Cervical osteochondrosis: exacerbation, symptoms and treatment

26 August 2020

Cervical osteochondrosis is a chronic degenerative dystrophic pathology. If left untreated, it will develop rapidly and cause symptoms to worsen. During the course of the disease, the remission phase is replaced by relapse, in which the person is seriously deteriorating. He suffers from severe, sharp, tingling, cervical stiffness, dizziness, sudden increase in blood pressure and headache. Insufficient intake of painkillers accompanied by cervical chondrosis. It is necessary to take action on the causes of clinical manifestations-muscle spasms, displacement of intervertebral discs and vertebrae, compression of muscle roots and blood vessels by bone growth.

After the diagnosis, the vertebral surgeon will develop a treatment plan. In order to transfer cervical osteochondrosis to a stable remission period, it is necessary to use various clinical and pharmacological drugs, physical therapy procedures, and save therapeutic exercises.

Relapse Reason

Important notice! The doctor was shocked: "There are effective and affordable drugs for treating osteochondrosis. . . " read more. . .

In most cases, there are no symptoms until cervical osteochondrosis worsens. People feel good, engage in daily activities, and plan things for the near future. Suddenly sharp piercing In order to eliminate the pain, it is urgent to adopt a comfortable horizontal posture. This allows you to briefly reduce the severity of the pain syndrome before seeking medical attention. Only in 15-20% of cases, the patient will feel discomfort before the disease gets worse-soreness, strain, "chicken skin bump", and sometimes numbness in the neck, shoulders and forearms. As the blood circulation in the cervical spine and brain has deteriorated, weakness, apathy, mental and physical manifestations appear.

Head and neck pain or cervical back pain occurs within hours or days. A person experiences such severe pain that one of the questions he is interested in when he sees a doctor becomes the possibility of preventing recurrence. To prevent the condition from worsening cervical osteochondrosis, you need to know the reason for its appearance:

has been in a stressful environment for a long time. Even people who experience daily conflicts every day often suffer from various chronic diseases, including musculoskeletal diseases. Negative emotions negatively affect the function of all important systems. Patients with cervical osteochondrosis can cause muscle cramps, circulatory disorders in the brain, neck and back of the head;
Continuous static and dynamic loads. Prolonged use of computers, typewriters and microscopes will cause the blood supply of oxygen, nutrients and biologically active substances in cartilage tissue to decrease. Accompanied by osteochondrosis 2, the severity is 3 degrees, a few hours is enough to relapse. Sleeping in an uncomfortable position on a mattress or pillow that is too soft can also cause this condition;
The twitching movement of the neck. Unexpected sharp rotation or tilt of the head can cause the disc and vertebrae to shift, and bone growth can cause nerve roots or blood vessels to be compressed;
The body temperature is too low and the climate zone changes drastically. Chiropractors note that in most cases, patients with worsening osteochondrosis will turn to them in the fall or spring. During the off-season, recurrence will cause the temperature to drop. It occurs in autumn due to natural reasons, and in spring-due to the desire to quickly get rid of warm and heavy clothes;
Respiratory, intestinal, genitourinary tract infections, any aggravation of chronic diseases. In this case, the sharp decline in immunity becomes the cause of recurrence of cervical pathology.

In addition, inappropriate massage, weight lifting and excessive physical exercise can exacerbate rickets. Recurring episodes are usually caused by non-compliance with medical advice regarding nutrition, drinking, and drugs.

Clinical manifestations

The treatment of cervical or cervical thoracolumbar osteochondrosis depends on the severity of its symptoms. When a small amount of cartilage tissue is damaged, they are not so strong in the pathology of degree 1 and degree 2. For osteochondrosis in 3 or 4 stages, acute clinical manifestations are characteristic and are immediately caused by several negative factors. Cartilage intervertebral discs lose their cushioning properties, and the distance between the vertebrae is significantly reduced. Therefore, with the rapid displacement of the vertebrae, nerves and blood vessels can be squeezed at the same time. During treatment, the chiropractor should consider the following symptoms to make cervical spine osteochondrosis worse:

Shooting, stitching, pain, stretching pain in the neck, arm, arm or chest area;
Irradiate the back pain of the head, arms, forearms, shoulders, chest;
Persistent or paroxysmal pain syndrome;
The pain worsens during exercise, shoulder rotation, and arm elevation.

Neck and shoulder pain is one of the signs of worsening pathology.

When examining the patient, the vertebral orthopedist will find signs of muscle cramps, soreness of paravertebral points, exercise stiffness and physiological lordosis. The unnatural posture of the human body can also make people suspect that the condition is aggravated. He pulled his neck up, turning his whole body to the side to relieve the pain. Moderate and highly severe osteochondrosis is due to the structure of sensitivity, exercise, and nutrition. For example, when squeezing the root of the spinal cord, it will produce a "peristaltic" sensation, and the skin and occipital area of the forearm will lose sensitivity, become pale and feel cool to the touch. The patient complained of arm weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vision and/or hearing loss.

Visual impairment is almost always accompanied by deterioration of cervical osteochondrosis.

The recurrence of cervical osteochondrosis is manifested as emotional instability, insomnia, arterial hypertension, and sometimes even syncope-transient syncope caused by sudden movement of the neck.

Relapse first aid

The pain that occurs during the relapse is so severe that a person just freezes in place, afraid of unnecessary exercise. It should be soothed, preferably on a hard surface. Place a flat pillow or folding pillow under your back. The blanket makes the patient feel comfortable and reduces the intensity of the pain syndrome.

The ambulance team must now be called. The fact is that in some cases, as osteochondrosis worsens, a person cannot swallow pills. The doctor who calls will inject painkillers by intramuscular injection or sedatives. Intravenous injection. If necessary, they also use methods to restore cerebral circulation or be hospitalized in the hospital for further treatment.

Patient transported to hospital

The patient should feel better when the ambulance is on the road. How to relieve the exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis:

If swallowing function is retained, use anesthetics;
A pain-relieving gel can help relieve pain;
The patient is not allowed to stand up and bend over because his coordination of movements may be impaired.

It is strictly forbidden to self-medicate before the doctor arrives-use warming agents and massage the neck to relieve muscle cramps. If the onset of osteochondrosis is accompanied by an inflammatory process in the paravertebral structure, then such an event will provoke the development of irreversible complications.

Treatment of acute osteochondrosis

The treatment of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis begins with the elimination of the main symptoms-acute puncture pain. Chiropractors can prescribe intramuscular administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

In practice, hormone drugs are used in combination with drugs. A solution of glucocorticoids is injected into the vertebrae or strangulated spinal root area along with anesthetics. After the severe pain is eliminated, continue to use tablets or topical agents for treatment.

How to continue the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home:

Take NSAIDs tablets, capsules, and pills for 5-7 days. The drug must be used in combination with a proton pump inhibitor to prevent gastric mucosal ulcers. If you ignore this suggestion, you must treat hyperacidity gastritis when osteochondrosis occurs after cupping;
Use warming agent. After the inflammation stops, about the third day of treatment, the doctor will prescribe drugs with a warming effect to improve blood circulation and stimulate regeneration. Rub a small amount 1-3 once a day. Transdermal products such as pepper can help relieve pain.
Intake of muscle relaxants or parenteral administration. They have analgesic effects by eliminating muscle spasms that are usually caused by compression of nerve endings.

The vertebralologist decides what is the relationship between

and the worsening of cervical spine osteochondrosis, what medications or medical procedures should be taken. If the patient has not used chondroprotective agents before recurrence, drugs that stimulate cartilage tissue recovery must be started from the first day of treatment. In order to speed up the recovery of all functions of the cervical spine, intramuscular injection of chondroprotective agents will be allowed.

The use of B vitamins will significantly accelerate the recovery of patients. Pyridol, thiamine, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, riboflavin can improve the innervation of the damaged intervertebral disc and vertebral area, stabilize the central and nutritional nervous system

Non-drug therapy

During the 3-4 days of treatment, the patient was told to stay in bed. Any dynamic loads on all parts of the spine are not included. In a few hours or throughout the day, patients are advised to wear a Shants collar and keep the height at the discretion of the doctor.

The use of orthopedic equipment can help reduce the load on the cervical vertebrae and prevent aggravation of pain.

Shants collar fixes the cervical spine.

The nutrition of cervical osteochondrosis during exacerbation should be scattered-5-6 times a day. It is necessary to exclude high salt or high spice foods from the diet. Their use can cause water retention in the body and increase edema. Nutritionists recommend eating more fruits, grains, and fresh vegetable salads.

In severe relapses, the innervation of certain parts of the body is disturbed due to nerve damage. Compression of the spinal cord becomes the cause of conduction disorders-paresis of the hands and tetraplegia, dysfunction of internal organs. Therefore, doctors strongly recommend not to eliminate the deterioration of cervical osteochondrosis alone, so as not to overwhelm the pain with the pills. Only adequate treatment can avoid the dangerous consequences of chronic disease recurrence. Pathology

How to forget arthralgia and osteochondrosis?

Joint pain will limit your movement and fulfill your life. . .
You worry about discomfort, crunching, and systemic pain. . .
You may have tried a bunch of medicines, creams and ointments. . .
But from the fact that you are reading these lines, they are not very helpful. . .

The term "osteochondrosis" refers to a destructive process that occurs in one or another part of the human musculoskeletal system.

In some patients, this disease can affect the joints of the limbs, but the possibility of osteochondrosis is as high as 95%, and it is located in any part of the spine.

The spine is the main axis of the human body, performs many important functions, and is an almost irreplaceable element in the musculoskeletal system.

Structural damage in any part of the spine may cause irreversible consequences and severely deteriorate the patient’s quality of life.

Spine osteochondrosis affects one of three parts: cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine, and can also be divided into several parts.

Each spine disease has its own course characteristics and individual symptoms, as well as some subtle differences in the treatment of osteochondrosis.

How does cervical osteochondrosis proceed?

According to the changes in the spine structure, the patient’s main complaint and treatment methods, cervical osteochondrosis is divided into three courses.

Phase 1

Inflammation of the cervical spine

There are few clinical manifestations at this level. Some patients complain:

Repeated headaches;
Neck and occipital discomfort

The changes that occur at this stage of the disease will affect certain vertebrae and intervertebral discs, the elasticity of the annulus is reduced, and there will be slight compression of the spinal nerve roots

Phase 2

The degeneration of the spine structure progresses more clearly. The intervertebral discs actually cannot perform their functions, putting pressure on nerve processes and blood vessels, which can lead to disease symptoms.

Patients reported frequent headaches, dizziness, and decreased performance. At this stage, most calls for qualified medical care are occurring, but some spinal injuries are already irreversible.

Phase 3

Cervical osteochondrosis reached its peak. Large area lesions of bones and ligaments

Good clinical presentation:

Severe headache;
Nausea, lack of coordination;
Sleep problems;
Visual and Hearing Impairments

Osteochondrosis is a chronic disease characterized by alternating (calm) stages of exacerbation and remission.

The deterioration of the disease is a stage of chronic disease in which the symptoms of the disease are shown and the patient's health condition deteriorates.

Remission stage refers to a period of time after treatment or on its own. It is characterized by insignificant course of disease and no obvious clinical manifestations.

Reduced the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the second and third stages to minimize the severity of the disease and prolong the remission period.

to content↑

Cervical osteochondrosis worsens

Effective treatment, physical therapy, gymnastics, proper nutrition and lifestyle help the body fight osteochondrosis, and can increase the time to relieve the disease.

A variety of reasons can cause the sudden deterioration of cervical osteochondrosis, leading to the recurrence of disease symptoms.

Related videos:

The frequency, duration and intensity of the deterioration are individual and depend on the cause of the disease, the availability of treatment, the personal characteristics of the organism, its compensatory and adaptability.

Reasons for aggravation

Spine degeneration leads to cervical osteochondrosis

It is quite difficult to perform laboratory tests to reliably determine the factors that cause the symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis.

The reason list is based on the long-term observation of the patient by orthopedic physicians and neuropathologists. After thorough analysis of the possible predisposing factors, the patient noticed a decrease in happiness.

The cause of the aggravation may be endogenous, or it may be endogenous-caused by internal or external influences.

Endogenous causes include progressive degeneration of the spine and weakened compensatory and adaptive body.

Among the external factors, the following are most likely to cause the deterioration of cervical osteochondrosis:

Insufficient load on the spine or changes in main posture (lifting weights, performing strength exercises, changing activity types);
Stress, nerve concussion;
A course or course of treatment performed by an incompetent person;
Seasonal (showing a large number of episodes of cervical spine disease in the fall);
Hormonal shocks (menstruation, pregnancy, menopause);
Diseases that weaken the body (respiratory viral infections, infectious diseases, and other chronic diseases aggravated);
Gain weight quickly

How to determine that osteochondrosis has worsened?
Discomfort in the neck and head, and deterioration in general health testify to the deterioration of the disease.
Sometimes, the exacerbation phase begins at lightning speed, with severe head pain.
In 70% of cases, the rapid deterioration of cervical osteochondrosis can be predicted: the patient notices heavy or dull pain at the back of the neck, and the discomfort in the morning increases.
The existence of predisposing factors based on the symptoms of the disease confirms the statement about the deterioration of cervical osteochondrosis.

Various symptoms during exacerbation

The symptoms that appear during the exacerbation of chronic spine diseases are basically the same as the general symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis.

The most common symptom of aggravation is pain

Intensity, nature and position vary: pain in the back of the neck or one of its parts, occipital headache, parietal tubercle, clavicle, shoulder pain.

The dangerous manifestations of pain may be symptoms similar to myocardial infarction:

Shoulder the bone pain;
Chest pain;
Left limb pain

Some patients only report pain when the head or arm is moving in the shoulder joint.

The deterioration of chronic cervical osteochondrosis can cause many neurological symptoms. If present, the patient must be carefully examinedto rule out more serious lesions:

Sleep, concentration, memory disorders;
Loss of coordination, loss of balance, fainting;
There is a sensation of flies in front of my eyes, goose s, buzzing ears;
Dizziness;
Nausea and vomiting;
Violation of regulations;
Decrease or increase the sensitivity of arms, shoulder blades, and neck.

The existence of these symptoms cannot be ignored. The impact of cervical osteochondrosis on the blood vessels supplying the brain may lead to the most dangerous complication of cervical osteochondrosis-stroke.

How long does the aggravation last?

The duration of the exacerbation period may vary from season to season (in the cool season, the activation of osteochondrosis may take longer and more painful time), which is the cause of the recovery of the symptoms of spinal disease. The characteristics and treatment methods provided

Experts say the following time periodThe stage of deterioration of cervical osteochondrosis:

Severe symptoms-up to 1 week, more frequent-4-5 days;
Relieve some discomfort in the affected area, headache-up to 3 weeks after remission of severe attacks;
Under normal circumstances, acute attacks are standard-about 1-1. 5 months.

Exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis during pregnancy

The body of pregnant women undergoes complex physiological changes, hormones surge, the center of gravity is completely redistributed, and the absorption and assimilation of minerals and nutrients change.

These rearrangements can have a serious impact on the musculoskeletal system, and the spine is under tremendous pressure.

Pregnant women with a history of cervical osteochondrosis and other diseases will relapse in 50% of the cases. This is due to the changes experienced by the spine.

The symptoms of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis in pregnant women are the same as all other patients.

The difficulty lies in the choice of treatment plan, because when prescribing the drug, it is necessary to consider the possible effect of the drug on the fetus.

In order to reduce the aggravation of pregnant women, ointments that do not penetrate the baby should be selected. In rare cases, if severe pain occurs, complex anesthetics or injections should be prescribed.

Many pregnant women use non-traditional methods of treatment and traditional medicine recipes that are gentler to the fetus.

What should I do if my condition worsens?

If you have symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, please do not postpone visiting an orthopedic doctor or neurologist.

Only an expert can comprehensively evaluate the patient’s condition, the reasons for the aggravation of the disease and prescribe correct, safe and effective treatment methods.

Before going to the doctor, please try to avoid putting pressure on the sick spine.

In the absence of chronic gastrointestinal diseases or personal intolerance, you can take analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Deterioration of cervical osteochondrosisProhibition:

Use hot compress or other methods to heat the neck or back of the head in a bath;
Receive a massage;
self-healing

Treatment of acute cervical osteochondrosis

Medicinal treatment for aggravating cervical chondrosis aims to eliminate the symptoms of the disease and restore the patient's health and work ability as soon as possible.

The table below shows the main methods of treating cervical spine diseases, and points out the most commonly used drugs.

Please consult your doctor before using any of the drugs on the list.

drug group	Target target
Analgesics/NSAIDs	Relieve pain and reduce inflammation in the affected area
Muscle relaxants	Relieve muscle cramps
Diuretics	Reduce swelling of the inflamed spine and reduce nerve root pressure
Cartilage protector	Reconstruction of spine structure
Vitamins	Improve metabolism, chemical reactions
Nootropics	Restore the conduction of nerve impulses along the nerve process

Visiting qualified osteopaths in the acute phase will "release" the constrained neurological process and relieve certain symptoms of the disease.

How else can you relieve the deterioration of the condition at home

If you are currently unable to see a doctor, there are several ways to slightly relieve the condition of patients with cervical osteochondrosis before providing medical care:

Take a warm, relaxing shower;
Roll up the neck with natural wool clothing;
Apply the herbal compress to the affected area. For this, please use onion, sage, mint;
Make butter and mummy ointment 1: 1.