Worsening of cervical osteoporosis occurs after remission. The pathology develops in a chronic form. It is impossible to completely cope with osteochondrosis.
The disease develops due to an inadequate lifestyle, alcohol consumption and nutritional problems.
Intervertebral discs reduce pressure on the vertebrae, but over the years the cartilage tissue wears down due to poor lifestyle choices. Regenerating cartilage tissue is not easy.
Reasons
Let's figure out what causes the symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Some signs appear due to deformation of the vertebrae, osteophytes appear.
- The position of the vertebrae in relation to each other changes, arteries are compressed and blood flow to the nervous system worsens.
- The appearance of complications due to the displacement of the intervertebral discs also causes pain in the nerve endings.
- When the nerves in the cervical spine are pinched, radiation syndrome occurs.
- Constant over-tension of the muscle tissue in the neck at a computer or car.
How does cervical osteoporosis get worse?
In the neck area, the size of the vertebrae is small. Worsening of cervical osteoporosis is manifested by specific symptoms. Therefore, when the first symptoms appear, you need to contact a specialist.The main problem is that patients do not notice the symptoms of the disease.
First degree
To begin with, small cracks appear on the plates. The elasticity of the cartilage tissue decreases and pain occurs in the neck if you do not change position for a long time.
Second degree
Severe pain in the neck indicates the beginning of the second stage. Pain worsens due to deformation of the intervertebral disc, dislocations appear.In rare cases, numbness occurs in the hands and face.
At the end of the day, the patient feels a pain in the neck that runs further down the spine.
Exacerbation occurs with the drop head syndrome, where unbearable pain occurs, the head cannot be held up, it needs to be fixed with pillows or hands to reduce the symptoms.
Third degree
The third stage of the disease is clearly manifested, the cause of unpleasant symptoms cannot be attributed to excessive stress after physical exertion. In the third stage, the patient begins to feel nausea, dizziness, tinnitus and often faints. Acute osteochondrosis is characterized by numbness in the throat and tinnitus.
Sometimes the symptoms of the disease disappear, but return with worsening after some time. New signs appear and the pain gets stronger.
How to behave during an exacerbation?
During an exacerbation, you should not rub warming ointments on the throat or massage a large area. If you experience symptoms of cervical osteoporosis, 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 stretching. The attack does not go away on its own. You need to call a doctor to give painkillers and then make an appointment with a specialist. Many people have painkillers in their medicine cabinet at home. You can take these medicines so you don't have to call an ambulance.
First aid and treatment
Treatment is carried out by a specialist:
- Before the doctor comes, you need to move as little as possible.
- Sit comfortably on the bed, do not strain your body.
- Take painkillers.
- Wait for the doctor.
The specialist prescribes antibiotics and drugs to eliminate inflammatory processes. They are essential during exacerbations.
Patients are prescribed chondroprotectors, which change the processes of destruction in the discs and worsen the speed indicators when they occur.
The treatment period with such drugs is long, less than six months. They can prevent the progression of the disease.
Drugs belonging to the class of muscle relaxants also help with osteochondrosis and relieve tension. Diuretics and vasodilators, nootropics and B vitamins are also used.
During an exacerbation, the disease is accompanied by pain, and a procedure called a block is prescribed. An injection of novocaine is made in the area of the deformed vertebra. Symptoms can be quickly relieved. We list non-pharmacological methods: exercise therapy, physical therapy, massage.
It will be possible to reduce the intensity of the symptoms and reduce the aggravation with the help of therapeutic exercises. You need to do exercises daily to strengthen the muscles in your neck and spine. Weakened vertebrae will be better held in place thanks to developed back muscles.
Massage is mandatory, thanks to a full course, muscle tone improves, spasms are eliminated, inflammation is reduced, cerebrospinal fluid is better distributed and blood flow is stabilized. Intervertebral discs stop degenerating.
Other treatments
Thanks to the Shants collar, you can reduce the stress 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 arrange your sleeping area correctly, you need a hard mattress with an orthopedic effect, as well as a pillow that does not bend the neck while resting.
If treatment is carried out when the attack begins and everything is done correctly, the peak of the disease will decrease after some time. If the disease is not treated in time, the attack will subside, but will 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 drugs are used?
When the patient's condition worsens, medication must be used. The aggravation is eliminated with the help of such drugs. Anti-inflammatory or analgesic tablets, ointments for local or external use. Muscle relaxants help eliminate muscle spasms, which are often accompanied by pain.
Vitamin B improves the conduction of nerve impulses through nerve cells. Initially used as an intramuscular injection, patients are then transitioned to tablets.If the disease increases blood pressure, calcium channels are blocked, inhibitors, ACE or combination drugs.
As cervical osteoporosis worsens, its symptoms cause blood flow to the brain. Therapeutic measures include the use of drugs for recovery. To do this, it is advisable to contact a specialist for detailed advice on medication.
When patients experience emotional disturbances, doctors prescribe sedatives, which can be herbal or sedative. When making a choice, experts are often guided by the severity of these symptoms. Spinal blocks using novocaine are used for severe painful symptoms.
Surgery
What to do with the exacerbation of cervical osteomyelitis if the above methods are not effective? It is necessary to undergo an examination, if complications are revealed, the specialist may recommend surgery aimed at reducing compression and stabilizing the position of the vertebrae. Complications arise after such procedures, so they are performed in special cases.
What to do at home?
Doctors do not recommend treating cervical osteoporosis at home during exacerbations without consultation. You can take painkillers, wrap a scarf around your neck and wait for the doctor to come. Depending on the severity of the process, treatment continues at home or in the hospital.
Symptoms of acute osteochondrosis worsen the quality of life, so urgent measures must be taken. Treatment should be carried out according to the diagnosis, the doctor's conclusion and the exclusion of other pathological options.
Exacerbation of cervical osteomyelitis does not occur for a short time; the disease does not go away on its own. Destructive processes in the cervical spine can develop and lead to complex consequences.
Aggravation of pregnancy
The body of pregnant women changes on a 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. These changes have a serious effect on the musculoskeletal system. There is a lot of stress on the spine.
Symptoms in women are the same as in other patients. The difficulty lies in choosing a treatment plan, as when prescribing drugs, their likely effects on the child must be taken into account. When dealing with exacerbations, ointments are used that do not harm the child.
During pregnancy, osteochondrosis relapses in 50% of cases due to changes in the spine.
Painkillers or injections are sometimes prescribed for complex pain. Many pregnant women are treated with alternative methods. Traditional medical recipes are less harmful to the fetus.
Other ways to eliminate aggravation
If it is not possible to visit a doctor, you can use some recipes to relieve the general condition of patients with cervical bone disease. For example, a warm shower helps you relax. A woolen scarf or other clothing made of this material can be wrapped around the neck. Or use herbal compresses on the affected area.
Onions, mint and sage are also used for such purposes. Try making a balm from mumiyo and butter. You can also immobilize the neck so that the spinal cord is not pinched.
Gradual deterioration
If the recurrence of painful symptoms is moderate, you need to see a specialist. The patient can take painkillers and fix the neck with a collar, but only a specialist can choose the appropriate treatment method.
During exacerbationcervical osteoporosisforbidden:
- Place a heating pad on your neck. Blood rushes to the problem area, inflammation will worsen and the pain will be stronger.
- The cervical area should not be massaged so as not to worsen its condition.
Manual treatment will be useful in such situations. A skilled professional can realign the vertebrae so that no pressure is placed on the nerve.
Treatment measures
The main condition for a successful outcome of the disease is complex treatment. Treatment measures include the use of injections, tablets, ointments, special patches and physical therapy.
Medicines
Drug therapy aims to relieve pain, which is very noticeable in the acute period. Prescribed medicines such as:
- Painkillers. They try to inject themselves with anesthesia before the ambulance arrives, as it can be very difficult for the patient to bear the pain. If a person suffers from osteoporosis in the cervical spine, they always have painkillers in stock.
- Muscle relaxants. Their action is to reduce spasms in the skeletal muscles of the cervical vertebrae.
- Nonsteroidal 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 vitamins B are used. They help to restore nerve tissue damaged by pathological changes in the intervertebral part of the cervical spine.
- Means for local treatment. To alleviate the patient's condition, ointments and gels with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects are prescribed. They are a complementary treatment method and are prescribed to increase the effect of injectable drugs. In addition, special patches impregnated with drugs are used. For example, a patch containing diclofenac and lidocaine.
Manual treatment
Manual therapy is a method of treating osteochondrosis, which has proven itself only on the positive side, and has been used for several decades. During this time, new methods have been developed, the use of which helps to relieve the symptoms of the exacerbation of cervical osteomyelitis much faster.
If manual therapy is performed at a very professional level, it has a positive effect on the condition of the muscle tissue, vertebrae and joints of the cervical spine.
The following manual techniques are used:
- Knead muscles on specific parts. This technique helps relieve muscle tension.
- Activation technology. The doctor performs a series of operations because the function of the joint apparatus is restored only in a certain area of the cervical spine.
- Handling technology. The procedure is a set of actions aimed at restoring the entire joint system that has been affected by pathological changes. This method is used both for cervical osteitis and for the treatment of a disease called common osteochondrosis.
If a patient is prescribed manual therapy, he must carefully choose the doctor who will treat him. After all, even small mistakes have serious consequences, including the patient's disability.
Massage
Massage is another method to alleviate the patient's condition during the exacerbation of bone diseases. 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.
Surgery
If the doctor sees that conservative treatment will not give the desired results, he prescribes surgery to the patient. There are various indications that surgery is inevitable.
- Constriction of the spinal canal due to intervertebral disc herniation, resulting in compression of vascular and neural plexuses.
- Displacement of the vertebrae relative to the horizontal axis.
- Intervertebral disc herniation, which can be single or multiple. This pathology is not an absolute indication for surgery if it does not cause associated symptoms. If it was not possible to achieve a positive result after several courses of conservative treatment, then they resort to surgery.
Exercise therapy
Therapeutic exercise is a method used in the follow-up phase. During the acute period, any exercise performed will lead the patient to nothing but increased suffering. But when the attack has been stopped, the inflammatory process is at a decreasing stage, then the prescription of physical therapy will be an assistant.
Thanks to exercise therapy, blood circulation returns to normal and muscles are strengthened. Mobility in the spinal cord improves and stiffness disappears, nerve tissue is restored and pain is reduced.
When prescribing physical therapy, the doctor takes into account factors where it is contraindicated. Exercise therapy should not be used if the patient suffers from cardiovascular disease, benign or malignant tumors, severe visual impairment or diabetes.
Operation
The surgery is done in two stages but in one operation. In the first stage, the neurosurgeon removes the cause of the pain syndrome. This is a compression method.
After this, the vertebrae are stable. The doctor takes into account that after part of the intervertebral disc has been removed, there is a disruption of the spine's joint mechanism.
Therefore, the vertebrae are fixed using a special technique.
In modern orthopedics, artificial intervertebral discs are used, which make it possible to prevent fusion of vertebrae when damaged discs are completely removed.
What can be done at home?
Every patient suffering from cervical osteoporosis should know what to do if it worsens at home. Firstly, it is strictly forbidden to move during an attack. The patient should lie on a flat surface and take a position where the muscles are as little tense as possible.
Give the patient an anesthetic injection. If this is not possible, give the patient a pain reliever in tablet form. In addition, an anti-inflammatory ointment or gel must be applied to the neck area. The emergency physician will tell you what to do next.
The period of exacerbation of osteochondrosis: first aid at home
Treatment of spinal disorders should only be entrusted to an experienced physician. And yet there are situations where pain appears suddenly and restrains the patient's body. Acute exacerbations may occur, for example, if a herniated disc is suspected. 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 they are in a lot of pain, you should not try to straighten them. It is better to put it in the same position on a flat surface;
- give him painkillers to drink. This could be analgin, diclofenac or ibuprofen;
- call an ambulance.
The emergency physician will decide how to relieve the pain symptoms, whether hospitalization is necessary or whether treatment can be continued at home.
First aid for a patient
Acute osteochondrosis causes severe 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 more complications. However, you should not endure the pain until it comes. First aid can be given to a patient:
- To begin with, you should limit the mobility of the cervical spine as much as possible, it is better to go to sleep.
- If painful osteochondrosis of the cervical spine causes a lot of pain, then it can be relieved with the help of drugs. If the discomfort is very severe, these drugs may not help.
- The neck muscles should be relaxed so that the spasm goes away as soon 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 help to deal with it faster.
Many people are interested in the question of how long the exacerbation of cervical osteomyelitis lasts. Each person goes through this phase differently. If the treatment for an attack was started on time and the drugs proved to be effective, then its duration does not exceed a few days. Otherwise, discomfort will accompany the patient for several weeks.
How long the exacerbation period will be depends on the characteristics of the human body, as well as the speed of the development of the disease. If the treatment of the pathology is started late, this condition will recur.
Aggravation of pregnancy
Aggravation of diseases during pregnancy is always undesirable. This causes suffering to the expectant mother and her child, but apart from this, it is difficult to apply therapeutic measures due to contraindications to taking medicine. Physiotherapy should not be prescribed for pregnant women.
Of the drugs 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 that require minimal movement are chosen. Yoga technique is preferred.
Traditional medicines for severe back pain: effective recipes
The use of traditional methods only has a positive effect in combination with drug therapy. You can eliminate the pain and discomfort of cervical osteoporosis by using horseradish leaves.
You have to put them on the sore spot, fix them with a bandage and tape and leave them overnight. Cosmetic clay mixed with water has worked well as a compress.
Our grandmothers treated all types of bone diseases using poultices made from grated raw potatoes mixed with honey. This mixture was applied to the affected area, covered well and left for several hours or overnight. Peppermint oil tincture is great for massaging.
How to reduce recurrence rates
If the disease can get worse, the person already has a large number of medications beforehand that can relieve the pain. However, without eliminating the cause, treatment will not be effective.
In addition, unpleasant feelings can return and with a vengeance. With the exacerbation of cervical osteomyelitis, 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:
- A visit to the massage room. Of course, the specialist must be experienced and skilled, so that the deterioration of osteoporosis in the cervical spine does not worsen. Massage sessions allow you to develop the cervical spine, increase its function and mobility. At the same time, both hard and soft tissues receive better nutrition as blood circulation is normal.
- Exercising. This is necessary to strengthen the muscle corset in the upper back.
- It is advisable to go for walks every day before you go to sleep. This will allow you to get a good night's rest. It is better to avoid heavy sports, jumping and other exercises that involve heavy loads or sudden movements.
- If a person spends a lot of time in a static sitting position, they need to get up from time to time and warm up. When doing sedentary work, it is better to change your posture every quarter of an hour.
- Swimming is an excellent preventive measure for spinal problems. It not only relaxes the muscles, allowing you to relieve cramps, but also strengthens them at the same time.
- For a night's sleep, it is better to choose an orthopedic mattress that maintains the correct posture throughout the night, no matter how it turns.
- For prevention, you can also use alternative methods, for example, acupuncture. Of course, you cannot do this yourself, and you should not trust your health to the first "master" you come across either. The operation must be performed by an experienced specialist.
Prevention
To prevent the worsening of the disease, it is recommended to follow a few rules:
- Watch your posture.
- Avoid straining your muscles while working on 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, take a break to warm up.
- You need to sleep on a flat surface; sagging armored beds are contraindicated for patients with bone disease.