Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is common today among city residents, office workers and people who spend several hours a day in one position.

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

Before deciding what to do if osteochondrosis of the cervical spine has worsened and pain is felt in the neck, you need to visit a doctor and undergo diagnostics.

Diagnostics

Is it possible to permanently cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, is it possible to treat the neck at all and how to carry it out, the doctor will tell you after a complete diagnosis has been carried out. Due to the similarity of symptoms with other diseases, attention is paid to determining the diagnosis. A patient who comes to a neurologist with a complaint of neck pain and dizziness will have to go through several stages before complex therapy is developed for him.

Inspection

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

Specialist during inspection:

• Listens to complaints about health.Clarifies symptoms, frequency, intensity. Tries to determine what triggers the onset of the attack.
• Clarify the details of the anamnesis,will determine the features of the patient’s daily life and the presence of concomitant diseases.
• Checks the functioning of reflexes,focusing on those whose work is influenced by the nerve endings located in the neck.
• Examines muscle strength and sensitivity,will identify areas of numbness or a tendency to spasm or excessive relaxation.
• Will conductvestibular apparatus testing,which is also affected by the development of osteochondrosis.

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

Laboratory diagnostics

It is possible to prescribe a treatment regimen without errors during exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, and to provide effective assistance only by identifying the causes of destruction of the vertebra and intervertebral discs. And for this, additional research is carried out in the laboratory.

To understand the development of the disease, a number of studies are carried out:

1. Total and ionized calcium.
2. Osteocalcin and osteoprotegerin– substances – indicators that bones are gradually being destroyed and cartilage tissue is thinning. If their amount in the blood is higher than normal, then the disease will continue to develop.
3. Creatine kinase– an indicator of muscle tissue damage. If osteochondrosis has already provoked the development of myositis and seriously threatens the muscles, this indicator in the blood will also be increased.
4. Research on microelements and vitaminsis carried out to determine which of the microelements and vitamins necessary for metabolism and tissue repair are missing in the patient’s body.

Instrumental studies

Having found 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, hardware studies of the spine and intervertebral discs are carried out:

• Radiography.Shows serious changes in bone structure, emerging deformations and neoplasms.
• Magnetic resonance imagingevaluates the condition of nerve roots, bulging discs, vertebral inversions, and small tumors.
• Ultrasound of cervical blood vesselsblood vessels is carried out in order to determine their patency, and therefore the ability to supply the brain with the necessary oxygen and nutrients.

• Electroneuromyography.A current charge is passed through the nervous system, which is unpleasant, but shows the level of passage of nerve impulses and the speed of their passage to the muscles, and therefore the degree 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 is necessary to understand that this is a serious disease that develops individually, and therefore the treatment regimen must be selected by a professional. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, without wasting time on traditional methods, you should contact the clinic.

Treatment

Almost every one of those who was diagnosed with "chondrosis of the cervical spine" thought about how to cure the degenerative disease, whether it can be treated and how, and whether it is possible to forget about neck pain forever if you follow the advice of doctors. The answer depends on the stage.

In the first and second stages, there are methods that allow 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 try to restore, if possible, the intervertebral discs to restore mobility. To solve this problem, complex therapy is always used, but sometimes surgical intervention is added to the methods of conservative treatment.

Drug treatment

Very often, men and women, faced with the stage of exacerbation of inflammation due to osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, choose treatment at home, using a strong painkiller, but what to do if the 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 what causes them, and therefore the range of drugs is not limited to painkillers.For the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis the following is used:

1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,helping to relieve pain and reduce tissue inflammation at the site of pinched nerve endings.
2. Local gels and ointments,which should be prescribed by a doctor, since not all are compatible with medications taken orally.
3. Muscle relaxantswill allow you to relax spasmed muscles and release pinched nerves and arteries, get rid of stiffness, pain and dizziness.
4. Chondroprotectorsare used to stop the destruction and restore the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs, and prevent the occurrence of hernias.
5. Vitamin complexesare used to improve tissue nutrition, accelerating their recovery, and enhance the effect of drugs, allowing the use of smaller doses.

If a patient is admitted with unbearable pain, a blockade based on hormonal painkillers will be used.

Non-drug treatment

Another method that has excellent reviews from men and women and is often used in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and shoulder girdle at home is physical therapy, but how and with what to treat should also be decided by the doctor. After all, there are no universal methods of physiotherapy that suit everyone. A set of effective methods is selected specifically for each patient.

The most effective are considered:

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

Surgery for osteochondrosis

At certain stages of the development of cervical osteochondrosis, what is prescribed to take for pain in the neck and back does not help, in which case you can take heavier medications or resort to a radical but effective method - surgery. The operation is prescribed for patients with irreversible changes in the structure of the spinal column. At the same time, collapsed and fused vertebrae, hernias and neoplasms that appear threaten human life and reduce its quality.

The surgeon will be able to remove bone growths, hernias, tumors, and pinched nerve endings. After such an intervention, the patient will undergo rehabilitation, during which it is necessary to follow the doctor’s recommendations, otherwise even the operation will not bring the desired effect.

How and how to treat cervical chondrosis at home or in a hospital, what to do to relieve pain in the neck and shoulders, get rid of dizziness and relieve inflammation of the vertebrae, what helps and what will harm, the doctor must decide. By using other methods and means, you risk your health, because with such a disease, therapy should be built taking into account the personal characteristics of the patient.

Prevention

In order not to know what treatment for cervical osteochondrosis is, you should think about prevention in advance. The disease is often hereditary, but following the recommendations will prevent the disease from developing or stop it in the first stages.

Traditional preventive measures for spinal diseases:

1. Ensuring healthy physical activity. Light workouts 2-3 times a week. It is worth choosing a sport aimed at strengthening the muscle corset. Swimming, yoga, Pilates, cycling, skating are suitable. In this case, the loads should not be too heavy.
2. Daily activity even during sedentary work. To do this, just do exercises and take walks.
3. Monitor your posture, not only while walking, but also while working.
4. An ergonomic workplace in which the space that occupies attention is located 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 is healthy and brings complete rest.
7. Give up bad habits, as 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 fast food, especially those cooked in oil, sweet sodas and juices.
9. Make a menu taking into account the need for microelements and vitamins. Pay attention to vegetables and fruits, lean fish and meat.
10. Drink clean water in sufficient quantities.
11. Once every few months, conduct a course of maintenance massage. Do self-massage regularly if you feel tired in the shoulder area.

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