Cervical osteochondrosis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system characterized by destructive changes in cervical discs and vertebrae. This disease often occurs because the cervical spine of human beings will continue to be under severe pressure throughout the life, almost constant pressure. Everyone who cares about their health should know what cervical osteochondrosis is and its symptoms. If the specialist considers it acceptable, it is entirely possible to treat it at home. However, in some cases, hospitalization is required.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
No matter which cervical vertebra is affected, osteochondrosis will gradually develop. At each stage of pathology, there will be its own symptoms and signs.
Cervical osteochondrosis is a great danger to the body, because some patients will not initially attribute the discomfort experienced to severe symptoms requiring a doctor visit. The fact is that spinal injuries can cause central nervous system dysfunction, causing symptoms and signs that are completely different from common injuries in the musculoskeletal system, such as unstable blood pressure. Usually, the symptoms themselves are quite vague.
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis that require close attention are:
- Systemic and non-systemic vertigo. It is caused by the pathological sharp compression of the cerebral blood vessels, the sharp compression of the nerve roots by the vertebrae, and the increased reflex of intracranial pressure.
- Cervical spine pain sometimes radiates to the shoulders, scapula and upper limbs. The onset of pain and discomfort most often occurs after sleep. Usually, the pain is accompanied by the acoustic characteristics of the injured intervertebral disc-a crunching sound when trying to move the neck. Severe squeezing of nerves can cause muscle relaxation in different parts of the body, causing muscle weakness for no reason, such as the legs. Sometimes, the sensitivity of the neck collar area drops sharply.
- The sudden rise and fall of blood pressure is closely related to the central nervous system's influence on the body's blood supply function. Stress rises sharply with prolonged uncomfortable body posture, pressure, and sharp turns of the head and neck.
If the above signs appear, you should immediately consult a specialist to determine the correct diagnosis and prescribe the most effective treatment plan.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
The treatment plan will be prescribed according to the development stage of the disease, the stage of exacerbation or remission, the intensity of the symptoms and signs.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home is not very fast, but takes a long time. In order to restore the musculoskeletal system, the body will require a lot of time, energy and the use of complex treatments.
medical treatement
The combination of drugs, dosage, and duration of the course of treatment are strictly selected by the doctor according to a variety of factors: the development stage of the disease, the age of the patient, the individual tolerance of the drug components, etc. Use the following drugs:
- Analgesics, pills and injections. They help eliminate pain syndromes and relieve the discomfort caused by destructive changes.
- Hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs necessary to eliminate the body's aggressive response to bone destruction and muscle pathological effects.
- Chondroprotectants-pharmaceutical preparations containing active substances that can restore bone tissue, regenerate and strengthen;
- Muscle relaxants are drugs that reduce the intensity of painful muscle tension in the injured spine.
- Synthetic vitamin preparations containing complexes of minerals and trace elements can normalize the metabolic process and fill up nutritional deficiencies with useful substances.
- In addition to tablets and injections, various ointments and gels can also be used for local effects on the skin of the damaged area.
- Oral medication is very helpful in complex treatments. They can be warm, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, chondroprotective or complex (contain multiple types of active substances).
gymnastics
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, special gymnastics are very helpful, including exercises designed to enhance the body's natural strength, start the accelerated regeneration process, and restore the lost musculoskeletal function of the spine. In some cases, the usual set of exercises is supplemented by various sports, such as swimming or yoga. The additional burden of cervical osteochondrosis is determined only by the doctor. In physical therapy exercises, severe bending or tilting of the head is prohibited, and rotation should be avoided as much as possible. A set of exercises is selected by a specialist according to the patient's individual characteristics and specific clinical cases.
Nutrition
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, patients must follow a special diet. During illness, the body needs a balanced diet that contains the nutrients needed for rapid recovery. You need to try to give up harmful, sweet, fatty, indigestible, salty and spicy foods. The menu should contain plenty of grains, nuts, dairy products containing calcium, lean meats and fish, fruits and vegetables.
Other complex processing projects
Surgical intervention is only used in the most extreme cases, when the destructive destruction of the spine is so strong that there is no conservative treatment to restore the damaged bones, nerves, and intervertebral discs.
For any pathology of the musculoskeletal system, the massage therapy process is used to have an additional effect on the muscles. Massage is performed on your stomach, face down, and rarely in a sitting position-only when the pathology is in the early stages of development. It is best to trust the experts, because in case of musculoskeletal system diseases, self-massage will bring a lot of harm and irreparable side effects. In this case, the muscle load, strength, frequency of percussion and stroking are strictly limited.
In order to reduce the load on 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 restore the spine to the desired shape and position without harming or negatively affecting it.
Generally, the method of treating cervical osteochondrosis in each clinical case combines the complex use of the above methods.