Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis occurs after remission. Pathology develops in a chronic form. It is impossible to completely cope with osteochondrosis.
The disease develops due to an insufficiently active lifestyle, alcohol use and nutritional problems.
Intervertebral discs reduce pressure on the vertebrae, but over the years, cartilage tissue wears away due to poor lifestyle choices. Cartilage tissue is not easy to regenerate.
reasons
Let's find out what triggers the symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Some symptoms appear due to deformation of the spine, osteophytes appear.
- The position of the spine relative to each other changes, the arteries are compressed, and blood flow to the nervous system is impaired.
- The emergence of complications arising from the displacement of intervertebral discs also causes pain in the nerve endings.
- Radicular syndrome occurs when nerves in the cervical spine become compressed.
- Constant overstretching of the muscle tissue in the neck while working at the computer or driving.
How does cervical osteochondrosis worsen?
The size of the vertebrae in the neck area is small. Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis occurs with specific symptoms. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, you need to consult a specialist.The main problem is that patients do not notice the symptoms of the disease..
first degree
Initially, small cracks appear on the discs. If you do not change position for a long time, the elasticity of the cartilage tissue decreases and painful pains in the neck appear.
second degree
Severe neck pain indicates the beginning of the second stage. Pain is aggravated due to deformation of the intervertebral disc, dislocations occur.In rare cases, numbness occurs in the hands and face..
At the end of the day, the patient feels pain in the neck, radiating further down the spine.
An exacerbation is manifested by falling head syndrome, in which unbearable pain occurs, the head cannot be lifted, you need to fix it with pillows or hands for the symptom to subside.
Third degree
The third stage of the disease is clearly manifested, the cause of unpleasant symptoms cannot be attributed to overwork after physical exertion. In the third stage, the patient begins to feel nausea, dizziness, tinnitus and frequent fainting. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by numbness in the neck and tinnitus.
Sometimes the symptoms of the disease disappear, but after a while they recur with exacerbations. New symptoms appear and the pain becomes stronger.
How to behave during an exacerbation?
During an exacerbation, you should not apply warming ointments to your neck or massage a large area. If you feel symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, you need to try to relax and take the most comfortable position.
To stop the stretching of muscle tissue, you need to lie on your back. The attack does not disappear on its own.You need to call the doctor to prescribe painkillers, then make an appointment with a specialist.. Many people have painkillers in their home medicine cabinet. You can take these medications so you don't have to call an ambulance.
First aid and treatment
Treatment is carried out by a specialist:
- You need to move as little as possible before the doctor arrives.
- Sit comfortably on the bed, do not put any strain on your body.
- Take painkillers.
- Wait for the doctor.
The specialist prescribes antibiotics and medications to eliminate inflammatory processes. They are needed during exacerbation.
Patients are prescribed chondroprotectors, which change the destructive processes in the discs and worsen the speed indicators when they occur.
The duration of treatment with such drugs is long, less than six months. They can prevent exacerbation of the disease.
Drugs belonging to the category of muscle relaxants also help with osteochondrosis and relieve tension. Diuretics and vascular drugs, nootropics and B vitamins are also used.
During exacerbations, the disease is accompanied by pain and a procedure called blockade is prescribed. Novocaine is injected into the deformed vertebra area. Symptoms can be relieved quickly. We list non-drug treatment methods: exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage.
With the help of therapeutic exercises it will be possible to reduce the intensity of symptoms and relieve exacerbation. To strengthen the neck and spine muscles, you need to do daily exercises. Weakened vertebrae will be held in place better thanks to developed back muscles.
Thanks to a full course, massage is mandatory, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, swelling decreases, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better and blood flow stabilizes. Intervertebral discs stop deforming.
Other treatments
Thanks to the Shants collar, you can reduce the load on the cervical spine during exacerbations. Such a device will keep the neck in a normal position, and the load on muscle tissue and vertebrae will decrease. You need to organize your sleeping area correctly; You will need a firm mattress with an orthopedic effect, as well as a pillow that does not bend your neck during rest.
If treatment is carried out when the attack begins and everything is done correctly, the peak of the disease will subside after a while. If the disease is not treated in time, the attack will decrease but will not be completely eliminated. In the future, you should expect several exacerbations, between which the pain will subside. Painful symptoms worsen during an attack.
What drugs are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, medication must be used. With the help of such drugs, exacerbation is eliminated. Anti-inflammatory or painkillers in tablets, ointments for local or external use. Muscle relaxants help eliminate muscle spasms that often occur with pain.
Vitamin B improves the transmission of nerve impulses through neurons. Initially used as an intramuscular injection, the drug is later transferred to patients into tablets.If the disease increases blood pressure, calcium channels become blocked, inhibitors, ACE or combination agents.
When cervical osteochondrosis worsens, its symptoms cause cerebral circulation. Therapeutic procedures involve the use of medications for healing. To do this, it is recommended to contact a specialist to get accurate recommendations regarding medications.
When patients experience emotional disturbances, doctors prescribe tranquilizers, which can be herbal or sedative. When choosing, experts are usually guided by the severity of these symptoms. Spinal blocks using novocaine are used for severe painful symptoms.
Surgical intervention
What to do in case of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis if the above methods are not effective? It is necessary to undergo examination; If complications are detected, the specialist may prescribe a surgical procedure aimed at reducing compression and stabilizing the position of the vertebrae. They are performed in extreme cases, as complications arise after such operations.
What to do at home?
Doctors do not recommend treating cervical osteochondrosis at home without prior consultation during exacerbations. You can take a painkiller, wrap a scarf around your neck and wait for the doctor to arrive. Depending on the severity of the process, therapy continues at home or in the hospital.
Symptoms of acute osteochondrosis worsen the quality of life, so urgent measures need to be taken. Treatment should be carried out after diagnosis, doctor's decision and exclusion of other pathology options.
Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis does not occur for a short period of time; the disorder does not go away on its own. Destructive processes in the cervical spine can develop and lead to complex consequences.
Flare-up during pregnancy
The pregnant woman's body changes at the physiological level, the level of hormone production changes, and the body's center of gravity changes depending on the weight of the developing fetus. Minerals and nutrients are absorbed and absorbed more intensively. These changes have serious effects on the musculoskeletal system. There is a lot of pressure on the spine.
Symptoms in women are the same as in other patients. The difficulty lies in choosing a treatment regimen, since when prescribing medications their possible impact on the child must be taken into account. When dealing with exacerbations, ointments that do not harm the child are used.
During pregnancy, recurrence of osteochondrosis occurs in 50% of cases due to changes in the spine.
Sometimes painkillers or injections are prescribed for complex pain. Many pregnant women are treated with unconventional methods. Traditional medicine recipes are less harmful to the fetus.
Other ways to eliminate exacerbations
If it is not possible to go to the doctor, you can use various recipes to alleviate the general condition of patients with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. For example, a warm shower will help you relax. You can wrap a woolen scarf or other clothing made of this material around your neck. Or apply herbal compresses to the affected area.
Onion, mint and sage are also used for this purpose. Try making an ointment from mumiyo and butter. You can also fix the neck in a stationary position so that the spinal roots are not compressed.
gradual worsening
If the recurrence of painful symptoms is moderate, you need to see a specialist. The patient can take painkillers and fix his neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose the appropriate treatment method.
During exacerbationcervical osteochondrosisForbidden:
- Apply heating pads to your neck. Blood will rush to the problem area intensively, swelling will worsen and pain will become stronger.
- In order not to worsen the situation, the cervical area should not be massaged.
In such cases, manual therapy will be useful. A qualified professional can realign the vertebrae so that there is no pressure on the nerves.
Therapeutic measures
The main condition for the successful outcome of the disease is complex treatment. Treatment measures include the use of injections, tablets, ointments, special patches and physiotherapeutic procedures.
Medicines
Drug treatment aims to relieve pain that is very evident in the acute period. Prescription medications such as:
- Analgesics. Since it may be very difficult for the patient to bear the pain, they try to inject anesthesia before the ambulance arrives. If a person suffers from osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, there is always a pain reliever in stock.
- Muscle relaxants. Their action is to reduce spasm of skeletal muscles in the cervical vertebrae.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve pain well, relieve inflammation and help if the patient has a fever.
- Vitamin preparations. To treat exacerbation of osteochondrosis, injectable preparations based on B vitamins are used, they help repair nerve tissue damaged due to pathological changes in the intervertebral region of the cervical spine.
- Tools for local therapy. To alleviate the patient's condition, ointments and gels with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects are prescribed. These are complementary therapeutic tools and are prescribed to enhance the effect of injectable drugs. Additionally, special patches impregnated with medication are used. For example, a patch containing diclofenac and lidocaine.
manual therapy
Manual therapy is a method of treating osteochondrosis that has proven itself only on the positive side and has been used for decades. During this time, new techniques were developed, the use of which helped to relieve symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis much faster.
If manual therapy techniques are performed at a highly professional level, this has a positive effect on the condition of muscle tissue, vertebrae and articular apparatus of the cervical spine.
The following manual therapy techniques are used:
- Kneading the muscles in a separate segment. This technique helps relieve muscle tension.
- Mobilization technique. The doctor performs a series of actions, due to which the function of the joint apparatus is restored only in a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe cervical spine.
- Manipulation technique. The procedure is a set of actions aimed at restoring the entire joint system damaged as a result of pathological changes. This method is used both in cervical osteochondrosis and in the treatment of a disease called diffuse osteochondrosis.
If a patient is prescribed a manual therapy method, he should carefully choose the doctor who will treat him. After all, even a small mistake is fraught with serious consequences, including disability of the patient.
Massage
Massage is another method of alleviating the patient's condition during exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Its application helps relieve tension in the neck muscles, reduce the amount of lactic acid, the accumulation of which causes muscle spasm, and normalize blood circulation in the inflamed area. The combination of these effects leads to pain relief.
Surgical intervention
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment will not give the desired result, he recommends surgical intervention to the patient. There are various symptoms that indicate that surgery is inevitable.
- Narrowing of the spinal canal due to intervertebral hernia, which leads to compression of the vascular and nerve plexuses.
- Displacement of the spine relative to the horizontal axis.
- Intervertebral hernia, which can be single or multiple. This pathology is not an absolute indication for surgery if it does not cause associated symptoms. If it is not possible to achieve a positive result after several courses of conservative treatment, surgery is resorted to.
exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercise is a method used in the follow-up phase. Any exercise performed during the acute period will bring nothing but additional pain to the patient. But when the attack is stopped, the inflammatory process is in the phase of reduction, then prescribing a course of physical therapy becomes an assistant.
Thanks to exercise therapy, blood circulation returns to normal and muscles become stronger. The mobility of the spine increases and stiffness disappears, nerve tissue is renewed and pain decreases.
When prescribing physical therapy, the doctor takes into account the factors in which it is contraindicated. Exercise therapy should not be used if the patient has diseases of the cardiovascular system, benign or malignant neoplasms, severe visual impairment or diabetes.
Operation
Surgical intervention is performed in two stages, but in a single surgery. At the first stage, the neurosurgeon eliminates the cause of the pain syndrome. This is a decompression method.
After this, the vertebrae are stabilized. The doctor takes into account that after removing a section of the intervertebral disc, a dysfunction occurs in the joint apparatus of the spine.
Therefore, the vertebrae are fixed using a special technique.
In modern orthopedic practice, artificial intervertebral discs are used, which make it possible to prevent the fusion of the vertebrae when the damaged discs are completely removed.
What can you do at home?
Every patient suffering from cervical osteochondrosis should know what to do if it worsens at home. First of all, it is strictly forbidden to move during the attack. The patient should lie on a flat surface and assume a position in which the muscles are minimally tense.
Give the patient an anesthetic injection. If this is not possible, give the patient an analgesic in tablet form. Additionally, an anti-inflammatory ointment or gel should be applied to the neck area. The emergency doctor will tell you what to do next.
Period of exacerbation of osteochondrosis: first aid at home
Treatment of spinal pathologies should be entrusted only to an experienced doctor. However, there are also cases when the pain appears suddenly and restricts the patient's body. For example, if an intervertebral hernia is suspected, an acute exacerbation may occur. In this case, the patient cannot tolerate this and measures must be taken to improve his condition.
To do this, you must take the following steps:
- if possible, lay the patient on the bed or on the floor to immobilize the spine;
- wrap the painful area with a woolen scarf (using a heating pad is strictly prohibited);
- If the patient is bending over due to severe pain, you should not try to straighten him. It is better to place it in the same position on a flat surface;
- Give him a painkiller to drink. This can be Analgin, Diclofenac or Ibuprofen;
- Call an ambulance.
The emergency doctor will determine how to relieve the pain symptom, whether hospitalization is necessary or whether treatment can be continued at home.
First aid to a patient
Acute osteochondrosis causes a lot of pain and discomfort, even limiting the mobility of the spine. If it is possible to call a doctor at home, it is better to do this, since self-medication is fraught with even greater complications. But you shouldn't endure the pain until it comes. First aid can be provided to the patient as follows:
- To begin with, you should limit the mobility of the cervical spine as much as possible, it is better to lie down.
- If painful osteochondrosis of the cervical spine causes very severe pain, it can be relieved with the help of medications. If the discomfort is very severe, these medications may not help.
- In order for the spasm to pass as quickly as possible, the neck muscles should be relaxed.
- Local medications can also be used to relieve pain.
- In the first days after the onset of the attack, it is necessary to use special orthopedic collars that will help to cope with it faster.
Many people are interested in the question of how long exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis last. This stage goes differently for each person. If the treatment of the attack was started on time and the drugs turned out to be effective, its duration does not exceed a few days. Otherwise, the patient will be accompanied by discomfort for several weeks.
How long the period of exacerbation will last depends on the characteristics of the human body and the rate of development of the disease. If the treatment of the pathology is started late, this situation will recur.
Flare-up during pregnancy
Exacerbation of diseases during pregnancy is always undesirable. This causes suffering to the expectant mother and her baby, but in addition, therapeutic measures are difficult to implement due to contraindications to taking medications. Physiotherapeutic methods should not be prescribed to a pregnant woman.
Of the drugs used during pregnancy, Traumeel and Paracetamol in the form of tablets, ointments and injections are allowed. Additionally, physical therapy is prescribed, but under the strict supervision of a doctor. Exercises that require minimal physical activity are selected. Yoga techniques are preferred.
Traditional medicine for severe pain in the spine: effective recipes
The use of traditional methods has a positive effect only in combination with drug therapy. You can eliminate pain and discomfort in cervical osteochondrosis by using horseradish leaves.
They need to be applied to the painful area, fixed with a bandage and adhesive tape and left overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water worked well as a compress.
Our grandmothers treated all types of osteochondrosis using compresses made from grated raw potatoes mixed with honey. This mixture was applied to the affected areas, fixed firmly and left for several hours or overnight. Pepper oil tincture is excellent for rubbing.
How to reduce recurrence rates?
If the disease may worsen, the person already has a number of medications that can relieve the pain. However, treatment will not be effective without eliminating the cause.
Additionally, unpleasant sensations may come back with a vengeance. With exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment of the disease have already been discussed, it is necessary to understand how to prevent exacerbation.
To do this, the following preventive measures must be observed:
- Visit the massage room. Naturally, the specialist must be experienced and skilled in order not to aggravate the exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Massage sessions allow you to develop the cervical spine, increase its functionality and mobility. At the same time, as blood circulation normalizes, both hard and soft tissues are better nourished.
- Doing physical exercise. This is necessary to strengthen the muscular corset of the upper back.
- It is recommended to take a walk every day before going to bed. This will ensure you get a good night's sleep. It is better to avoid strenuous sports, jumping and other exercises that involve heavy loads or sudden movements.
- If a person spends a lot of time in a static sitting position, they need to get up and warm up from time to time. When working sedentary, it is better to change your body position every quarter hour.
- Swimming is an excellent preventive measure against spinal problems. It not only relieves spasm by relaxing the muscles, but also strengthens them.
- For night sleep, it would be better to choose orthopedic mattresses that maintain the correct position of the body throughout the night, no matter how the person turns over.
- You can also use non-traditional methods such as acupuncture for prevention. Naturally, you cannot do this yourself, and you should not entrust your health to the first "master" you come across. The procedure should be performed by an experienced specialist.
Prevention
To prevent exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to follow a number of rules:
- Pay attention to your posture.
- Avoid straining your muscles while working at a computer or sitting at a desk.
- Change your position every few minutes to prevent muscle stiffness.
- If you have to stay in the same position for more than half an hour, take breaks to warm up.
- You need to sleep on a flat surface; sagging armored beds are contraindicated for patients with osteochondrosis.