In the 18th century, osteochondrosis was treated with a hot mustard bath. There are now more methods of treatment, ranging from ointment warming to surgery.
Osteochondrosis is a disease that affects more young people. The wrong lifestyle causes it - little movement, constant sitting position, being overweight, etc. Previously, people aged 45+ suffered from osteochondrosis, now it is often diagnosed in children in their thirties.
What is osteochondrosis
With osteochondrosis, degenerative damage to the intervertebral disc occurs. If the disease is not treated, then over time the disc will collapse, grow with bone tissue and the spine will lose mobility. In addition, with degenerative changes in the disc, the contents of the nucleus flow out, forming an intervertebral hernia. Disc protrusion and hernia cause severe pain that should be stopped with novocaine.
The contents coming out of the disc affect the nerve endings of the spine, squeezing them. This interferes with the work of all internal organs. With cervical osteochondrosis, the blood supply to the brain declines, severe migraines occur, and vision is sitting. With lumbosacral, the feet suffer - they are numb and swollen, joints and bones are destroyed, heel spurs may occur. In severe cases, paralysis occurs. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region causes stomach and heart disease. In some cases, a person develops osteochondrosis of some part of the spine, which requires immediate treatment.
How to treat osteochondrosis
First of all, with the onset of disease exacerbation, it is necessary to relieve pain. If analgesics do not help, it is necessary to give an injection of novocaine. The next step is to unload the spine. The first 4-6 days with exacerbation of osteochondrosis require bed rest.
The main stages of osteochondrosis treatment are as follows:
- Give the patient a sleep break to relieve pressure from the spine.
- Relieves pain with analgesics - tramadol, nefopam, etc.
- Eliminates inflammation with NSAIDs - diclofenac, ketoprofen, piroxicam, meloxicam, etc.
- If pain persists and persists, injections with novocaine or glucocorticoids should be given. These medications work for a long time to help the muscles relax, which causes less pain.
- If osteochondrosis pain interferes with sleep, you need to take sleeping pills.
- If back muscle hypertension is detected, muscle relaxants are prescribed.
- Diuretics are used to relieve spinal edema.
- Once the acute pain is eliminated, anti-inflammatory ointments and gels can be used. The product not only contains anti-inflammatory and analgesic components, but also hydrolyzed collagen. Hydrolyzed collagen restores destroyed vertebral disc tissue, helping to eliminate osteochondrosis.
- To restore blood supply to the spine, angioprotective and venotonic drugs are prescribed, which relieve congestion in the bloodstream, as well as nicotinic acid, which is a vasodilator.
- In cases of further 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;
- mandi.
Special attention should be given to gymnastics for osteochondrosis. It is this exercise that helps strengthen the back muscles that support the spine. With the help of exercise, you can cure osteochondrosis if you start doing it on time.