Many patients, hearing his diagnosis of "chondrosis", identify him with the term "osteochondrosis". In part, they are right. Both ailments are associated with the spine, but there is a difference. The emergence of a primary disease inevitably leads to the development of the second. In medicine, the pathology of the intervertebral disc characterizes the onset of osteochondrosis.
Causes of chondrosis
Until recently, the causal relationship of the development of this disease was seen in the aging of the body as a whole and the spine in particular. The latest data on the examination of patients of the middle age group revealed a number of other factors of chondrosis occurrence. Degenerative processes can begin in the discs of any part of the spine. Most often, doctors diagnose cervical chondrosis, which has several causes:
- overweight;
- microtrauma of the neck;
- kyphosis and scoliosis;
- an inert way of life;
- diseases of an infectious origin;
- emotional lability;
- static loads;
- wrong organization of bed;
- active training in gyms;
- unhealthy food.
Chondrosis of the cervical spine - symptoms
The tricky nature of this ailment is that for quite a long time a person does not notice any discomfort in the neck. The asymptomatic period can last not one month, gradually destroying the cartilaginous tissue. At later stages of the pathology, the symptoms of cervical chondrosis are already quite pronounced:
- severe, persistent headache;
- discomfort in the neck and tenderness if desired, turn his head to the side;
- muscle tension of the shoulder;
- Painful sensations spread to the nape of the neck.
The combination of symptoms and their increasing dynamics provoke emotional breakdown, sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue of the patient. Because of the compression of blood vessels and the vertebral artery, blood circulation to the brain is impaired. Pathology passes into a chronic form and can lead to irreversible changes in the bone tissue of the vertebrae, swelling and protrusion of the discs followed by the formation of an intervertebral hernia. In this case, surgical intervention is necessary. Timely and adequate therapy can significantly stop the development of the disease.
How to treat cervical chondrosis?
Treatment of cervical chondrosis should begin with a diagnosis. Since the disease is inherent in the gradual development, therefore, the therapy will be diverse. The whole complex of measures is aimed at the removal of pain syndrome and prevention of further destruction of intervertebral discs. Therapy includes:
- taking medications;
- massage, the help of the chiropractor;
- Exercise therapy;
- acupuncture;
- spinal column traction, etc.
Massage from cervical chondrosis
Treatment of chondrosis of the cervical spine in the initial stage can be performed with the help of massage. A professionally performed procedure removes soreness and prevents the further development of pathology. The best time to use this method is the period of remission. If the pain syndrome is pronounced, a gentle massage is recommended. It must be entrusted to the specialist. As a warm-up after static tension, you can apply self-massage. With gentle strokes of hands, knead the neck area from top to bottom.
Injections from chondrosis
Chondrosis of the neck in the phase of exacerbation causes severe pain, which is stopped with the help of special injections. To achieve a rapid analgesic effect, drugs are used:
- Ketokam;
- Dolak;
- Ketanov;
- Diclofenac and others.
Drug treatment is prescribed after a survey of the patient to avoid unwanted side effects of drugs. Injection therapy is carried out throughout the week. The doctor prescribes the drug and assesses its effect after the procedure is completed. In addition, injections containing a complex of vitamins and analgesics are used:
- Vitagamma;
- Kombilipen;
- Binavit and others.
How to treat chondrosis at home?
Treatment of chondrosis at home is possible only after consultation of the attending physician. The complex of measures held at home is quite effective and effective. Relieve the condition of the patient will help rubbing, compresses and ointments, which can be purchased at the pharmacy or cooked from products of natural origin available at hand.
Ointment from chondrosis
Self-massage with the use of a special ointment gives the greatest effect in the treatment of the chondrosis of the cervical spine. The pharmaceutical industry produces several types of medicines that have different properties:
- warming;
- painkillers;
- system action.
The active components that make up the pharmacy ointments (nimesulide, diclofenac, ibuprofen, etc.) have a pronounced anti-inflammatory and distracting effect. Regular use of these drugs relieves soreness in the neck and greatly facilitates the patient's condition. Among the most accessible medicines are the following:
- Nimide-gel;
- Dolgit cream;
- Remisid;
- Diklak;
- Viprosal;
- Vipratox and others.
Ointments with a warming effect are a good addition in the treatment of the disease. They help to accelerate the circulation of blood, relieve tension in the muscles. They are applied to clean, intact areas of the skin in small amounts, to avoid any allergic reaction or a minor burn. Before you start using this product, you need to carefully study the instructions that are attached to it, and pay attention to the available contraindications.
For the purpose of complex impact on the damaged area, doctors recommend chondroprotectors - complex drugs that have restorative properties of cartilaginous tissue. They include:
- Chondroitin;
- Chondroitin-acos;
- Mukosat;
- Ellara et al.
Tablets from chondrosis of the neck
Chondrosis of the cervical spine causes patients significant inconveniences in daily life. Suddenly, the emerging pain syndrome and muscle spasm require its speedy cessation. In this situation, pill forms of medicine come to the aid. Doctors prescribe taking pills at different stages of the disease. Depending on the degree of pathological destruction of intervertebral disks, complex therapy with several types of medications is recommended:
- analgesics (Pentalgin, Baralgin, Benalgin, Tempalgin, etc.);
- antispasmodics (Drotaverine, Buskopan, Nikoshpan, Spazmol, etc.);
- NSAIDs (Ibuprofen, Nimesulide, Naproxen, Nabumeton, etc.);
- complex of vitamins and minerals;
- antidepressants of synthetic and natural origin.
Reasonable use of tablets under the guidance and supervision of the attending physician gives an obvious result, and the patient permanently gets rid of obsessive pain, and also gets a chance to prevent further development of cervical chondrosis. But the doctor decides exactly which medications are suitable for each particular patient. Prolonged and illiterate self-medication can aggravate the course of the disease.