathologies in the joints and intervertebral discs).
It is useful to make a slight bending of the head, which does not cause movement of all the joints, but increases blood flow to them. Such actions are similar to slight nods, in the form of consent. After half an hour, you can perform a movement similar to an expression of disagreement.
It is also useful to do a similar exercise of moving the head forward, while holding the frontal part, and backward, trying to hold the back of the head as well. All of this can be done at home.
Massage
Massage the cervical area very carefully, without applying much force. Any inept action can lead to negative consequences. The movements cover the neck, collar area and upper back. The patient during the massage lies on his stomach or sits.
Some characteristics of the technique:
- Caress. At this stage, the upper layers of the skin are affected. Do this with the palm of your hand or fingertips in the direction of the head, moving down to the upper third of the middle of the back. Caresses from the base of the neck can be done in a zigzag pattern.
- Pressing. The masseur tries to have a more penetrating effect on the tissues of the upper third of the back. In this case, thumbs and index fingers are involved. They move across the neck, covering the skin, which is similar to compression. It is important to be extremely careful not to touch the tissues near the vertebrae.
- Trituration. At this stage, there is an effect on the deeper tissues. You need to try not to overdo it so it doesn't get worse.
Having taken a comfortable position, without looking up after watching your favorite movie, you can do the massage yourself. In this case, stroking, rubbing in a circle in the neck and shoulders is used. An excellent result will be if during self-massage you rub in special ointments that can increase blood circulation, eliminate pain in the massaged part.
Applicator
The applicator is a plastic frame fitted with spikes to act on a specific area of the skin. By lying on it or simply applying it, the patient causes irritation of the skin receptors, which are responsible for the physiological processes of the organism.
Many users have noticed that the applicator is effective and provides temporary pain relief.
It should also be noted that when using the device, working capacity increases, there is a positive effect on skin elasticity, sleep and blood circulation, regeneration of joint activityoccurs. There are diseases in which it is worth abandoning the use of the applicator. These are diseases of an infectious, tumoral, cutaneous and vascular nature.
Before you start using the device, you should consult a doctor or experiment yourself by applying the applicator for a short time. By observing, you can see the result in well-being.
Use of orthopedic pillows
An excellent preventive means in the fight against osteochondrosis is sleeping on orthopedic pillows. As a rule, the condition of osteochondrosis worsens due to pressure exerted on the cervical artery and nerve roots during rest on an uncomfortable pillow.
Special elements allow you to evenly distribute a person's position during sleep, which significantly improves the process of blood circulation to the head.
To choose the perfect pillow, you need to take into account the characteristic anatomical properties of a person, the volume and quality of the load. If the pillow is chosen correctly, it will bring great benefits to a patient with cervical osteochondrosis.
Drugs and medicines
These are not all ways to treat cervical osteochondrosis. Medical treatment will also come to the rescue here.
In the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the drugs are:
- Analgesics are nonsteroidal drugs that relieve pain. As a rule, they are taken in the form of tablets or capsules. It should be remembered that such drugs can irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive tract;
- anti-inflammatory (steroids). A hormonal drug that relieves inflammation and thus relieves pain. The most common medications are tablets and ointments containing hydrocortisone, prednidazole, dexamethasone;
- chondroprotectors - drugs that have components in their composition that have a substitution of the action of cartilage tissue elements. Taking a long time can get a good result;
- Muscle relaxants are medications that relieve tension in the muscles. Most often they are applicable in surgery and orthopedics as an additional remedy for pain relief. They are administered parenterally under medical supervision. To treat osteochondrosis, it is necessary to use products based on Glycerin, Benzimidazole. They have a huge list of contraindications;
- vitamins. As part of the treatment of the disease, vitamins have a positive effect on the peripheral nervous system and improve its conductivity. B1, B6, B12 are water soluble vitamins, A, C, D, E, B are fat soluble. There is a practice of using different drugs together, assigning vitamins and painkillers;
- ointments and gels for external use. One of the very simple home treatment methods are gels, ointments. They have anti-inflammatory, warming, analgesic properties. You can hear about it regularly on television. Since they can be easily purchased in pharmacies, drugs are used for self-medication even in cases where there is no confirmation of the symptoms of the disease. It is especially worth considering that with cervical osteochondrosis they are ineffective.
It should never be forgotten that before starting any treatment, one should consult with the appropriate doctor, since self-medication often leads to bad consequences.
Preventive actions
It is easier to prevent a disease or to delay it as long as possible than to cure it. Thus, the minimization of factors that manifest themselves in the course of pathology is achieved. The basis of health is the observance of a correct way of life. This includes the use of moderate physical activity, body weight control, systematic warm-up with a sedentary lifestyle.
It all depends on the desire of the person himself and the habits acquired from childhood. But throughout a person's life, different things can happen. It can be a microtrauma of the spine or a congenital disease of the musculoskeletal system. If the patient has a tendency to develop osteochondrosis, it is important to pay attention to work that has increased physical activity, and also try not to make sudden movements.
If there is excess weight of more than 10 kilograms, this can aggravate the load on the back. If you cannot refuse reinforced physical activity, you need:
- take turns carrying the load - now on one side of the body, then on the other;
- use a corset to protect your back;
- after completing the work, try to unload the spine. To do this, you must either take a horizontal position or hang on the horizontal bar.
It is important to try not to expose yourself to sudden changes in temperature and humidity. An increase in humidity and a decrease in temperature have a detrimental effect. Some tips to help reduce the risk of exacerbation of osteochondrosis:
- for sleeping, it is recommended to use not only an orthopedic pillow, but also an orthopedic mattress, since they do not disturb the blood flow in the spine;
- systematic swimming;
- adequate nutrition.
In case of diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the spine, sports that increase pressure on the spine and have a traumatic effect are not recommended. You have to give up running, jumping, weightlifting. You should not bathe in the bath during the exacerbation of osteochondrosis. By following these simple recommendations, using massage (in some cases), you can ensure a quiet life with a diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine until retirement age.