Osteochondrosis is a serious disease of the back that interferes with the mobility of the vertebrae, changes their location and causes pinching of the nerve roots. There are types of diseases, among which cervical osteochondrosis is considered serious. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are bright, the diagnosis of the disease is not difficult.
Cervical osteochondrosis involves the destruction of the intervertebral space in the cervical spine. The location of the vertebrae changes, pinching occurs. The disease is fraught with consequences, it is worth knowing its symptoms. One in 4 people with back disease have cervical osteochondrosis. The age of the patients is decreasing.
Symptoms
The main bothersome symptom of osteochondrosis is pain. Arrive at any time, do not leave for several days, weeks. The strength and duration of the pain syndrome depends on the stage of the disease. With cervical osteochondrosis, the neck hurts at the site of the dislocation of the focus of inflammation. The disease covers several vertebrae, the pain spreads throughout the neck.
Cervical osteochondrosis differs from varieties, it suggests severe symptoms. These are headaches, dizziness. Osteochondrosis causes pinching of the nerve roots, irritation of the nerve fibers located around. The nucleus of the intervertebral disc is inflamed, as is the surrounding tissue.
Many arteries and vessels in the neck suffer from osteochondrosis. Inflamed nerves cause spasms in the blood vessels, which negatively affects patency. In the vessels, the blood lumen decreases, as they narrow, a smaller volume of blood passes through them. The head and brain suffer from a lack of oxygen. Hence headache, dizziness, fainting, nausea, vomiting.
Headaches, migraines associated with neck pain cause a state of hopelessness, depression. To eliminate the symptoms, the doctors do their utmost to bring the patient back to his usual rhythm of life. The patient is subject to the relief of symptoms, it is worth knowing the methods, methods.
Conservative treatment
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis require urgent medical attention. A neuropathologist deals with the treatment of back diseases. If symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervico-thoracic region appear, a consultation with a cardiologist will be necessary. The treatment of the disease is complex, versatile. Don't expect the disease to be gone after a week or two. Improvement should be noted in 2-3 weeks, recovery - in 3-4 months, if the disease is in the first stage. If a person sees a doctor later, it will not be possible to fully recover from osteochondrosis.
It all depends on the professionalism and experience of the doctor. It is worth compiling a complex of treatments that affect different aspects of the disease. The first role is played by drug therapy. Medicine confidently advances in the development of drugs for osteochondrosis, drugs actively affect the focus of inflammation. The main thing is to choose the right medicine.
Conservative treatment consists of taking drugs belonging to the groups:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Medicines are aimed at eliminating the focus of inflammation, they act gradually, slowly. For treatment, the patient is prescribed 2-3 courses of NSAIDs, with a break of two weeks. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have side effects which appear when treatment is delayed for more than 10 days. The gastrointestinal tract suffers.
- Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis (neck pain, migraine) require the use of analgesics, serious pain relievers. They stop the pain for a while. So that the pain does not bother for a long time, accompanying methods are used: self-massage, physiotherapy exercises, manual therapy.
- Vasodilator drugs are important in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. Used to relieve vasospasm. It is recommended to select carefully and individually. They have many contraindications. Self-selection, drugs are not recommended. Illiteracy will worsen the disease.
- Chondroprotectors are aimed at the regeneration of damaged connective tissues. Osteochondrosis thins the intervertebral space, destroys the connective cartilage tissue. Regeneration without drugs is slow, because the microcirculation is impaired, metabolic products do not leave the cells. Chondroprotectors improve microcirculation, remove metabolic products, stimulate metabolic processes in the cells of the affected tissue. Cell regeneration is faster.
Groups of drugs are considered the main ones in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the neck, but drugs alone cannot be removed.
Therapy methods
When prescribing treatment, the doctor relies on important factors. It is worth knowing whether the patient has an allergy in order to choose therapy, drugs. The presence of chronic diseases is discovered. The treatment scheme, its duration, the directions depend on the collected anamnesis. The history indicates the severity of the disease.
Therapy is not limited to drugs. Treatment is supplemented by methods:
- Physiotherapy. Includes methods: magnetotherapy, electrophoresis, hydrotherapy, mud therapy, phototherapy. In the treatment of diseases of the back, the musculoskeletal system, electrophoresis and magnetotherapy are used.
- Massage. It is recommended to trust a qualified massage therapist. Massaging the neck area stimulates blood flow, improves mobility of the vertebrae and temporarily relieves pain.
- Physiotherapy. A specialist in exercise therapy will compose, coordinate an exercise program that has a beneficial effect on the body, be an additional method of restoring the body.
- Traditional methods. In folk medicine, there are many effective recipes for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the neck. It is worth competently approaching treatment with herbs, natural ingredients, since plants cause allergic reactions, side effects. Treatment is recommended to be agreed with a doctor. This will save you from unwanted consequences and complications.
Treatment of symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis is established by a doctor. Self-medication is to be excluded, serious illness requires a professional approach. With the wrong drugs, the positive dynamics are minimized.