Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis occurs after remission. The pathology develops chronically. 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 pressure on the vertebrae, but over the years the cartilage tissue wears down due to poor lifestyle choices. Renewing cartilage tissue is not easy.
Causes
Let's find out what causes 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 appearance of complications due to displacement of the intervertebral discs also causes pain in the nerve endings.
- When the nerves in the cervical spine are pinched, radicular syndrome appears.
- Constant overstrain of the neck muscle tissue in front of the computer or when driving a car.
How does cervical osteochondrosis get worse?
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, it is necessary to contact a specialist.The main problem is that patients do not notice the symptoms of the disease..
First grade
Initially, small cracks appear on the discs. The elasticity of the cartilage tissue decreases, and pain in the neck appears if it does not change its position for a long time.
Second grade
Severe neck pain indicates the beginning of the second stage. The pain is aggravated 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, which extends to the spine.
An exacerbation is manifested by falling head syndrome, in which unbearable pain occurs, the head cannot be supported, it must be supported with pillows or hands so that the symptom decreases.
Third degree
The third stage of the disease manifests itself clearly; The cause of unpleasant symptoms cannot be attributed to overwork after physical exertion. In the third stage, the patient begins to feel sick, dizzy, tinnitus and frequent fainting. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by neck numbness and tinnitus.
Sometimes the signs of the disease disappear, but after a while they reappear with exacerbations. New signs appear and the pain becomes stronger.
How to behave during an exacerbation?
During an exacerbation, you should not rub hot ointments on the neck or massage a large area. If he feels signs of cervical osteochondrosis, he should try to relax and adopt the most comfortable position.
You should lie on your back so that the muscle tissue stops tightening. The attack does not go away on its own.You should call a doctor for pain medication and then make an appointment with a specialist.. Many people have pain relievers in their home medicine cabinet. You can take these medications so you don't have to call an ambulance.
First aid and treatment.
The treatment is carried out by a specialist:
- Before the doctor arrives, you should move as little as possible.
- Sit comfortably in bed, do not put weight on your body.
- Take painkillers.
- Wait for the doctor.
The specialist prescribes antibiotics and medications to eliminate inflammatory processes. They are necessary during an exacerbation.
Patients are prescribed chondroprotectors, which change destructive processes in the discs and worsen speed indicators when they occur.
The course of treatment with these drugs is long, less than six months.. They are able to prevent exacerbation of the disease.
Medicines that belong 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. An injection of novocaine is made into the area of the deformed vertebra. Symptoms may be relieved quickly. We list non-drug treatment methods: exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of symptoms and relieve exacerbations with the help of therapeutic exercises. It is necessary to do exercises daily to strengthen the muscles of the neck and spine. Weakened vertebrae will be better held in place by the developed back muscles.
Massage is mandatory, thanks to a complete cycle, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, swelling is reduced, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better and blood supply is stabilized. The 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 reduce the load on muscle tissue and vertebrae. You need to properly organize your sleeping area, you will need a hard 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 disappear after a while. If the disease is not treated in time, the attack will disappear, but will not be completely eliminated. In the future, several exacerbations should be expected, between which the pain will disappear. Painful symptoms worsen during the attack.
What medications are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, medications must be used. The exacerbation is eliminated with the help of such medications. Anti-inflammatories or analgesics in tablets, ointments for local or external use. Muscle relaxants help eliminate muscle spasms, which often occur with pain.
Vitamin B improves the conduction of nerve impulses through neurons. Initially it is used in the form of intramuscular injections, then patients are transferred to tablets.If the disease increases blood pressure, calcium channels are blocked., inhibitors, ACE or combined agents.
When cervical osteochondrosis worsens, its symptoms cause cerebral circulation. Therapeutic procedures involve the use of medications for recovery. To do this, it is advisable to contact a specialist to receive precise recommendations on medications.
When patients experience emotional disorders, doctors prescribe sedatives, which can be herbal ingredients or tranquilizers. When choosing, specialists usually focus on 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 identified, a specialist may recommend a surgical procedure aimed at reducing compression and stabilizing the position of the vertebrae. Complications arise after such operations, which is why they are performed in extreme cases.
What to do at home?
Doctors do not recommend treating cervical osteochondrosis at home during exacerbations 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.
The symptoms of acute osteochondrosis worsen the quality of life, so urgent measures need to be taken. Therapy should be carried out after diagnosis, doctor's conclusion and exclusion of other pathological options.
Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis does not occur for a short period; the disorder does not go away on its own. Destructive processes can develop in the cervical spine and have complex consequences.
Exacerbation during pregnancy.
The body of a pregnant woman changes at the 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 absorbed more intensely. 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 medications it is necessary to take into account their probable effect on the child. When it comes to exacerbations, ointments are used that do not harm the child.
During pregnancy, relapse of osteochondrosis occurs in 50% of cases due to changes in the spine.
Sometimes for complex pain, pain relievers or injections are prescribed. Many pregnant women receive treatment with unconventional methods. Traditional medicine recipes are less harmful to the fetus.
Other ways to eliminate exacerbations
If it is not possible to visit a doctor, various recipes can be used to alleviate the general condition of patients with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. For example, a hot shower helps you relax. You can wrap your neck with a wool scarf or another garment made of this material. Or apply herbal compresses to the affected area.
Onions, mint and sage are also used for such purposes. Try making a salve with mumiyo and butter. It can also secure the neck in a steady state so that the roots of the spinal cord do not become pinched.
Gradual worsening
If the relapse of painful symptoms is moderate, it is necessary to see a specialist. The patient can take painkillers and restrain the neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose the appropriate therapeutic procedure.
During exacerbationcervical osteochondrosisforbidden:
- Apply heating pads to your neck. Blood will flow intensively to the problem area, the swelling will worsen, and the pain will become stronger.
- You should not massage the cervical region so as not to worsen your situation.
Manual therapy will be helpful in such situations. A qualified professional can realign the vertebrae so that pressure is not placed 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 relieving pain, which is very pronounced in the acute period. Prescription medications such as:
- Analgesics. They try to give an injection of anesthetic before the ambulance arrives, as the patient may find it very difficult to bear the pain. If a person suffers from osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, he always has an analgesic available.
- Muscle relaxants. Its 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 vitamin B are used. They help restore nervous tissue 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. Additionally, special patches impregnated with medications are used. For example, a patch containing diclofenac and lidocaine.
Manual therapy
Manual therapy is a method of treating osteochondrosis that has proven to be only positive and has been used for several decades. During this time, new techniques have been 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 highly professional level, this has a beneficial effect on the state of muscle tissue, vertebrae and the articular apparatus of the cervical spine.
The following manual therapy techniques are used:
- Knead the muscles in a separate segment. This technique helps relieve muscle tension.
- Mobilization technique. The doctor performs a series of actions thanks to which the function of the articular apparatus is restored only in a certain area of the cervical spine.
- Manipulation technique. The procedure is a set of actions aimed at restoring the entire joint system that has suffered as a result of pathological changes. This method is used both for cervical osteochondrosis and for the treatment of a disease called common osteochondrosis.
If a patient is prescribed manual therapy treatment, he or she must carefully choose the doctor who will treat him or her. After all, even a small mistake leads to serious consequences, including patient disability.
Massage
Massage is another method of relieving the patient's condition during exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Its implementation helps relieve tension in the neck muscles, reduces the amount of lactic acid, the accumulation of which causes muscle spasms, and normalizes blood circulation in the inflamed area. The combination of these effects leads to a decrease in pain.
Surgical intervention
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment will not give the desired result, he prescribes surgical intervention to the patient. There are several indications in which surgery is inevitable.
- Narrowing of the spinal canal due to an intervertebral hernia, which leads to compression of the vascular and nerve plexuses.
- Displacement of the vertebrae with respect 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, after several courses of conservative therapy, it was not possible to achieve a positive result, surgery is resorted to.
exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercise is a method used in the follow-up stage. In the acute period, any exercise performed will not bring anything to the patient except additional suffering. But when the attack has been stopped, the inflammatory process is in a decreasing stage, then the prescription of a course of physiotherapy becomes helpful.
Thanks to exercise treatment, blood circulation returns to normal and muscles become stronger. Spinal mobility improves and stiffness disappears, nervous tissue is restored and pain is reduced.
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 surgical intervention is carried out in two stages, but during a single operation. 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, 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 avoid 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, moving during an attack is strictly prohibited. The patient should lie on a flat surface and adopt a position in which the muscles are minimally tense.
Give the patient an anesthetic injection. If this is not possible, give the patient a pain reliever 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. And yet, there are situations when pain appears suddenly and constricts 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 must be taken to improve her condition.
To do this you must follow the following steps:
- if possible, place the patient in bed or on the floor to immobilize the spine;
- wrap the sore spot with a woolen scarf (using a heating pad is strictly prohibited);
- If the patient is bent over because he or she is in severe pain, you should not attempt to straighten him or her. It is best to place it in the same position on a flat surface;
- give him a painkiller to drink. It could 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 so, since self-medication leads to even greater complications. However, you should not endure the pain until it comes. First aid can be provided to the patient:
- To begin with, it is advisable to limit the mobility of the cervical spine as much as possible; it is better to go to bed.
- 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.
- The neck muscles must be relaxed so that the spasm disappears as quickly as possible.
- Local medications can also be used to relieve pain.
- In the first days after the start of an attack, it is necessary to use special orthopedic collars that will help to cope with it more quickly.
Many people are interested in the question of how long exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis last. This phase goes differently for each person. If the treatment of the attack was started on time and the medications turned out to be effective, then its duration does not exceed several days. Otherwise, the discomfort will accompany the patient for several weeks.
The duration of the exacerbation period depends on the characteristics of the human body, as well as the speed of development of the disease. If the treatment of the pathology is started late, this situation will repeat itself.
Exacerbation during pregnancy.
Exacerbation of diseases during pregnancy is always undesirable. This brings suffering to the future mother and her baby, but in addition, it is difficult to apply therapeutic measures due to contraindications for taking medications. Physiotherapeutic 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. Additionally, physiotherapy is prescribed, but under the strict supervision of a doctor. Exercises are chosen that require minimal physical activity. 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 with cervical osteochondrosis using horseradish leaves.
They should be applied to the sore spot, secured with a bandage and tape, and left overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water has 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 smeared on the affected areas, secured firmly and left for several hours or overnight. Pepper oil tincture is excellent for rubbing.
How to reduce relapse rates
If the disease can worsen, then the person already has a large number of medications in advance that can relieve the pain. However, without eliminating the cause, treatment will not be effective.
In addition, unpleasant sensations may appear again, and strongly. In case of exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment of the disease have already been discussed above, it is necessary to understand how to prevent exacerbations.
To do this, the following preventive measures must be observed:
- Visit to the massage room. Naturally, the specialist must have experience and skill 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 exercise. This is necessary to strengthen the muscular corset of the upper back.
- It is advisable to take walks every day before going to bed. This will allow you to have a good night's rest. It is best to avoid heavy sports, jumping and other exercises that involve high loads or sudden movements.
- If a person spends a lot of time sitting still, from time to time they need to get up and warm up. When working sedentarily, it is better to change your body position every quarter of an hour.
- Swimming is an excellent preventative measure for spinal problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, allowing you to relieve spasms, but at the same time strengthens them.
- To get a good night's sleep, it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress that maintains the correct position of the person's body throughout the night, no matter how he turns.
- For prevention, non-traditional methods can also be used, for example, acupuncture. Naturally, you can't do it yourself and you shouldn't trust your health to the first "teacher" you meet. The procedure must be carried out by an experienced specialist.
Prevention
To prevent exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to follow a number of rules:
- Take care of your posture.
- Avoid straining your muscles while working at a computer or sitting at a desk.
- Change positions every few minutes to prevent muscle stiffness.
- If you have to stay in one position for more than half an hour, take a break to warm up.
- It is necessary to sleep on a flat surface, sunken armored beds are contraindicated for patients with osteochondrosis.