Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system, which is characterized by destructive changes in the discs and vertebrae of the cervical spine. The disease occurs quite often because the cervical vertebrae constantly experience severe stress and almost continuous stress throughout human life. Every person who cares about their health should know what cervical osteochondrosis is, its symptoms, whose treatment at home is quite possible, if a specialist doctor deems it acceptable. But in some cases, inpatient treatment is needed.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis develops gradually, regardless of which cervical spine is affected. 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 do not initially attribute the discomfort to serious symptoms that require a visit to the doctor. The fact is that spinal cord injuries lead to central nervous system dysfunction, causing symptoms and signs that are in no way characteristic of common musculoskeletal injuries, for example, blood pressure instability. Often the symptomatology itself is quite vague.
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, to which special attention should be paid, are:
- Dizziness of systemic and non-systemic nature. It occurs as a consequence of sharp pathological compression of blood vessels of the brain, sharp compression of nerve roots by the vertebrae and reflex increase in intracranial pressure.
- Pain in the cervical spine, sometimes radiating to the shoulder, shoulder blade and various parts of the upper limbs. Attacks of pain and discomfort most often occur after sleep. Often the pain is accompanied by a sound characteristic of injured discs - a creaking sound when trying to move the neck. Sharp compression of the nerves leads to muscle relaxation in different parts of the body, muscle weakness can occur for no reason, for example, in the leg. Sometimes the sensitivity in the neck collar area decreases sharply.
- Sharp jumps and drops in blood pressure, closely related to the influence of the central nervous system on the function of the blood supply in the body. The pressure rises sharply with prolonged awkward body position, stress, sharp turning of the head and neck.
If the above signs appear, you should immediately consult a specialist doctor who will make 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 carried out quickly, but is quite long. In order to restore the musculoskeletal system, the body will need a lot of time, effort and the use of complex therapeutic methods.
Drug treatment
The complex of drugs, dosage and duration of the course is strictly chosen by the doctor depending on many factors: the stage of development of the disease, the age of the patient, the individual tolerance of the components of the drug, etc. The following medications are used:
- Analgesics, pills and injections. They help eliminate the pain syndrome and relieve a person of discomfort caused by destructive changes.
- Hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs necessary to eliminate the body's aggressive response to bone destruction and pathological effects on muscles.
- Chondoprotectors - medical preparations containing active substances capable of regenerating bone tissue, causing its regeneration and strengthening;
- Muscle relaxants are pharmacological agents that weaken the intensity of painful muscle tension in a damaged spine.
- Synthetic vitamin preparations containing a complex of minerals and trace elements that can normalize metabolic processes and fill nutritional deficiencies with beneficial substances.
- In addition to tablets and injections, various ointments and gels can be used for local action on the skin over the damaged area.
- Oral medications help well in complex therapy. They can be warming, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, chondoprotective or complex (they contain several types of active substances).
Gymnastics
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, special gymnastics is extremely useful, which includes exercises aimed at strengthening the body's natural strength, initiating an accelerated regeneration process and restoring the lost musculoskeletal functions of the spine. In some cases, the usual set of exercises is complemented 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 physiotherapeutic exercises, sharp bending or tilting of the head is forbidden, you must try to avoid rotations. The set of exercises for sports is selected by a specialist doctor depending on the individual characteristics of the patient and the specific clinical case.
Nutrition
It is imperative that in the treatment of osteochondrosis the patient must adhere to a special diet. During illness, the body needs a balanced diet that contains the nutrients needed for a speedy recovery. You have to try to give up harmful, sweet, fatty, hard-to-digest foods, salty and peppery. The menu should include a large amount of grains, nuts, dairy products that contain calcium, lean meats and fish, fruits and vegetables.
Other items 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 a supine position, face down, extremely rarely in a sitting position - only in cases where the pathology is in the initial stage of development. It is best to trust an expert, because in the case of diseases of the musculoskeletal system self-massage can bring a lot of damage and irreparable side effects. Muscle loads, their intensity, the frequency of patting and stroking in this case are strictly limited.
To reduce the strain on the damaged spine, you must try to give the vertebrae and discs an anatomical shape. Modern orthopedic products (orthopedic collars, pillows and mattresses) help to quickly and comfortably return the spine to the desired shape and position without injury or the creation of negative side effects.
As a rule, the method of treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in each clinical case combines the complex use of the above methods.