Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis occurs after remission. 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 relieve pressure on the vertebrae, but over the years the cartilage tissue wears down due to poor lifestyle choices. Regenerating cartilage tissue is not easy.
Reasons
Let's find out what causes the symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Some signs are due to the deformation of the vertebrae, osteophytes appear.
- The position of the vertebrae in relation to each other changes, the arteries are compressed, the blood supply to the nervous system deteriorates.
- The occurrence of complications due to the displacement of the intervertebral discs also causes pain in the nerve endings.
- Compression of the nerves in the cervical spine causes radicular syndrome.
- Constant overloading of the neck muscle tissue at the computer or driving a car.
How cervical osteochondrosis worsens
The size of the vertebrae in the neck area is small. Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis is manifested by special symptoms. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, you must 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 the cartilage tissue decreases, the neck starts to hurt if you do not change the position for a long time.
Second degree
Severe neck pain indicates the beginning of the second stage. The pain intensifies due to deformation of the intervertebral disc, dislocations occur.In rare cases, numbness of the hands and face occurs.
At the end of the day, the patient feels a pain in the neck that continues down the spine.
Exacerbation is manifested by falling head syndrome, during which unbearable pain occurs, the head cannot be raised, it must be fixed with pillows or hands to reduce the symptom.
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 nauseous, dizzy, ringing in the ears, and often faints. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by neck numbness and tinnitus.
Sometimes the symptoms of the disease disappear, but after a while they return with exacerbations. New symptoms appear and the pain intensifies.
What to do during an exacerbation?
During an exacerbation, you should not rub warming ointments on the neck or massage a large area. If you feel the signs of cervical osteochondrosis, you need to try to relax and take the most comfortable position.
You need to lie on your back so that the muscle tissue stops being tense. A seizure does not go away on its own. You need to call the doctor to administer pain medication, then make an appointment with a specialist. Many people have pain medication in their home medicine cabinet. You can take these medicines to avoid the need to call an ambulance.
First aid and treatment
The treatment is carried out by a specialist:
- Before the doctor arrives, you need to move as little as possible.
- Sit comfortably on the bed, do not strain your body.
- Take pain relievers.
- 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 can prevent the exacerbation of the disease.
Medicines belonging to the category of muscle relaxants also help with osteochondrosis and reduce tension. Diuretics and vascular drugs, nootropics and B vitamins are also used.
During exacerbations, the disease is accompanied by pain, a procedure called blockade is prescribed. Novocaine injection is performed in the area of the deformed vertebra. Symptoms can be quickly eliminated. We list non-drug treatment methods: exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of the symptoms and relieve the exacerbation with the help of therapeutic exercise. Exercises should be done daily to strengthen the muscles of the neck and spine. The weakened vertebrae will be better held in place by the developed back muscles.
Massage is mandatory, thanks to the whole course, muscle tone improves, spasms disappear, swelling decreases, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better, blood supply is stabilized. Intervertebral discs stop deforming.
Other treatments
Thanks to the Shants collar, you can reduce the load on the cervical spine during an exacerbation. Such a device will keep the neck in a normal position, reduce the load on muscle tissue and vertebrae. You need to arrange your sleeping place properly, you will need a hard mattress with an orthopedic effect, as well as a pillow that does not bend the neck during rest.
If therapy is carried out at the onset of an attack 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 subside, but will not be completely eliminated. In the future, you should expect several flare-ups, between which the pain will decrease. Painful symptoms intensify during an attack.
What medicines are used?
If the patient's condition worsens, it is necessary to take medication. Exacerbation is eliminated using such drugs. Anti-inflammatory or pain-relieving drugs in tablets, ointments for local or external use. Muscle relaxants help relieve muscle spasms that often accompany pain.
Vitamin B improves the conduction of nerve impulses through neurons. Initially used as intramuscular injections, patients are then transferred to tablets.If the disease increases blood pressure, calcium channels are blocked, inhibitors, ACE inhibitors or combinations.
When cervical osteochondrosis worsens, its symptoms cause cerebral blood flow. Therapeutic procedures include the use of drugs for recovery. To do this, it is advisable to contact a specialist who will receive accurate recommendations on medications.
When patients experience emotional disturbances, doctors prescribe sedatives, which can be herbal or sedative. 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 mentioned methods are ineffective? It is necessary to carry out an examination, if complications are detected, the specialist can recommend a surgical procedure aimed at reducing compression and stabilizing the position of the vertebrae. Complications arise 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 painkillers, wrap a scarf around your neck and wait for the doctor to arrive. Depending on the severity of the process, treatment is continued at home or in the hospital.
Symptoms of acute osteochondrosis impair the quality of life, so urgent measures should be taken. Treatment should be carried out after diagnosis, doctor's conclusion and elimination of other possibilities of pathology.
Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis does not occur for a short time, the disorder does not go away by itself.. Destructive processes of the cervical spine can develop and cause complex consequences.
Exacerbation during pregnancy
The body of pregnant women 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 assimilated more intensively. These changes have serious effects on the musculoskeletal system. There is a lot of pressure on the spine.
Symptoms in women are the same as in other patients. It is difficult to choose a treatment regimen, because when prescribing drugs, one must take into account their possible effect on the child. In the fight against exacerbations, ointments are used that do not harm the child.
During pregnancy, due to changes in the spine, osteochondrosis relapse occurs in 50% of cases.
Sometimes pain relievers or injections are prescribed for complex pain. Many pregnant women are treated with non-traditional methods. Traditional medicine recipes are less harmful to the fetus.
Other ways to eliminate flare-ups
If it is not possible 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 to relax. You can wrap a woolen scarf or other garment of this material around your neck. Or apply herbal compresses to the affected area.
Onions, mint, sage are also used for such purposes. Try making a spread from mumiyo and butter. You can also fix the neck in a stationary state so that the roots of the spinal cord are not compressed.
Gradual deterioration
If the recurrence of painful symptoms is moderate, a specialist should be consulted. The patient can drink painkillers, strengthen the neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose the right therapeutic procedure.
During an exacerbationcervical osteochondrosisforbidden:
- Place heating pads on the neck. Blood will flow intensively to the problem area, the swelling will increase, and the pain will intensify.
- The cervical area should not be massaged, so as not to worsen its position.
In such situations, manual therapy will come in handy. A qualified specialist can adjust the vertebrae so that the nerve is not pressed.
Therapeutic measures
The main condition for the 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. Prescribed medicines such as:
- Analgesics. Before the ambulance arrives, they try to give an injection of anesthesia, because it can be very difficult for the patient to endure the pain. If a person has osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, he always has painkillers.
- Muscle relaxants. Their action is to reduce the spasms of the skeletal muscles of the cervical vertebrae.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve pain well, reduce inflammation and help if the patient has a fever.
- Vitamin preparations. For the treatment of exacerbation of osteochondrosis, injectable preparations based on group B vitamins are used, which help restore nerve tissue damaged by pathological changes in the intervertebral region of the cervical spine.
- Local remedies. In order to alleviate the patient's condition, anti-inflammatory and analgesic ointments and gels are prescribed. They are additional means of therapy and are given to enhance the effects 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 treatment of osteochondrosis that has proven itself only from the positive side and has been used for several decades. During this time, new methods were developed, the use of which helps to relieve the symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis much faster.
If manual therapy methods are performed very professionally, it has a positive effect on the condition of the muscle tissue, vertebrae and joint apparatus of the neck spine.
The following manual therapy methods are used:
- Muscle kneading in a separate segment. This technique helps to reduce muscle tension.
- Mobilization technique. The doctor performs a series of actions that restore the function of the joint apparatus only in a certain area of the cervical spine.
- Manipulation technique. The procedure is a complex of actions aimed at restoring the entire joint system affected by pathological changes. This method is used both in cervical osteochondrosis and in the treatment of a disease called ordinary osteochondrosis.
If the patient is prescribed a course of manual therapy, he must carefully choose the doctor who treats him. After all, even a small mistake is fraught with serious consequences, including the disability of the patient.
Massage
Massage is another way to relieve the patient's condition after an exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Its implementation helps to reduce neck muscle tension, reduce the amount of lactic acid, the accumulation of which causes muscle spasms, and normalize blood circulation in the inflamed area. The combination of these effects reduces pain.
Surgical intervention
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment will not give the desired result, the patient is prescribed surgical intervention. There are several signs that surgery is imminent.
- Narrowing of the spinal canal due to an intervertebral hernia, which causes compression of vascular and nerve plexuses.
- Vertebral displacement 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 related symptoms. If after several courses of conservative therapy it was not possible to achieve a positive result, they resort to surgery.
Exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercise is a method used in the next step. During the acute period, any exercise will give the patient nothing but additional suffering. However, after stopping the attack, the inflammatory process is in the stage of decline, then the appointment of a course of physiotherapy becomes an assistant.
Thanks to exercise therapy, blood circulation is normalized and muscles are strengthened. Mobility of the spine improves and stiffness disappears, nerve tissue is restored, pain is reduced.
When prescribing physiotherapy, the doctor takes into account the factors that make it contraindicated. Exercise therapy should not be used if the patient has diseases of the cardiovascular system, benign or malignant tumors, severe vision problems, diabetes.
Operation
Surgical intervention is performed in two stages, but in one operation. In the first stage, the neurosurgeon removes the cause of the pain syndrome. This is the decompression method.
After that, the vertebrae are stabilized. The doctor takes into account the fact that after removing a segment of the intervertebral disc, the function of the articular apparatus of the spine is disturbed.
Therefore, the vertebrae are fixed with a special technique.
Modern orthopedic practice uses artificial intervertebral discs, which 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 worsens at home. First of all, movement during the attack is strictly prohibited. The patient should lie on a flat surface and take a position where the muscles are minimally strained.
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.
The 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 the pain appears suddenly and constrains the patient's body. An acute exacerbation may occur, for example, when an intervertebral hernia is suspected. In this case, the patient does not tolerate it and measures must be taken to improve his condition.
To do this, you should do the following:
- if possible, place the patient on the bed or floor to immobilize the spine;
- wrap the painful area with a woolen scarf (the use of a heating pad is strictly prohibited);
- If the patient is bent over due to severe pain, you should not try to straighten him. It is better to place it in the same position on a flat surface;
- give him some pain meds. It can be Analgin, Diclofenac or Ibuprofen;
- call an ambulance.
The emergency physician will decide how to reduce the pain symptom, whether it is necessary to be hospitalized, or whether the treatment can be continued at home.
First aid to the patient
Acute osteochondrosis causes a lot of pain and discomfort, and even limits the mobility of the spine. If it is possible to call a doctor at home, it is better to do it, because self-treatment is fraught with even greater complications. But you shouldn't be in pain until it arrives. First aid to the patient can be provided:
- First of all, you should limit the mobility of the cervical spine as much as possible, it is better to go to sleep.
- 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 medicines may not help.
- The neck muscles must be relaxed so that the spasm disappears as soon as possible.
- Topical medications may also be used to relieve pain.
- In the first days after the onset of an attack, it is necessary to use special orthopedic collars, which will help to cope with it faster.
Many people are interested in the question of how long exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis last. This stage happens differently for each person. If the treatment of the attack was started on time and the drugs proved to be effective, its duration does not exceed a few days. Otherwise, discomfort will accompany the patient for several weeks.
How long the period of exacerbation will last 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 is started late, 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 treatment measures due to contraindications to the use of drugs. Physiotherapy methods cannot be prescribed to a pregnant woman.
Among the drugs used during pregnancy, the use of Traumeel in the form of tablets, ointments and injections and Paracetamol is allowed. In addition, physical therapy is prescribed, but under the strict supervision of a doctor. Exercises that require minimal physical activity are selected. Yoga techniques are preferred.
Traditional medicine for severe spinal pain: 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 painful area, secured with a bandage and adhesive tape and left overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water worked well as a poultice.
Our grandmothers treated all types of osteochondrosis with compresses made from grated green potatoes mixed with honey. Apply this mixture on the affected areas, fix it firmly and leave it for a few hours or overnight. Pepper oil tincture is perfect for rubbing.
How to reduce the frequency of relapses
If the disease is likely to worsen, a person already has many medications that can reduce the pain. However, if the cause is not removed, the treatment will not be effective.
In addition, unpleasant sensations can return again and with a lot. With an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment of the disease have already been discussed earlier, it is necessary to understand how to prevent an exacerbation.
To do this, you must follow these preventive measures:
- A visit to the massage room. Naturally, 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 neck spine, increase its functionality and mobility. At the same time, both hard and soft tissues are better nourished because blood circulation is normalized.
- Doing physical exercises. This is necessary to strengthen the muscular corset of the upper back.
- It is advisable to take a walk every day before going to bed. This will give you a good night's rest. It is better to avoid heavy sports, jumping and other exercises involving heavy loads or sudden movements.
- If a person spends a lot of time in a static sitting position, he needs to stand up from time to time and warm up. When doing sedentary work, it is better to change the position of the body every quarter of an hour.
- Swimming is an excellent preventive measure against spinal problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, allowing the spasms to be reduced, but at the same time strengthens them.
- For night sleep, it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress that maintains the correct position of the human body throughout the night, no matter how it turns.
- For prevention, you can also use non-traditional methods, for example, acupuncture. Naturally, you cannot do this yourself, and you should not entrust your health to the first "master" you meet. The procedure must be performed by an experienced specialist.
Prevention
In order to avoid an exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to follow several rules:
- Watch your posture.
- Do not strain your muscles while working at the computer or sitting at a desk.
- Change your position every few minutes to avoid muscle stiffness.
- If you have to stay in one position for more than half an hour, then take a break to warm up.
- Patients with osteochondrosis should sleep on a flat surface, sagging armored beds are prohibited.