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Effective methods of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.

Do you often have pain in your neck and head, and does the pain radiate to your arm and shoulders? Perhaps you have cervical osteochondrosis, which needs to be treated as soon as possible? How to diagnose the disease and which doctor to contact? And also how to provide first aid for osteochondrosis of the neck? Read about this and much more later in the article.

Characteristics of the disease.

To begin with, let's remember what kind of disease it is. So, osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebra is a disease of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine, which are the most mobile. In most cases, the injury occurs at the level of the C5-C7 vertebrae. The symptoms of the disease also depend on the vertebra that has affected. More on this later.

pain in the cervical spine with osteochondrosis

Reasons for the appearance

To understand how to treat cervical osteochondrosis, you must first understand what causes there are of its occurrence. To begin with, let's say this disease is becoming more common lately. The secular risk zone is 25 to 40 years. There can be many reasons for the disease. The most common are:

  • working on a computer, as well as driving frequently and for a long time;
  • inactivity;
  • salt accumulation in the cervical spine;
  • altered metabolism;
  • poor nutrition;
  • neck injuries;
  • rheumatism;
  • inheritance;
  • hormonal disturbances;
  • severe hypothermia, etc.
a healthy spine and osteochondrosis

Symptoms

The disease has a series of symptoms that can manifest themselves together or separately. It all depends on the affected area of the neck. So, in order to know how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you need to find out what is affected and what the consequences may be. First, consider the general signs of cervical osteochondrosis.

  • Pain. Pain syndrome is seen in the neck, the back of the head, and the back of the shoulder. In addition, pain can be administered to the hand. This disease is responsible for 30% of all headaches. All due to the fact that with osteochondrosis the blood vessels can be pinched. Thus, blood flow to the brain decreases and severe headaches appear, accompanied by rapid fatigue.
  • Crunch. When turning the head and tilting it, a characteristic loud crack is felt.
  • Numbness. It can occur in the area of the shoulder blades, accompanied by a strong "lumbago". Also, the neck itself may become numb, while there will be a noticeable unpleasant tingling sensation in the arm and leg area.
  • Weakness and dizzinessIn addition to all this, frequent fainting may occur, drowsiness may appear, and rapid general fatigue may be observed.
neck pain with osteosondrosis

If the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine will be carried out at home, you still need to know how to accurately determine the area of injury. Here you just need to know what symptoms will be if one or another nerve root near the vertebra is affected. There are 8 such processes in the cervical spine in total, and they are called C1 - C8.

  • C1: with its defeat, an alteration of sensation is observed in the occipital region.
  • C2: pains appear in the back of the head and crown.
  • C3: the offense is accompanied by severe pain in the area where it occurred. Decreases the sensitivity of the neck. The taste sensitivity of the tongue is affected. Speech problems can occur.
  • C4 - pain in the liver and heart. There is also numbness and pain in the shoulders and between the shoulder blades.
  • C5: pain and decreased sensation in the upper part of the shoulder.
  • C6: The area that includes the neck and shoulder blades is very sore. The pain extends to the shoulder and radiates to the arm, reaching the thumb of the hand.
  • C7: Symptoms are similar to C6, but pain spreads to the back of the shoulder and the entire arm, affecting the remaining fingers except the little finger.
  • C8 - similar to C7. Also, the numbness and pain have already reached the little finger.

Types

Wondering whether it is possible to cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home? Then you need to find out what stage of the disease you are in. After all, only the first degree of treatment can be carried out at home. In total, 3 degrees of the disease can be distinguished based on its progression.

  1. The first - it proceeds almost imperceptibly and does not even begin to think about how to deal with cervical osteochondrosis. But it is at this stage that it is possible to prevent the development of the disease. Symptoms include periodic numbness of the neck and the area between the shoulder blades during prolonged sitting. Pain is rare, but can accompany numbness and fatigue increases.
  2. The second type is disease progression. The intervertebral discs have shrunk and deformed, but can still be repaired. With any movement of the neck, a cracking and pain is felt, while the movements are limited. It requires immediate medical attention.
  3. The third type is an advanced stage of the disease. Here the integrity of the disks is already broken. The pain in the neck, head and shoulders is almost constant. Painful sensations occur even in the hands, even the fingers. The appearance of a disease such as a hernia is possible. With more deformities and incorrect fusion of the vertebrae, the fight against the disease can only continue with surgical methods.

Where to go for help?

So, you have some signs of the disease and decided not to sit idly by, but to go to a specialist for help. The question is brewing: "Which doctor treats cervical osteochondrosis? " Well, it all depends on the stage of the disease you have. So, the treatment of sores of the 1st degree can be taken care of by a specialist in therapeutic gymnastics or a masseur. This also includes alternative medicine, namely a direction like osteopathy.

Osteochondrosis of the second degree of the cervical spine already requires the observation of a doctor in a polyclinic. Here manual physical therapists, physical therapists or reflex therapists can treat the pain. Also, it will not be superfluous to consult a neurologist. Grade 3 cervical osteochondrosis requires more professional medical treatment. Here, a neurologist must initially treat the ailment, as there are quite a few nerve endings in the cervical spine. In an advanced case, the surgeon treats osteochondrosis of the cervical spine together with a neuropathologist.

referral to a cervical osteochondrosis specialist

Diagnostics

Before treating osteochondrosis of the neck, you will need to undergo an examination. The treating physician will palpate the neck, perform various manipulations, and interrogate you. Be sure to prescribe a cervical crest x-ray. Also, a general blood test will be prescribed. For a more detailed understanding of the disease, they may be sent for an MRI or CT scan.

How is the treatment carried out?

To begin with, let's answer the question: "Is it possible to cure cervical osteochondrosis? " Yes, it is possible, but it is possible to fully cope with the disease only in the early stages. So how to beat cervical osteochondrosis? There are different treatments for this, which are described below.

Medicine

Medications are the most effective methods of treating cervical osteochondrosis of the second and third degrees. Here a complex treatment is carried out. So some medications should ease the pain that was tormenting you. Other drugs fight inflammation. Still others: relieve swelling, fourth medications restore blood circulation and supply nutrients to the diseased area. All of them can be in the form of tablets and in the form of injections and injections. With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, ointments will be ineffective.

medications for cervical osteochondrosis

The entire treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in women and men is divided into 3 stages.

  1. First, the drugs should quickly overcome pain, relieve swelling, and have an anti-inflammatory effect.
  2. In the second stage, each remedy must produce a regenerative healing effect.
  3. The third stage is restorative. This includes vitamins, recovery gymnastics, and massages.

Since he was tortured for osteochondrosis and decided to go to the hospital, he did not self-medicate and follow all the instructions of his doctor.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy can answer how to cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. The most used methods are:

  • magnetotherapy;
  • electrotherapy;
  • laser treatment;
  • UFO;
  • other balneotherapy.

Surgical intervention

Sometimes only a surgeon can answer how to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis. The operation is scheduled after consultation with a neurologist. Here the surgeon must try as much as possible so that the osteochondrosis that defeated him recedes. After surgery, prepare for a long course of recovery.

ethnoscience

And what will popular medicine say to all this? There are enough methods and means for the treatment of such a disease. However, remember that you act at your own risk and risk, therefore, only you are responsible for the consequences. So, how to deal with osteochondrosis using folk remedies.

  • The first method is compresses for cervical osteochondrosis of the Indian onion leaf. To do this, you need to take a leaf of the plant and rub the diseased areas with it, and then apply the leftovers as a compress overnight. The healing effect should be observed the next morning.
  • Another compress for the night is prepared with cottage cheese sprinkled with vinegar. It is done several nights in a row until the appearance of the treated effect.
    • compress for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
  • Horseradish leaves are used in a similar way. We take a freshly plucked leaf from a plant, rinse it with boiling water and apply it to a sore area overnight, having previously wrapped it with something warm.
  • How to cure cervical osteochondrosis with shovel? And here everything is quite simple. The point is that we do not need the whole shovel, but only a part, called a handle of more than one meter in length. To make a miracle drug out of it, you need to take it with both hands and wrap it around your neck. In addition, with movements up and down, we massage the diseased areas. The procedure should be done several times a day, at least a week.

Contraindications for treatment.

Sometimes a difficult question arises: "What can be done with cervical osteochondrosis and what not? " It is revealed that not all medical procedures always have only a therapeutic effect. Sometimes they can be very harmful to the patient. Therefore, it is worth treating it only on the recommendations of the attending physician. So this includes the following procedures that are used to treat osteochondrosis:

  1. acupuncture;
  2. recovery gymnastics or exercise therapy;
  3. massage.

Acupuncture for osteochondrosis is contraindicated if you are 75 years old or older, as well as for pregnant women. The rest of the points of contraindication for this procedure are identical to massage. This includes:

  1. Blood diseases.
  2. Any type of bleeding.
  3. Increased mental excitability.
  4. Any shortness of breath.
  5. Digestive system problems

Exercise therapy or physiotherapy complex, with such a disease as osteochondrosis, also have contraindications. The most common are unhealed injuries, severe bruises, and bruises. Also contraindications here include:

  • an acute exacerbation of the disease;
  • weak heart;
  • manifestation of tachycardia or arrhythmia;
  • severe forms of diabetes;
  • tendency to bleed;
  • infectious sores;
  • there are diseases associated with the vestibular apparatus;
  • have vision problems;
  • neurological symptoms leading to loss of coordination.

How to provide first aid?

If osteochondrosis caught you by surprise at home, then first aid will be as follows:

  1. Take the pain reliever that you have in your normal dose.
  2. Call the doctor at home, because you may need more radical methods and other medications.
  3. Try not to jerk your head or body.
  4. Remove the blankets from the bed and lie down with a small pillow under your head. If the mattress is soft enough, lie down on a bench or on the floor.
  5. Try to relax and think of something good to make the pain reliever work faster. If the doctor is late, do not lie in one position for a long time.