The spine is the backbone of a human being. It bears the burden of walking. Abrasion occurs faster than other parts of the body. A sedentary, sedentary lifestyle aggravates the situation. The causes of occurrence are unknown, there is a group of risk factors.
Before treating osteochondrosis, you should consult a doctor who will conduct an examination and make a diagnosis. If you follow the doctor's instructions, a positive result is guaranteed.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is a lesion of the intervertebral discs, characterized by destruction. The disease affects one or more discs. Symptoms and treatment are linked. Depending on the symptoms, the types of the disease are distinguished:
- Pain in the arms, shoulders, headaches with the appearance of tinnitus, dizziness, color spots, goose bumps before the eyes with cervical osteochondrosis. Occurs in 25% of cases.
- Chest pain, numbness, pain in the heart, stomach and other organs are signs of damage to the chest region. Diagnosed in 13% of cases.
- Pain in the lower back, legs, groin, impaired sensitivity of the lower extremities, pelvic organs - osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral region. Common species - 50% of cases.
- Pain in several parts of the spine is a common osteochondrosis.
Pain is considered the determining factor, there is numbness of the limbs, pain, tingling. An unpleasant manifestation is muscle spasms, rigidity of movement, pain that occurs with sudden movements, sneezing, coughing.
Based on the symptoms, the doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis and prescribes special procedures for hardware research - x-rays, tomography, MRI. These are ways to make an accurate diagnosis and determine the presence of concomitant diseases - protrusion, intervertebral hernia.
The symptoms often point to the later stages of the development of the disease when surgery is required. Treatment is aimed at eliminating pain and stopping the development of the disease.
Conservative treatment
The patient's treatment is prescribed by the attending physician, or in difficult cases by a medical council. Conservative treatment is widespread - treatment methods from different branches of medicine. Conservative treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine includes recreational activities:
- Therapeutic exercises - restoring mobility of the spine, prevention of diseases.
- Manual therapy is a way to relieve muscle spasms, improve blood circulation and metabolic processes.
- Reflexology is a way to relieve muscle spasms and stimulate the production of substances that inhibit inflammatory processes.
- Underwater hydromassage. Water sports relieve the spine, heal.
- Traction therapy is a series of techniques that stretch the spine and reduce pressure on spinal discs and nerve endings.
- Ultrasound, laser therapy, electro, magneto, vibrostimulation - types of hardware treatment that relieve muscle spasms and improve microcirculation.
- Therapeutic Nutrition. Nutrition is selected so that the body receives the necessary vitamins and trace elements.
- Psychotherapy. Promotes a person's confidence in recovery, activates the body's internal resources.
- Medical therapy. Taking medication.
It is better to treat spinal osteochondrosis in a sanatorium. At home one faces the problem of organizing time. There is not enough time to follow the instructions, it is not possible to go on a diet yourself, stick to it. Inpatient treatment is also not ideal - the lack of orthopedic products in the hospital, equipment, doctors.
Treatment in special centers, sanatoria is provided in full. The duration of treatment is not fixed. It takes from a week to a month to get rid of serious symptoms. It will take more than 3 months for hard drive rehabilitation and recovery.
Many doctors from the complex of procedures prescribe medication and hardware treatment. Preparations for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine will help to cope with exacerbations of the disease. It is justified to take anti-inflammatory drugs with an analgesic effect, antispasmodics and antioxidants that stimulate microcirculation and help restore nerve and cartilage tissues.
When treating only with drugs, they forget about the inner abilities of the body, they treat the patient without it. This is a mistake, a lack of medicine. Conservative methods can improve the patient's condition.
How else to treat osteochondrosis?
When conservative treatment is not enough, an operative one is prescribed. Sometimes only surgery can relieve the condition. Doctors remove hernias, put new discs in place of worn ones. The rehabilitation phase is carried out like an ordinary treatment.
The cost of treating osteochondrosis is compared with cardiovascular diseases, influenza. To make it cheaper, alternative treatment options are being considered. It is worth buying a device for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine, which will relieve pain. The procedures can be carried out at home alone with the help of relatives.
An alternative is traditional medicine. There are many recipes for ointments, decoctions of herbs taken orally in the form of compresses. Many recipes for different stages, types of diseases.
Self-medication will worsen the patient's condition, so before taking the drug, you should consult a doctor. The possibility of self-treatment is to believe in a cure, to follow the doctor's instructions.
disease prevention
It is better not to look for a way to treat spinal osteochondrosis, but to prevent its occurrence. It is worth developing good habits in relation to everyday life and nutrition. Preventive measures:
- Morning massages of the back, limbs - rubbing, kneading, performed independently.
- gymnastics, exercise. It is worth including swing movements, twists, inclines, jumps on the spot, pull-ups.
- workplace exercises. If the work involves a long stay in a certain position, it is worth being distracted for five minutes every hour or two to do a few exercises.
- Swimming is a sport that helps solve spinal problems.
If the disease has developed, prevention and treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine should be combined and complement each other.
An important point is the observance of proper nutrition. It should include vegetarian dishes, steamed dishes, baked in the oven. The diet should be high in protein, not mushrooms. Spices, seasonings are welcome, salt and pickles are excluded. It is not recommended to drink strong tea, coffee, alcohol and abuse sweet, starchy foods. It is worth eating 5-7 times a day. Eat no more than 2 kg of food, a liter of water in a day. With a lack of vitamins, they are prescribed separately.
An active lifestyle, proper nutrition - the key to the health of the spine, body. Treatment is difficult, but it helps to get rid of unpleasant pain. When osteochondrosis is diagnosed, you need to change your lifestyle forever.
The article was written for general educational development. In order to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment, be sure to consult a doctor.