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 cartilaginous tissue wears out due to poor lifestyle choices. Renewing cartilage tissue is not easy.
Causes
Let's find out what causes the symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Some signs arise due to deformation of the vertebrae, osteophytes appear.
- The position of the vertebrae relative to each other changes, the arteries are pinched, and the blood supply to the nervous system deteriorates.
- The appearance of complications due to displacement of the intervertebral discs also causes pain in the nerve endings.
- When the nerves of the cervical spine are pinched, radicular syndrome appears.
- Constant excessive tension of the neck muscle tissue at the computer or while driving a car.
How does cervical osteochondrosis get worse?
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, it is necessary to 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 cartilaginous tissue decreases and a aching pain in the neck appears if you do not change position for a long time.
Second degree
Severe pain in the neck indicates the beginning of the second phase. The pain is aggravated 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.
An exacerbation is manifested by droopy head syndrome, in which unbearable pain occurs, the head cannot be raised, it is necessary to fix it with pillows or hands for the symptom to decrease.
Third grade
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 unwell, dizziness, tinnitus and frequent fainting. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by neck numbness and tinnitus.
Sometimes the signs of the disease disappear, but after some time they return with exacerbations. New signs appear and the pain becomes stronger.
What to do during a flare-up?
During a flare-up, you should not rub warming ointments on your neck or massage a large area. If you feel signs of cervical osteochondrosis, you should try to relax and assume the most comfortable position.
You need to lie on your back so that the muscle tissue stops straining. The attack does not go away on its own.You need to call a doctor to administer painkillers, then make an appointment with a specialist. Many people have painkillers in their medicine cabinet at home. You can take these medications so you don't have 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 burden your body.
- Take some painkillers.
- Wait for the doctor.
The specialist prescribes antibiotics and drugs to eliminate inflammatory processes. They are needed during a flare-up.
Patients are prescribed chondroprotectors that modify destructive processes in the discs and worsen speed indicators when they occur.
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 given to the area of the deformed vertebra. Symptoms can be quickly relieved. We list non-drug treatment methods: physical therapy, physiotherapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of symptoms and relieve exacerbation with the help of therapeutic exercises. You need to do exercises every day to strengthen your neck and spine muscles. Weakened vertebrae will be better held in place thanks to the developed muscles in the back.
Massage is mandatory, thanks to a full cycle, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, swelling is reduced, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better and blood supply stabilizes. The intervertebral discs stop deforming.
Other treatments
Thanks to the Shants collar it is possible to reduce the load on the cervical spine during flare-ups. 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 organize your sleeping area, you will need a firm mattress with an orthopedic effect, as well as a pillow that does not bend your neck while resting.
If therapy is carried out when the attack begins and everything is done correctly, the peak of the disease will subside after some time. If the disease is not treated in time, the attack will decrease, but will not be completely eliminated. In the future, you should expect several exacerbations, among which the pain will decrease. Painful symptoms worsen during the attack.
What drugs are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, it is necessary to use medications. The exacerbation is eliminated with the help of such drugs. Anti-inflammatories or painkillers in tablets, ointments for local or external use. Muscle relaxants help eliminate muscle spasms, which often manifest as pain.
Vitamin B improves the conduction of nerve impulses through neurons. Initially used as intramuscular injections, then patients are transferred to tablets.If the disease increases blood pressure, calcium channels are blocked, inhibitors, ACE or combined agents.
When cervical osteochondrosis worsens, its symptoms cause cerebral circulation. Therapeutic procedures involve the use of drugs for recovery. To do this, it is advisable to consult a specialist to receive precise recommendations on medications.
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.
Surgery
What to do in case of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis if the above methods are not effective? It is necessary to undergo an examination; if complications are identified, a specialist may recommend surgery to reduce compression and stabilize the position of the vertebrae. After such operations complications arise, so they are performed in extreme cases.
What to do at home?
Doctors do not recommend treating cervical osteochondrosis at home during flare-ups without prior consultation. You can take a painkiller, wrap a scarf around your neck and wait for the doctor to arrive. Depending on the severity of the process, therapy continues at home or in the hospital.
Symptoms of acute osteochondrosis worsen the quality of life, so urgent measures should be taken. Therapy should be carried out after diagnosis, doctor's conclusion and exclusion of other pathological options.
Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis does not occur for a short time; the disorder does not go away on its own. Destructive processes in the cervical spine can develop and lead to 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 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 therapeutic regimen, since when prescribing drugs it is necessary to take into account their likely effect on the child. When dealing with flare-ups, ointments that do not harm the child are used.
During pregnancy, recurrence 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 using unconventional methods. Recipes of traditional medicine are less harmful to the fetus.
More ways to eliminate flare-ups
If it is not possible to visit a doctor, several recipes can be used to alleviate the general condition of patients with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. For example, a hot shower helps you relax. You can wrap a wool scarf or other clothing made from this material around your neck. Or apply herbal compresses to the affected area.
For such purposes, onions, mint and sage are also used. Try making an ointment with mumiyo and butter. It is also possible to fix the neck in a stationary state so that the roots of the spinal cord are not pinched.
Gradual worsening
If the relapse of painful symptoms is moderate, it is necessary to consult a specialist. The patient can take painkillers and fix the neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose the appropriate therapeutic procedure.
During exacerbationcervical osteochondrosisprohibited:
- Apply heating pads to your neck. Blood will flow intensively to 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 situation.
Manual therapy will be helpful in such situations. A trained professional can realign the vertebrae so that no pressure is placed on the nerve.
Therapeutic measures
The main condition for a positive outcome of the disease is complex therapy. Therapeutic measures include the use of injections, tablets, ointments, special plasters and physiotherapeutic procedures.
Medicines
Drug treatment is aimed at relieving pain, which is very pronounced in the acute period. Prescribed medications such as:
- Analgesics. They try to administer an anesthetic injection before the ambulance arrives, as it can be very difficult for the patient to endure the pain. If a person suffers from osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, he always has a painkiller in stock.
- Muscle relaxants. Their action is to reduce spasm of the skeletal muscles in the cervical vertebrae.
- Non-steroidal 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 to restore nervous tissue damaged due to pathological changes in the intervertebral region of the cervical spine.
- Means for local therapy. To alleviate 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 enhance the effect of injectable drugs. In addition, special plasters 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 to be effective only from the positive side and which has been used for several decades. During this period, new techniques were developed, the use of which helps to relieve the symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis much faster.
If manual therapy techniques are performed at a highly professional level, this has a beneficial effect on the state of the muscle tissue, vertebrae and joint apparatus of the cervical spine.
The following manual therapy techniques are used:
- Knead the muscles on a separate segment. This technique helps relieve muscle tension.
- Mobilization technique. The doctor performs a series of actions thanks to which the function of the joint system is restored only in a certain area of the cervical spine.
- Manipulation technique. The procedure is a set of actions aimed at restoring the entire joint system that has suffered due to pathological changes. This method is used both for cervical osteochondrosis and for the treatment of a disease called common osteochondrosis.
If a 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 the patient's disability.
Massage
Massage is another method of alleviating the patient's condition during the exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Its implementation helps to relieve tension in the neck muscles, 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 leads to a decrease in pain.
Surgery
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment will not give the desired result, he prescribes the patient surgery. There are several indications in which surgery is unavoidable.
- Narrowing of the spinal canal due to intervertebral hernia, leading to compression of the vascular and nerve plexuses.
- Displacement of the vertebrae relative to the horizontal axis.
- Intervertebral hernia, which can be single or multiple. This pathology does not constitute an absolute indication for surgery if it does not cause associated symptoms. If after several courses of conservative therapy it was not possible to achieve a positive result, surgery is resorted to.
Physical 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 further suffering. But when the attack has been stopped, the inflammatory process is in a decreasing phase, so the prescription of a course of physical therapy becomes a help.
Thanks to physical therapy, blood circulation returns to normal and muscles strengthen. Spinal mobility improves and stiffness disappears, nervous tissue is restored and pain decreases.
When prescribing physical therapy, the doctor takes into account the factors in which it is contraindicated. Physical 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
Surgery 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.
Subsequently, the vertebrae are stabilized. The doctor takes into account the fact that after the removal of a section of the intervertebral disc, dysfunction of the joint apparatus of the spine occurs.
Therefore, the vertebrae are fixed using a special technique.
In modern orthopedic practice, artificial intervertebral discs are used, which allow you to prevent fusion of the vertebrae when damaged discs are completely removed.
What can you do at home?
Every patient suffering from cervical osteochondrosis should know what to do if the situation worsens at home. First of all, it is strictly forbidden to move during an attack. The patient must lie down on a flat surface and assume a position in which the muscles are minimally tense.
Give the patient an anesthetic injection. If this is not possible, give the patient an analgesic in the form of tablets. Additionally, you need to apply an anti-inflammatory ointment or gel to the neck area. The emergency doctor will tell you what to do next.
Period of exacerbation of osteochondrosis: first aid at home
Treatment of spinal pathologies should be entrusted only to an experienced doctor. Yet there are situations when pain appears suddenly and constrains the patient's body. A flare-up 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 should follow the following steps:
- if possible, place the patient on the bed or floor to immobilize the spine;
- wrap the sore spot with a woolen scarf (the use of a heating pad is strictly prohibited);
- If the patient is bent over because he or she is in severe pain, do not try to straighten him or her. It is best to place it in the same position on a flat surface;
- Give him a painkiller to drink. It could be Analgin, Diclofenac or Ibuprofen;
- Call an ambulance.
The emergency doctor will determine how to relieve the painful 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, also limiting the mobility of the spine. If it is possible to call a doctor at home, it is better to do so, since self-medication is fraught with even greater complications. However, you should not endure the pain until it comes. 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, it can be relieved with the help of medications. If the discomfort is very severe, these drugs may not help.
- The neck muscles should be relaxed so that the spasm disappears as quickly as possible.
- Local 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 to deal with it more quickly.
Many people are interested in the question of how long exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis last. This phase happens differently for each person. If treatment for an attack was started on time and drugs proved to be effective, its duration does not exceed several days. Otherwise, the discomfort will accompany the patient for several weeks.
The duration of the exacerbation period depends on the characteristics of the human body and the speed of development of the disease. If 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 beyond that it is difficult to apply therapeutic measures due to contraindications to taking medications. Physiotherapeutic methods should not be prescribed to a pregnant woman.
Among the drugs used during pregnancy, Traumeel in the form of tablets, ointments and injections and Paracetamol are allowed. Additionally, 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 need to be applied to the sore spot, fixed with a bandage and tape and left overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water worked well as a compress.
Our grandmothers treated all types of osteochondrosis using compresses of grated raw potatoes mixed with honey. This mixture was smeared on the affected areas, fixed firmly and left for several hours or overnight. Pepper oil tincture is excellent for rubbing.
How to reduce recidivism rates
If the disease can worsen, the person already has a large number of drugs in advance that can relieve the pain. However, without eliminating the cause, treatment will not be effective.
Furthermore, 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 above, it is necessary to understand how to prevent exacerbation.
To do this, you must observe the following preventive measures:
- Visit to the massage room. Of course, the specialist must be experienced and skillful, so as not to aggravate the exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. 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, as blood circulation is normalized.
- Exercise. This is necessary to strengthen the muscular corset of the upper back.
- It is recommended to take walks every day before going to bed. This will allow you to get a good night's rest. It is best 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, he or she needs to get up and warm up from time to time. When working in a sedentary manner, it is better to change the position of the body every quarter of an hour.
- Swimming is an excellent preventative measure for spinal problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, allowing you to relieve spasm, but at the same time strengthens them.
- For night rest it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress that maintains the correct position of the person's body throughout the night, regardless of how he turns.
- For prevention, you can also use non-traditional methods, for example, acupuncture. Of course, you can't do it alone, and you shouldn't trust your health to the first "master" you meet either. The procedure must be performed by an experienced specialist.
Prevention
To prevent exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to follow a number of rules:
- Observe your posture.
- Avoid straining your muscles while working on your computer or sitting at your desk.
- Change your position every few minutes to prevent muscle stiffness.
- If you have to stay in the same position for more than half an hour, take a break to warm up.
- It is necessary to sleep on a flat surface; sagging armored beds are contraindicated for patients with osteochondrosis.