During the 18th century, osteochondrosis was treated with hot mustard baths. There are now many more treatment methods, from warming creams to surgeries.
Osteochondrosis is a disease that affects more and more young people. The wrong way of life leads to that - little movement, constant sitting position, excess weight, etc. Previously, people over the age of 45 suffered from osteochondrosis, now it is often diagnosed in 30-year-olds.
What is osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis causes degenerative damage to the intervertebral discs. If the disease is not treated, over time, the disc will collapse, become overgrown with bone tissue and the spine will lose mobility. In addition, with degenerative changes in the disc, the contents of the nucleus leak out, creating an intervertebral hernia. Disc protrusion and hernias cause severe pain that must be stopped with novocaine.
The contents that leak from the disc affect the nerve endings of the spine and compress them. This disrupts the work of all internal organs. With cervical osteochondrosis, the supply to the brain deteriorates, severe migraines occur and vision declines. With lumbosacral legs suffer - legs numb and swollen, joints and bones are destroyed, heel may appear. 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 several parts of the spine, which requires urgent treatment.
How to treat osteochondrosis
First of all, with the worsening of the disease, it is necessary to alleviate the pain. If analgesics do not help, it is necessary to give an injection of novocaine. The next step is to relieve the spine. The first 4-6 days with worsening osteochondrosis require bed rest.
The main stages of osteochondrosis treatment are as follows:
- Provide the patient with bed rest to relieve stress from the spine.
- Eliminate pain with analgesics - tramadol, nefopam, etc.
- Eliminate inflammation with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - diclofenac, ketoprofen, piroxicam, meloxicam, etc.
- In case of severe, persistent pain, an injection of novocaine or glucocorticoid should be given. These medications work for a long time to relax the muscles, leading to less pain.
- If the pain of osteochondrosis interferes with sleep, you should take sleeping pills.
- If back muscle hypertonia is detected, muscle relaxants are prescribed.
- Diuretics are used to relieve spinal edema.
- Anti-inflammatory ointments and gels can be used to relieve acute pain. The products contain not only anti-inflammatory and analgesic components, but also collagen hydrolyzate. Collagen hydrolyzate restores the destroyed tissues of the spinal disc, helping to get rid of osteochondrosis.
- In order to restore the supply of the spine, angioprotective drugs and venotonics are prescribed, which remove congestion in the bloodstream, as well as nicotinic acid, which is a vasodilator.
- In advanced cases of osteochondrosis, with paralysis, only surgery helps.
In addition to 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 gymnastics that helps strengthen the back muscles that support the spine. With the help of exercises, you can cure osteochondrosis if you start doing them on time.