Treatment of cervical spondylosis

Currently, cervical spondylosis is quite common among city residents, office workers and people who spend many hours a day in one position.

But it can also develop in youth. Therefore, everyone should know what cervical spondylosis is and how to treat it in order to seek timely help, prevent the development of unpleasant symptoms and destruction of joints in the neck and shoulders.

Before deciding what to do if cervical spondylosis worsens and you feel pain in the neck, you need to see a doctor and get a diagnosis.

Diagnose

Can cervical spondylosis be cured permanently, whether the neck can be cured and how to do it, the doctor will tell you after a complete diagnosis. Because the symptoms are similar to other diseases, determining the diagnosis requires attention. A patient who comes to a neurologist with complaints of neck pain and dizziness will have to go through several stages before developing complex therapy for him.

Investigate

At the first visit with the neurologist, an initial examination of the patient will be performed. The doctor's task is to determine the diagnosis, possible causes of the onset and development of the disease, and to rule out other diseases with similar symptoms.

Experts during the inspection process:

• Listen to health complaints. Clarify symptoms, frequency, intensity. Try to determine what triggered the attack.
• Clarify details of prehistory,will determine the characteristics of the patient's daily life and the presence of comorbidities.
• Check reflex activity,focuses on people whose work is affected by nerve endings located in the neck.
• Test muscle strength and sensitivity,will identify areas that are numb or tend to contract or relax excessively.
• Will proceedcheck the vestibular apparatus,this is also affected by the development of osteoarthritis.

During this process, your doctor will check the condition of your muscles. Their thinness or swelling indicates problems with nerve sensitivity. Another important symptom is pain and dizziness when turning or tilting the head.

Laboratory diagnosis

It is possible to prescribe a treatment regimen that does not fail in the process of exacerbation of cervical spondylosis and provides effective support only by identifying the cause of destruction of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs. And for this, additional research is carried out in the laboratory.

To understand the development of the disease, several studies are carried out:

1. Total and ionized calcium.
2. Osteocalcin and Osteoprotegerin– substance – a sign that bones are gradually being destroyed and cartilage tissue is becoming thinner. If their amount in the blood is higher than normal, the disease will continue to develop.
3. Creatine kinase- a sign of muscle tissue damage. If osteonecrosis has provoked the development of myositis and seriously threatens the muscles, this indicator in the blood will also increase.
4. Research on trace elements and vitaminsis performed to determine which trace elements and vitamins are necessary for metabolism and tissue repair that are missing in the patient's body.

Study musical instruments

After finding out the rate of development and the cause of cartilage disease, the doctor must determine the condition of the hospitalized patient.

For this purpose, hardware studies of the spine and intervertebral discs are performed:

• X-ray.Shows severe changes in bone structure, new deformities and tumors appear.
• Magnetic resonance imagingEvaluate the condition of nerve roots, bulging discs, vertebral deviations, and small tumors.
• Ultrasound of cervical blood vesselsBlood vessels are taken to determine their durability, and thus their ability to supply the brain with the necessary oxygen and nutrients.

• Electroencephalography.An electric current flows through the nervous system, which causes discomfort but shows the degree of transmission of nerve impulses and their speed of transmission to the muscles, as well as the degree of damage.

There are many tips on how to get rid of cervical spondylosis forever, quickly relieve pain, eliminate dizziness and fight debilitating attacks at home. But it must be understood that this is a serious disease that develops individually and therefore the treatment regimen must be chosen by a specialist. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, without wasting time on traditional methods, you should contact the clinic.

Treatment

Most people diagnosed with "neck cartilage" think about how to cure the degenerative disease, whether it is possible to treat it and whether it is possible to forget about neck pain forever if you follow it. doctor's advice. many doctors. The answer depends on the stage.

In the first and second stages, there are methods that allow treating cervical spondylosis in men and women to bring good results to the neck area at home.

The doctor's goal is to relieve pain, prevent further destruction of cartilage and bone tissue, and try to rehabilitate the discs to restore mobility, if possible. To solve this problem, complex therapy is always used, but sometimes surgical intervention is added to conservative treatment methods.

Treatment medicine

Very often, men and women, when faced with an exacerbation of inflammation due to cervical spondylosis, choose to treat it at home using strong painkillers, but if the neck pain returnsWhat should I do, what treatment will be effective? The only correct answer is to appoint a neurologist.

When cartilage disease becomes more severe, it is important not only to eliminate the symptoms, but also to treat the cause that caused them, and therefore the scope of drug use is not limited to pain relievers.To treat cervical osteochondrosis, the following are used:

1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,Helps relieve pain and reduce tissue inflammation at the site of compressed nerve endings.
2. Local gels and ointments,should be prescribed by a doctor as not all are compatible with oral medications.
3. Muscle relaxantswill allow you to relax spasmed muscles and release pinched nerves and arteries, getting rid of stiffness, pain and dizziness.
4. ChondroprotectorsUsed to prevent the destruction and recovery of cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc, preventing the occurrence of hernia.
5. Vitamin complexused to improve tissue nutrition, accelerate their recovery and enhance the effect of drugs, allowing the use of smaller doses.

If the patient is admitted to the hospital in unbearable pain, blockade with hormonal analgesics is used.

Non-drug treatment

Another method that is rated excellent by men and women and is often used in the treatment of cervical spondylosis and shoulder girdle at home is physiotherapy, but how and by what method of treatment depends on the patient. must be decided by the doctor. At the end of the day, there is no universal physical therapy method that works for everyone. A set of effective methods is selected specifically for each patient.

The most effective are considered:

• Electrophoresis with painkillers.
• Physical therapy. The set of exercises and their complexity vary depending on the stage of development of osteoarthritis.
• Massage and self-massage.
• Magnetic therapy.

Surgery to treat osteoarthritis

At certain stages of the development of cervical spondylosis, the drugs prescribed to relieve pain in the neck and back do not help, in which case you can take stronger drugs or taketo a radical but effective method - surgery. Surgery is indicated for patients with irreversible changes in the spinal structure. At the same time, collapsed vertebrae, fusions, herniations and tumors appear, threatening human life and reducing quality of life.

The surgeon will be able to remove bone growths, hernias, tumors, and pinched nerve endings. After such an intervention, the patient will undergo rehabilitation, during which it is necessary to comply with the doctor's recommendations, otherwise even the surgery will not bring the desired effect.

How to treat cervical cartilage disease at home or in the hospital, what to do to relieve neck and shoulder pain, stop dizziness and reduce spondylitis, what is beneficial and what will harm, the doctor must decide. By using other methods and means, you endanger your health, because with such a disease, therapy needs to be built taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient.

Prevent

In order not to know how to treat cervical spondylosis, you should think about prevention first. The disease is often hereditary, but following recommendations will prevent the disease from developing or stop it in its early stages.

Traditional preventive measures for diseases of the spine:

1. Ensure healthy physical activity. Exercise gently 2-3 times a week. It is worth choosing a sport aimed at strengthening muscles. Swimming, yoga, Pilates, cycling, and skating are all suitable. In this case, the load should not be too heavy.
2. Be active every day even when working sedentary. To do this, just exercise and go for a walk.
3. Monitor your posture, not only when walking but also when working.
4. An ergonomic workplace, which has a space that attracts attention so that the neck is not in a tense state.
5. Avoid lifting heavy objects and exercising excessively.
6. Provide a comfortable sleeping place with orthopedic mattresses and pillows for healthy sleep and complete rest.
7. Give up bad habits, because alcohol, nicotine and drugs have an extremely negative effect on joints, bones and blood vessels.
8. Change your diet. It is necessary to reduce the amount of salt, spices, sugar and flour consumed in the daily menu. Avoid fast food, especially those cooked in oil, soft drinks and fruit juices.
9. Prepare a menu taking into account the need for trace elements and vitamins. Pay attention to vegetables and fruits, lean fish and meat.
10. Drink clean water in sufficient quantity.
11. Every few months, perform a maintenance massage. Massage yourself regularly if you feel tired in the shoulder area.

If, despite all efforts to maintain health, cervical spondylosis still appears, then only a doctor can determine how long the disease will be treated after a thorough diagnosis. However, to prevent recurrent exacerbations, a person with such a diagnosis will have to remember the rules of healthy living throughout his life.