Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is asymptomatic as long as the intervertebral discs cope with their amortization tasks. As soon as their 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 her, it is imperative to do special therapeutic exercises, massage, take courses in hirudotherapy (treatment with leeches), and also do elementary 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's pain. For these purposes, a whole complex of drugs is used:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory;
- anesthetics and hormonal (for blockages);
- muscle relaxants;
- chondroprotector;
- sedatives and antidepressants;
- vitamins of group B.
The listed groups of drugs in the complex play the role of a powerful 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 into the place of pain (paravertebral or vagosympathetic) - the pain syndrome stops instantly. The patient is then put on a neck brace for a while so that he cannot move his head sharply.
- Muscle relaxants are used to relax spasmodic muscles.
- Chondroprotectors improve the nutrition of the intervertebral discs. Their reception begins simultaneously with NSAIDs. The use of chondroprotectors is usually long-term and complex. This means that the doctor can prescribe, along with external agents, oral medications and injections.
- Sedatives and antidepressants help the patient cope with stress, prevent depression, which in turn helps to cope with muscle tension.
- Complex preparations of vitamins of group B. Lack of B1, 6 and 12 adversely affects nerve fibers and neuronal conduction. First, the drugs are prescribed in the form of injections in a short course, then they move on to supportive therapy and take pills.
In a note. Most NSAIDs and chondroprotectors are presented in various forms: tablets, ointments, injections, rectal suppositories (NSAIDs) and patches (NSAIDs).
Therapeutic gymnastics and massage
As soon as the pain syndrome subsides, it is necessary to gradually increase the motor activity of the cervical spine. If the patient has had a blockage, the bandage is removed after about a week.
Some doctors believe that it is always necessary to move. When the patient is prescribed bed rest, it is believed that this helps to cope with the disease, but in reality the person achieves the opposite effect: on one side of the neck, spasmodic muscles, if muscle relaxants are not used, remain constrained, on the other hand, their slow weakening (subsidence or loss of tone) is observed. As a result, returning to a work rate, a patient with cervical osteochondrosis in a fairly short time will inevitably face pain, limited mobility and muscle spasms again. If you engage in physical education dosed and little by little, but consistently, you can get pain relief with minimal use of pain relievers.
The same point of view is shared by physiotherapy doctors and chiropractors. Their techniques are based on movement, not bed, as 90% of doctors who are trying to relieve pain in a patient with cervical osteochondrosis claim.
Exercises for acute pain
This is static gymnastics, in which the cervical spine does not perform any movements. Physiotherapy doctor recommends doing the following 3 exercises for headache, tinnitus, neck pain:
- Sit in a chair, straighten your back, look straight ahead. Put your hands on top of each other and put them under your chin. Start pressing your chin on your hands, as if you want to lower your head. At this time, the spine is not involved in any way, but the muscles in the front of the neck are strained. Press on your hands for 3-5 seconds, then lower your arms and relax. Repeat several times.
- Continue to sit with your back straight and look forward. Put the back of your right hand on your cheek. Begin turning your head to the right while holding on with your hand. The head is immobile. Press for 3-5 seconds, then remove your hand and relax. Repeat several times. Repeat exercise n. 2 with the other hand.
- Place the brushes on top of each other at the back of the head. Imagine throwing your head back. Resist with your hands. At the moment of pressing, linger for 3-5 seconds. Then lower your arms and relax. Repeat several times.
It is not necessary to put pressure on your hands with all your might. This will backfire - the pain will intensify. All movements are as fluid as possible, slow, without jerks. The number of approaches per day is 2-3 times.
In 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, both during remission and at the time of exacerbation.
The universal complex consists of 6 exercises:
- Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart, expand your chest. Put your hands on your shoulders. Make symmetrical circular movements backwards (at least 10 times), then forward (10 times). The body and neck are immobile. After finishing the exercise, lower your arms and shake from the shoulders, relax.
- Keep standing. Spread your arms out to the sides parallel to the floor, clench your hands into fists. Now imagine the swinging dumbbells. At the same time, bend your elbows and tap your shoulders with your fists, then straighten. Repeat 10-15 times. After finishing the exercise, shrug your hands off your shoulders and relax.
- Stay in the starting position. The exercise is static. Interlace your fingers and place your palms on your forehead. He begins, so to speak, to lower his head forward. Resist with your hands. Hold the pressure position for 3-5 seconds, then relax. The muscles in the back of the neck work.
- Perform exercise number 3 from the complex with an exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis.
- From the starting position, without moving your neck, bring your shoulders forward, hold the position for 3-5 seconds, then straighten and bring your shoulder blades together and relax. Repeat several times.
- From the starting position: take a deep breath with your nose - raise your arms to the sides and up, lower yourself in front of you - exhale fully through the mouth. In an acute period, raise your arms low, parallel to the floor.
In a note. For complete cervical careosteochondrosisthese exercises are not enough. However, they are suitable for relieving acute pain and restoring mobility of the spine.
Micro-movements
A chiropractor has developed a system to help patients with cervical osteochondrosis:
- Sit in a chair and lean back. Now imagine that you agree with someone: shake your head slightly. You can do this for as long as you want, as long as you don't get bored. As soon as a free minute is given, they sat down and did it. Free refills.
- The starting position is exactly the same as in exercise 1. Only now I disagree with the interlocutor: shake your head left and right barely noticeably. Do as long as it's convenient. Free refills.
In a note. The sets of exercises can be combined with each other. This will give a noticeable effect in a short time - the pain will subside.
Massage
It is better to entrust the massage of the cervical spine to a specialist. However, in severe pain, if you can lift without pain and put your hands behind your head, you can try to help yourself. There are many self-massage techniques.
The simplest self-massage is performed as follows:
- Sit in a chair. Raise and place your hand behind your head on the opposite side of the pain.
- Start stroking your neck in the area of inflammation. Do it gently at first, with almost no pressure. Then slightly increase the intensity.
- Go down to the shoulder. As a rule, when the torticollis overtakes, not only the neck on the one hand hurts, but also the shoulder. Stretch your shoulder. This must be done actively so that the spasmodic muscles warm up, but there should be no severe pain from 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 need to even out their tone.
- Put both hands behind your head and place your fingers along the spine (along the spinous processes). Carefully, but actively enough, work in this area. Do not apply excessive pressure. The neck is the most delicate part of the spine. An awkward move can hurt you and make the situation worse.
- Apply any anesthetic gel or ointment you have in the medicine cabinet on the warmed cervical spine.
Do not use warming ointments for self-massage. The skin on the neck is very delicate, especially in the area of the arteries and in the front. If the heating compound gets there, you can burn yourself.
hirudotherapy
Treatment with leeches for osteochondrosis, especially of the cervical spine, is very effective. Hirudotherapy helps:
- reduce pain;
- improve blood circulation in the area of influence of leeches: the flow of arterial blood to the brain and the outflow of venous blood are normalized;
- relieve swelling;
- enhance the effect of drugs;
- improve sleep;
- relieve psychological stress;
- significantly reduce headache and dizziness.
Not everyone is allowed this treatment. Do not forget to undergo a full examination before leech treatment. If there are no contraindications, then 7-10 procedures are performed. To consolidate the result in a month, you can contact a hirudotherapist again.
Folk remedies
Try the following recipes:
- rub the nape of the neck with a sheet of Indian onion, cover it with something warm and go to bed;
- self massage with honey - rub the neck and shoulder girdle with honey, then apply a towel soaked in warm water, after 10 minutes remove the remnants of honey (if any) and go to bed, covered with a blanket;
- take a steam bath, but not during exacerbations, then have 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 sensations are tolerable, 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 method of therapy is acupuncture, yoga, pilates, exercises on fitball. Remember, self-medication is dangerous. Make an appointment with your doctor and get a complete check-up. The specialist will individually select the treatment and tell you which exercises can be performed and which not, whether self-massage is possible, whether leeches will help or perhaps recommend one of the methods of alternative medicine, for example, bee sting.