Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease in which the sensitive intervertebral pulp, which acts as a shock absorber between the vertebrae, turns into ossified tissue and the roots and blood vessels are affected. This change is hidden under various manifestations, where the main characteristic of the disease of the cervical spine is pain in the neck, in the upper part of the 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, drops 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 consult not only a neurologist, but also other doctors of such specialties as cardiologist, therapist, orthopedist, which greatly complicates the correct diagnosis in the early stages of the disease. The dystrophic process of deviation of the cervical vertebrae tissue, 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 region indicate the exit of the root nerve endings in the upper part of the spine and lack of mobility of the neck joints, which carry weight, keeping the skull upright.
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 pathology (weakening 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 to cure cervical osteochondrosis and how long it takes to heal. Treatment includes:
- conservative therapy (drugs or non-drugs);
- surgical intervention;
- a complex method of two methods.
Characteristics of classical therapy
To make sure that osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can be cured, it is necessary to properly use simple methods - recreational physical culture, massage, self-massage. This can improve the well-being of the patient who feels neck pain with this disease.
But with a prolonged course of degenerative processes, it would be good to be examined in a hospital or clinic. This will help in choosing the appropriate method of treatment.
If this is not possible, then it is important to use light methods - for example, do exercises aimed at hydration (filling the interarticular space with fluids due to changes in blood flow to the neck and nape).
Improving physical education
You can achieve great results by performing therapeutic gymnastics exercises precisely. For example, there are many methods for treating osteochondrosis of the neck, but not all of them are based on increasing the nutrition of cartilage and bone tissue.
The task of exercise therapy is to restore blood circulation in the affected area. During a visit to exercise therapy, you cannot rotate or bend your head strongly, you can only imitate such movements. Everything seemed so simple, but it worked.
For the proper performance of exercise therapy it is necessary to use physical exercises, excluding:
- prolonged stress on the neck joints (do one exercise no longer than two minutes);
- rotations, flexions, rotations of the neck (such actions alleviate 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 the movement of all joints, but increases the flow of blood in them. Such actions are similar to a slight nod of the head, in the form of consent. After half an hour you can report a movement similar to the expression of disagreement.
It is also useful to do an exercise similar to moving the head forward, holding the front, then back, trying to hold the back of the head. All this can be done at home.
Massage
Massage the cervical region very carefully, without applying great force. Any incompetent action can lead to negative consequences. The movements cover the neck, collar area and 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 or fingertips in the direction from the head, going down to the upper third of the middle of the back. Smoothing from the base of the door can be performed with a zigzag pattern.
- Compression. 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 involved. They move over 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 there is an effect on deeper tissues. You have to try not to overdo it, so as not to get worse.
Once you have taken a comfortable position, without looking up from watching your favorite movie, you can do a massage yourself. In this case, stroking, rubbing in a circle around the neck and shoulders is used. An excellent result will be if you rub special ointments during self-massage that can increase blood circulation, remove pain in the massaged part.
Applicator
The applicator is a plastic frame with spikes that acts on a specific area of the skin. Lying on it or simply applying it, the patient causes irritation of skin receptors, which 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 increases work capacity, 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 abandoning the use of applicators. These are diseases of infectious, tumor, skin and vascular nature.
Before you start using the device, you need to consult a doctor or experiment on your own by applying the applicator briefly. When you observe, you can see the result in well-being.
Use of orthopedic pillows
An excellent preventive way in the fight against osteochondrosis is sleeping on orthopedic pillows. As a rule, the condition of osteochondrosis worsens due to pressure on the cervical artery and nerve roots during rest on an uncomfortable pillow.
Special items allow you to evenly distribute the person's position during sleep, which significantly improves the process of blood flow to the head.
To choose the perfect pillow, you must take into account the characteristic anatomical features of the person, the volume and quality of the filler. If the pillow is chosen correctly, then it will bring great benefits to the patient with cervical osteochondrosis.
Drugs and medicines
These are not all treatments for cervical osteochondrosis. Medical help will also come to the rescue here.
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 not be forgotten that such drugs can irritate the mucous membranes in the digestive tract;
- anti-inflammatory (steroids). A hormonal drug that relieves inflammation and thus relieves pain. The most common drugs are tablets and ointments containing hydrocortisone, prednidazole, dexamethasone;
- chondroprotectors - drugs that have components that replace the action of cartilage tissue elements. Taking a long period can give a good result;
- Muscle relaxants are drugs that relieve muscle tension. They are most commonly used in surgery and orthopedics as an additional pain reliever. 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 sharing different medications, 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 properties, warm and relieve pain. You can hear about them regularly on TV. Because they can be easily purchased at a pharmacy, medications are used for self-medication, even in cases where there is no confirmation of disease symptoms. It is especially worth noting that they are ineffective in cervical osteochondrosis.
It should not be forgotten that before starting any treatment, you should consult an appropriate doctor, because self-medication often leads to bad consequences.
Preventive actions
It is easier to prevent a disease or delay it as long as possible than to cure it. This minimizes the factors that manifest during the pathology. The basis of health is respect for the right way of life. These include the use of moderate physical activity, weight control, systematic warm-up with a sedentary lifestyle.
It all depends on the desire of the person and the habits that are laid down from childhood. But different things can happen during a person's life. This may be received microtrauma of the spine or congenital disease of the musculoskeletal system. If the patient has a tendency to develop osteochondrosis, then it is important to pay attention to those jobs that have increased physical activity, and also try not to make sudden movements.
If there is an excess weight of more than 10 kilograms, then that can worsen the load on the back. If you can't refuse increased physical activity, you need:
- carry the load alternately - now on one side of the body, then on the other;
- use a corset to protect your back;
- after finishing work try to unload the spine. To do this, you need to either take a horizontal position, or hang on a horizontal bar.
It is important to try not to expose yourself to sudden changes in temperature and humidity. Increasing humidity and falling temperatures have a bad effect. Here are some tips to help reduce the risk of osteochondrosis worsening:
- for sleeping it is recommended to use not only an orthopedic pillow, but also an orthopedic mattress, because they do not interfere with blood flow in the spine;
- systematic swimming;
- proper nutrition.
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 worsening 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.