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 reduce pressure on the vertebrae, but over the years the cartilage tissue wears down due to poor lifestyle choices. Cartilage tissue regeneration is not easy.
Reasons
Let's find out what causes symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Some signs occur due to deformation of the vertebrae, osteophytes appear.
- The position of the vertebrae changes, the arteries constrict, and the blood supply to the nervous system deteriorates.
- The occurrence of complications due to displacement of the intervertebral discs also causes pain in the nerve endings.
- When the nerves in the cervical spine are compressed, radicular syndrome occurs.
- Constant overstrain of the muscle tissue of the neck at the computer or while driving a car.
How does cervical osteochondrosis worsen?
In the neck area, the size of the vertebrae is small. Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis occurs with special symptoms. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, you should 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, and painful pain appears in the neck if you do not change the position for a long time.
Second degree
Severe pain in the neck indicates the beginning of the second stage. The pain worsens due to deformation of the intervertebral disc, dislocations appear.In rare situations, numbness of the hands and face occurs.
At the end of the day, the patient feels pain in the neck, which runs further down the spine.
Exacerbation is manifested by the syndrome of falling head, during which unbearable pain occurs, the head cannot be held up, you have to fix it 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 sick, dizzy, tinnitus and frequent fainting. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by neck stiffness and tinnitus.
Sometimes the signs of the disease disappear, but after a while they recur with exacerbations. New signs appear and the pain gets worse.
How to behave during an exacerbation?
During an exacerbation, you should not rub warming ointments into the neck or massage a large area. If you feel signs of cervical osteochondrosis, you should try to relax and take the most comfortable position.
You should lie on your back to stop straining the muscle tissue. The attack does not go away by itself.You need to call a doctor to give painkillers and then make an appointment with a specialist. Many people have pain relievers in their home medicine cabinet. You can take these medicines so you don't need to call an ambulance.
First aid and treatment
The treatment is carried out by a specialist:
- Before the doctor arrives, you should move as little as possible.
- Sit comfortably on the bed, do not strain your body.
- Take painkillers.
- 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 appear.
The course of treatment with such drugs is long, less than six months. They are able to prevent exacerbation of the disease.
Medicines belonging to the category of muscle relaxants also help with osteochondrosis and relieve tension. Diuretics and vascular drugs, nootropics and B vitamins are also used.
During exacerbations, the disease is accompanied by pain and a procedure called blockade is prescribed. An injection of novocaine is made in the area of the deformed vertebra. Symptoms can be quickly removed. We list treatment methods without drugs: exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of the symptoms and alleviate the exacerbation with the help of therapeutic exercises. Every day you should do exercises to strengthen the muscles of the neck and spine. The weakened vertebrae will be better held in place thanks to the developed back muscles.
Massage is mandatory, thanks to the full flow, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, swelling is reduced, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better and blood supply is stabilized. The intervertebral discs stop deforming.
Other treatments
Thanks to the Shants collar, you can reduce the load on the cervical spine during exacerbations. Such a device will keep the neck in a normal position, the load on the muscle tissue and vertebrae will be reduced. You need to properly arrange the sleeping area, you need a hard mattress with an orthopedic effect, as well as a pillow that does not bend your neck during rest.
If the therapy is carried out when the attack begins, and everything is done correctly, the peak of the disease will decrease after a certain time. If the disease is not treated in time, the attack will be reduced, but not completely eliminated. In the future, you should expect several exacerbations, between which the pain will subside. Painful symptoms worsen during the attack.
What drugs are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, medication must be used. Exacerbation is eliminated with the help of such drugs. Anti-inflammatory or painkillers in tablets, ointments for local or external use. Muscle relaxants help eliminate muscle spasms, which often occur with pain.
Vitamin B improves the conduction of nerve impulses through neurons. It is initially used as intramuscular injections, and then patients are switched to tablets.If the disease increases blood pressure, the calcium channels are blocked, inhibitors, ACE or combination agents.
When cervical osteochondrosis worsens, its symptoms cause cerebral circulation. Therapeutic procedures include the use of recovery drugs. To do this, it is recommended to contact a specialist to receive accurate drug recommendations.
When patients experience emotional disturbances, doctors prescribe sedatives, which can be herbal ingredients or tranquilizers. 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 above methods are not effective? An examination is necessary; if complications are identified, a specialist may recommend a surgical procedure aimed at reducing compression and stabilizing the position of the vertebrae. Complications occur 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 exacerbations 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, the therapy continues at home or in the hospital.
Symptoms of acute osteochondrosis worsen the quality of life, so immediate measures should be taken. The therapy should be carried out after the diagnosis, the doctor's conclusion and the exclusion of other pathology options.
Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis does not occur in a short period, the disorder does not go away on its own. Destructive processes can develop in the cervical spine and lead to complex consequences.
Exacerbation during pregnancy
The body of pregnant women changes on a 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 absorbed more intensively. These changes have a serious impact on the musculoskeletal system. There is a lot of pressure on the spine.
Symptoms in women are the same as in other patients. The difficulty lies in choosing a treatment regimen, because when prescribing drugs, their likely effect on the child must be taken into account. When dealing with exacerbations, ointments are used that do not harm the child.
During pregnancy, relapse of osteochondrosis occurs in 50% of cases due to changes in the spine.
Sometimes, for complex pain, painkillers or injections are prescribed. Many pregnant women are treated with unconventional methods. Recipes for traditional medicine are less harmful to the fetus.
Other ways to eliminate exacerbations
If it is not possible to visit a doctor, you can use several recipes to ease the general condition of patients with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. For example, a hot shower helps you relax. You can wrap a woolen scarf or other clothing made of this material around your neck. Or apply herbal poultices to the affected area.
Onions, mint and sage are also used for such purposes. Try making an ointment from mumiyo and butter. You can also immobilize the neck so that the roots of the spinal cord are not pinched.
Gradual deterioration
If the relapse of painful symptoms is moderate, you should go to a specialist. The patient can take painkillers and stiffen the neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose an appropriate therapeutic procedure.
During an exacerbationcervical osteochondrosisforbidden:
- Apply heating pads to the neck. Blood will flow intensively in the problem area, the swelling will worsen, and the pain will become stronger.
- The cervical region should not be massaged so as not to worsen its condition.
Manual therapy will be helpful in such situations. A qualified professional can realign the vertebrae so that pressure is not placed on the nerve.
Therapeutic measures
The main condition for a successful outcome of the disease is complex therapy. Treatment measures include the use of injections, tablets, ointments, special patches and physiotherapeutic procedures.
Medicines
Drug treatment is aimed at alleviating pain, which is very pronounced in the acute period. Prescribed medicines such as:
- Analgesics. They try to give an anesthetic injection before the ambulance arrives, because it can be very difficult for the patient to endure the pain. If a person suffers from osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, then he always has a painkiller in stock.
- Muscle relaxants. Their action is to reduce the spasm of the skeletal muscles in the cervical vertebrae.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve pain well, relieve inflammation and help if the patient has a fever.
- Vitamin preparations. To treat exacerbation of osteochondrosis, injectable preparations based on B vitamins are used. They help in the restoration of nerve tissue that is damaged due to pathological changes in the intervertebral region of the cervical spine.
- Means for local therapy. To ease the patient's condition, ointments and gels with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects are prescribed. They are means of complementary therapy and are prescribed to improve the effect 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 treating osteochondrosis, which has proven itself only on the positive side and has been used for several decades. During this time, new techniques were developed, the use of which helps to alleviate the symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis much faster.
If the manual therapy techniques are carried out at a high professional level, it has a beneficial effect on the condition of the muscle tissue, vertebrae and joint apparatus of the cervical spine.
The following manual therapy techniques are used:
- Kneading muscles on a separate segment. This technique helps relieve muscle tension.
- Mobilization technique. The doctor performs a series of actions due to which the function of the articular apparatus is restored only in a certain area of the cervical spine.
- Technique of manipulation. The procedure is a set of actions aimed at restoring the entire articular system that has suffered as a result of pathological changes. This method is used both for cervical osteochondrosis and for the treatment of a disease called common osteochondrosis.
If the patient is prescribed a course of manual therapy, he must carefully choose the doctor who will treat him. After all, even a small mistake is fraught with serious consequences, including disability of the patient.
Massage
Massage is another method of alleviating the patient's condition during exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Its implementation helps reduce tension in the neck muscles, reduce the amount of lactic acid, the accumulation of which causes muscle spasm, and normalize blood circulation in the inflamed area. The combination of these effects leads to a reduction in pain.
Surgical intervention
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment will not give the desired result, he prescribes surgical intervention for the patient. There are several indications in which surgery is unavoidable.
- Narrowing of the spinal canal due to intervertebral hernia, which leads to compression of the vascular and nerve plexuses.
- Displacement of the vertebrae in relation 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 accompanying symptoms. If, after several courses of conservative therapy, it was not possible to achieve a positive result, then they resort to surgery.
Exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercise is a method used in the follow-up phase. In the acute period, any exercise performed will bring nothing to the patient except additional suffering. But when the attack is stopped, the inflammatory process is in the phase of reduction, then prescribing a course of physical therapy becomes an assistant.
Thanks to exercise therapy, blood circulation returns to normal and muscles are strengthened. The mobility of the spine improves and the stiffness disappears, the nerve tissue is restored and the pain decreases.
When prescribing physical therapy, the doctor takes into account the factors in which it is contraindicated. Exercise therapy should not be used if the patient suffers from diseases of the cardiovascular system, benign or malignant neoplasms, severe visual impairment or diabetes mellitus.
Operation
The surgical intervention is performed in two stages, but during one operation. In the first stage, the neurosurgeon removes the cause of the pain syndrome. This is a decompression method.
After this, the vertebrae are stabilized. The doctor takes into account that after the removal of a part of the intervertebral disc, dysfunction of the articular apparatus of the spine occurs.
Therefore, the vertebrae are fixed using a special technique.
In modern orthopedic practice, artificial intervertebral discs are used, which make it possible to prevent the fusion of the vertebrae during the complete removal of the damaged discs.
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, it is strictly forbidden to move during an attack. The patient should lie on a flat surface and take a position in which the muscles are minimally tense.
Give the patient an anesthetic injection. If this is not possible, then give the patient an analgesic in the form of tablets. Additionally, an anti-inflammatory ointment or gel must be applied to the neck area. The emergency doctor will tell you what to do next.
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 limits the patient's body. An acute exacerbation may occur, for example, if an intervertebral hernia is suspected. In this case, the patient cannot tolerate it and measures must be taken to improve his condition.
To do this, you need to take the following steps:
- if possible, place the patient on a bed or floor to immobilize the spine;
- wrap the sore spot with a wool scarf (the use of a heating pad is strictly prohibited);
- If the patient is bent over because he feels severe pain, you should not try to straighten him. It is better to put it in the same position on a flat surface;
- give him a pain reliever. This can be analgin, diclofenac or ibuprofen;
- call an ambulance.
The emergency physician will determine how to relieve the pain symptom, whether hospitalization is necessary, or whether treatment can be continued at home.
First aid to a patient
Acute osteochondrosis causes a lot of pain and discomfort, even limiting the mobility of the spine. If it is possible to call a doctor at home, it is better to do this, because self-treatment is fraught with even greater complications. However, you don't have to suffer the pain until it arrives. First aid can be provided to the patient:
- To begin with, you should limit the mobility of the cervical spine as much as possible, it is better to go to bed.
- 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 medications may not help.
- The muscles of the neck should be relaxed so that the spasm disappears as quickly as possible.
- Topical medications can also be used to relieve pain.
- In the first days after the onset of the attack, it is necessary to use special orthopedic collars that will help you deal with it faster.
Many people are interested in the question of how long exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis last. This phase passes differently for each person. If the treatment for an attack is started on time and the drugs have proven effective, then its duration does not exceed a few days. Otherwise, discomfort will accompany the patient for several weeks.
How long the exacerbation period 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 starts late, then 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 therapeutic measures due to contraindications to taking medication. Physiotherapy methods should not be prescribed to a pregnant woman.
Of the drugs used during pregnancy, Traumel in the form of tablets, ointments and injections and Paracetamol are allowed. In addition, physical therapy is prescribed, but under the strict supervision of a doctor. Exercises that require minimal physical activity are chosen. Preference is given to yoga techniques.
Traditional medicine for severe pain in the spine: 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 sore spot, secured with a bandage and tape and left overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water worked well as a poultice.
Our grandmothers treated all types of osteochondrosis using compresses made from grated raw potatoes mixed with honey. This mixture is applied to the affected areas, firmly attached and left for several hours or overnight. Pepper oil tincture is great for rubbing.
How to reduce relapse rates
If the disease can worsen, then the person already has a number of drugs in advance that can relieve the pain. However, without eliminating the cause, the treatment will not be effective.
In addition, unpleasant sensations can return again, and with a vengeance. With exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment of the disease have already been discussed earlier, it is necessary to understand how to prevent exacerbation.
To do this, the following preventive measures should be observed:
- Visit to the massage room. Of course, the specialist must be experienced and skilled, so that the exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine does not worsen. Massage sessions allow you to develop the cervical 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 recommended to walk every day before going to bed. This will allow you to have a good night's rest. It is better to avoid heavy sports, jumping and other exercises that involve heavy loads or sudden movements.
- If a person spends a lot of time in a static sitting position, then he should get up from time to time and warm up. When you work sitting, it is better to change your body position every quarter of an hour.
- Swimming is an excellent preventive measure for spine problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, allowing you to relieve the spasm, but at the same time strengthens them.
- For a night's sleep, it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress that maintains the correct position of the person's body throughout the night, no matter how he or she turns.
- For prevention, you can also use non-traditional methods, for example, acupuncture. Of course, you cannot do it yourself, and you should not trust your health to the first "master" you come across. The procedure must be carried out by an experienced specialist.
Prevention
To prevent exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to follow several rules:
- Watch your posture.
- Avoid straining your muscles while working on the computer or while sitting at a desk.
- Change position every few minutes to prevent muscle stiffness.
- If you have to stay in one position for more than half an hour, then take a break to warm up.
- You should sleep on a flat surface; loose armored beds are contraindicated for patients with osteochondrosis.