The spinal column is the backbone of a person. It bears the burden of walking. Abrasion occurs faster than other parts of the body. A sedentary, sedentary lifestyle exacerbates 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 interrelated. According to the symptoms, the types of the disease are distinguished:
- Pain in the arms, shoulders, headaches with the appearance of tinnitus, dizziness, colored spots, goosebumps before the eyes with cervical osteochondrosis. Occurs in 25% of cases.
- Pain in the chest, numbness, pain in the heart, stomach, and other organs are signs of damage to the thoracic 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 a feeling of numbness of the limbs, aches, tingling. An unpleasant manifestation is muscle spasm, stiffness of movements, pain that occurs with sudden movements, sneezing, coughing.
Based on the symptoms, the doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis, prescribes special procedures for hardware research - x-rays, tomography, MRI. These are ways of making an accurate diagnosis, determining the presence of concomitant diseases - protrusion, intervertebral hernia.
Symptoms often indicate the later stages of the development of the disease, when surgery is required. Treatment is aimed at eliminating pain, stopping the development of the disease.
Conservative treatment
Treatment for the patient is prescribed by the attending physician, a council of doctors in difficult cases. Conservative treatment is widespread - methods of treatment from different fields of medicine. Conservative treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine includes recreational activities:
- Therapeutic exercise - restores the mobility of the spine, disease prevention.
- Manual therapy is a way to relieve muscle spasms, improve blood circulation, and metabolic processes.
- Reflexology is a way to relieve muscle spasm, stimulate the production of substances that inhibit inflammatory processes.
- Underwater hydromassage. Water sports unload the spine, heal.
- Traction treatment is a set of techniques that stretch the spine, reducing pressure on discs and nerve endings.
- Ultrasound, laser therapy, electro-, magneto-, vibrostimulation - types of hardware treatment that relieve muscle spasms, improve microcirculation.
- Therapeutic diet. The diet is selected so that the body receives the necessary vitamins, trace elements.
- Psychotherapy. Promotes a person's faith in recovery, activates the internal resources of the body.
- Medical therapy. Taking medications.
It is better to treat osteochondrosis of the spine in a sanatorium. At home, a person faces the problem of organizing time. There is not enough time to follow the instructions, it is not possible to make a diet on your own, stick to it. Inpatient treatment is also not ideal - the lack of orthopedic products in the hospital, devices, doctors.
Treatment in special centers, sanatoriums is given in full. The duration of treatment is not set. It will take from a week to a month to eliminate serious symptoms. It will take more than 3 months for rehabilitation, restoration of disks.
Many doctors from the complex of procedures prescribe medication, hardware treatment. Preparations for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine help to cope with exacerbations of the disease. It is justified to take anti-inflammatory drugs with analgesic action, antispasmodics, antioxidants that stimulate microcirculation, contribute to the restoration of nervous, cartilage tissues.
When treating only with drugs, they forget about the internal capabilities of the body, they treat the patient without him. This is a mistake, a lack of medicine. Conservative methods can improve the patient's condition.
How else to treat osteochondrosis?
If conservative treatment is not enough, an operating one is prescribed. Sometimes only surgery will relieve the condition. Doctors remove hernias, put new disks in place of worn ones. The rehabilitation period is carried out as usual 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 relieves pain. Procedures can be carried out at home on your own, with the help of loved ones.
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 disease.
Self-medication will worsen the patient's condition, so you should consult a doctor before taking the drug. The option of self-treatment is to believe in a cure, follow the doctor's instructions.
Disease prevention
It is better not to look for a way to treat osteochondrosis of the spine, but to prevent the occurrence. It is worth developing good habits regarding the daily routine, nutrition. Preventive actions:
- Morning massages of the back, limbs - rubbing, kneading, performed independently.
- Gymnastics, exercise. It is worth including swing movements, turns, tilts, jumps in place, pull-ups.
- Workouts at the workplace. If the work involves a long stay in a certain position, it is worth being distracted for five minutes every hour or two to perform a couple of exercises.
- Swimming is a sport that helps to solve problems with the spine.
If the disease has managed to develop, prevention, treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine should be combined, complement each other.
An important point is the observance of proper nutrition. It should contain vegetarian dishes, steamed dishes, baked in the oven. The diet should be a lot of proteins, not mushrooms. Spices, spices are welcome, salt and pickles are excluded. It is not recommended to drink strong tea, coffee, alcohol, abuse sweet, starchy foods. It is worth eating 5-7 times a day. For a day, eat no more than 2 kg of food, a liter of water. With a lack of vitamins, they are prescribed separately.
An active lifestyle, proper nutrition - the key to the health of the spine, the body. Treatment is complex, but will help eliminate unpleasant pain. If osteochondrosis is diagnosed, you will have to change your lifestyle forever.
The article was written for general educational development. To establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment, be sure to consult a doctor.