After remission, an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis occurs. The pathology develops in a chronic form. It is impossible to completely cope with osteochondrosis.
The disease develops due to an insufficiently active lifestyle, alcohol abuse and nutritional problems.
Intervertebral discs reduce the pressure on the vertebrae, but over the years the cartilage tissue wears down due to a poor lifestyle. Cartilage tissue renewal is not easy.
reasons
Let's find out what provokes the symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Some signs arise due to deformation of the vertebrae, osteophytes appear.
- The position of the vertebrae relative to each other changes, the arteries are compressed and the blood supply to the nervous system deteriorates.
- The occurrence of complications due to displacement of the intervertebral discs also provokes pain in the nerve endings.
- When the nerves in the cervical spine are pinched, radicular syndrome occurs.
- Constant overstrain of the muscle tissue of the neck at the computer or when driving a car.
How does cervical osteochondrosis worsen?
In the neck area, the size of the vertebrae is small. Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis occurs with special symptoms. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, you should contact 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. The elasticity of cartilage tissue decreases and neck pain occurs if you do not change your position for a long time.
Second major
Severe pain in the neck indicates the beginning of the second stage. The pain intensifies due to deformation of the intervertebral disc, dislocations appear.In rare situations, numbness of the hands and face occurs.
At the end of the day, the patient experiences pain in the neck that runs down the spine.
Exacerbation is manifested by falling head syndrome, in which unbearable pain occurs, the head cannot be held, it must be fixed with pillows or hands to reduce the symptom.
Third degree
The third stage of the disease is clearly manifested, the cause of the unpleasant symptoms cannot be attributed to overfatigue after physical exertion. At the third stage, the patient begins to feel sick, dizzy, tinnitus and frequent seizures. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by numbness in the neck and tinnitus.
Sometimes the signs of the disease disappear, but after a while they recur with exacerbations. New signs appear and the pain gets worse.
How to behave during an exacerbation?
During an exacerbation, you should not rub warming ointments into your neck or massage a large area. If you feel signs of cervical osteochondrosis, you should try to relax and take the most comfortable position.
You need to lie on your back so that the muscle tissue stops straining. The attack does not go away on its own.You should call a doctor to give you painkillers, then make an appointment with a specialist. Many people have pain relievers in their home medicine cabinet. You can take these medicines so you don't have to call an ambulance.
First aid and treatment
The treatment is carried out by a specialist:
- Before the arrival of the doctor, you should move as little as possible.
- Sit comfortably on the bed, do not strain the body.
- Take painkillers.
- Wait for the doctor.
The specialist prescribes antibiotics and drugs to eliminate inflammatory processes. They are needed during an exacerbation.
Patients are prescribed chondroprotectors, which change the destructive processes in the discs and worsen the speed indicators when they occur.
The course of treatment with such drugs is long, less than six months. They are able to prevent exacerbation of the disease.
Medicines 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 an exacerbation, the disease is accompanied by pain, and a procedure called a blockade is prescribed. An injection of novocaine is made in the area of the deformed vertebra. Symptoms can be quickly relieved. We list non-drug treatment methods: exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of the symptoms and alleviate the exacerbation with the help of therapeutic exercises. You should do exercises daily to strengthen your neck and spine muscles. Weakened vertebrae will be better held in place thanks to developed back muscles.
Massage is a must, thanks to a full course, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, swelling decreases, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better and blood supply stabilizes. Intervertebral discs stop deforming.
Other treatments
Thanks to the Shants collar, you can reduce the load on the cervical vertebrae during exacerbations. Such a device will keep the neck in a normal position, the load on the muscle tissue and the vertebrae will be reduced. You need to properly arrange the place to sleep, you will need a firm mattress with an orthopedic effect, as well as a pillow that does not bend your neck during rest.
If the therapy is carried out when the attack begins and everything is done correctly, the peak of the disease will subside after some time. If the disease is not treated in time, the attack will subside, but it will not be completely eliminated. In the future, you should expect several exacerbations, between which the pain will subside. Painful symptoms worsen during the attack.
What drugs are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, medication should be used. Exacerbation is eliminated with the help of such drugs. Anti-inflammatory or pain relievers in tablets, ointments for local or external use. Muscle relaxants help eliminate muscle spasms that often occur with pain.
Vitamin B improves the conduction of nerve impulses through neurons. Initially, it was used as intramuscular injections, then patients were transferred to tablets.If the disease increases blood pressure, the calcium channels are blocked, inhibitors, ACE or combination agents.
When cervical osteochondrosis worsens, its symptoms cause cerebral circulation. Therapeutic procedures include the use of recovery drugs. To do this, it is recommended to contact a specialist to get accurate recommendations regarding medications.
When patients experience emotional disturbances, doctors prescribe sedatives, which can be herbal ingredients or tranquilizers. When choosing, specialists are often 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 an examination, if complications are detected, the specialist may recommend surgical intervention aimed at reducing compression and stabilizing the position of the vertebrae. Complications occur after such operations, so they are performed in extreme cases.
What to do at home?
Doctors do not recommend treating cervical osteochondrosis at home during an exacerbation without prior consultation. You can take a pain reliever, 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 should be taken. Therapy should be carried out after diagnosis, doctor's conclusion and exclusion of other variants of pathology.
Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis does not occur in a short period of time, the disorder does not disappear by itself. Destructive processes in the cervical vertebrae can develop and lead to complex consequences.
Exacerbation during pregnancy
The body of pregnant women changes on a physiological level, the level of hormone production changes, the center of gravity of the body changes due to the weight of the developing fetus. Minerals and nutrients are absorbed and assimilated more intensively. These changes have a serious impact 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 drugs, their likely effect on the child must be taken into account. When dealing with exacerbations, ointments are used that do not harm the child.
During pregnancy, the recurrence of osteochondrosis occurs in 50% of cases due to changes in the spine.
Sometimes pain relievers or injections are prescribed for complex pain. Many pregnant women are treated with non-traditional methods. Recipes of traditional medicine are less harmful to the fetus.
Other ways to eliminate exacerbations
If there is no opportunity to visit a doctor, you can use several recipes to alleviate the general condition of patients with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. For example, a warm shower helps you relax. You can wrap a wool scarf or other clothing made of this material around your neck. Or apply herbal compresses to the affected area.
Onions, mint, and sage are also used for such purposes. Try making a mummy and oil salve. You can also immobilize the neck so that the roots of the spinal cord are not compressed.
Gradual deterioration
If the recurrence of painful symptoms is moderate, you should go to a specialist. The patient can take painkillers and secure the neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose the appropriate therapeutic procedure.
During an exacerbationcervical osteochondrosisprohibited:
- Apply heating pads to your neck. Blood will flow intensively to the problem area, the swelling will worsen and the pain will become stronger.
- The cervical region should not be massaged so as not to worsen its condition.
Manual therapy will be helpful in such situations. A qualified specialist can arrange the vertebrae so that no pressure is exerted on the nerve.
Therapeutic measures
The main condition for a successful outcome of the disease is complex therapy. Treatment measures include the use of injections, tablets, ointments, special patches and physiotherapy procedures.
Medicines
Drug treatment is aimed at alleviating pain, which is highly pronounced in the acute period. Prescribed medications such as:
- Analgesics. They try to give an injection of anesthesia before the arrival of the ambulance, because it can be very difficult for the patient to endure the pain. If a person suffers from osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, he always has a painkiller in stock.
- Muscle relaxants. Their action is to reduce the spasm of the skeletal muscles of the cervical vertebrae.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve pain well, relieve inflammation and help if the patient has a fever.
- Vitamin preparations. For the treatment of exacerbation of osteochondrosis, injectable preparations based on vitamins of group B are used. They help to restore the nerve tissue that is damaged due to pathological changes in the intervertebral region of the cervical spine.
- Means for local therapy. To alleviate the patient's condition, ointments and gels with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects are prescribed. They are means of complementary therapy and are prescribed to enhance the effect of injectable drugs. In addition, special patches impregnated with drugs 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 several decades. During this time, new techniques were developed, the use of which helps to relieve the symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis much faster.
If manual therapy techniques are carried out at a high professional level, this has a beneficial effect on the condition of the muscle tissue, vertebrae and joint apparatus of the cervical spine.
The following manual therapy techniques are used:
- Kneading the muscles of a separate segment. This technique helps relieve muscle tension.
- Mobilizing 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 the cervical spine.
- Technique of manipulation. The procedure is a set of actions aimed at restoring the entire joint system, which has suffered as a result of pathological changes. This method is used both for cervical osteochondrosis and for the treatment of a disease called simple osteochondrosis.
If a patient is prescribed a course of manual therapy, he should carefully choose the doctor who will treat him. After all, even a small mistake is fraught with serious consequences, including harm to the patient.
Massage
Massage is another method of relieving the patient's condition during an exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Its application helps to 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 a reduction in pain.
Surgical intervention
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment will not give the desired result, he prescribes surgical intervention for the patient. There are several indications in which surgery is unavoidable.
- Narrowing of the spinal canal due to intervertebral hernia, which leads to compression of the vascular and nerve plexuses.
- Displacement of the vertebrae 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 concomitant symptoms. If after several courses of conservative therapy it is not possible to achieve a positive result, then they resort to surgery.
Exercise therapy
Physical therapy is a method that is used at the follow-up stage. In the acute period, any exercise will bring nothing to the patient except additional suffering. But when the attack is stopped, the inflammatory process is in the stage of reduction, then the prescription of a course of physiotherapy becomes an assistant.
Thanks to exercise therapy, blood circulation is normalized and muscles are strengthened. The mobility of the spine improves and the stiffness disappears, the nerve tissue is restored and the pain decreases.
When prescribing physiotherapy, the doctor takes into account the factors in which it is contraindicated. Exercise therapy should not be used if the patient suffers from diseases of the cardiovascular system, benign or malignant neoplasms, severe visual impairment or diabetes mellitus.
Operation
The operative intervention is carried out in two stages, but during one operation. At the first stage, the neurosurgeon removes the cause of the pain syndrome. This is a decompression method.
The vertebrae are then stabilized. The doctor takes into account that after removing a part of the intervertebral disc, dysfunction of the articular apparatus of the spine occurs.
Therefore, the vertebrae are fixed using a special technique.
In modern orthopedic practice, artificial intervertebral discs are used, which make it possible to prevent 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 gets worse at home. First of all, during an attack it is strictly forbidden to move. The patient should lie on a flat surface and take a position where the muscles are minimally tense.
Give the patient an anesthetic injection. If this is not possible, give the patient an analgesic in the form of tablets. In addition, 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
The treatment of spinal pathologies should be entrusted only to an experienced doctor. And yet there are situations when pain appears suddenly and limits the patient's body. An acute exacerbation may occur, for example, if an intervertebral hernia is suspected. In this case, the patient cannot tolerate it and measures should be taken to improve his condition.
To do this, you need to take the following steps:
- if possible, place the patient on the bed or floor to immobilize the spine;
- wrap the sore spot with a wool scarf (the use of a heating pad is strictly prohibited);
- If the patient is bent over because he is in severe pain, you should not try to straighten him up. It is better to place it in the same position on a flat surface;
- give him pain reliever to drink. This can be analgin, diclofenac or ibuprofen;
- call an ambulance
The emergency physician will determine how to relieve the pain symptom, whether hospitalization is necessary, or treatment can be continued at home.
First aid to a sick person
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. However, you shouldn't suffer the pain until it comes. First aid can be given to the patient:
- 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, then it can be relieved with the help of drugs. If the discomfort is very severe, these medications may not help.
- The neck muscles should be relaxed so that the spasm disappears as quickly as possible.
- Topical 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, which will help to deal with it faster.
Many people are interested in the question of how long exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis last. This phase passes differently for each person. If the treatment of an attack was started on time and the drugs proved to be effective, then its duration does not exceed a few days. Otherwise, discomfort will accompany the patient for several weeks.
How long the exacerbation period will be depends on the characteristics of the human body, as well as on the speed of development of the disease. If the treatment of the pathology starts late, then this situation will repeat itself.
Exacerbation during pregnancy
Exacerbation of diseases during pregnancy is always undesirable. This brings suffering to the expectant mother and her baby, but in addition, it is difficult to apply therapeutic measures due to contraindications for taking drugs. Physiotherapy methods should not be prescribed to a pregnant woman.
Of the drugs used during pregnancy, Traumeel in the form of tablets, ointments and injections and paracetamol are allowed. In addition, physiotherapy is prescribed, but under the strict supervision of a doctor. Choose exercises that require minimal physical exertion. Preference is given to yoga techniques.
Traditional medicine for severe pain in the spine: effective recipes
The use of traditional methods has a positive effect only in combination with drug treatment. You can eliminate pain and discomfort in cervical osteochondrosis with the help of horseradish leaves.
They should be applied to the sore spot, secured with a bandage and plaster and left overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water has worked well as a compress.
Our grandmothers treated all types of osteochondrosis using compresses of grated raw potatoes mixed with honey. This mixture is smeared on the affected areas, firmly attached and left for several hours or overnight. Oil tincture of pepper is excellent for rubbing.
How to reduce relapse rates
If the disease can worsen, then the person already has a large number of drugs in advance that can relieve the pain. However, without removing the cause, the treatment will not be effective.
In addition, unpleasant sensations can return again, and with a vengeance. With exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment of the disease have already been discussed earlier, it is necessary to understand how to prevent exacerbation.
To do this, you must observe the following preventive measures:
- Visit to the massage room. Of course, 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, both hard and soft tissues are better nourished as blood circulation is normalized.
- Doing physical exercises. This is necessary to strengthen the muscular corset of the upper back.
- It is recommended to walk every day before going to bed. This will allow you to rest well at night. It is better to avoid heavy 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, then from time to time he should get up and warm up. In sedentary work, it is better to change the position of your body every quarter of an hour.
- Swimming is an excellent preventative measure for spine problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, which allows you to relieve the spasm, but at the same time strengthens them.
- For a night's sleep, it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress that maintains the correct position of the person's body throughout the night, regardless of how he turns.
- For prevention, you can also use non-traditional methods, for example, acupuncture. Naturally, you cannot do this yourself and you should not trust 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:
- Watch your posture.
- Avoid straining your muscles while working on a computer or sitting at a desk.
- Change your position every few minutes to prevent muscle stiffness.
- If you have to stay in one position for more than half an hour, take a warm-up break.
- You need to sleep on a flat surface, sagging armored beds are contraindicated for patients with osteochondrosis.