Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system, the characteristic feature of which is destructive changes in the intervertebral discs and vertebrae of the cervical spine. The disease occurs quite often, since the cervical vertebrae are constantly exposed to heavy loads and almost permanent loads during human life. Everyone who cares about their health should know what cervical osteochondrosis is, its symptoms, treatment of which at home is quite possible if a specialist doctor deems it acceptable. In some cases, however, inpatient treatment is required.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis develops gradually regardless of which cervical vertebra is affected. Symptoms and signs of its own appear at each stage of the pathology.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a great danger to the body, as some patients initially do not attribute the symptoms that occur to serious symptoms that require a doctor's visit. The fact is that injuries to the spine lead to dysfunction of the central nervous system, causing symptoms and signs that are in no way characteristic of common musculoskeletal injuries, for example, blood pressure instability. Often the symptomatology itself is rather vague.
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis that need special attention are:
- Systemic and non-systemic dizziness. It arises from a strong pathological compression of the cerebral vessels, a strong compression of the nerve roots by the vertebrae and a reflex increase in intracranial pressure.
- Cervical spine pain sometimes radiating to the shoulder, scapula, and various parts of the upper limbs. The attacks of pain and discomfort most commonly occur after sleep. Often times, the pain is accompanied by a sound characteristic of injured discs - a grinding sound when trying to move the neck. Strong pinching of the nerves leads to muscle relaxation in various parts of the body; muscle weakness, for example, can occur in the leg for no reason. Sometimes the sensitivity in the neck and collar area is greatly reduced.
- Sharp jumps and drops in blood pressure, which are closely related to the influence of the central nervous system on the blood supply function of the body. With prolonged uncomfortable posture, stress, sharp head and neck turns, the pressure increases sharply.
If the above signs appear, you should immediately consult a specialist doctor to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the most effective treatment.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
Therapy is prescribed depending on the stage of development of the disease, the duration of exacerbation or remission, the intensity of the manifestations of symptoms and signs.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home is not quick, it takes quite a long time. To restore the musculoskeletal system, the body needs a lot of time, effort and the use of complex therapeutic methods.
Medication
The drug complex, dosage and duration of the course are selected by the doctor strictly depending on many factors: the stage of development of the disease, the age of the patient, the individual tolerability of the components of the drugs, and so on. The following drugs are used:
- Analgesics, pills and injections. They help get rid of the pain syndrome and relieve a person from ailments caused by destructive changes.
- Hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs that are necessary to get rid of the body's aggressive response to bone destruction and pathological effects on muscles.
- Chondoprotectors - medicines that contain active ingredients that can restore bone tissue, bring about its regeneration and strengthening;
- Muscle relaxants are pharmacological agents that reduce the intensity of painful muscle tension in the damaged spine.
- Synthetic vitamin preparations with a complex of minerals and trace elements that 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 drugs help well in complex therapy. They can be warming, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, chondoprotective, or complex (with several active ingredients).
gymnastics
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, special gymnastics is remarkably helpful, which includes exercises that strengthen the body's natural forces, initiate an accelerated regeneration process and restore 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 about additional stress in osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is only made by a doctor. It is forbidden to bend or bow your head sharply during physical therapy exercises. You have to try to avoid rotation. An exercise set for sport is selected by a specialist depending on the individual characteristics of the patient and the specific clinical case.
nourishment
It is imperative that the patient follow a special diet when treating osteochondrosis. During illness, the body needs a balanced diet that contains the nutrients necessary for a speedy recovery. You need to try to give up harmful, sweet, fatty, hard to digest, salty and peppery food. The menu should contain a lot of grains, nuts, calcium-containing dairy products, lean meat and fish, fruits and vegetables.
Other subjects of complex treatment
Surgical interventions are only used in the most extreme cases, when the destructive destruction of the spine is so severe that no conservative therapy can restore damaged bones, nerves and intervertebral discs.
For all musculoskeletal disorders, massage therapy is used for an additional effect on the muscles. Massage is carried out in the prone position, face down, extremely rarely in a sitting position - only in cases when the pathology is at an initial stage of development. It is best to trust a specialist, because with diseases of the musculoskeletal system, self-massage can cause a lot of damage and irreparable side effects. The strain on the muscles, their intensity, and the tapping and stroking frequency are strictly limited.
To relieve the damaged spine, you need to try to give the vertebrae and intervertebral 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 injuring it or causing negative side effects.
As a rule, the method of treating cervical osteochondrosis in each clinical case combines the complex application of the above methods.