How to treat osteochondrosis

Unfortunately, osteochondrosis is already a common phenomenon in people over 30 years old. Degenerative-dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs and bones of the spine most often occur due to a passive lifestyle, malnutrition, extra pounds, heavy physical labor, etc. The disease is manifested by severe symptoms in stages 2-4, when the structure of cartilage tissue is completely restored will no longer function. Complications of osteochondrosis (protrusions, herniated discs, osteophytes, etc. ) can lead to reduced quality of life, disability.

Prompt treatment of osteochondrosis increases a person's chances of leading a full life. It is recommended to start treatment in the early stages of its development. To stop the development of pathology and improve the general state of health, it is necessary to take a whole series of measures: drugs, exercise therapy, physiotherapy, manual exposure. Surgical treatment is performed only in advanced cases, when complications are already present.

Characteristics of the disease

Osteochondrosis of the back begins with the destruction of the intervertebral discs. Under the influence of negative factors, the discs compress the cartilaginous mucosa, violating the integrity of its outer shell. The height of the disc decreases, it gradually collapses, then the pathology spreads to the tissues of the vertebrae.

Many factors influence the development of osteochondrosis of the spine:

• Prolonged sitting in the wrong position.
• Passive lifestyle.
• Overweight.
• Heavy physical work.
• Back injury.
• Frequent nervous disorders.
• Bad nutrition.
• Hypothermia.
• hereditary predisposition.
• Wearing high-heeled shoes, pregnancy in women, etc.

Reference. At stages 1-2, osteochondrosis can still be cured.

Doctors distinguish 4 stages of osteochondrosis:

• Grade 1 - cracks appear on the fibrous ring, the height of the disc decreases. There is discomfort in the affected area, the back gets tired faster.
• Grade 2 - the height of the disc continues to decrease, muscles, ligaments sag, mobility of the vertebrae increases. There is pain, especially after physical exertion.
• Grade 3 - the discs are slightly displaced, protrusions appear, the risk of subluxations or arthrosis of the joints of the spine increases. A pronounced pain syndrome appears, mobility is limited, sensitivity is impaired in the damaged area.
• Grade 4 - osteophytes appear on the vertebrae, so the body stabilizes the spine. The bony growths compress the nerves, injure the vertebrae and increase the risk of fibrous ankylosis (fusion of the joints of the spine).

Important. Osteochondrosis can affect the cervical, thoracic and lumbar segments of the spine.

The disease of the cervical region is manifested by pain in the neck, upper limbs, headaches (headaches). In addition, dizziness, hearing and visual disturbances, etc. can occur.

Thoracic osteochondrosis is easily confused with heart disease, since the pain syndrome is localized in the chest area.

Symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis - aching pain, limited mobility, body aches, impaired sensitivity of the lower body.

The clinical picture of osteochondrosis is diverse, so you should not make a diagnosis yourself. See a doctor if you have suspicious symptoms.

The scheme of treatment for osteochondrosis

In most cases, when detecting osteochondrosis, conservative methods are used. It is important to conduct a comprehensive treatment to get rid of pain, normalize the functionality of the spine and prevent complications.

The treatment regimen for osteochondrosis is as follows:

• Limitation of physical activity.
• To take pills.
• Physiotherapy procedures.
• Physiotherapy.
• Massage.
• Manual therapy.
• Stretching the spine.

It is possible to cure osteochondrosis only by combining the above methods. The treatment plan for each patient is drawn up separately by a doctor, taking into account the degree of the disease, age and characteristics of the organism.

Effective treatment will help get rid of the symptoms of osteochondrosis in 1-3 months. Then maintenance therapy is carried out for 12 months. This will help consolidate the results, prevent relapses.

It is possible to treat chondrosis of the back (stage 1 of osteochondrosis) without medication. The patient can perform physiotherapy exercises, reduce the load on the damaged area of the back, use applicators (Lyapko roller, Kuznetsov iplicator), improve nutrition, give up bad habits.

Medications

It is treated with drugs recommended for exacerbation of osteochondrosis. Medicines will help relieve pain, inflammation, improve blood circulation in the affected area and normalize motor activity.

With osteochondrosis, the following drugs are used:

• NSAIDs relieve pain and inflammation.
• Drugs with a vasodilating effect. They are used due to muscle tension, blood vessels narrow to expand their lumen and improve blood circulation.
• Muscle relaxants relax spastic muscles, normalize blood flow, relieve pain, improve mobility and speed tissue repair.
• Chondroprotectors stop the destruction of the cartilaginous mucosa.
• Psycholeptics based on plants or synthetic components soothe or reduce emotional stress without causing a hypnotic effect.
• Preparations based on B vitamins accelerate the recovery of damaged nerve fibers.

All of these drugs help with chronic osteochondrosis, only they can be taken for medical reasons.

Non-narcotic opioid analgesics are used to relieve severe pain during the acute period of illness. Glucocorticoids are used for the same purpose. However, these drugs negatively affect the body, so they can be taken as a last resort.

In addition to tablets and injections, during exacerbation of osteochondrosis, creams and gels with a locally irritating and warming effect are used.

Physiotherapy

Complex therapy of osteochondrosis is always supplemented with therapeutic exercises. However, exercises for different parts of the spine are different.

In order not to overload the neck, other muscle groups should also be involved during classes. The training begins with a warm-up and ends with relaxation exercises.

Complex for cervical osteochondrosis:

• Lie on your back, raise your head, stare for 5-7 seconds.
• Do not change the starting position (IP), put your hands on your shoulders, turn your elbows in different directions.
• IP is the same, alternately raise your hands above your head, tearing off one, then the second shoulder blade from the floor.
• Press the back of your head on the floor, stare for 4 seconds.
• Connect the shoulder blades, linger for 5 seconds.
• Roll to the side, lean your head on your hands, lift your free limb with your head, stare for 4 seconds. Repeat for the other side.
• Lie on your stomach, place your hands on the back of your head, raise your head, stare for 4 seconds.

If you experience severe pain and dizziness, stop exercising and see a doctor.

Reference. Thoracic osteochondrosis is less common than cervical or lumbar, since it is the least mobile department. In addition, it is strengthened by muscles and ribs.

Exercises for lesions of the thoracic segment of the spine:

• Lie on your back, bend your knees, press them to your chest with your hands, slightly lift your lower back off the floor, contract your abdominal muscles, hold for 5 seconds.
• SP the same, raise your arms, straighten your legs, understand the opposite arm and leg, fix. Repeat the operation for the other members.
• Roll onto your stomach, spread your arms out to the sides. Lift your hands and head off the floor, stare for 3 seconds.
• Get on all fours, raise your head, arch your back while inhaling, lower your head while exhaling, round your back.

Move smoothly, avoid sudden movements.

For the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis, the following exercises are used:

• Lie on your back, alternately pull your knees to your chest.
• Ditto, spread the right arm and leg, then the left limbs.
• Put your hands behind your head, tear it off the floor, at the same time pull your socks towards you.
• Bend your legs at the knees, stretch your right knee to your left foot, then vice versa.
• Perform the "Bike" exercise back and forth.
• Roll to the side, swing your leg up.
• PI the same, pull your knees towards your chest.
• Get on all fours, taking turns moving your hands to the sides.

These exercises help stretch and relax tight muscles, increase blood circulation and lymphatic flow.

There are many more exercises. To make a complex that suits you, consult a doctor.

Physiotherapy procedures

Physiotherapy helps relieve pain, reduces inflammation, improves blood circulation and trophism.

In the treatment of osteochondrosis, the following physiotherapeutic procedures are used:

• Electrophoresis with drugs helps relieve pain in the presence of neurological disorders.
• Electrotherapy improves blood circulation, tissue nutrition.
• Laser therapy relieves inflammation, anesthesia, accelerates tissue healing, activates biological processes in nerve tissue.
• Shockwave therapy improves local blood circulation, metabolic processes, reduces swelling, pain.
• Detensor therapy - traction of the spine under the weight of one's own body weight. Helps get rid of excruciating pain syndrome.
• Balneotherapy is a set of acts using fresh, mineral or sea water. After treatment, pain is relieved, blood microcirculation improves.

In addition, diadynamic therapy, amplipulse therapy, ultrasound, magnetotherapy and the vibration method can be used for osteochondrosis.

Reference. Osteochondrosis is treated with bees, this technique is called apitherapy. During the procedure, bee venom is injected into biologically active points to increase the effect of complex treatment. Insect venom relieves pain, improves mobility, blood microcirculation, conduction through nerve pathways, increases the elasticity of intervertebral discs.

Manual therapy

In the treatment of osteochondrosis, the patient receives not only massage, but also manual exposure (soft and hard).

With the help of massage, the specialist normalizes muscle tone, improves blood circulation and restores the activity of nerve cells. The session begins with kneading and rubbing, these techniques help prepare the body for further exposure.

After a warming massage, the doctor proceeds to mobilization and automobilization. During the procedure, it gently acts on the joints of the spine, gradually increasing the amplitude. Self-mobilization consists of performing movements by the patient himself under the supervision of a doctor. These procedures help to increase the inter-articular gap, reduce blood stasis in the veins and improve trophism.

To restore the correct position of the displaced vertebrae, the doctor performs the manipulation technique. It performs sharp and rapid movements in the affected areas, placing the vertebrae in their usual place. It helps relieve pain, muscle spasms, improve mobility.

Warning. Manual therapy of osteochondrosis can lead to serious complications (fracture, displacement of a vertebra, damage to nerves, blood vessels, ligaments or muscles). To prevent this from happening, you need to find an experienced specialist.

Treatment equipment and orthopedic appliances

Devices for the treatment of osteochondrosis can be used at home, but only after the doctor's approval.

In addition, for back health, the patient can use braces. A special pillow or roller helps to unload the neck and lower back, it is used during rest or during transportation. To support the physiological curves of the neck, a medical collar is used. Posture correctors, corsets improve posture, unload the thoracic and lumbosacral segment of the spine.

Reference. You cannot wear corsets and concealers for more than 2-3 hours a day. This mode will help to avoid weakening the muscles.

A special belt is used for the lower back. It can be worn at work, while playing sports.

Folk remedies

Complex therapy can be supplemented with effective folk remedies. However, cervical, thoracic and lumbar osteochondrosis is accompanied by different symptoms, therefore different recipes are used to treat them.

Folk remedies for the treatment of the neck:

• Hold the burdock leaves over the steamer for 5-10 minutes, tie them around the neck, secure them with a bandage. You can also soak gauze in a decoction of burdock and use it as a compress.
• Make a decoction of birch leaves, apply a compress to the affected area.
• Peel the horseradish root, squeeze the juice, mix with vodka (1: 1), rub the neck.
• Pour 250 g of needles into 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. Drink twice a day after a meal.

Also, with cervical osteochondrosis, you can take baths with a decoction of conifers.

If the chest area is affected, use the following recipes:

• Mix dandelion root, mint, birch buds, cilantro in equal proportions. Pour 100 ml of boiling water 3 tbsp. I. collection, cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add 75 g of butter and sunflower oil to the hot mixture, cook for another 20 minutes. Rub the warm ointment on your back.
• Grind black radish or horseradish, squeeze the juice, rub the affected area.
• Spray wormwood or flax seeds, place in a cloth bag, apply to the chest back.

At home, you can knead your back with a tape massager.

If the lumbosacral region is affected, use the following remedies:

• Drink decoctions of lingonberry leaves, thyme, hop cones, potentilla.
• Apply a compress of horseradish or raw potato juice.
• Rub the lower back with an ointment of 200 g of melted lard mixed with beeswax and marshmallow roots.

Also, with lumbar osteochondrosis, you can wear a woolen belt, which has a warming effect.

Before using folk remedies, consult with your doctor.

Surgical intervention

The operation is prescribed in the presence of complications, which are accompanied by numbness of the limbs, severe and prolonged pain, involuntary urination or defecation. Additionally, surgical treatment is required for cauda equina syndrome (compression of nerve endings in the lower spinal cord).

Surgical techniques will help eliminate the cause of the pain and stabilize the spine:

• A facetectomy involves removing the facet joints that compress the nerve bundles.
• Foraminotomy - an increase in the lumen of the root canal by removing the osteophyte. After the procedure, the nerve is freed from injury.
• Laminectomy is the removal from the back of a deformed vertebra that compresses the spinal cord.
• A laminotomy is used to widen the opening through which the nerve roots pass.
• Discectomy - removal of the affected disc or part of it with an intervertebral hernia. This is a minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, after which the patient recovers faster.
• A corpectomy is the removal of the entire vertebra and discs adjacent to it. The free space is then filled with a bone graft.

Spinal fusion (fusion of the vertebrae) is performed to prevent destabilization of the spine. Also, special screws, rods, plates are used to fix the vertebrae.

Warning. After the operation, there is a risk of complications: spinal cord damage, nerve bundles, infection of the affected area, urination disorders, etc. Therefore, surgical intervention is performed only in extreme cases.

Rehabilitation after surgery can take several months. During this period, the patient should give up physical activity, bad habits, follow the recommendations of doctors.

Comments

According to patients, it is very difficult to completely cure osteochondrosis. Those who performed complex therapy at an early stage of pathology got rid of pain and improved physical fitness. Patients who sought help at advanced stages of the disease still suffer from relapses of osteochondrosis.

First opinion, female, 42 years old

"I was diagnosed with osteochondrosis of the neck of the 2nd degree. At first she was treated with painkillers and muscle relaxants (injections, tablets), then she took a chondroprotector and did gymnastics. In addition, she visited a manual specialist. After a few months the pain disappeared. I plan to take the course again to consolidate the result. I do gymnastics every day.

Second examination, female, 38 years old

"I started having lower back pain about 2 years ago. When I couldn't take it anymore, I went to the doctor. I was diagnosed with osteochondrosis in the neck, the rheumatologist gave meprescribed medication, physiotherapy, massage. About 2 weeks after the start of treatment, the symptoms almost completely disappeared. Now I do gymnastics, I go to the swimming pool for prevention.

Third examination, female, 41 years old

"I was diagnosed with osteochondrosis in the neck, as well as a C5-C6 hernia. I took medication, went for a massage, to an osteopath, and I have been doing gymnastics regularly for 2 years. However, nothing helped, the pain disappeared only for a while, and my hands began to go numb. The doctor prescribed a discectomy, after the operation the condition improved, butnot for long. I think you will have to be treated for the rest of your life.

Most important

As you can see, osteochondrosis requires long-term treatment and self-discipline. Therapy should be comprehensive: drugs (in the acute period), exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage, manual exposure. The patient needs to change his lifestyle, regularly do gymnastics, give up bad habits, eat right, use braces. You can supplement the therapy with medical devices and folk remedies, but only after the doctor's approval. In the presence of complications, an operation is performed, followed by a long rehabilitation. The patient should strictly follow the recommendations of doctors in order to speed up recovery.