Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system, a characteristic feature of which are destructive changes in the discs and vertebrae of the cervical spine. The disease occurs quite often, since the cervical vertebrae during human life constantly experience severe stress and almost continuous stress. Anyone who cares about his health should know what cervical osteochondrosis is, its symptoms, the treatment of which at home is quite possible, if a specialist doctor considers it acceptable. But in some cases, hospital treatment is required.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.
Osteochondrosis develops gradually, regardless of the affected cervical vertebra. At each stage of the pathology, there will be its own symptoms and signs.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a great danger to the body because some patients at first do not attribute the discomfort experienced to severe symptoms that require a visit to the doctor. The fact is that injuries to the spine lead to disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system, causing symptoms and signs that are in no way characteristic of the usual injuries of the musculoskeletal system, for example, instability of blood pressure. Often the symptomatology itself is quite vague.
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, which should be paid close attention, are:
- Dizziness of a systemic and non-systemic nature. It arises as a result of a strong pathological compression of the vessels of the brain, a strong compression of the nerve roots by the vertebrae, and a reflex increase in intracranial pressure.
- Pain in the cervical spine, sometimes radiating to the shoulder, scapula, and various parts of the upper extremities. Attacks of pain and discomfort occur most often after sleeping. Often the pain is accompanied by a characteristic sound of injured discs - a cracking noise when trying to move the neck. A sharp pinching of the nerves leads to muscle relaxation in different parts of the body, muscle weakness can appear for no reason, for example, in the leg. Sometimes the sensitivity in the cervical collar area decreases dramatically.
- Sudden jumps and drops in blood pressure, closely associated with the impact of the central nervous system on the blood supply function of the body. Pressure increases sharply with prolonged awkward body position, stress, sharp turns of the head and neck.
If the above signs appear, you should immediately consult a specialist doctor to establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe the most effective treatment.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis.
Therapy will be prescribed depending on the stage of development of the disease, the period of exacerbation or remission, the intensity of the manifestations of symptoms and signs.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home is not done quickly, it is quite long. To restore the musculoskeletal system, the body will need a lot of time, effort and the use of complex therapy methods.
Drug treatment
The drug complex, the doses and the duration of the course are strictly selected by the doctor based on many factors: the stage of development of the disease, the age of the patient, the individual tolerance of the components of the drugs, etc. The following medications are used:
- Pain relievers, pills and injections. They help to eliminate the pain syndrome and relieve a person from the discomfort caused by destructive changes.
- Hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs needed to suppress the body's aggressive response to bone destruction and pathological effects on the muscles.
- Condoprotectors - medicinal preparations containing active substances capable of restoring bone tissue, causing its regeneration and strengthening;
- Muscle relaxants are pharmacological agents that weaken the intensity of painful muscle tension in the damaged spine.
- Synthetic vitamin preparations containing a complex of minerals and trace elements that can normalize metabolic processes and fill nutritional deficiencies with useful substances.
- In addition to tablets and injections, various ointments and gels can also be used for local action on the skin over the damaged area.
- Oral medications help well in complex therapies. They can be warm, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, chondroprotective or complex (containing various types of active ingredients).
Gymnastics
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, special gymnastics is of great help, which includes exercises aimed at strengthening the natural forces of the body, starting an accelerated regeneration process and restoring the lost musculoskeletal functions of the spine. In some cases, the usual set of exercises is supplemented by various sports such as swimming or yoga. The decision on additional loads for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is made only by a doctor. During physiotherapy exercises, it is forbidden to sharply bend or tilt the head, you should try to avoid rotations. A specialist doctor selects a set of exercises for sports based on the individual characteristics of the patient and the specific clinical case.
Nutrition
It is imperative that when treating osteochondrosis, the patient should follow a special diet. During illness, the body needs a balanced diet that contains the necessary nutrients for speedy recovery. You should try to give up harmful, sweet, fatty, difficult to digest, salty and spicy foods. The menu should contain a large amount of cereals, nuts, dairy products that contain calcium, meats and lean fish, fruits and vegetables.
Other elements of complex treatment
Surgical intervention is used only in the most extreme cases, when the destructive destruction of the spine is so strong that no conservative therapy can restore damaged bones, nerves, and discs.
For any pathology of the musculoskeletal system, a course of massage therapy is used for additional effects on the muscles. Massage is performed in the prone position, face down, very rarely in a sitting position, only in cases where the pathology is in an initial stage of development. It is better to trust a specialist, since in case of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, self-massage can bring many irreparable damage and side effects. The loads on the muscles, their intensity, the frequency of tapping and stroking in this case are strictly limited.
To relieve the load on the damaged spine, you should try to give the vertebrae and discs an anatomical shape. Modern orthopedic products (neck braces, pillows and mattresses) help to quickly and comfortably return the spine to the desired shape and position without damaging it or creating a negative side effect.
As a rule, the method of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in each clinical case combines the complex use of the above methods.