Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is asymptomatic as long as the intervertebral discs cope with their cushioning functions. As their thickness begins to decrease, instability occurs. The body compensates for this with an increase in osteophytes, as a result of which the person feels stiffness in his neck and over time additional unpleasant symptoms appear, which significantly impair the quality of life. Treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis should be comprehensive.
This means that drug therapy alone (injections, tablets, ointments) is not enough. In addition, it is absolutely necessary to carry out special therapeutic exercises, massage, hirudotherapy courses (treatment with leeches) and basic exercises at home. In addition to the main treatment, the use of folk remedies is allowed.
Medicines
The primary task of the physician is to relieve pain to the patient. The whole complex of drugs is used for this purpose:
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug;
- anesthetics and hormonal (for blockages);
- muscle relaxants;
- chondroprotectors;
- sedatives and antidepressants;
- B vitamins.
The groups of drugs listed in the complex play a role as a strong anesthetic complex in osteochondrosis, as well as nourishing the intervertebral discs and repairing the nerves:
- NSAIDs relieve mild to severe inflammation and pain.
- Anesthetics and hormonal agents are injected at the site of pain (paravertebral or vagosympatic) - the pain syndrome stops immediately. The patient is then placed on a neck brace for a period of time to prevent them from moving their head sharply.
- Muscle relaxants are used to relax spasmodic muscles.
- Chondroprotectors improve the feeding of intervertebral discs. Their reception begins at the same time as the NSAIDs. In general, the use of chondroprotectors is long-term and complex. This means that your doctor may prescribe oral medicines as well as injections along with external medicines.
- Sedatives and antidepressants help the patient cope with stress, prevent depression, which in turn helps cope with muscle tension.
- Complex formulations of B vitamins Deficiency of B1, 6 and 12 negatively affects nerve fibers and neural conduction. The drugs are first prescribed as an injection over a short course, then switched to supportive care and tablets are taken.
For a comment. Most NSAIDs and chondroprotectors come in a variety of forms - tablets, ointments, injections, and suppositories (NSAIDs) and patches (NSAIDs).
Physiotherapy and massage
As soon as the pain syndrome disappears, the motor activity of the cervical spine should be gradually increased. If the patient has had a block, the bandage will be removed after about a week.
Some doctors believe you should always move. When the patient is prescribed bed rest, it is thought to help cope with the disease, but in fact the person has the opposite effect - spasmodic muscles on one side of the neck, if no muscle relaxants are used, remain restricted, and on the other hand slow to weaken (descend orloss of tone). As a result, returning to work rhythm, the patient with cervical osteochondrosis inevitably faces pain, limited mobility, and muscle cramps again in a fairly short time. If you exercise in batches and little by little, but continuously, you can achieve pain relief by using minimal painkillers.
The same view is shared by physiotherapists and chiropractors. Their techniques are based on movement, not lying in bed, as 90% of doctors who try to get a patient with cervical osteochondrosis out of pain advertise it.
Exercises for acute pain
This is a static gymnastics in which the cervical spine does not perform any movement. Your physiotherapist recommends the following 3 exercises for headaches, tinnitus, and 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 hand as if you want to lower your head. At this point, the spine is not affected in any way, but the muscles in the front of the neck are tense. Press your hand for 3-5 seconds, then lower your arm and relax. Repeat several times.
- Continue to sit with your back straight and look forward. Place the back of your right hand on your face. Start turning your head to the right while resisting with your hand. The head is still. Press for 3-5 seconds, then take your hand off and relax. Repeat several times. Repeat Exercise 2 with the other hand.
- Place the brushes on top of each other on the back of your head. Imagine throwing your head back. Resist with your hands. Stay at the moment of pressure for 3-5 seconds. Then lower your arms and relax. Repeat several times.
You don’t have to put full pressure on your hands. It backfires - the pain intensifies. Every movement is as smooth, slow and jerky as possible. The number of approaches is 2-3 times a day.
For a comment. Static exercises are similar to micromovement techniques. As a result, the muscles relax and the pain gradually disappears.
Universal exercise kit for cervical osteochondrosis
Gymnastics can be done independently, at home, during both remission and exacerbation.
The universal complex consists of 6 exercises:
- Stand up straight, feet shoulder-width apart, stretch your chest. Put your hand on your shoulders. Perform symmetrical circular motions backward (at least 10 times) and then forward (10 times). The body and neck are motionless. After completing the exercise, lower your arms and shake your shoulders to relax.
- Stay tuned. Spread your arms sideways parallel to the floor, squeezing your fists. Now imagine you are swinging with dumbbells. At the same time, bend your elbows and touch your shoulders with your fists, then straighten it out. Repeat 10-15 times. After completing the exercise, shake your hand off your shoulder and relax.
- Stay in the starting position. The exercise is static. Tie your fingers together and place your palms on your forehead. Start, so to speak, lowering your head forward. Resist with your hands. Hold the pressure for 3-5 seconds and then relax. The muscles of the back of the neck are working.
- Perform Exercise # 3 from the complex with worsening cervical osteochondrosis.
- From your 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 to the side and up, lower yourself in front of you - exhale completely through your mouth. During acute periods, raise your arms - parallel to the floor.
For a comment. For complete healing of the cervixosteochondrosisthese exercises are not enough. However, they are suitable for relieving acute pain and restoring spinal motility.
Micromovements
A chiropractor has developed a system to help patients with osteochondrosis of the neck:
- Sit in a chair and lean on your back. Now imagine agreeing with someone - shake your head a little. You can do this for as long as you want until you get bored. As soon as he got a free minute, they sat down and did it. Free reload.
- The starting position is exactly the same as in Exercise 1. Just don’t agree with the other party right now - shake your head left and right imperceptibly. Do it as long as it is convenient. Free reload.
For a comment. The series of exercises can be combined with each other. This has a noticeable effect in a short time - the pain goes away.
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 raise your hand painlessly and put it behind your head, you can try to help yourself on your own. There are several self-massage techniques.
The simplest self-massage is as follows:
- Sit in a chair. Raise and place your hands behind your head on the opposite side of the pain.
- Start stroking your neck in the area of inflammation. Do it gently at first, almost without pressure. Then increase the intensity slightly.
- Go down to your shoulder. Usually, when torticollis precedes it, not only does one side of the neck hurt, but the shoulder as well. Stretch your shoulders. This should be done actively to keep the spasmodic muscles warm, but there should be no severe pain due to self-massage.
- Repeat this process on the other side of the neck. This has to be done because on the one hand the muscles are spasmodic and on the other hand they need to be relaxed - their tone needs to be balanced.
- Put both hands behind your head and place your fingers along the spine (along the protrusions). He is working through this area carefully but quite actively. Do not apply excessive pressure. The neck is the most sensitive part of the spine. An awkward move can hurt itself and make matters worse.
- Apply any anesthetic gel or ointment that is in your medicine cabinet to the heated cervical spine.
Do not use warming ointments for self-massage. The skin of the neck is very sensitive, especially in the arteries and front. If the fuel gets there, it can burn.
Hirudotherapy
Treatment of osteochondrosis, especially of the cervical spine with leeches is very effective. Hirudotherapy helps to:
- reduces pain;
- improves blood circulation in the area of influence of leeches - the flow of arterial blood to the brain and the outflow of venous blood is normalized;
- relieves swelling;
- enhances the effect of drugs;
- improves sleep;
- relieves psychological stress;
- significantly reduces headaches and dizziness.
Not everyone is allowed such treatment. Remember to perform a full examination before treating the leech. If there are no contraindications, 7-10 procedures are performed. You can see a hirudotherapist again to consolidate the result within a month.
Folk remedies
Try the following recipes:
- rub the nape of the neck with a sheet of Indian onion, cover with something warm on top and go to bed;
- self-massage with honey - rub the neck and shoulder strap with honey, then put on a towel soaked in warm water, after 10 minutes remove any honey residue (if any) and lie down 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 the needle in the area of the seventh cervical vertebra, if the feelings are tolerable, sleep on the needles - you will feel considerable relief in the morning.
There are several methods for treating cervical osteochondrosis. In addition to the described, effective therapeutic methods are acupuncture, yoga, Pilates, fitball exercises. Remember, self-healing is dangerous. Ask your doctor for an appointment and have a full examination. The specialist will select the treatment individually and tell you which exercises can be performed and which are not, whether self-massage is possible, whether the leech will help, or whether one of the alternative medicine methods is recommended, such as bee bites.