Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

Today, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is common among city dwellers, office workers and people who spend several hours a day in one position.

But it can also develop at a young age. Therefore, everyone should know what cervical osteochondrosis is and how to treat it in order to seek help in time and stop the development of unpleasant symptoms and the destruction of the joints of the neck and shoulders.

Before you decide what to do, if osteochondrosis of the cervical spine has worsened and you feel pain in the neck, you should consult a doctor and make a diagnosis.

Diagnostics

Whether it is possible to permanently cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, whether it is possible to treat the neck at all, and how it should be done, the doctor will tell you after making a complete diagnosis. Due to the similarity of the symptoms with other diseases, attention is paid to establishing a diagnosis. A patient who complains of neck pain and dizziness to a neurologist must go through several stages before a complex therapy is developed for him.

Control

During the first visit to the neurologist, an initial examination of the patient is carried out. The doctor's task is to establish a diagnosis, determine the possible cause of the development and development of the disease, and exclude other diseases with similar symptoms.

Specialist during the inspection:

• He listens to health complaints. Clarify symptoms, frequency, intensity. He tries to determine what triggers the attack.
• Clarify the details of the medical history,determines the characteristics of the patient's daily life and the presence of accompanying diseases.
• Checks the functioning of reflexes,focusing on those whose work is affected by the nerve endings located in the neck.
• Tests muscle strength and sensitivity,identifies areas that are numb or prone to spasms or excessive relaxation.
• He will driveexamination of the vestibular apparatus,which is also affected by the development of osteochondrosis.

During the process, the doctor examines the condition of the muscles. Their thinness or swelling indicates problems with the sensitivity of the nerves. Another important symptom is pain and dizziness when turning or tilting the head.

Laboratory diagnostics

During the aggravation of cervical osteochondrosis, an error-free treatment regimen can be prescribed, and effective help can only be provided by identifying the causes of the destruction of the vertebra and intervertebral discs. And for this, further research is carried out in the laboratory.

In order to understand the development of the disease, a number of tests are carried out:

1. Total and ionized calcium.
2. Osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin- materials - indicate that the bones are gradually dying and the cartilage tissue is thinning. If their amount in the blood is higher than normal, the disease progresses further.
3. Creatine kinase– an indicator of muscle tissue damage. If osteochondrosis has already caused the development of myositis and seriously endangers the muscles, then this indicator also increases in the blood.
4. Research of microelements and vitaminsTo determine which of the microelements and vitamins required for metabolism and tissue repair are missing from the patient's body.

Instrumental studies

After finding out the rate of development and the causes of chondrosis, the doctor must determine the condition in which the patient was admitted.

For this purpose, a hardware examination of the spine and intervertebral discs is carried out:

• Radiography.It shows serious changes in bone structure, developing deformations and tumors.
• Magnetic resonance imagingevaluates nerve roots, bulging discs, vertebral inversions, and small tumors.
• Ultrasound of the carotid arteriesThey determine the patency of blood vessels, and thereby the ability to supply the brain with the necessary oxygen and nutrients.

• Electroneuromyography.A charge of electricity passes through the nervous system, which is unpleasant, but it shows the extent of the passage of nerve impulses and the speed of their passage into the muscles, thereby the extent of damage.

There are many tips on how to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis forever, quickly relieve pain, eliminate dizziness and fight attacks of weakness at home. But it should be understood that this is a serious disease that develops individually, so the treatment regimen should be selected by a specialist. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, without wasting time on traditional methods, contact the clinic.

Treatment

Among those diagnosed with "chondrosis of the cervical spine", almost everyone wondered how to cure the degenerative disease, whether it can be treated and how, and whether it is possible to forget neck pain forever if followed by doctors. The answer depends on the stage.

In the first and second stages, there are methods that allow the treatment of chondrosis of the cervical spine in men and women with good results for the neck at home.

The doctor's goal is to relieve pain, prevent further destruction of cartilage and bone tissue, and, if possible, attempt to repair the intervertebral discs to restore mobility. Complex therapy is always used to solve the problem, but surgical intervention is sometimes added to conservative treatment methods.

Drug treatment

Very often, men and women, faced with the stage of exacerbation of inflammation due to osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, choose home treatment with strong painkillers, but what to do if neck pain returns, what treatment will be effective? The only correct answer is the appointment of a neurologist.

When chondrosis worsens, it is important not only to remove the symptoms, but also to cure the root causes, so the range of medicines is not limited to painkillers.For the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, the following are used:

1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,helps relieve pain and reduce tissue inflammation at the site of pinched nerve endings.
2. Topical gels and ointments,which must be prescribed by a doctor, as not all of them are compatible with oral medications.
3. Muscle relaxantsit allows you to relax cramped muscles, release pinched nerves and arteries, get rid of stiffness, pain and dizziness.
4. ChondroprotectorsThey are used to stop the destruction of the intervertebral discs and to restore the discs, as well as to prevent the development of hernias.
5. Vitamin complexesIt is used to improve the nutrition of tissues, accelerate their healing and enhance the effect of drugs, allowing the use of smaller doses.

If the patient is treated with unbearable pain, a blockade based on hormonal painkillers is used.

It is not a drug treatment

Another method that has excellent reviews from men and women and is often used in the home treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and shoulder girdle is physical therapy, but it is also up to the doctor to decide how and with what to treat it. After all, there are no universal physiotherapy methods that suit everyone. Effective methods are selected for each patient.

The most effective are:

• Electrophoresis with painkillers.
• Physiotherapy. The set and complexity of exercises varies depending on the stage of development of osteochondrosis.
• Massage and self-massage.
• Magnetotherapy.

Osteochondrosis surgery

At certain stages of the development of cervical osteochondrosis, the medicine prescribed for neck and back pain does not help, in this case you can take more difficult medicines or resort to a radical but effective method - surgery. The operation is prescribed for patients who have irreversible changes in the structure of the spinal column. At the same time, the collapsed and fused vertebrae, hernias and tumors that appear endanger human life and impair its quality.

The surgeon will be able to remove bone growths, hernias, tumors and pinched nerve endings. After such an intervention, the patient undergoes rehabilitation, during which he must follow the doctor's recommendations, otherwise even the surgery will not have the desired effect.

How and how to treat cervical chondrosis at home or in the hospital, what to do to relieve pain in the neck and shoulders, eliminate dizziness and relieve inflammation of the vertebrae, what helps and what harms, the doctor must decide. By using other methods and tools, you risk your health, because in the case of such a disease, the therapy must be structured taking into account the patient's personal characteristics.

Prevention

In order not to know what the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is, you need to think about prevention in advance. The disease is often hereditary, but following the recommendations prevents the development of the disease or stops it in the first stages.

Traditional preventive measures for spinal diseases:

1. Ensuring healthy physical activity. Light training 2-3 times a week. It is worth choosing a sport that is aimed at strengthening the ligaments. Suitable for swimming, yoga, pilates, cycling, skating. In this case, the load should not be too heavy.
2. Daily activity even during sedentary work. To do this, just do exercises and walk.
3. Watch your posture, not only while walking, but also while working.
4. An ergonomic workplace where the attention-grabbing space is arranged so that the neck is not in a tense state.
5. Avoid heavy lifting and excessive physical exercise.
6. Provide a comfortable sleeping place with an orthopedic mattress and pillows so that sleep brings healthy and complete rest.
7. Give up bad habits, because alcohol, nicotine and drugs have an extremely negative effect on joints, bones and blood vessels.
8. Change your diet. It is worth reducing the amount of salt, spices, sugar and flour consumed in the daily menu. Avoid junk food, especially those cooked in oil, sugary sodas and fruit juices.
9. Prepare a menu taking into account microelement and vitamin requirements. Pay attention to vegetables and fruits, lean fish and meat.
10. Drink plenty of clean water.
11. Do a maintenance massage once every few months. Do regular self-massage if you feel tired in the shoulder area.

If osteochondrosis of the cervical spine appears despite all attempts to maintain health, then only the doctor can determine how long the disease will be treated after a thorough diagnosis. However, in order to prevent the recurrence of exacerbation, a person with such a diagnosis must remember the rules of a healthy life throughout his life.