Exacerbation of cervical spondylosis occurs after remission. Pathology develops in a chronic form. It is impossible to completely cope with osteonecrosis.
The disease develops due to an inactive lifestyle, alcohol abuse and nutritional problems.
Discs relieve pressure on the vertebrae, but over the years, cartilage tissue wears away due to poor lifestyle choices. Regenerating cartilage tissue is not easy.
reason
Let's find out what causes the symptoms of osteonecrosis:
- Some signs arise due to deformed vertebrae and bone spurs appearing.
- The position of the vertebrae relative to each other changes, the arteries are compressed, and the blood supply to the nervous system is reduced.
- The appearance of complications due to displacement of the intervertebral discs also causes pain in the nerve endings.
- When the nerves in the cervical spine are compressed, nerve root syndrome occurs.
- Constant tension of the muscle tissues of the neck when working at a computer or driving a car.
How does cervical osteochondrosis get worse?
In the neck region the size of the vertebrae is small. Exacerbation of cervical spondylosis occurs with special symptoms. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, you need to contact a specialist.The main problem is that the patient does not notice the symptoms of the disease.
First level
Initially, small cracks appear on the disc. The elasticity of cartilage tissue decreases and pain appears in the neck if you do not change your position for a long time.
Second level
Severe neck pain indicates the beginning of the second stage. The pain becomes more and more severe due to the deformity of the disc and the appearance of dislocation.In rare cases, numbness of the hands and face occurs.
At the end of the day, the patient feels pain in the neck, the pain radiates down the spine.
A more serious condition is manifested by head-down syndrome, in which unbearable pain appears, the head cannot be raised, and must be immobilized with a pillow or hand for the symptoms to subside.
Third degree
The third stage of the disease manifests itself clearly, the cause of unpleasant symptoms cannot be overwork after physical exertion. In the third stage, the patient begins to feel tired, dizzy, tinnitus, and often faints. Acute osteonecrosis is characterized by neck numbness and tinnitus.
Sometimes the signs of the disease disappear but recur with severe episodes after a while. New signs appear and the pain becomes stronger and stronger.
How to behave during an exacerbation?
During periods of exacerbation, you should not rub warming ointments into your neck or massage a large area. If you feel signs of cervical spondylosis, you need to try to relax and take the most comfortable position.
You need to lie on your back so that your muscle tissues are not strained. The attack does not go away on its own.You need to call your doctor for an injection of pain medication, then make an appointment with a specialist. Many people have pain relievers in their home medicine cabinet. You can take these medications to avoid having to call an ambulance.
First aid and treatment
The treatment is carried out by a specialist:
- Before the doctor arrives, you need to move as little as possible.
- Sit comfortably in bed, without burdening your body.
- Take pain relievers.
- Wait for the doctor.
The specialist prescribes antibiotics and drugs to eliminate the inflammatory process. They are needed during periods of exacerbation.
Patients are prescribed chondroprotective drugs, which help reverse the process of disc destruction and worsening of speed indicators when they occur.
The course of treatment with these drugs is long, less than six months. They can prevent the exacerbation of the disease.
Medications in the group of muscle relaxants also help treat osteoarthritis and reduce stress. 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. A Novocaine injection is made into the deformed vertebrae. Symptoms may improve quickly. We list non-pharmacological treatment methods: exercise, physiotherapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of symptoms and alleviate aggravation with the help of therapeutic exercises. You need to exercise daily to strengthen your neck and spine muscles. Weakened vertebrae will be held in place better thanks to developed back muscles.
Massage is mandatory, thanks to its complete implementation, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, swelling is reduced, cerebrospinal fluid circulates better and blood supply is stable. The disc stops deforming.
Other treatments
Thanks to the Shants necklace, you can reduce the load on the cervical spine during exacerbations. Such a device will keep the neck in a normal position, reducing the load on muscle tissues and vertebrae. 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 when resting.
If treatment is carried out when the attack begins and everything is done correctly, then the peak of the disease will subside after a while. If the disease is not treated promptly, the disease will improve but not be completely cured. In the future, you can expect some exacerbations, with pain gradually decreasing in between. Pain symptoms get worse during the attack.
What drugs are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, medication must be used. Exacerbations are eliminated with the help of such drugs. Anti-inflammatory or pain reliever in tablet, ointment form for local or external use. Muscle relaxants help eliminate muscle spasms, which often occur when there is pain.
Vitamin B improves the transmission of nerve impulses through nerve cells. Initially administered as an intramuscular injection, the patient is then transferred to tablet form.If the disease increases blood pressure, calcium channels are blocked, inhibitor, ACE or combination agent.
When cervical osteonecrosis becomes more severe, its symptoms will cause cerebral circulation problems. Therapeutic procedures involve the use of medication for recovery. To do this, it is recommended to contact a specialist to receive accurate medication recommendations.
When patients have emotional disorders, doctors prescribe sedatives, which can be herbs or tranquilizers. When choosing, specialists are often guided by the severity of these symptoms. Spinal anesthesia with novocaine is used for symptoms of severe pain.
Surgical intervention
What to do in case of more severe cervical spondylosis if the above methods are not effective? It is necessary to undergo an examination; If complications are identified, the specialist may recommend a surgical procedure to relieve compression and stabilize 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 spondylosis at home during an exacerbation without prior consultation. You can take painkillers, wrap a towel around your neck and wait for the doctor to arrive. Depending on the severity of the process, treatment may continue at home or in the hospital.
Symptoms of acute osteonecrosis worsen the quality of life, so it is necessary to take urgent measures. Treatment should be carried out after the diagnosis, the doctor's conclusion and the exclusion of other pathological options.
The exacerbation of cervical spondylosis does not occur in a short time, the disorder does not go away on its own. Destructive processes of the cervical spine can develop and lead to complex consequences.
The condition is aggravated during pregnancy
A pregnant woman's body changes physiologically, the level of hormone production changes, and the body's center of gravity changes due to the weight of the growing fetus. Minerals and nutrients are absorbed and absorbed more strongly. 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, because when prescribing drugs, their possible effects on the child must be taken into account. When dealing with exacerbations, ointments are used that do not harm the child.
During pregnancy, recurrent cartilage degeneration occurs in 50% of cases due to changes in the spine.
Sometimes, for complicated pain, painkillers or injections are prescribed. Many pregnant women are treated with unconventional methods. Traditional medicine recipes are less harmful to the fetus.
Other ways to eliminate aggravation
If it is not possible to visit a doctor, you can use several recipes to alleviate the general condition of patients with osteoarthritis in the cervical region. For example, a warm bath 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 avocado. You can also fix your neck in a stationary state so that the spinal cord roots are not compressed.
Gradually worsens
If pain symptoms recur at a moderate level, you need to see a specialist. Patients can take painkillers and immobilize their neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose the appropriate treatment method.
During an exacerbationcervical spondylosisBan:
- Apply a heating pad to your neck. Blood will flow strongly to the problem area, swelling will worsen and pain will become stronger.
- Do not massage the cervical area to avoid making the condition worse.
Manual therapy will be helpful in such situations. A qualified specialist can realign the vertebrae so that there is no pressure on the nerves.
treatment measures
The main condition for successful treatment of the disease is complex therapy. Treatments include injections, pills, ointments, special patches, and physical therapy procedures.
Medicines
Drug treatment is aimed at pain relief, which is very pronounced in the acute phase. Prescribed medications include:
- Analgesic. They try to inject anesthesia before the ambulance arrives, because the pain can be very difficult for the patient to endure. If a person has cervical spondylosis, he or she always has painkillers available.
- Muscle relaxants. Their effect is to reduce spasms of skeletal muscles in the cervical vertebrae.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve pain well, reduce inflammation and help if the patient has a fever.
- Vitamin preparations. To treat the exacerbation of osteonecrosis, injectable preparations based on vitamin B are used. They help restore nerve tissue damaged by pathological changes in the intervertebral region of the columncervical spine.
- Topical therapeutic means. To alleviate the patient's condition, ointments and gels with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects are prescribed. They are complementary therapeutic means and are prescribed to enhance the effect of injections. In addition, people also use special drug-impregnated patches. For example, the patch contains diclofenac and lidocaine.
Manual therapy
Manual therapy is a method of treating osteoarthritis, it is proven only on the positive side and has been used for decades. During this time, new techniques have been developed, the use of which helps to relieve severe symptoms of cervical spondylosis much faster.
If manual therapy techniques are performed at a high professional level, this will have a beneficial effect on the condition of muscle tissue, vertebrae and the joint apparatus of the cervical spine.
The following manual therapy techniques are used:
- The muscle kneads on a separate segment. This technique helps reduce muscle tension.
- Mobilization techniques. The doctor performs a series of actions, due to which the function of the joint apparatus is restored only in a certain area of the cervical spine.
- Operational techniques. This procedure is a set of actions aimed at restoring the entire joint system that has suffered as a result of pathological changes. This method is used for both cervical osteoarthritis and to treat a disease called common osteoarthritis.
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 can cause serious consequences, including disabled patients.
Massage
Massage is another method to alleviate the patient's condition during exacerbation of osteoarthritis. Its implementation helps relieve tension in the neck muscles, reduces the amount of lactic acid that causes muscle spasms, and normalizes blood circulation in the inflamed area. The combination of these effects leads to pain relief.
Surgical intervention
If the doctor finds that conservative treatment will not bring the desired results, he will prescribe surgical intervention for the patient. There are some signs that surgery is inevitable.
- Spinal stenosis due to intervertebral herniation, leading to compression of vascular plexuses and nerves.
- Movement of the vertebrae relative to the horizontal axis.
- Intervertebral hernia, can be single or multiple hernias. This pathology is not an absolute indication for surgery if it does not cause related symptoms. If after several rounds of conservative treatment they do not achieve positive results, they must resort to surgery.
Exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercise is a method used at the follow-up stage. During the acute phase, any exercises performed will bring no benefit to the patient except to increase suffering. But when the attack has stopped, the inflammatory process is in a gradual phase, then the appointment of a course of physiotherapy will become an assistant.
Thanks to exercise therapy, blood circulation returns to normal and muscles are strengthened. Spinal mobility improves and stiffness disappears, nerve tissue is restored and pain is reduced.
When prescribing physical therapy, the doctor will take into account contraindications. Exercise therapy should not be used if the patient has diseases of the cardiovascular system, benign or malignant tumors, severe visual impairment or diabetes.
Work
Surgical intervention is performed in two stages, but in one operation. In the first stage, the neurosurgeon will eliminate the cause of the pain syndrome. This is a decompression method.
Then the vertebrae are stabilized. The doctor noted that after removing part of the intervertebral disc, dysfunction of the spinal joint apparatus will occur.
Therefore, the vertebrae are fixed using special techniques.
In modern orthopedic practice, artificial intervertebral discs are used, which prevent fusion of the vertebrae when damaged discs are completely removed.
What can you do at home?
Every patient with cervical spondylosis should know what to do if the condition worsens at home. First of all, it is strictly forbidden to move during the attack. The patient should lie on a flat surface and in a position that places the least tension on the muscles.
Inject anesthetics to the patient. If this is not possible, give the patient pain medication in pill form. In addition, anti-inflammatory ointment or gel must be applied to the neck area. The emergency doctor will tell you what to do next.
Severe stage of osteonecrosis: first aid at home
Treatment of diseases of the spine should only be entrusted to an experienced doctor. However, there are situations where pain appears suddenly and presses the patient's body. For example, an acute exacerbation may occur if an intervertebral hernia is suspected. In this case, the patient cannot stand it and must take measures to improve the condition.
To do this, you should perform the following steps:
- If possible, place the patient on a bed or floor to immobilize the spine;
- wrap the painful area with a woolen towel (it is strictly forbidden to use a heating pad);
- If the patient bends over because of 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 painkillers. This could be Analgin, Diclofenac or Ibuprofen;
- call an ambulance.
The emergency physician will determine how to relieve pain, whether hospitalization is necessary, or whether treatment can continue at home.
First aid for patients
Acute cartilage degeneration 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 is fraught with even more 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 movement of the cervical spine as much as possible, it is better to go to bed.
- If painful osteoarthritis in the cervical spine causes very severe pain, the disease can be relieved with the help of medication. If the discomfort is very severe, these medications may not help.
- The neck muscles need to relax so that the spasm passes 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 a special orthopedic collar to help cope faster.
Many people are interested in the question of how long the exacerbation of cervical spondylosis lasts. This stage happens differently for each person. If treatment of exacerbations is started on time and the medication is effective, the duration of treatment should not exceed a few days. Otherwise, discomfort will accompany the patient for several weeks.
How long the exacerbation will last 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, this situation will repeat.
The condition is aggravated during pregnancy
The severity of the disease during pregnancy is always undesirable. This brings suffering to the expectant mother and her child, but besides that, it is difficult to apply treatment measures due to contraindications to medication. Physical therapy should not be prescribed for pregnant women.
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 close supervision of a doctor. The exercises selected require minimal physical activity. Prioritize yoga techniques.
Folk remedies for spinal pain: effective recipes
The use of traditional methods only has positive effects when combined with drug treatment. You can eliminate pain and discomfort from cervical spondylosis with horseradish leaves.
They need to be applied to the painful area, secured with bandages and tape and left overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water acts as a compress.
Our grandmothers treated all types of osteoarthritis using compresses made from mashed raw potatoes mixed with honey. This mixture is applied to the affected area, firmly fixed and left for several hours or overnight. Pepper oil tincture is good for rubbing.
How to reduce the recurrence rate
If the illness is likely to get worse, the person already has a large supply of medication that can relieve the pain. However, if the cause cannot be eliminated, treatment will not be effective.
Additionally, the unpleasant feelings may return and become more intense. Given the severity of cervical spondylosis, the symptoms and treatment of which were discussed earlier, it is necessary to understand how to prevent the condition from getting worse.
To do this, the following precautions should be observed:
- Visit the massage room. Of course, the specialist must be experienced and skillful so as not to aggravate the condition of cervical spondylosis. Massage sessions allow you to develop your cervical spine, enhancing its function and mobility. At the same time, both hard and soft tissues are better nourished, blood circulation is normalized.
- Do exercise. This is necessary to strengthen the muscles of the upper back.
- You should take a walk every day before going to bed. This will allow you to get a good night's sleep. It is better to avoid heavy sports, jumping and other exercises with high loads or sudden movements.
- If a person spends a lot of time in a sedentary position, then from time to time he needs to get up and warm up. When working sedentary, it is better to change your body position every 15 minutes.
- Swimming is an excellent preventative measure for spinal problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, helping you reduce spasms, but also strengthens them.
- For a good night's sleep, it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress that can maintain the correct position of the person's body throughout the night, regardless of how the person turns.
- For prevention, you can also use non-traditional methods, such as acupuncture. Naturally, you cannot do this on your own, and you should not entrust your health to the first "guru" you meet. The procedure must be performed by an experienced specialist.
Prevent
To prevent aggravation of the condition, some rules should be followed:
- Watch your posture.
- Avoid muscle tension when working in front of a computer or sitting at a desk.
- Change your position every few minutes to prevent muscle stiffness.
- If you have to hold a position for more than half an hour, take a break to warm up.
- You need to sleep on a flat surface, armored beds with sagging are contraindicated for patients with osteoarthritis.