During the 18th century, osteochondrosis was treated with hot mustard baths. Now, there are many more treatment methods, from warming ointments to surgery.
Osteochondrosis is a disease that increasingly affects young people. The wrong way of life leads to this - little movement, constantly sitting, overweight, etc. Previously, people over 45 have suffered from osteochondrosis; it is now frequently diagnosed in people at the age of thirty.
What is osteochondrosis
In osteochondrosis, degenerative damage occurs in the intervertebral discs. If the disease is not treated, over time the disc will collapse, grow with bone tissue and the spine will lose mobility. In addition, with the degenerative changes of the disc, the contents of the nucleus flow outwards, forming an intervertebral hernia. Disc protrusion and hernia cause severe pain that must be stopped with novocaine.
The content that escapes from the disc affects the nerve endings of the spine, compressing them. This interrupts the work of all internal organs. With cervical osteochondrosis, the blood supply to the brain deteriorates, severe migraines occur, and vision decreases. With the lumbosacral region, the legs suffer - they become numb and swell, joints and bones are destroyed, a heel spur may occur. In severe cases, paralysis occurs. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region causes diseases of the stomach and heart. In some cases, a person develops osteochondrosis of various parts of the spine, which requires immediate treatment.
How to treat osteochondrosis
First of all, with an exacerbation of the disease, it is necessary to relieve pain. If painkillers do not help, it is necessary to give an injection of novocaine. The next step is to unload the column. The first 4-6 days with exacerbation of osteochondrosis require bed rest.
The main stages of osteochondrosis treatment are as follows:
- Provide the patient with bed rest to relieve spinal stress.
- Eliminate pain with pain relievers - tramadol, nefopam, etc.
- Eliminate inflammation with NSAIDs - diclofenac, ketoprofen, piroxicam, meloxicam, etc.
- In case of persistent and severe pain, an injection of novocaine or glucocorticoid should be administered. These drugs work for a long time to help muscles relax, which causes less pain.
- If osteochondrosis pain interferes with sleep, you need to take sleeping pills.
- If hypertonia in the back muscles is detected, muscle relaxants are prescribed.
- Diuretics are used to relieve spinal edema.
- After acute pain relief, ointments and anti-inflammatory gels can be used. The products contain not only anti-inflammatory and analgesic components, but also collagen hydrolyzate. Collagen hydrolyzate restores the destroyed tissues of the vertebral disc, helping to eliminate osteochondrosis.
- To restore blood supply to the spine, angioprotective and venotonic medications are prescribed, which eliminate congestion in the bloodstream, in addition to nicotinic acid, which is a vasodilator.
- In advanced cases of osteochondrosis, with paralysis, only surgery helps.
In addition to all of the above, the following are effective for the treatment of osteochondrosis:
- physiotherapy;
- acupuncture; mud therapy;
- baths.
Special attention should be paid to gymnastics for osteochondrosis. It is a gym that helps to strengthen the back muscles that support the spine. With the help of exercises, you can cure osteochondrosis if you start practicing them at the right time.