Cervical osteochondrosis is a chronic degenerative-dystrophic disease. If left untreated, it progresses rapidly, causing an increase in symptoms. During the course of the disease, the stages of remission are replaced by relapses, in which the conditionthe person is deteriorating significantly. He suffers from severe sharp and piercing pain, stiffness of the cervical spine, dizziness, sudden spikes in blood pressure and headache. With exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosisinsufficient intake of analgesics. It is necessary to act on the causes of clinical manifestations: muscle spasm, displacement of the intervertebral discs and vertebrae, compression of muscle roots and blood vessels by bone growths.
After the diagnosis, the vertebrologist will develop a therapeutic scheme. To transfer cervical osteochondrosis to the stage of stable remission, drugs of various clinical and pharmacological groups, physiotherapeutic procedures, therapeutic sparinggymnastics.
Reasons for relapse
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In most cases, there are no symptoms that precede the exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis. The person feels great, is engaged in daily activities, plans things for the near future. Suddenly there is a sharp, penetratingpain, for the elimination of which it is urgently necessary to take a comfortable horizontal position of the body. This allows you to briefly reduce the severity of the pain syndrome before visiting a doctor. Only in 15-20% of cases, before exacerbation, are there weak disagiosensations - aches, pulling pains, "goosebumps", numbness of the back of the neck, shoulders and sometimes forearms. Due to the already deterioration of blood circulation in the cervical spine and brain, weakness, apathy, mental and physical performance appear.
Cervicago, or cervical low back pain, occurs after a few hours or days. A person experiences such severe pain that when visiting a doctor, one of the questions that interests him becomes the possibility of preventing relapse. To prevent exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, it is necessary to know the reasons for its appearance:
- being in a stressful environment for a long time. People who are acutely experiencing even normal everyday conflicts often suffer from various chronic pathologies, including diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Negative emotions negatively affect the functioning of all vital systems. In patients with cervical osteochondrosis, they cause muscle spasms, circulatory disturbances in the brain, neck and back of the head;
- continuous static and dynamic loads. A long stay in front of a computer, typewriter, microscope leads to a deterioration in the blood supply to cartilage tissues 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 too soft mattress or pillow leads to this;
- jerky movements of the neck. Intense involuntary rotation or tilting of the head can lead to displacement of discs and vertebrae, compression of nerve roots or blood vessels due to bony growths;
- hypothermia, a sharp change in the climatic zone. Vertebrologists note that most often patients with exacerbations of osteochondrosis turn to them in the fall or spring. During the low season, the relapses cause a drop in temperature. It happens in the fall for natural reasons, and in the spring - due to the desire to quickly get rid of heavy and warm clothes;
- respiratory, intestinal, urogenital infections, exacerbations of any chronic diseases. In this case, a sharp decrease in immunity becomes the cause of the recurrence of cervical pathology.
In addition, osteochondrosis is exacerbated by improperly performed massage, weight lifting, excessive physical activity. The onset of relapse occurs very often as a result of non-compliance with medical recommendations regarding nutrition, alcohol consumption modality, drugs.
Clinical presentation
The methods of treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical or cervico-thoracic spine depend on the severity of its symptoms. They are not so intense in the pathology of 1, 2 degrees, when a small amount of cartilage tissue is damaged. And for 3 or 4-stage osteochondrosia, acute clinical manifestations are characteristic, provoked by several negative factors simultaneously. The cartilaginous intervertebral discs have lost their cushioning properties and the distance between the vertebrae has decreased significantly. Therefore, with a sharp shift of the vertebra, the nerves and blood vessels can be squeezed at the same time. The vertebrologist conducts the treatment, taking into account the following symptoms of an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:
- shooting, shooting, aching, pulling pains in the cervicobrachial or thoracic region;
- irradiation of pain in the back of the head, arms, forearms, shoulders, chest;
- persistent or paroxysmal pain syndrome;
- increased pain during movement, shoulder rotation, arm lifting.
Pain in the neck and shoulders is one of the signs of an exacerbated disease.
During the examination of a patient, the vertebrologist detects signs of muscle spasm, soreness of the paravertebral points, stiffness of movement and smoothness of the physiological lordosis. An unnatural position of the human body also makes it possible to suspect an aggravation. Forcefully lift the neck, turn the whole body to the side to reduce the intensity of the pain. Osteochondrosis of moderate and high severity is manifested by neurological disorders as a result of damage to sensitive people, motor, vegetative functional structures. For example, when the spinal roots are squeezed, there are sensations of "crawling chills", the skin of the forearms and the occipital region loses sensitivity, becomes pale and cold to the touch. Patients complain of arm weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, decreased vision and / or hearing.
Visual impairment almost always accompanies an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis.
Recurrence of cervical osteochondrosis manifests itself in psychoemotional instability, insomnia, high blood pressure and sometimes syncope - short-term fainting that occurs with 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 in place, afraid of making an unnecessary movement. It should be soothed, preferably laid 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 you need to call the ambulance team. The fact is that in some cases, with an exacerbation of osteochondrosis, a person is unable to swallow a pill. Doctors who come to the call will inject an analgesic solution intramuscularly or intravenously. If necessary, they also use means to restore cerebral circulation or hospitalize a person for further care in a hospital setting.
Transport of the patient to the hospital.
While the ambulance is on its way, the patient should feel better. How to relieve exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:
- if swallowing functions are preserved, administer an anesthetic tablet;
- a light rubbing of analgesic gels will help reduce pain;
- the patient should not be allowed to stand up, bend over, as his coordination of movements may be impaired.
Before the arrival of the doctor, it is strictly forbidden to self-medicate: use warming agents, massage the neck to relieve muscle spasm. 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 phase
Treatment of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis begins with the elimination of the main symptom - acute piercing pain. The vertebrologist may prescribe intramuscular administration of non-steroidal 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 spinal root. After elimination of severe pain, therapy continues with tablets or topical agents.
How treatment of cervical osteochondrosis exacerbation continues at home:
- taking NSAIDs in tablets, capsules, pills for 5-7 days. The drugs must be combined with proton pump inhibitors to prevent ulceration of the gastric mucosa. If this recommendation is neglected, after cupping an attack of osteochondrosis, hyperacid gastritis will need to be treated;
- use of NSAIDs in the form of gels, ointments, creams from the first day of treatment for 7-10 days. Funds should be applied in a thin layer to the pain area 2-3 times a day and lightly rubbed;
- use of heating agents. After stopping the inflammation, around the 3rd day of therapy, doctors prescribe agents with a warming effect to improve blood circulation and stimulate regeneration. They are rubbed in a small amount 1-3 once a day. Transdermal products such as a pepper patch can help cope with pain;
- taking or parenteral administration of muscle relaxants. They have analgesic effects by eliminating muscle spasm, usually caused by compression of nerve endings.
What else to do with an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, what drugs to take or perform medical procedures, the vertebrologist decides. If the patient did not use chondroprotectors before relapse, then from the first days of therapy should be prescribed drugs that stimulate the restoration of cartilage tissue. To speed up the restoration of all functions of the cervical spine, intramuscular injection of chondroprotectors will be allowed.
The use of B vitamins will greatly accelerate the patient's recovery. Pyridoxine, thiamine, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, riboflavin improve innervation in the area of damaged discs and vertebrae, stabilize the central and autonomic nervous system.
Non-drug therapy
For 3-4 days of treatment, the patient is shown bed rest. Any dynamic loads on all parts of the spine are excluded. For several hours or all day, patients are advised to wear a Shants collar, the required height that the doctor will determine. Using an orthopedic device helps to reduce the load on the cervical vertebrae, prevents the intensification of painful sensations.
The Shants collar fixes the cervical vertebrae.
Nutrition for 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 spices. Their use causes fluid retention in the body and increased swelling. Nutritionists advise to eat more fruits, cereals, salads from fresh vegetables.
In case of severe relapse, the innervation of some parts of the body is disturbed due to nerve damage. And the compression of the spinal cord becomes the cause of conduction disturbances - para- and tetraparesis of the hands, dysfunction of internal organs. Therefore, doctors strongly advise against independently eliminating the exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, stifling pain with pills. Only properly performed therapy will help avoid the dangerous consequences of chronic relapse.
How to forget about joint pain and osteochondrosis?
- Joint pain limits your movement and full life. . .
- You are concerned about discomfort, crunching and systemic pain. . .
- You may have tried a lot of drugs, creams and ointments. . .
- But judging by the fact that you are reading these lines, they have not been of much help to you. . .
The term "osteochondrosis" characterizes the destructive processes that occur in one or another part of the human musculoskeletal system.
In some patients, this disease affects the joints of the extremities, but with a 95% probability, osteochondrosis is localized in any part of the spine.
The vertebral column is the main axis of the human body, it performs many important functions and is an almost irreplaceable element of the musculoskeletal system.
Violation of the structure of any part of the spinal column can lead to irreversible consequences and seriously worsen the patient's quality of life.
Osteochondrosis of the spine can affect one of three sections of the spine: cervical, thoracic or lumbar and can also be located in multiple sections.
The disease of each of the sections of the spine has its own features of the course and individual symptoms, as well as some nuances in the tactics of treating osteochondrosis.
How does cervical osteochondrosis proceed?
According to changes in the structures of the spine, patient complaints and methods of treatment, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is classified into 3 stages of the course.
Phase 1
Inflammation of the cervical spine
This degree rarely has a clinically expressed picture, some patients complain of:
- Recurring headaches;
- Discomfort in the neck and occiput.
The changes that occur at this stage of the disease affect some vertebrae and intervertebral discs, the elasticity of the annulus fibrosus decreases and a slight compression of the spinal nerve roots occurs
Phase 2
The degeneration of the spinal structures is more pronounced, the intervertebral discs are practically unable to perform their functions, there is pressure on the nervous processes and blood vessels, this causes the symptoms of the disease.
Patients report frequent headaches, dizziness, decreased performance. At this stage, most requests for qualified medical assistance occur, but some spinal injuries are already irreversible.
Phase 3
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine reaches its peak. Massive lesions of the bone and ligament apparatus.
Strong clinical picture:
- Severe headache;
- Nausea, lack of coordination;
- Sleep problems;
- Visual and auditory disturbances.
Osteochondrosis is a chronic disease characterized by alternating periods of exacerbation and stages of remission (calm).
The exacerbation of the disease is a phase of the chronic course, in which there is a manifestation of the symptoms of the disease, the deterioration of the patient's well-being.
The stage of remission is a period that occurs after treatment or alone, characterized by an imperceptible course of the disease without a pronounced clinical picture.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the second and third stages is reduced to minimizing the phases of exacerbation and prolonging the period of remission.
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Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis
Conducting competent treatment, physiotherapy, gymnastic exercises, proper nutrition and lifestyle helps the body in the fight against osteochondrosis and can increase the time to remission of the disease.
A number of reasons can provoke a sudden exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, causing a recurrence of the symptoms of the disease.
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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 rather difficult to conduct laboratory tests that allow you to reliably determine the factor that provoked the manifestation of the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the spine.
The list of reasons is based on long-term observations of orthopedic doctors and neuropathologists for patients, a thorough analysis of possible predisposing factors, after which patients noted a deterioration in well-being.
The causes of exacerbations can be exogenous and endogenous, caused by influence from inside the body or from outside.
Endogenous causes include progressive degeneration of the spine and weakening of the compensatory and adaptive properties of the body.
Of the exogenous factors, the following are most likely to cause an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:
- The presence of an inadequate load on the spine or a change in the prevailing posture (weight lifting, strength sports, change in the type of activity);
- Stress, nervous shocks;
- Undergoing a manual therapy session or course by an incompetent person;
- Seasonality (revealed a large number of exacerbations of cervical spine disease in the fall);
- Hormonal shakes (menstruation, pregnancy, menopause);
- Diseases that weaken the body (respiratory viral infections, infectious diseases, periods of exacerbation of other chronic ailments);
- Rapid weight gain.
How to determine that osteochondrosis has worsened?
An exacerbation of the disease is evidenced by the presence of discomfort in the neck and head, a deterioration in general health.
Sometimes the exacerbation phase begins at lightning speed, with intense pain in the head.
In 70% of cases it is possible to predict a rapid exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis: the patient notes a feeling of heaviness or dull pain along the back of the neck, the complaints intensify in the morning.
The presence of predisposing factors against the background of the manifestation of the symptoms of the disease confirms the version about the exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
All kinds of symptoms during exacerbation
The symptoms that occur during an exacerbation of a chronic spinal disease largely coincide with the general symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.
The most common symptom of an exacerbation is pain.
The intensity, nature and location can be varied: pain in the back of the neck or one of its sections, headache in the occiput, parietal tubercles, pain in the collarbone, shoulder.
Dangerous manifestations of pain can be symptoms similar to those of myocardial infarction:
- Pain in the shoulder blade;
- Chest pain;
- Pain in left limb.
Some patients report painful sensations only when moving their head or arm in the shoulder joint.
Exacerbation of chronic cervical osteochondrosis can cause a range of neurological symptoms, if present, patient should be carefully examinedto rule out more serious pathologies:
- Disturbances in sleep, concentration, memory;
- Loss of coordination, loss of balance, fainting;
- Sensation of flies in front of the eyes, goosebumps, ringing in the ears;
- Vertigo;
- Nausea on vomiting;
- Violation of diction;
- Decreases or increases the sensitivity of the arm, shoulder blades, neck.
The presence of these symptoms cannot be ignored. The influence 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 the aggravation last?
The duration of the exacerbation phase may vary depending on the season (in the cold season, the activation of osteochondrosis can take longer and more painful), the reasons that caused the symptoms of the spine disease to resume, individual characteristics of the patient's body and the treatment provided.
Experts call the following time periodsstages 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 relief of severe attacks;
- The general period of exacerbation is considered standard - about 1-1. 5 months.
Aggravation of cervical osteochondrosis during pregnancy
The body of a pregnant woman undergoes complex physiological changes, there is a colossal hormonal increase, a complete redistribution of the body's center of gravity, the absorption and assimilation of minerals and nutrient changes.
These rearrangements have a serious impact on the musculoskeletal system, the spine is subjected to great stress.
Pregnant women who have a history of a disease such as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, in 50% of cases, relapse. This is due to changes in the spine.
Symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis in pregnant women are the same as in all other patients.
The difficulties lie in selecting a treatment regimen, since when prescribing drugs, it is necessary to take into account the possible effect of the drug on the fetus.
To relieve exacerbation in pregnant women, the choice is made on ointments that do not penetrate the baby, in rare cases, in case of severe pain, complex anesthetic pills or injections are prescribed.
Many pregnant women resort to treatment with non-traditional methods, recipes of traditional medicine, which are more gentle for the fetus.
What to do in case of exacerbation?
If you have symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, do not delay visiting an orthopedic surgeon or neurologist.
Only a specialist can fully assess the patient's condition, the reasons that led to the aggravation of the disease, as well as prescribe the correct, safe and effective treatment.
Before visiting a doctor, try to avoid stress on the affected spine.
In the absence of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract or individual intolerances, you can take a pill of an anesthetic and anti-inflammatory drug.
In case of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosisit is prohibited:
- Warms the neck or nape of the neck during a bath, using heat packs or other methods;
- Receive massage sessions;
- Self-healing.
Methods for the treatment of acute cervical osteochondrosis
The exacerbation of the drug treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of the disease and the early restoration of the patient's well-being and performance.
The table shows the main methods of treating pathologies of the cervical spine, indicating the most common drugs.
Before using any of the listed medicines, consult your doctor.
| Drug group | Destination destination |
|---|---|
| Painkillers / NSAIDs | Pain relief, reduction of inflammation in the affected area |
| Muscle relaxants | Relief of muscle spasm |
| Diuretics | Reduction of swelling of the inflamed spine and reduction of pressure on nerve roots |
| Chondroprotector | Reconstruction of the structures of the spine |
| Vitamins | Improved metabolism, chemical reactions |
| Nootropics | Restoration of the conduction of nerve impulses along the nerve processes |
A visit to a qualified osteopath in the acute phase will "release" the restrained nervous process and relieve some of the symptoms of the disease.
How else can you relieve an exacerbation at home?
If visiting a doctor is currently impossible, there are several recipes on how to slightly relieve the condition of a patient with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine before providing medical assistance:
- Take a warm and relaxing shower;
- Roll the neck with a piece of natural wool;
- Apply herbal compresses to the affected area. For these purposes, use onions, sage, mint;
- Make butter and ointment for mom 1: 1.