Cervical osteochondrosis is a chronic degenerative-dystrophic pathology. If left untreated, it progresses quickly and leads to an increase in symptoms. As the disease progresses, the stages of remission are replaced by relapses, in which the conditionThe person worsens significantly. He has severe, sharp, stabbing pain, stiffness of the cervical spine, dizziness, sudden increases in blood pressure, and headache. With exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, insufficient absorption of analgesics. It is necessary to respond to the causes of clinical manifestations - muscle spasms, dislocation of intervertebral discs and vertebrae, compression of muscle roots and blood vessels due to bone growth.
After the diagnosis, the vertebrate creates a therapeutic scheme. In order to transfer cervical osteochondrosis to the stage of stable remission, drugs of various clinical and pharmacological groups, physiotherapy procedures and economical therapeutic agents are usedgymnastics.
Reasons for a relapse
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In most cases, there are no symptoms that precede the exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis. The person feels great, is busy with daily activities, and plans things for the near future. Suddenly there is a sharp, piercingpain, for the elimination of which it is imperative to take a comfortable horizontal position of the body. This will allow you to briefly reduce the severity of the pain before seeing a doctor. Only in 15-20% of cases, before the exacerbation, there are weak uncomfortable sensations - pain, pulling pains, "goose bumps", numbness in the neck, shoulders and sometimes forearms. Due to the already worsened blood flow to the cervical spine and the brain, weakness, apathy, mental and spiritual disturbances occur on physical performance.
Cervicago or cervical lumbago occurs after a few hours or days. A person is in so much pain that when visiting a doctor one of the questions that interests them is how to prevent relapse. To prevent exacerbation, with cervical osteochondrosis, you need to know the reasons for its occurrence:
- being in a stressful environment for a long time. People who acutely experience ordinary everyday conflicts themselves often suffer from various chronic pathologies, including diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Negative emotions have a negative effect on the functioning of all vital systems. In patients with cervical osteochondrosis, they cause muscle spasms, circulatory disorders in the brain, neck and back of the head;
- continuous static and dynamic loads. A long stay at a computer, typewriter or microscope leads to a deterioration in the blood supply of the cartilage tissue with oxygen, nutrients and biologically active substances. With osteochondrosis2, 3 degrees of severity, several hours are enough for a relapse. Sleeping in an uncomfortable position on a mattress or pillow that is too soft also leads to:
- jerky movements of the neck. Unintentional intense rotation or tilting of the head can lead to the displacement of intervertebral discs and vertebrae, to compression of nerve roots or blood vessels due to bone growth.
- Hypothermia, a major change in the climatic zone. Vertebrates note that patients with osteochondrosis exacerbations most often turn to them in the fall or spring. In the off-season, relapses lead to a drop in temperature. It happens in autumn for natural reasons, and in spring - because of the desire to quickly get rid of warm heavy clothes;
- infections of the respiratory tract, intestines, urogenital, exacerbations of chronic diseases. In this case, a sharp decrease in immunity becomes the cause of the recurrence of cervical pathology.
Osteochondrosis is also made worse by improperly performed massage, weight lifting, and excessive physical activity. The onset of relapse occurs very often due to non-compliance with medical recommendations related to diet and drinkmode, medication.
Clinical presentation
Methods of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical or cervical spine depend on the severity of the symptoms. They are not so intense in the pathology of 1. 2 degrees when a small amount of cartilage tissue is damaged. And with osteochondrosis, in 3 or 4 stages, acute clinical manifestations are characteristic, provoked by several negative factors at the same time. The cartilaginous intervertebral discs have lost their cushioning properties and the distance between the vertebrae has decreased significantly. Therefore, a sharp shift in the vertebra can compress nerves and blood vessels at the same time. The vertebrate conducts treatment taking into account the following symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:
- shooting, stitching, pain, pulling pain in the cervicobrachial or thoracic area;
- Irradiation of pain in the back of the head, in the arms, forearms, shoulders, in the chest;
- persistent or paroxysmal pain syndrome;
- increased pain during movement, rotation of the shoulders, raising of the arms.
Pain in the neck and shoulders is one of the signs of an aggravated pathology.
When examining a patient, the vertebrate shows signs of muscle spasms, pain in the paravertebral points, stiffness of movements and smoothness of the physiological lordosis. An unnatural position of the human body also gives rise to suspicion of aggravation. He pulls the neck up sharply and turns the entire body sideways to reduce the intensity of the pain. Medium and high severity osteochondrosis manifests itself in neurological disorders as a result of damage to sensitive, motor, vegetative functional structures. For example, when the roots of the spine are squeezed, there is a "creeping creep" sensation, the skin of the forearms and the occipital area become less sensitive, pale and cool to the touch. Patients complain of weak arms, dizziness, headaches, nausea, visual and / or hearing impairments.
Visual impairment is almost always accompanied by an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis.
The recurrence of cervical osteochondrosis is manifested in psychoemotional instability, insomnia, arterial hypertension, and sometimes syncope - short-term fainting due to sudden movements of the neck.
First aid in case of relapse
The pain that occurs during a relapse is so acute that a person simply freezes and fears making an unnecessary movement. It should be calmed down and preferably placed on a hard surface. Place a flat pillow or a folded pillow under your back. a blanket so that the patient feels comfortable and the intensity of the pain syndrome decreases.
Now the ambulance team needs to be called. The fact is that in some cases, with osteochondrosis exacerbation, a person is unable to swallow a pill. Doctors who come to the call inject an analgesic solution intramuscularly or intravenously. If necessary, they also use funds to restore brain circulation or take a person to the hospital for further treatment in a hospital.
Patient transport to hospital.
While the ambulance is out, the patient should feel better. How to alleviate the exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:
- If the swallowing functions are maintained, give an anesthetic tablet;
- gently rubbing pain relieving gels will help relieve pain;
- The patient should not be allowed to stand up or bend down, as their coordination of movements may be impaired.
Before the doctor's arrival, it is strictly forbidden to self-medicate. Using warming agents, massage the neck to relieve muscle spasms. If an attack of osteochondrosis is accompanied by an inflammatory process in the paravertebral structures, then such events will provoke the development of irreversible complications.
Treatment of osteochondrosis in the acute stage
Treatment of the exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis begins with the elimination of the main symptom - acute stabbing pain. The vertebrologist may prescribe intramuscular administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
The use of drug blocks with hormonal drugs is practiced. Solutions of glucocorticosteroids, along with anesthetics, are injected into the area of the vertebrae or the strangulated spine root. After the severe pain has been eliminated, therapy continues with tablets or topical agents.
How to continue home treatment for the exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:
- Taking NSAIDs in tablets, capsules, pills for 5-7 days. The drugs must be combined with proton pump inhibitors to prevent ulceration of the stomach lining. If this recommendation is neglected, then after cupping, in an attack of osteochondrosis, hyperacid gastritis must be treated.
- Use of NSAIDs in the form of gels, ointments and creams from the first day of treatment for 7-10 days. The funds should be applied to the painful area in a thin layer 2-3 times a day and rubbed in lightly;
- Use of heating media. After the inflammation has stopped, doctors prescribe warming agents on about the 3rd day of therapy to improve blood circulation and stimulate regeneration. They are rubbed in a small amount 1-3 once a day. Transdermal products like a pepper patch can help with pain.
- Ingestion or parenteral administration of muscle relaxants. They have analgesic effects by relieving muscle spasms usually caused by compression of nerve endings.
The vertebrologist decides what can be done about worsening cervical osteochondrosis, what medication to take or medical interventions to carry out. If, before relapse, the patient did not use chondroprotectors, then from the first days of therapy it is necessary to prescribe drugs that stimulate the restoration of cartilage tissue. To speed up the restoration of all functions of the cervical spine, chondroprotectors can be injected intramuscularly.
The use of B vitamins speeds up the patient's recovery considerably. Pyridoxine, thiamine, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, riboflavin improve the innervation in the area of damaged intervertebral discs and vertebrae, stabilize the central and autonomic nervous system.
Non-drug therapy
The patient is shown bed rest for 3-4 days of treatment. Dynamic loads on all parts of the spine are excluded. For several hours or the whole day, patients are recommended to wear a shants collar of the required height, which the doctor will determine. The use of an orthopedic device helps to reduce the stress on the cervical vertebrae and prevents the aggravation of painful sensations.
Shants collar fixes the cervical vertebrae.
Diet in cervical osteochondrosis during an exacerbation should be fractionated - 5-6 times a day. It is necessary to exclude from the diet foods rich in salt or spice. Their use leads to fluid retention in the body and increased swelling. Nutritionists recommend eating more fruits, cereals, and fresh vegetable salads.
In a severe relapse, the innervation of some parts of the body is disturbed due to nerve damage. And compression of the spinal cord becomes the cause of conduction disorders - paraparesis and tetraparesis of the hands, dysfunction of internal organs. Therefore, doctors strongly do not recommend independently getting rid of the exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis and drowning out the pain with pills. Only adequately conducted therapy will help avoid the dangerous consequences of chronic relapse Pathology.
How do you forget about joint pain and osteochondrosis?
- Joint pain restricts your movement and your whole life. . .
- You are concerned about discomfort, crunching, and systematic pain. . .
- You may have tried a number of medicines, creams, and ointments. . .
- But judging by the fact that you are reading these lines, they haven't helped you much. . .
The term "osteochondrosis" describes the destructive processes that take place in one or the other part of the human musculoskeletal system.
In some patients, this disease affects the joints of the extremities, but there is a 95% chance that osteochondrosis is localized in any part of the spine.
The spine is the main axis of the human body, fulfills many important functions and is an almost irreplaceable element of the musculoskeletal system.
Damage to the structure of part of the spine can lead to irreversible consequences and seriously affect the patient's quality of life.
Osteochondrosis of the spine can affect one of three sections of the column: cervical, thoracic, or lumbar and can also be located in multiple sections.
The disease of each section of the spine has its own features of the course and individual symptoms, as well as some nuances in the tactics of treating osteochondrosis.
What is the course of cervical osteochondrosis?
Depending on changes in the structures of the spine, the patient's complaints and treatment methods, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is divided into three phases.
Level 1
inflammation of the cervical spine
This grade rarely has a clinically expressed picture, some patients complain about:
- Recurring headaches;
- Discomfort in the neck and back of the head.
Changes that occur at this stage of the disease affect some vertebrae and intervertebral discs, the elasticity of the annulus fibrosus decreases, and there is a slight compression of the roots of the spinal nerve
Level 2
The degeneration of the structures of the spine is more pronounced, the intervertebral discs are practically incapable of performing their functions, there is pressure on the nerve processes and blood vessels, this causes the symptoms of the disease.
Patients report frequent headaches, dizziness and poor performance. At this point, most requests for qualified medical care occur, but some injuries to the spine are already irreversible.
Level 3
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is at its peak. Massive lesions of the bone and ligamentous apparatus.
Severe clinical picture:
- Severe headache;
- nausea, lack of coordination;
- Sleep problems;
- Visual and hearing impairment.
Osteochondrosis is a chronic disease that is characterized by alternating periods of exacerbation and stages of remission (rest).
The exacerbation of the disease is a stage in the chronic course in which symptoms of the disease manifest and the patient's well-being deteriorates.
The remission stage is a period that occurs after treatment or on its own and is characterized by an imperceptible course of the disease without a pronounced clinical picture.
The treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the second and third stages is reduced to the minimization of the exacerbation phases and the extension of the remission period.
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aggravation of cervical osteochondrosis
Competent treatment, physiotherapy, gymnastics, proper nutrition and lifestyle help the body in the fight against osteochondrosis and can extend the remission time of the disease.
A number of reasons can cause the cervical osteochondrosis to suddenly worsen and cause the symptoms of the disease to come back.
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The frequency, duration and intensity of periods of exacerbation are individual and depend on the cause of the onset, the presence or absence of treatment, as well as the personal characteristics of the organism, its compensatory and adaptive properties.
Causes of exacerbations
Spinal degeneration leads to cervical osteochondrosis
It is quite difficult to conduct laboratory tests that can reliably determine the factor that provoked the manifestation of symptoms of osteochondrosis of the spine.
The list of reasons is based on long-term observations by orthopedists and neuropathologists for patients, a thorough analysis of possible predisposing factors, after which the patients noted a deterioration in well-being.
The causes of exacerbations can be exogenous and endogenous - caused by influences from the body or from outside.
Endogenous causes include progressive degeneration of the spine and a weakening of the compensatory and adaptive properties of the body.
Among the exogenous factors, the following factors are most likely to exacerbate cervical osteochondrosis:
- The presence of insufficient load on the spine or a change in the predominant posture (weightlifting, doing weight training, changing the type of activity);
- stress, nervous shocks;
- Going through a session or course of manual therapy by an incompetent person;
- seasonality (showed a large number of exacerbations of the disease of the cervical spine in the fall);
- Hormonal shocks (menstruation, pregnancy, menopause);
- Diseases that weaken the body (viral infections of the respiratory tract, infectious diseases, periods of exacerbation of other chronic diseases);
- Rapid weight gain.
How can you tell that the osteochondrosis has worsened?
An exacerbation of the disease is evidenced by the presence of discomfort in the neck and head, a deterioration in the general state of health.
Sometimes the exacerbation phase begins at lightning speed and severe headaches.
In 70% of cases, a rapid worsening of cervical osteochondrosis can be predicted: the patient notices a feeling of heaviness or dull pain in the neck, complaints intensify in the morning.
The presence of predisposing factors against the background of the manifestation of symptoms of the disease confirms the version about the exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
All kinds of symptoms during the exacerbation
Symptoms that occur during the exacerbation of chronic spinal disease are largely consistent with the general symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.
The most common symptom of an exacerbation is pain.
The intensity, type and localization can be varied: pain in the neck or one of its parts, headache in the back of the head, parietal tubercles, pain in the collarbone, shoulder.
Dangerous manifestations of pain can be symptoms similar to myocardial infarction:
- pain in the shoulder blade;
- chest pain;
- Pain in the left extremity.
Some patients report painful sensations only when moving their head or arm in the shoulder joint.
Worsening chronic cervical osteochondrosis can cause a variety of neurological symptoms. If these are present, the patient must be carefully examinedin order to rule out more serious pathologies:
- Disturbances of sleep, concentration, memory;
- Loss of coordination, loss of balance, fainting;
- Feel like flying in front of the eyes, goose bumps, buzzing in the ears;
- dizziness;
- nausea to the point of vomiting;
- violation of diction;
- Decreases or increases the sensitivity of the arm, shoulder blades and neck.
The presence of these symptoms cannot be ignored. The effect of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine on the blood vessels supplying the brain can lead to the most dangerous complication of cervical osteochondrosis - stroke.
How long does it get worse?
The duration of the stage of exacerbation may vary individually depending on the season (in the cool season, the activation of osteochondrosis may be longer and more painful), the reasons that led to the resumption of the symptoms of the spinal disease, characteristics of the patient's body and the treatment offered.
Experts call the following time framesstages of exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine:
- Severe symptoms - up to 1 week, more often - 4-5 days;
- Retention of some discomfort in the affected area, headache - up to 3 weeks after severe seizure relief;
- The general period of exacerbation is considered the standard - about 1-1. 5 months.
Aggravation of cervical osteochondrosis during pregnancy
The body of a pregnant woman is subject to complex physiological changes, there is a huge hormonal surge, a complete redistribution of the body's center of gravity, the absorption and assimilation of minerals and changes in nutrients.
These rearrangements have serious effects on the musculoskeletal system, the spine is heavily stressed.
Pregnant women who have had a history of disease such as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine have a relapse of the disease 50% of the time. This is due to the changes that the spine is experiencing.
Symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis in pregnant women are the same as in any other patient.
Difficulties arise in choosing a treatment regimen, because when prescribing drugs it is necessary to take into account the possible effect of the drug on the fetus.
To relieve an exacerbation in pregnant women, ointments are chosen that do not penetrate the baby. In rare cases, severe pain, complex anesthetic pills, or injections are prescribed.
Many pregnant women resort to non-traditional methods, traditional medicine recipes that are gentler on the fetus.
What to do in the event of an exacerbation?
If you have symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, do not postpone seeing an orthopedic surgeon or neurologist.
Only a specialist can fully assess the patient's condition, the reasons that led to the exacerbation of the disease and prescribe the correct, safe and effective treatment.
Before going to the doctor, try to avoid straining the affected spine.
If there are no chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or no individual intolerance, you can take a pill of an anesthetic and anti-inflammatory drug.
If the cervical osteochondrosis worsens,is prohibited:
- Warm the neck or the back of the head in a bath with warming compresses or other methods.
- Receive massages;
- Self-healing.
Methods for the treatment of acute cervical osteochondrosis
The tightening of drug treatment with cervical osteochondrosis is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of the disease and restoring the patient's well-being and working ability at an early stage.
The table shows the main methods of treating diseases of the cervical spine and indicates the most common drugs.
Before using any of the medicines on the list, consult your doctor.
| Active ingredient group | Target destination |
|---|---|
| Painkillers / NSAIDs | Pain relief, reducing inflammation in the affected area |
| muscle relaxants | Relief of muscle spasms |
| Diuretics | Reduce the swelling of the inflamed spine and reduce the pressure on the nerve roots |
| Chondroprotectors | Reconstruction of spinal structures |
| Vitamins | Improvement of metabolism, chemical reactions |
| Nootropics | Restoration of the conduction of nerve impulses along the nerve processes |
A visit to a qualified osteopath in the acute stage "releases" the restricted nerve process and alleviates some of the symptoms of the disease.
How else can you relieve an exacerbation at home?
If a visit to the doctor is currently not possible. There are several prescriptions for how to easily alleviate the condition of a patient with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine before medical care:
- Take a warm, relaxing shower;
- Roll up the neck with a natural wool garment;
- Apply herbal compresses to the affected area. For these purposes, use onions, sage, mint;
- Make butter and mummy ointment 1: 1.