Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis occurs after remission. The pathology develops in a chronic form. It is impossible to completely cope with osteochondrosis.
The disease occurs as a result of an insufficiently active lifestyle, alcohol abuse and nutritional problems.
Intervertebral discs reduce pressure on the vertebrae, but over the years the cartilage tissue wears out due to poor lifestyle choices. Renewing cartilage tissue is not easy.
Causes
Let's see what causes the symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Some signs arise due to deformation of the vertebrae, osteophytes appear.
- The position of the vertebrae in relation to each other changes, the arteries become pinched and the blood supply to the nervous system deteriorates.
- The occurrence of complications due to displacement of intervertebral discs also causes pain in the nerve endings.
- When the nerves in the cervical spine become compressed, radicular syndrome appears.
- Constant overload of the muscle tissue in the neck when using the computer or while driving.
How does cervical osteochondrosis worsen?
In the neck area the vertebrae are 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 grade
Initially, small cracks appear on the discs. The elasticity of the cartilage tissue decreases and painful pain occurs in the neck if you do not change your position for a long time.
Second degree
Severe neck pain indicates the onset of the second stage. The pain is aggravated by 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 experiences pain in the neck, which travels further down the spine.
An exacerbation is manifested by Falling Head Syndrome, in 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 the unpleasant symptoms cannot be attributed to overwork after physical exertion. In the third stage, the patient begins to feel sick, dizzy, ringing in the ears and frequent fainting. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by numbness of the neck 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.
How do you behave during an exacerbation?
During an exacerbation, you should not rub warming ointment on your 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 so that the muscle tissue is no longer stressed. The attack does not go away on its own.To administer painkillers, you must call a doctor and then make an appointment with a specialist. Many people have painkillers in their medicine cabinet at home. You can take these medications so that you do not 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 strain the 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 occur.
The course of treatment with such drugs is long, less than six months. They can prevent exacerbation of the disease.
Drugs belonging to the category of muscle relaxants also help with osteochondrosis and relieve tension. Diuretics and vascular medications, 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 in the area of the deformed vertebra. The symptoms can be quickly relieved. We mention non-medicinal treatment methods: exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of symptoms and relieve exacerbation with the help of therapeutic exercises. You should do exercises daily to strengthen the muscles of the neck and spine. Weakened vertebrae are better held in place thanks to the developed muscles in the back.
Massage is mandatory, thanks to a full course of treatment, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, swelling decreases, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better and blood supply is stabilized. Intervertebral discs stop deforming.
Other treatments
Thanks to the Shant collar you can reduce the load on the cervical spine during exacerbations. Such a device keeps the neck in a normal position, the load on muscle tissue and vertebrae is reduced. You need to properly arrange your sleeping area, you need a hard mattress with orthopedic effect, as well as a pillow that does not bend your neck during rest.
If therapy is carried out when the attack begins and everything is done correctly, the peak of the disease will disappear after some time. If the disease is not treated in time, the attack will decrease, but not be completely eliminated. In the future you should expect several exacerbations, between which the pain will disappear. Painful symptoms worsen during the attack.
What medications are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, medications should be used. The 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. Initially used as intramuscular injections, then patients are switched to tablets.If the disease increases blood pressure, calcium channels are blocked, inhibitors, ACE or combination agents.
When cervical osteochondrosis worsens, the symptoms cause cerebral circulation. Therapeutic procedures involve the use of medications for recovery. To do this, it is advisable to contact a specialist for accurate 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 with novocaine are used for severe painful symptoms.
Surgical procedure
What to do with exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis if the above methods are ineffective? It is necessary to undergo an examination; if complications are identified, a specialist may recommend a surgical intervention aimed at reducing compression and stabilizing the position of the vertebrae. Complications arise after such operations, which is why 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 a painkiller, wrap a scarf around your neck and wait for the doctor to arrive. Depending on the severity of the process, therapy is continued 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 the diagnosis, the conclusion of a doctor and the exclusion of other pathological options.
Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis does not occur over a short period of time; the condition 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 serious consequences for the musculoskeletal system. There is a lot of pressure on the spine.
The symptoms in women are the same as in other patients. The difficulty lies in choosing a treatment regimen, because when prescribing medications, their likely effect on the child must be taken into account. With exacerbations, ointments are used that do not harm the child.
During pregnancy, a relapse of osteochondrosis occurs in 50% of cases due to changes in the spine.
Sometimes painkillers or injections are prescribed for complex pain. Many pregnant women are treated with unconventional methods. Traditional drug recipes are less harmful to the fetus.
Other ways to eliminate exacerbations
If it is not possible to go to a doctor, you can use various recipes to alleviate the general condition of patients with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. For example, a warm shower helps you relax. You can wrap a woolen scarf or other clothing made of this material around your neck. Or apply herbal compresses 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 fix the neck stationary so that the roots of the spinal cord are not pinched.
Gradual deterioration
If the relapse of painful symptoms is moderate, you should see a specialist. The patient can take painkillers and fix the neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose the right therapeutic procedure.
During exacerbationcervical osteochondrosisforbidden:
- Apply heating pads to your neck. The blood will flow intensely to the problem area, the swelling will worsen and the pain will become stronger.
- The cervical area should not be massaged so as not to aggravate the situation.
In such situations, manual therapy can be helpful. 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 plasters and physiotherapy procedures.
Medicines
Drug treatment is aimed at relieving pain, which is very pronounced in the acute period. Prescribed medications such as:
- Painkillers. They try to give an anesthetic injection before the ambulance arrives, because it can be very difficult for the patient to tolerate 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 spasms of skeletal muscles in the cervical vertebrae.
- Steroidless anti-inflammatories. 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 vitamin B are used. They help restore nerve 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 agents for complementary therapy and are prescribed to enhance the effect of injectable drugs. In addition, special plasters impregnated with medicines are used. For example, a patch with 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 decades. During this time, new techniques have been developed, the use of which helps relieve the symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis much faster.
If manual therapy techniques are applied at a high professional level, this has a beneficial effect on the condition of the muscle tissue, vertebrae and the joint apparatus of the cervical spine.
The following manual therapy techniques are used:
- Knead muscles on a separate segment. This technique helps relieve muscle tension.
- Mobilization technique. The doctor performs a series of actions that restore the function of the joint apparatus only in a certain area of the cervical spine.
- Manipulation technique. The procedure consists of a series 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 should carefully choose the doctor who will treat him. After all, even a small mistake has serious consequences, including the patient's disability.
Massage
Massage is another method to alleviate the patient's condition during exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Its implementation helps 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 reduction in pain.
Surgical procedure
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment does not bring the desired result, he prescribes surgical intervention to the patient. There are several indications for 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 is not 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, they resort to surgery.
Exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercise is a method used in the subsequent phase. In the acute period, any exercise performed will not bring anything to the patient, except additional suffering. But when the attack has stopped, the inflammatory process is in a decreasing phase, after which prescribing a course of physiotherapy becomes an assistant.
Thanks to exercise therapy, blood circulation returns to normal and the muscles are strengthened. The mobility of the spine improves and stiffness disappears, nerve tissue is restored and pain is reduced.
When prescribing physiotherapy, the doctor takes into account factors for 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 disturbances or diabetes mellitus.
Operation
The surgical procedure 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 removing part of the intervertebral disc, a dysfunction of the joint apparatus of the spine occurs.
That is why the vertebrae are fixed with a special technique.
In modern orthopedic practice, artificial intervertebral discs are used, which make it possible to prevent the fusion of the vertebrae when the damaged intervertebral discs are completely removed.
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 assume a position with minimal muscle tension.
Give the patient an anesthetic injection. If this is not possible, give the patient a painkiller in tablet form. In addition, an anti-inflammatory ointment or gel should 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
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 can occur, for example, if there is a suspicion of an intervertebral hernia. In this case, the patient cannot tolerate it and measures should be taken to improve his condition.
To do this you must take 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 is experiencing severe pain, do not attempt to straighten him. It is better to place it in the same position on a flat surface;
- give him a painkiller to drink. 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-medication brings even greater complications. However, you should not endure the pain until it arrives. First aid can be provided to the patient:
- To begin with, you need to 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 medications may not help.
- The neck muscles should be relaxed so that the spasms disappear as quickly as possible.
- Topical medications can also be used to relieve pain.
- In the first days after the onset of an attack, it is necessary to use special orthopedic collars that will help you cope with it faster.
Many people are interested in the question of how long exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis last. This phase is different for every person. If treatment for an attack was started on time and the drugs turned out to be effective, its duration does not exceed several days. Otherwise, discomfort will accompany the patient for several weeks.
How long the period of exacerbation will be depends on the characteristics of the human body, as well as on 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 entails suffering for the expectant mother and her baby, but in addition it is difficult to apply therapeutic measures due to contraindications to taking medications. Physiotherapy methods should not be prescribed to a pregnant woman.
Of the drugs used during pregnancy, Traumeel in the form of tablets, ointments and injections, and Paracetamol are allowed. In addition, physiotherapy 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 in cervical osteochondrosis with the help of horseradish leaves.
They should be applied to the sore spot, secured with a bandage and adhesive tape and left overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water has worked well as a compress.
Our grandmothers treated all types of osteochondrosis with compresses made from grated raw potatoes mixed with honey. This mixture was spread on the affected areas, set firmly and left for several hours or overnight. Pepper oil tincture is excellent for rubbing.
How to reduce relapse rates
If the disease can worsen, the person already has a large number of medications in advance that can relieve pain. However, without removing the cause, treatment will not be effective.
Moreover, the unpleasant sensations may return again, and with a vengeance. With exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment of the disease have already been discussed, it is necessary to understand how to prevent exacerbation.
To do this, the following preventive measures should be observed:
- Visit to the massage room. Naturally, the specialist must be experienced and skilled, 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, because blood circulation is normalized.
- Do exercise. This is necessary to strengthen the muscular corset of the upper back.
- It is advisable to take a walk every day before going to bed. This allows you to enjoy a good night's sleep. It is better to avoid heavy sports, jumping and other exercises that involve high loads or sudden movements.
- If a person spends a lot of time in a static sitting position, he should get up and warm up from time to time. When working while sitting, it is better to change your posture every 15 minutes.
- Swimming is an excellent preventive measure for spinal problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, allowing you to relieve spasms, but strengthens them at the same time.
- For a good night's sleep, it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress that maintains the correct position of the person's body all night long, regardless of how he or she turns.
- For prevention, you can also use non-traditional methods, for example, acupuncture. Of course, you can't do this yourself, and you shouldn't entrust your health to the first 'master' you meet. The procedure should be performed by an experienced specialist.
Prevention
To prevent exacerbation of the disease, it is recommended to follow a number of rules:
- Watch your posture.
- Avoid straining your muscles while working at a computer or sitting at a 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.
- You should sleep on a flat surface; sagging armored beds are contraindicated for patients with osteochondrosis.