Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease in which the delicate intervertebral pulp, which acts as a shock absorber between the vertebrae, turns into ossified tissue and involves the roots and blood vessels. This change is hidden under various manifestations, in which the main characteristic of the disease of the cervical spine is pain in the cervical region, in 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:
- attacks of dizziness, nausea, drop in pressure, 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 in such specialties as cardiologist, therapist, orthopedist, which significantly complicates the correct diagnosis in the early stages of the disease. The dystrophic process of tissue abnormalities of the cervical spine, as a rule, affects middle-aged people. This is due to 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 area indicate protrusion of the nerve endings at the top of the spine and lack of mobility of the neck joints that carry the weight, keeping the skull upright.
Effective treatment
Medicine does not stand still. The method of therapy is different, so it is important to take into account the stage of the pathology (weight loss or crisis), the form of the disease (acute or chronic), the manifestation of symptoms - such as the presence or absence of pain.
You need to know how to cure cervical osteochondrosis and how long it takes to treat. Treatment includes:
- conservative therapy (drug or non-drug);
- surgical intervention;
- complex method of two methods.
Characteristics of classical therapy
To be sure that osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can be cured, you must properly use simple methods - recreational physical education, massage, self-massage. This can improve the well-being of a patient who feels neck pain with this disease.
However, in the case of long-term degenerative processes, it would be good to be examined while you are in hospital or outpatient clinic. This will help to choose an adequate method of treatment procedures.
If this is not possible, then it is important to use light methods - for example, to do exercises aimed at hydration (filling the interstitial space with fluids due to changes in the blood supply to the neck and back of the head).
Improving physical education
By performing the exercises of therapeutic gymnastics correctly, you can achieve great results. For example, there are many treatments for osteochondrosis of the neck, but not all of them are based on increasing the nutrition of cartilage and bone tissue.
The task of training therapy is to restore blood circulation in the affected area. You can't turn or bend your head too much during a visit to the gym, you can only imitate such movements. Everything seemed so simple, but it worked.
For proper training therapy, you should use exercise, except:
- prolonged stress on the joints of the neck (do one exercise for no more than two minutes);
- bends, flexions, rotations of the neck (such actions facilitate the development of pathology in the joints and intervertebral discs).
It is useful to do a slight bending of the head, which does not cause movement of all joints, but increases blood flow to them. Such actions are similar to slight nods of the head in the form of consent. After half an hour you can make a move, similar to an expression of disagreement.
It is also useful to do an exercise similar to moving the head forward, holding the front and back, trying to hold the back of the head. All this can be done at home.
Massage
Massage the cervical area very gently without applying much force. Any wrong action can lead to negative consequences. The movements cover the neck, the collar area and the upper back. The patient lies on his stomach or sits during the massage.
Some features of the technique:
- Stroking. At this stage, the upper layers of the skin are affected. Do this with the palm of your hand or with the tips of your fingers in the direction away from the head, falling to the upper third of the middle of the back. Stroking from the base of the neck can be done in a zigzag pattern.
- Squeezing. The masseur tries to have a more penetrating effect on the tissues in the upper third of the back. In this case, the thumbs and forefingers are included. They move around the neck, covering the skin, which is similar to squeezing. It is important to be extremely careful not to touch the tissues near the vertebrae.
- Trituration. At this stage it has an effect on the deeper tissues. You should try not to overdo it so as not to get worse.
Taking a comfortable position without looking up from watching your favorite movie, you can do the massage yourself. In this case, stroking, rubbing in a circle around the neck and shoulders are used. An excellent result will be if during self-massage you rub special ointments that can increase blood circulation, eliminate pain in the massaged part.
Applicator
The applicator is a plastic frame with spikes for action on a specific area of skin. Lying on it or simply applying it, the patient provokes irritation of skin receptors that are responsible for physiological processes in the body.
Many users have noticed that the applicator is effective and temporarily relieves pain.
It is also worth noting that when using the device performance increases, has a positive effect on skin elasticity, sleep and blood flow, there is a regeneration of joint activity. There are diseases in which it is worth giving up the use of the applicator. These are diseases of infectious, tumor, skin and vascular nature.
Before using the appliance, you should consult a doctor or experiment on your own by applying the applicator for a short time. When you observe, you can see the result in well-being.
Use of orthopedic pillows
An excellent preventative way to fight osteochondrosis is to sleep on orthopedic pillows. As a rule, the condition of osteochondrosis worsens due to compression of the cervical artery and nerve roots during rest on an uncomfortable pillow.
Special elements allow you to evenly distribute the position of a person during sleep, which significantly improves the flow of blood to the head.
To choose the perfect pillow, you must take into account the characteristic anatomical features of a person, the volume and quality of the filler. If the pillow is chosen correctly, then it will bring great benefits to a patient with cervical osteochondrosis.
Medicines and medicines
These are not all ways to treat cervical osteochondrosis. Medical treatment will also help here.
In the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine drugs are as follows:
- Analgesics are non-steroidal drugs that relieve pain. As a rule, they are taken in tablets or capsules. It should be remembered that such drugs can irritate the lining of the digestive tract;
- anti-inflammatory (steroids). Hormonal drug that relieves inflammation and thus relieves pain. The most common drugs are tablets and ointments that contain hydrocortisone, prednidazole, dexamethasone;
- chondroprotectors - drugs that have components in their composition that replace the action of the elements of cartilage tissue. Taking a long period can achieve a good result;
- Muscle relaxants are drugs that relieve muscle tension. They are most often used in surgery and orthopedics as an additional means of relieving pain. 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 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, attributing vitamins and painkillers;
- ointments and gels for external use. One of the very easy methods of treatment at home are gels, ointments. They have anti-inflammatory, warming, analgesic properties. You can hear about them regularly on TV. Because they can be easily purchased at a pharmacy, the drugs are used for self-medication, even in cases where there is no confirmation of the symptoms of the disease. It is especially worth bearing in mind that they are ineffective in cervical osteochondrosis.
It should never be forgotten that before starting any treatment, you should consult with your doctor, as 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. In this way the minimization of the factors that appear in the course of the pathology is achieved. The basis of health is the observance of a proper way of life. This includes the use of moderate physical activity, weight control, systemic warm-up with a sedentary lifestyle.
It all depends on the desire of the person and the habits that are instilled from childhood. But different things can happen throughout a person's life. 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, then it is important to be careful of those jobs that have increased physical activity, and also try not to make sudden movements.
If you are overweight over 10 pounds, this can worsen the strain on your back. If you can't refuse increased physical activity, you should:
- carry the load in turn - here on one side of the body, then on the other;
- use a corset to protect your back;
- after you're done, try unloading your spine. To do this, you must either take a horizontal position or hang on the horizontal bar.
It is important to try not to be exposed to sudden changes in temperature and humidity. Rising humidity and falling temperatures have a negative effect. Some tips to reduce the risk of exacerbation of osteochondrosis:
- for sleep it is recommended to use not only an orthopedic pillow, but also an orthopedic mattress, as they do not disrupt blood flow to the spine;
- systematic swimming;
- healthy diet.
If there is a diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the spine, then sports that increase the pressure on the spine and have a traumatic effect are not recommended. You have to give up running, jumping, lifting weights. You should not bathe in the bath during the exacerbation of osteochondrosis. By following such simple recommendations, using massage (in some cases), you can ensure a peaceful life with a diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine until retirement age.