Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is asymptomatic as long as the intervertebral discs cope with their damping. As soon as their thickness begins to decrease, instability appears. The body compensates for this with the development of osteophytes, as a result, a person feels stiffness in the neck and over time other unpleasant symptoms appear, which significantly worsen the quality of life. The treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine must be complete.
This means that medication alone (injections, tablets, ointments) is not enough. In addition to this, it is imperative to do special therapeutic exercises, massage, take hirudotherapy classes (leech therapy) and also do basic exercises at home. In addition to the main treatment, the use of folk remedies is allowed.
Medicines
The doctor's priority is to relieve the patient of the pain. For these purposes, a whole complex of drugs is used:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- anesthetics and hormones (for blockages).
- Muscle relaxants;
- chondroprotective;
- sedatives and antidepressants;
- B vitamins.
The mentioned groups of drugs in the complex play the role of a strong anesthetic complex for osteochondrosis and also nourish the intervertebral discs and restore the nerves:
- NSAIDs relieve mild to severe inflammation and pain.
- Anesthetics and hormonal agents are injected at the site of the pain (paravertebral or vascular sympathetic) - the pain syndrome stops immediately. The patient is then placed on a cervical brace for a while so that he can not move his head abruptly.
- Muscle relaxants are used to relax spasmodic muscles.
- Chondroprotectants improve the nutrition of the intervertebral discs. They are taken at the same time as the NSAIDs. Usually the use of chondroprotectants is long-term and complex. This means that the doctor can prescribe, along with external agents, oral medications as well as injections.
- Sedatives and antidepressants help the patient cope with stress, prevent depression, which in turn helps to deal with muscle tension.
- Complex preparations of B vitamins. Lack of B1, 6 and 12 negatively affects nerve fibers and neuronal conductivity. First, the drugs are prescribed in the form of injections in a short course, then they go to supportive treatment and take pills.
On a note. Most NSAIDs and chondroprotectants come in a variety of forms - tablets, ointments, injections, as well as anal suppositories (NSAIDs) and patches (NSAIDs).
Therapeutic gymnastics and massage
Once the pain syndrome subsides, it is necessary to gradually increase the motor activity of the cervical spine. If the patient was excluded, then the bandage is removed after about a week.
Some doctors believe that it is always necessary to move. When a patient is prescribed bed rest, it is thought to help treat the disease, but in reality the person has the opposite effect - on one side of the neck, the spasmodic muscles, if not used as muscle relaxants, remain limited. on the other hand, on the other hand, their slow weakening (relaxation or loss of tone) is observed. As a result, returning to a working pace, a patient with cervical osteochondrosis will inevitably experience pain, limited mobility, and muscle spasms again in a fairly short period of time. If you do physical education in doses and slowly, but continuously, you can achieve pain relief with minimal use of painkillers.
Physiotherapists and chiropractors share the same view. Their techniques are based on movement rather than lying in bed, according to 90% of doctors who try to relieve pain in a patient with cervical osteochondrosis.
Exercises for acute pain
This is a static exercise, in which the cervical spine does not perform movements. The physiotherapist recommends performing the following 3 exercises for headaches, tinnitus, neck pain:
- Sit in a chair, straighten your back, look straight ahead. Place your hands on top of each other and place them under your chin. Start pressing your chin into your hands, as if you want to lower your head. At the moment, the spine is not involved in any way, but the muscles of the front of the neck are stretched. Press your hands for 3 to 5 seconds, then lower your arms and relax. Repeat several times.
- Keep sitting with your back straight and looking ahead. Place the back of your right hand on your cheek. Start turning your head to the right while resisting with your hand. The head is motionless. Press for 3 to 5 seconds, then remove your hand and relax. Repeat several times. Repeat Exercise # 2 with the other hand.
- Place the brushes on top of each other at the back of your head. Imagine throwing your head back. Resist with your hands. At the moment of pressure, stay for 3 to 5 seconds. Then lower your arms and relax. Repeat several times.
You do not need to squeeze your hands with all your might. This will have the opposite effect - the pain will intensify. All movements are as smooth as possible, slow, without jerks. The number of approaches per day is from 2-3 times.
On a note. Static exercises are similar to micro-movement techniques. As a result, the muscles relax, the pain gradually disappears.
A universal set of exercises for osteochondrosis of the cervix
Exercise can be done independently, at home, both during the recession and at the time of the outbreak.
The universal band consists of 6 exercises:
- Stand up straight, legs shoulder-width apart, open your chest. Put your hands on your shoulders. Perform symmetrical circular motions backwards (at least 10 times), then forwards (10 times). The body and neck are immobile. After completing the exercise, lower your arms down and shake off your shoulders, relax.
- Keep standing. Extend your arms to the sides parallel to the floor, clenching your arms into fists. Now imagine rocking dumbbells. At the same time, bend your elbows and touch your shoulders with your fists and then straighten. Repeat 10-15 times. After completing the exercise, shake your hands off your shoulders and relax.
- Stay in the starting position. The exercise is static. Bend your fingers and place your palms on your forehead. Start, as it were, to lower your head forward. Resist with your hands. Stay in the pressure position for 3-5 seconds and then relax. The muscles of the back of the neck work.
- Exercise number 3 from the complex with exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis.
- From the starting position, without moving your neck, bring your shoulders forward, hold for 3-5 seconds, then straighten and bring your shoulders together and relax. Repeat several times.
- From the starting position: take a deep breath with your nose - raise your arms sideways and up, lower yourself in front of you - exhale completely through your mouth. In an acute period, raise your arms low - parallel to the floor.
On a note. For complete treatment of the cervixosteochondrosisthese exercises are not enough. However, they are suitable for relieving acute pain and restoring the mobility of the spine.
Micro movements
A chiropractor has developed a system to help patients with cervical osteochondrosis:
- Sit in a chair and lean on your back. Now imagine agreeing with someone - shake your head slightly. You can do as much as you want, until you get bored. Once a minute was given, they sat down and did it. Free refills.
- The starting position is exactly the same as in Exercise 1. Only now do not agree with the interlocutor - shake your head left and right slightly. Do as much as convenient. Free refills.
On a note. Exercise sets can be combined with each other. This will give a remarkable result in a short time - the pain will subside.
Massage
It is best to entrust the massage of the cervical spine to a specialist. However, in case of severe pain, if it is possible to lift painlessly and put your hands behind your head, you can try to help yourself. There are many self-massage techniques.
The simplest self-massage is done as follows:
- Sit in a chair. Raise and place your hand behind your head on the opposite side of the pain.
- Start stroking your throat in the area of inflammation. Do it gently at first, almost without pressure. Then increase the volume slightly.
- Get on your shoulder. As a rule, when the torticollis passes, it hurts not only the neck on one side, but also the shoulder. Stretch your shoulder. This should be done actively to warm the spasmodic muscles, but there should be no severe pain from the self-massage.
- Repeat this process on the other side of the neck. This must be done, because on the one hand the muscles are spasmodic, on the other hand they are relaxed - you have to normalize their tone.
- Place both hands behind your head and place your fingers along the spine (along the spinous processes). Carefully but actively work in this area. Do not put too much pressure. The neck is the most sensitive part of the spine. An awkward move can hurt yourself and make the situation worse.
- Apply any anesthetic gel or ointment you have in your medicine cabinet to the heated cervical spine.
Do not use heating ointments for self-massage. The skin on the neck is very thin, especially in the area of the arteries and in the front. If the heating compound gets there, it may burn out.
Hirudotherapy
Treatment of leeches for osteochondrosis, especially of the cervical spine, is very effective. Hirudotherapy helps:
- reduce pain;
- Improving blood circulation to the affected area of the leeches - normalizes arterial blood flow to the brain and venous outflow.
- relieve swelling;
- enhancing the effect of drugs.
- improve sleep;
- relief from psychological stress;
- significantly reduce headaches and dizziness.
Not everyone is allowed such a treatment. Do not forget to undergo a thorough examination before treating leeches. If there are no contraindications, 7-10 procedures are performed. To consolidate the result in a month, you can again consult a urologist.
Folk remedies
Try the following recipes:
- rub the back of the neck with a leaf of horseradish, cover it with something warm on top and go to bed.
- self-massage with honey - rub the neck and shoulders with honey, then apply a towel soaked in warm water, after 10 minutes remove the honey residue (if any) and go to bed, covered with a blanket.
- take a steam bath, but not during the exacerbations, then do a honey massage and drink herbal tea.
- use a needle applicator - place the plate with needles in the area of the seventh cervical vertebra, if the senses are tolerated, then sleep on the needles - in the morning you will notice significant relief.
There are many ways to treat cervical osteochondrosis. In addition to those described, an effective treatment method is acupuncture, yoga, Pilates, fitball exercises. Remember, self-medication is dangerous. Make an appointment with your doctor and have a complete checkup. The specialist will individually select the treatment and tell you what exercises can be done and what not, if self-massage is possible, if leeches will help or maybe recommend one of the alternative medicine methods, for example, bee sting.