Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is asymptomatic as long as the intervertebral discs cope with their redemption task. Once its thickness begins to decrease, instability occurs. The body compensates for this with the growth 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. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine should be comprehensive.
This means that drug therapy alone (injections, tablets, ointments) is not enough. In addition to it, it is important to do special therapeutic exercises, massage, follow a course of hirudotherapy (treatment with leeches), and even do basic exercises at home. In addition to the main treatment, the use of folk remedies is allowed.
Medications
The doctor’s priority is to relieve the patient of pain. For this purpose, the whole drug complex is used:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory;
- anesthetics and hormones (for blockages);
- muscle relaxants;
- chondroprotector;
- sedatives and antidepressants;
- vitamin B.
The group of drugs listed in the complex play the role of a strong anesthetic complex for osteochondrosis, as well as nourish the intervertebral discs and restore nerves:
- NSAIDs relieve inflammation and pain from mild to severe.
- Anesthetics and hormonal agents are injected into the sore spot (paravertebral or vagosympathetic) - the pain syndrome stops immediately. The patient then wears a neck brace for a while so that he or she cannot move his or her head abruptly.
- Muscle relaxation is used to relax cramped muscles.
- Chondroprotectors improve intervertebral disc nutrition. Their reception begins at the same time as NSAIDs. Usually the use of chondroprotectors is long -term and complex. This means the doctor can prescribe, along with external agents, oral medications, as well as injections.
- Sedatives and antidepressants help patients cope with stress, prevent depression, which in turn helps relieve muscle tension.
- Vitamin B complex preparations. B1, 6 and 12 deficiencies negatively affect nerve fibers and neuronal conduction. First, the drugs are prescribed in the form of injections in short courses, then they turn to supportive therapy and take pills.
On a note. Most NSAIDs and chondroprotectors are presented in various forms - in tablets, ointments, injections, as well as rectal suppositories (NSAIDs) and patches (NSAIDs).
Therapeutic gymnastics and massage
Once the pain syndrome subsides, it is necessary to increase the motor activity of the cervical spine gradually. If the patient has a blockage, then the bandage is removed after about a week.
Some doctors believe that it is always necessary to move. When a patient is prescribed a sleep break, it is believed that this helps to overcome the disease, but in fact the person gets the opposite effect - on one side of the neck, spasmodic muscles, if muscle relaxants are not used, remain restrained, on the contrary, their weakness slowsobserved (slack or loss of tone). As a result, returning to the rhythm of work, patients with cervical osteochondrosis in a relatively short time will inevitably face more pain, limited mobility and muscle spasms. If you engage in physical education with dose and little by little, but continuously, you can achieve pain relief with minimal use of painkillers.
Similar views are shared by physical therapists and chiropractors. Their technique is based on movement, not lying in bed, as 90% of doctors try to relieve patients with cervical osteochondrosis from supporting pain.
Exercise for acute pain
This is static gymnastics, in which the cervical spine does not perform any movement. Physical therapists recommend doing the following 3 exercises for headaches, tinnitus, neck pain:
- Sit on 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 on your hands, as if you want to bow your head. At this time, the spine is not involved in any way, but the muscles of the front of the neck are tense. Press on your hands for 3 to 5 seconds, then lower your hands and relax. Repeat several times.
- Continue to sit with your back straight and look forward. Place the back of your right hand on your cheek. Start turning your head to the right, while holding with your hands. The head does not move. Press for 3 to 5 seconds, then remove your hands and relax. Repeat several times. Repeat exercise # 2 with the other hand.
- Place one brush on top of the other at the back of your head. Imagine throwing your head back. Hold it with your hands. At the time of pressure, hold for 3 to 5 seconds. Then lower your hands and relax. Repeat several times.
You don’t have to put pressure on your hands as hard as you can. This will boomerang - the pain will increase. 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 micromotion techniques. As a result, the muscles relax, the pain gradually disappears.
A universal set of exercises for cervical osteochondrosis
Gymnastics can be done independently, at home, during remission and in times of exacerbation.
The universal complex consists of 6 exercises:
- Stand up straight, legs shoulder -width apart, expand your chest. Put your hands on your shoulders. Perform a symmetrical circular motion backwards (at least 10 times), then forward (10 times). The body and neck do not move. After finishing the exercise, lower your hands down and shake from your shoulders, relaxing.
- Keep standing. Stretch your hands to the side parallel to the floor, clenching your hands into fists. Now imagine swinging a dumbbell. At the same time, bend your elbows and touch your shoulders with your fists, then straighten. Repeat 10-15 times. After finishing the exercise, release your hands from your shoulders and relax.
- Remain in starting position. The training is static. Tie your fingers together and place your palms on your forehead. Begin, as it were, to bow your head forward. Hold it with your hands. Hold in a pressure position for 3-5 seconds, then relax. The muscles of the back of the neck work.
- Perform 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 close your shoulder blades and relax. Repeat several times.
- From the starting position: take a deep breath with your nose - raise your hands to the sides and up, lower in front of you - exhale completely through your mouth. In severe periods, raise your hands low - parallel to the floor.
On a note. For complete healing of the cervixosteochondrosisthis training is not enough. However, it is ideal for relieving acute pain and restoring spinal mobility.
Micro movement
Chiropractors have developed systems to help patients with cervical osteochondrosis:
- Sit in a chair and lean back. Now imagine you agree with someone - shake your head a little. You can do this as long as you like, until you get bored. Once the free minutes were given, they sat down and did it. Free refills.
- The starting position is the same as in exercise 1. Only now disagree with the interlocutor - shaking your head to the left and right is almost imperceptible. Do it while you're happy. Free refills.
On a note. Training sets can be combined with each other. This will have a significant effect in a short time - the pain will be reduced.
massage
It is better to entrust the massage of the cervical spine to a specialist. However, in case of severe pain, if it is possible to lift and place your hands behind your head without pain, you can try to help yourself. There are many self -massage techniques.
The easiest self -massage to do is as follows:
- Sit on the chair. Lift and place your hands behind your head on the opposite side of the pain.
- Start rubbing your neck in the area of inflammation. Do it gently at first, almost without pressure. Then increase the intensity a little.
- Down to the shoulders. As a rule, when torticollis overcomes, not only the neck on one side hurts, but also the shoulders. Stretch your shoulders. This must be done actively so that the spasmodic muscles warm up, but there is no severe pain as a result of self-massage.
- Repeat this process on the other side of the neck. This must be done, because on the one hand the muscles are cramped, on the other hand they are relaxed - you need to level their tone.
- Place both hands behind your head and place your fingers along the spine (along the spinous process). Careful, but active enough, work through this area. Do not use excessive pressure. The neck is the most delicate part of the spine. An awkward move can injure yourself and make matters worse.
- Apply any anesthetic gel or ointment you have in your medicine cabinet on the heated cervical spine.
Do not use warming ointment to massage yourself. The skin on the neck is very delicate, especially in the arterial area and in the front. If the heating compound gets there, you can catch fire.
Hirudotherapy
Treatment with leeches for osteochondrosis, especially of the cervical spine, is very effective. Hirudotherapy helps:
- reduce pain;
- increase blood circulation in the area of influence of leeches - arterial blood flow to the brain and venous blood outflow is normalized;
- relieves swelling;
- enhance the effect of drugs;
- improve sleep;
- relieve psychological stress;
- significantly reduces headaches and dizziness.
Not everyone is allowed such treatment. Do not forget to undergo a full examination before treatment of leeches. If there are no contraindications, 7-10 procedures are performed. To consolidate the results in a month, you can once again turn to a hirudotherapist.
Restoration of the people
Try the following recipe:
- rub the back of the neck with a slice of Indian onion, cover it with something warm on top and sleep;
- massage yourself with honey - rub the neck and shoulder girdle with honey, then apply a towel soaked in warm water, after 10 minutes remove the residue of honey (if any) and sleep, covered with a blanket;
- steam bath, but not during exacerbations, then do a honey massage and drink herbal tea;
- use a needle applicator - place a plate with a needle in the area of the seventh cervical vertebra, if the sensation is acceptable, then sleep on the needle - in the morning you will see significant relief.
There are many ways to treat cervical osteochondrosis. In addition to those described, effective methods of therapy are acupuncture, yoga, Pilates, exercises on fitball. Remember, medicine itself is dangerous. Make an appointment with your doctor and get a complete checkup. The specialist will individually select a treatment and tell you which exercises can be done and which cannot, whether self -massage is possible, whether leeches will help, or perhaps recommend one of the alternative medical methods, for example, bee stinging.