When a doctor diagnoses cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms of treatment are inextricably linked. This is because this disease is considered complex and on many levels this or that symptom will indicate not only the stage of the disease, but also to what exactly it extends, to what vital areas of the body were affected.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
- When the nerve endings in the spine are compressed, the symptoms take on their characteristics. Pain in the neck, arms, and throat develops, and this pain can be reflected immediately in other areas, such as the back. Breathing and swallowing can be difficult, and the tongue is numb or "swollen. "The noise is heard in the ears and throbbing pain is possible, the vision is "cloudy" and "darkens" in the eyes. A person begins to experience severe discomfort, which affects various organs, perhaps a feeling of severe fatigue and listlessness, there is a desire to lie down and rest. There is usually no relief after resting.
- The vertebral artery loses its ability to completely nourish the brain. This threatens the appearance of headaches (constant or periodic), loss of coordination when walking, dizziness and loss of consciousness. In addition, disorders in the form of confusion, hallucinations and mental disorders are possible. A person at a certain time may feel good and after exerting physical effort, he experiences any of these symptoms.
- With circulatory disturbances, hypertension, tachycardia and stroke occur. Vegeto-vascular dystonia with pinched vessels and arrhythmia will be observed until osteochondrosis is completely healed.
- The intracranial pressure level increases, and symptoms such as a feeling of "swelling" of the head caused by severe pain, weakness and vomiting, dizziness, and severe blackout appear.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
A person who has experienced the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the neck in the form of pain and stiffness in movement can quickly relieve their condition. Pain relievers should be taken. Ointments will have an effective effect, they are economical in expenditure. While taking pain relievers, you should adhere to the dosage and contraindications.
After relieving the patient's condition, he should see a doctor. It should be remembered that pain relievers can only mask the symptoms, but not get rid of the disease. Separately, it should be noted that for pains that are reflected from the neck to the back, arms and legs, ointments are applied exclusively to the neck. But despite the fact that a person did not go to a doctor, he cannot know the exact diagnosis. And he tries to "treat" everything at once, successfully achieving only an allergic effect.
Treatment is prescribed only after a full examination and diagnosis. It aims to improve blood circulation to the affected areas, relieve swelling and tension, and get rid of pain. For this, analgesics are used in the form of ointments or injections (antispasmodics).
Important!It is necessary to take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors and vitamins B 6 and B 12.
Vasodilator medicines work in different ways. These are neurotropic drugs that work to reduce nerve and myotropic impulses, acting on the muscles themselves. Due to their action, the tone of the walls of blood vessels decreases, and their lumen becomes larger, which increases blood flow to the brain.
Physiotherapy procedures will help relieve pain and alleviate the condition of the patient. In this disease, electrophoresis, paraffin and water procedures, magnetotherapy, ultrasound and ultraviolet irradiation are used successfully. Massage (not strong) and remedial gymnastics (regular) have proven their worth. Wearing special medical collars will help support your head and neck.
An alternative, and in other cases an adjunct to treatment, is special gymnastics.
Folk remedies to relieve the disease
- Gentle massage with warm honey. It is necessary to rub very carefully, then to wrap the neck and, thus, to warm the honey.
- Scrub with compounds that warm the sore spot. They can be alcohol-based - infusions of pepper, garlic, you can use the application of fresh parts of these plants (horseradish, onions, radishes are also suitable).
- Hot pine baths. A decoction of 0. 5 kg is being prepared. needles and 2 liters. the water. This bath is taken in half an hour.
It is necessary to closely monitor the body's allergic reactions to the ingredients used and to remember that these remedies relieve but do not cure the disease.
Disease prevention
A person who has problems with the cervical spine will need to devote time to this area regularly in order to start moving again fully and not to face this problem again in the future.
Speaking of prevention of cervical osteochondrosis, it should be noted:
- the importance of diet - foods should be rich in calcium and magnesium (dairy and fish products, legumes and grains) and vitamins.
- The need to spend time on maintaining the physical shape of the body (swimming is very useful), then the muscular corset of the neck will be strong enough and reduce the load on the spine.
- The importance of excluding (or reducing the influence) from your life the factors that cause cervical osteochondrosis. The symptoms and the treatment are unpleasant and long, and the prevention is quite simple and easy.