Cervical osteochondrosis is a condition in which the delicate intervertebral pulp, which acts as a shock absorber between the vertebrae, turns into ossified tissue, involving the roots and blood vessels. This change is hidden under various manifestations, in which the main feature of the disease of the cervical spine is pain in the cervical spine on the upper back, radiating to the head. Mandatory treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is required.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The disease is characterized by typical symptoms.
With cervical osteochondrosis, patients feel:
- dizzy spells, nausea, pressure drop, loss of consciousness;
- lack of air;
- numbness of 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 specialists, such as cardiologists, therapists and orthopedists, which greatly complicates the correct diagnosis in the early stages of the development of the disease. The dystrophic process of tissue deviations of the cervical vertebrae, as a rule, affects people from middle age. This happens because of the vertical 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 point to the exit of the roots of the nerve endings into the upper spine and the lack of mobility of the neck joints, which support the weight skull in an upright position.
effective treatment
Medicine does not stand still. The method of therapy is different, for this it is important to take into account the stage of the pathology (debilitation or crisis), the form of the disease (acute or chronic), the manifestation of symptoms - for example, the presence or absence of pain.
You should know how cervical osteochondrosis can be cured and how long the treatment lasts. 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 use simple methods correctly - recreational sports, massage, self-massage. This can improve the well-being of a patient experiencing pain in the neck with this condition.
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 in choosing an appropriate treatment method.
If this is not possible, it is important to use light methods, e. g. B. Hydration exercises (filling of the inter-joint space with fluids due to a change in the blood supply to the neck and back of the head).
improvement of physical education
Accurately performing the exercises of remedial gymnastics, you can achieve great results. For example, there are many methods of treating osteochondrosis of the neck, but not all of them are based on increased nutrition of cartilage and bone tissue.
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 bend your head, you can only imitate such movements. It seemed that everything is so simple, but it works.
In order to properly conduct exercise therapy, you need to perform physical exercises, with the exception of:
- prolonged load on the neck joints (an exercise no longer than two minutes);
- Twists, bends, twists of the neck (such actions relieve the development of pathologies in the joints and intervertebral discs).
It's useful to bend your head slightly, which doesn't move all the joints, but increases blood flow to them. Such actions resemble a slight nod of approval. After half an hour you can perform a movement that resembles an expression of opinion.
It is also useful to do an exercise similar to moving the head forward while holding the front and back, trying to hold the back of the head as well. All of this can be done at home.
massage
Massage the neck area very gently without using much force. Any unskillful action can lead to negative consequences. The movements include the neck, collar area and upper back. The patient lies on his stomach or sits during the massage.
Some features of the technique:
- Stroke. At this stage, the upper layers of the skin are affected. Do this with the palm of your hand or with your fingertips in the direction from your head to the top third of the middle of your back. Sweeping from the base of the neck can be done in a zigzag pattern.
- To press. The masseur tries to work harder on the tissues in the upper third of the back. In this case, the thumb and forefinger are involved. They move down the neck and cover the skin, resembling a pinch. It is important to be extremely careful not to touch the tissues near the vertebrae.
- trituration. At this stage there is an effect on deeper tissues. You must try not to overdo it, lest it get worse.
After getting into a comfortable position without looking up while watching your favorite movie, you can do the massage yourself. In this case, stroking, rubbing in a circle in the neck and shoulders are used. An excellent result will be if during self-massage you rub special ointments that can increase blood circulation and eliminate pain in the massaged part.
applicator
The applicator is a plastic frame with spikes to act on a specific area of skin. By lying down or simply applying it, the patient provokes irritation of the skin receptors responsible for the physiological processes in the body.
Many users have noticed that the applicator is effective and provides temporary relief from pain.
It is also worth noting that when using the device, working capacity increases, there is a beneficial effect on skin elasticity, sleep and blood circulation, and joint activity is regenerated. There are diseases for which it is worth abandoning the use of the applicator. These are diseases of an infectious, tumorous, skin and vascular nature.
Before using the device, you need to consult a doctor or experiment yourself by using the applicator for a short time. When observing, you can see the result in well-being.
Use of orthopedic pillows
An excellent preventive method in the fight against osteochondrosis is sleeping on orthopedic pillows. As a rule, the condition of osteochondrosis worsens from squeezing the cervical artery and nerve roots during rest on an uncomfortable pillow.
Special items allow you to evenly distribute the position of a person during sleep, which significantly improves blood flow to the head.
To choose the perfect pillow, you need to take into account the characteristic anatomical features of a person, volume and quality of the filler. If the pillow is selected correctly, it will bring great benefits to a patient with cervical osteochondrosis.
drugs and medicines
These are not all options for treating cervical osteochondrosis. Here, too, medical treatment will remedy the situation.
In the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the drugs are as follows:
- Analgesics are nonsteroidal drugs that relieve pain. They are usually taken in tablets or capsules. It should be remembered that such drugs can irritate the mucous membrane in the digestive tract;
- anti-inflammatory (steroids). A hormonal drug that reduces inflammation, thereby reducing pain. The most common drugs are tablets and ointments containing hydrocortisone, prednidazole, dexamethasone;
- Chondroprotectors - drugs that contain in their composition components that replace the action of cartilage tissue elements. A long time can get a good result;
- Muscle relaxants are drugs that relieve tension in the muscles. Most often they are used in surgery and orthopedics as an additional means of pain relief. They are taken parenterally under medical supervision. For the treatment of 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 increase 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, allocating vitamins and painkillers;
- Ointments and gels for external use. One of the very simple methods of treatment at home are gels, ointments. They have anti-inflammatory, warming and pain-relieving properties. You hear about it regularly on TV. Since they can be easily purchased at a pharmacy, drugs are used for self-medication, even in the absence of confirmation of the symptoms of the disease. It is especially worth considering that they are ineffective in cervical osteochondrosis.
It must never be forgotten that before starting any treatment, the appropriate doctor should be consulted, as self-medication often leads to dire consequences.
preventive measures
It is easier to prevent a disease or delay it for as long as possible than to cure it. Thanks to this, the minimization of factors that manifest themselves in the course of the pathology is achieved. The basis of health is compliance with a correct lifestyle. This involves the use of moderate physical activity, body weight control, systematic warm-up with a sedentary lifestyle.
All this depends on the desire of the person himself and on the habits laid from childhood. But over the course of a person's life, different things can happen. This 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 the works that have increased physical activity, and also try not to make sudden movements.
Being more than 10 kilograms overweight can increase the strain on your back. If you cannot refuse increased physical activity, you will need:
- carry the load alternately - now on one side of the body, then on the other;
- Use a corset to protect your back.
- After completing the work, try to relieve the spine. To do this, you should 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 drop in temperature have a negative effect. Some tips to reduce the risk of osteochondrosis getting worse:
- for sleeping it is recommended to use not only an orthopedic pillow, but also an orthopedic mattress, since they do not interfere with blood flow in the spine;
- systematic swimming;
- right nutrition.
If spinal osteochondrosis is diagnosed, 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 an exacerbation of osteochondrosis. If you follow these simple recommendations and (in some cases) use massage, then with a diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you can ensure a quiet life until retirement age.