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 out due to poor lifestyle choices. Renewing cartilage tissue is not easy.
Causes
Let's figure out what provokes 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 are pinched, and the blood supply to the nervous system deteriorates.
- The appearance of complications due to displacement of intervertebral discs also provokes pain in the nerve endings.
- When the nerves in the cervical spine are pinched, radicular syndrome appears.
- Constant overstrain of muscle tissue in the neck at the computer or when 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 occur, you need 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 cartilage tissue decreases, and aching pain appears in the neck if you do not change your position for a long time.
Second degree
Severe neck pain indicates the beginning of the second stage. 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 experiences pain in the neck, which flows 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 in order for the symptom to decrease.
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. At the third stage, the patient begins to feel sick, dizzy, tinnitus, and frequent fainting. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by numbness of the neck and tinnitus.
Sometimes the signs of the disease disappear, but recur with exacerbations after some time. New signs appear and the pain becomes stronger.
How to behave during an exacerbation?
During an exacerbation, you should not rub warming ointments into your neck or massage a large area. If you feel signs of cervical osteochondrosis, you need to try to relax and take 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 home medicine cabinet. You can take these medications so you don't have to call an ambulance.
First aid and treatment
Treatment is carried out by a specialist:
- Before the doctor arrives, you need to move as little as possible.
- Sit comfortably on the bed, do not burden the body.
- Take painkillers.
- Wait for the doctor.
The specialist prescribes antibiotics and medications to eliminate inflammatory processes. They are needed during an exacerbation.
Patients are prescribed chondroprotectors, which change the 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 a blockade is prescribed. An injection of novocaine is made into the area of the deformed vertebra. Symptoms can be quickly relieved. We list non-drug treatment methods: exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of symptoms and alleviate exacerbation with the help of therapeutic exercises. You need to do exercises daily to strengthen the muscles of the neck and spine. Weakened vertebrae will be better held in place thanks to the developed muscles in the back.
Massage is mandatory, thanks to a full course, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, swelling is reduced, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better, and blood supply is stabilized. 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 muscle tissue and vertebrae will be reduced. You need to properly arrange your sleeping area; you will need a hard mattress with an 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 subside after some time. If the disease is not treated in time, the attack will subside, but will not be eliminated completely. In the future, you should expect several exacerbations, between which the pain will subside. Painful symptoms worsen during the attack.
What medications are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, medications must be used. The exacerbation is eliminated with the help of such medications. 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 transferred to tablets. If the disease increases blood pressure, calcium channels are blocked, inhibitors, ACE or combination 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 contact a specialist to receive accurate recommendations on medications.
When patients experience emotional disturbances, doctors prescribe sedatives, which may 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? It is necessary to undergo an examination; if complications are identified, a specialist may recommend a surgical procedure aimed at reducing compression and stabilizing the position of the vertebrae. Complications arise 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 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 need to be taken. Therapy should be carried out after diagnosis, a doctor’s conclusion, and exclusion of other pathology options.
Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis does not occur for a short period; 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 treatment regimen, since when prescribing drugs, one must take into account their likely effect on the child. 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 using unconventional methods. Traditional medicine recipes 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 alleviate the general condition of patients with osteochondrosis in the cervical region. For example, a warm shower helps you relax. You can wrap a wool 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 secure the neck in a stationary state so that the spinal cord roots do not become pinched.
Gradual worsening
If the relapse of painful symptoms is moderate, you need to go to a specialist. The patient can take painkillers and secure 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 intensely to the problem area, 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 useful in such situations. A qualified professional can realign the vertebrae so that no pressure is 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 relieving pain, which is very pronounced in the acute period. Prescribed medications such as:
- Analgesics. They try to give an anesthetic injection before the ambulance arrives, since 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 spasm of 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 restore nervous tissue that is damaged due to pathological changes in the intervertebral region of the cervical spine.
- Means for local therapy. In order 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 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 which has been used for several 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 carried out at a highly professional level, this has a beneficial effect on the condition of the muscle tissue, vertebrae and articular 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.
- Manipulation technique. 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 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 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 spasm, and normalize the blood circulation in the inflamed area. The combination of these effects leads to a decrease in pain.
Surgical intervention
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment will not give the desired result, he prescribes surgical intervention to the patient. There are several indications in which surgery is inevitable.
- Narrowing of the spinal canal due to intervertebral hernia, which leads 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, then they resort to surgery.
Exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercise is a method that is used at the follow-up stage. In the acute period, any exercise performed will bring nothing to the patient except additional suffering. But when the attack has been stopped, the inflammatory process is at the decreasing stage, then prescribing a course of physical therapy becomes an assistant.
Thanks to exercise therapy, the blood circulation returns to normal and muscles are strengthened. Spinal mobility improves and stiffness goes away, nerve tissue is restored, and pain is reduced.
When prescribing physical therapy, the doctor takes into account 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 carried out in two stages, but during one operation. At 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 a section of the intervertebral disc, a 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 when the damaged 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 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 tablet form. In addition, 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
Treatment of spinal pathologies should be entrusted only to an experienced doctor. And yet there are situations when pain appears suddenly and constrains the patient’s body. An acute exacerbation can occur, for example, if there is a suspicion of intervertebral hernia. In this case, the patient cannot tolerate it and measures must be taken to improve his condition.
To do this you should 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 (using a heating pad is strictly prohibited);
- If the patient is bent over because he is experiencing severe pain, you should not try to straighten him. It is better to place it in the same position on a flat surface;
- give him a painkiller to drink. This could be Analgin, Diclofenac or Ibuprofen;
- call an ambulance.
The emergency doctor 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, since self-medication is fraught with even greater complications. However, you should not endure the pain until he 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 medications. If the discomfort is very severe, these medications may not help.
- The neck muscles should be relaxed so that the spasm goes away as quickly as possible.
- Local 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 to cope with it more quickly.
Many people are interested in the question of how long exacerbations of cervical osteochondrosis last. This phase goes through differently for each person. If treatment for an attack was started on time and the medications turned out to be effective, then 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 the speed of development of the disease. If treatment of the pathology is started late, then this situation will repeat.
Exacerbation during pregnancy
Exacerbation of diseases during pregnancy is always undesirable. This brings suffering to the expectant mother and her baby, but besides this, it is difficult to apply therapeutic measures due to contraindications to taking medications. Physiotherapeutic methods should not be prescribed to a pregnant woman.
Of the medications used during pregnancy, Traumeel 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 are chosen that require minimal physical activity. 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, 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 using compresses made from grated raw potatoes mixed with honey. This mixture was smeared onto the affected areas, firmly secured and left for several hours or overnight. Pepper oil tincture is excellent for rubbing.
How to reduce relapse rates
If the disease can worsen, then the person already has a large number of drugs in advance that can relieve pain. However, without eliminating the cause, treatment will not be effective.
In addition, 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 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. Naturally, 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.
- Doing physical exercise. This is necessary in order to strengthen the muscular corset of the upper back.
- It is advisable to take walks 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 high loads or sudden movements.
- If a person spends a lot of time in a static sitting position, then from time to time he needs to get up and warm up. When working sedentarily, it is better to change your body position every quarter of an hour.
- Swimming is an excellent preventive measure for spinal problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, allowing you to relieve 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. Naturally, you can’t do this yourself, and you shouldn’t trust your health to the first "master" you come across either. The procedure must be carried out 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 one position for more than half an hour, then take a break to warm up.
- You need to sleep on a flat surface; sagging armored beds are contraindicated for patients with osteochondrosis.