Effective methods of treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

Do you often have pain in your neck and head, and the pain radiates to your arm and shoulders? Maybe you have cervical osteochondrosis, which should be treated as soon as possible? How to diagnose the disease and which doctor should you contact? And also how to provide first aid for osteochondrosis of the neck? Read about it and much more in the article.

Characteristics of the disease

To begin, let us recall what disease it is. So cervical osteochondrosis is a disease of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine, which are the most mobile. In most cases, the lesion occurs at the level of C5 - C7 vertebrae. The symptoms of the disease also depend on the vertebra that has been affected. More on that later.

Reasons for submission

To understand how to treat cervical osteochondrosis, you must first understand what are the causes of its occurrence. To begin with, let’s say this disease is becoming more common lately. The age range of risk is from 25 to 40 years. There can be many reasons for the disease. The most common are:

• computer work, as well as frequent and prolonged driving;
• passivity;
• accumulation of salt in the cervical spine;
• impaired metabolism;
• poor nutrition;
• neck injuries;
• rheumatism;
• inheritance;
• hormonal disruption;
• severe hypothermia, etc.

Symptoms

The disease has a number of symptoms that can appear together and separately. It all depends on the affected area of the neck. So in order to know how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, you need to find out what is affected and what the consequences may be. First, consider the general signs of cervical osteochondrosis.

• Pain The pain syndrome is noticed in the neck, the back of the head, the back of the shoulder. Also, pain can be given to the hand. This disease is to blame for 30% of all headaches. All due to the fact that with osteochondrosis blood vessels can be compressed. Thus, blood flow to the brain is reduced and severe headaches appear, accompanied by rapid fatigue.
• Crunch. When you turn your head and tilt it, a strong characteristic chewing is felt.
• Numbness. It can occur in the area of the shoulder blades, accompanied by strong "lumbago". Also, the neck itself may become numb, while there will be a dull tingling sensation of tingling sensation in the hands and feet area.
• Weakness and dizziness. In addition to all this, frequent fading may occur, drowsiness may appear and rapid fatigue may be noticed.

If the treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine will be performed at home, then you still need to know how to accurately determine the area of the wound. Here you just need to know what the symptoms will be if one or another nerve root is touched near the vertebra. There are a total of 8 such processes in the cervical spine, and they are defined C1 - C8.

• C1 - with its defeat, impaired sensitivity is observed in the occupational region.
• C2 - pain appears in the back of the head and crown.
• C3 - the violation is accompanied by severe pain in the area where it occurred. The sensitivity of the neck decreases. The taste sensation of the tongue is impaired. Speech problems can occur.
• C4 - pain in the liver and heart. There is also numbness and pain in the shoulders and between the shoulder blades.
• C5 - pain and decreased tenderness in the upper shoulder.
• C6 - the area including the neck and shoulder blades is very sore. The pain spreads to the shoulder and radiates to the arm, reaching the thumb of the hand.
• C7 - the symptoms are similar to C6, but the pain spreads to the back of the shoulder and across the arm, affecting the remaining fingers except the little finger.
• C8 - similar to C7. In addition, numbness and pain have already reached the little finger.

kind

Are you wondering if it is possible to cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home? Then you need to find out at what stage of the disease you have. After all, only the first degree of treatment can be performed at home. In total, 3 degrees of the disease can be distinguished based on its progression.

1. The first - it goes on almost invisibly and you do not even start thinking about how to deal with cervical osteochondrosis. But it is at this stage that it is possible to prevent the development of the disease. Symptoms include periodic numbness of the neck and the area between the shoulders during prolonged sitting. Pain is rare, but may accompany numbness and fatigue increases.
2. The second type is disease progression. The intervertebral discs have shrunk and deformed, but they can still be repaired. With every movement of the neck, a crisis and pain is felt, while the movements are limited. Requires immediate medical attention.
3. The third type is an advanced stage of the disease. Here the integrity of the disks is already broken. Pain in the neck, head, shoulders is almost constant. Painful sensations are also given in the hands, up to the fingers. The appearance of a disease such as a hernia is possible. With further deformities and improper fusion of the vertebrae, the fight against the disease can only continue with surgical methods.

Where to go for help?

So you have some signs of the disease and decided not to sit back, but turn to a specialist for help. The question arises: "Which doctor treats cervical osteochondrosis? " Well, it all depends on the stage of the disease you have. So the treatment of grade 1 wounds can be taken by a therapeutic gymnastics specialist or a masseur. This also includes alternative medicine, namely a field such as osteopathy.

Grade 2 osteochondrosis of the cervical spine already requires observation by a physician in a polyclinic. Here the manual, physiotherapists or reflex therapists can deal with the wound. Also, it will not be superfluous to consult a neurologist. Grade 3 osteochondrosis of the cervix requires more professional medical treatment. Here, a neurologist must first deal with the disease, as there are plenty of nerve endings in the cervical spine. In an advanced case, the surgeon treats osteochondrosis of the cervical spine together with a neuropathologist.

Diagnosing

Before treating osteochondrosis of the neck, you will need to undergo an examination. The attending physician will touch your neck, perform some manipulations, and interrogate you. Be sure to describe an X-ray of the cervical crest. Furthermore, a general blood test will be prescribed. For a more detailed understanding of the disease, they can be sent for an MRI or CT scan.

How is the treatment performed?

To begin, let us answer the question, "Is it possible to cure cervical osteochondrosis? " Yes, it is possible, but it is possible to fully cope with the disease only in the early stages. So how do you beat cervical osteochondrosis? There are various treatments for this, which are described below.

Medicines

Drugs are the most effective methods of treating 2nd and 3rd degree cervical osteochondrosis. Complex treatment is performed here. So some medications should relieve the pain that was bothering you. Other drugs fight inflammation. Still others - relieve puffiness, fourth medications restore blood circulation and supply the diseased area with nutrients. All of them can be in the form of tablets and in the form of injections and injections. With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, oils will be ineffective.

The whole treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in women and men is divided into 3 stages.

1. First, medications must quickly overcome the pain, relieve bloating, and have an anti-inflammatory effect.
2. In the second stage, each drug should produce a regenerative healing effect.
3. The third phase is restorative. This includes vitamins, remedial gymnastics and massage.

Since you have been tortured by osteochondrosis and have decided to go to the hospital, please do not treat yourself and follow all your doctor's instructions.

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy can answer how to cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. The most used methods are:

• magnetotherapy;
• electrotherapy;
• laser treatment;
• UFO;
• balneotherapy others.

Surgical intervention

Sometimes, only a surgeon can answer how to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis. The operation is planned after consultation with a neurologist. Here the surgeon should try as much as possible to get the osteochondrosis that you could get away with. After surgery, prepare for a long course of recovery.

ethnoscience

And what does folk medicine mean to all this? There are many methods and tools for treating such a disease. However, remember that you act at your own risk and take risks, therefore only you are responsible for the consequences. So how to deal with osteochondrosis using folk remedies.

• The first method is compresses for cervical osteochondrosis from Indian onion leaf. To do this, you need to take a leaf of the plant and rub the diseased areas with it, and then apply the residue as a compress overnight. The healing effect should be noticed the next morning.
• Another compress for the night is prepared from cottage cheese sprinkled with vinegar. It is done several nights in a row until the appearance of the treated effect appears.

• Horseradish leaves are used in a similar way. We take a freshly plucked leaf of a plant, rinse it in boiling water, and apply it to a sore spot overnight, having previously wrapped it in something warm.
• How to cure osteochondrosis of the cervix with a shovel? And here everything is quite simple. The fact is that we do not need the whole shovel, we need only a part of it, called a handle more than a meter in length. To make a miracle cure out of it, you have to take it with both hands and wrap it around your neck. Next, by moving up and down, we massage the diseased areas. The procedure should be done several times a day, at least a week.

Contraindications to treatment

Sometimes a difficult question arises, "What can you do with cervical osteochondrosis, and what not? " It has been discovered that not all medical procedures always have only a therapeutic effect. Sometimes they can be very harmful to the patient. Therefore, it is worth treating only with the recommendations of the attending physician. So this includes the following procedures used to treat osteochondrosis:

1. acupuncture;
2. remedial gymnastics or exercise therapy;
3. massage.

Doing acupuncture for osteochondrosis is contraindicated if you are 75 or older, as well as for pregnant women. The rest of the points of contraindications for this procedure are identical to the massage. This includes:

1. Blood disease.
2. Any kind of bleeding.
3. Increased mental excitability.
4. Any difficulty breathing.
5. Digestive system problems.

Exercise therapy or complex physical therapy, with a disease such as osteochondrosis, also has contraindications. The most common are unhealed injuries, severe bruising and hematomas. Also contraindications here include:

• a sharp exacerbation of the disease;
• weak heart;
• manifestation of tachycardia or arrhythmia;
• severe forms of diabetes;
• tendency to bleed;
• infectious wounds;
• there are diseases associated with the vestibular apparatus;
• having vision problems;
• neurological symptoms leading to loss of coordination.

How to get first aid?

If osteochondrosis surprised you at home, then first aid will be as follows:

1. Take the pain reliever at your normal dose.
2. Call your doctor at home because you may need more radical methods and other medicines.
3. Try not to make sudden movements with your head or body.
4. Remove the covers from the bed and lie down with a small pillow under your head. If the mattress is soft enough, lie down on a bench or floor.
5. Try to relax and think of something good so that the pain reliever works faster. If the doctor is late, do not stay in one position for a long time.