During the 18th century, osteochondrosis was treated with hot mustard baths. There are now many more treatment methods, from hot ointments to surgery.
Osteochondrosis is a disease that affects more and more young people. The wrong way of life leads to it: little movement, constantly sitting position, excess weight, etc. Previously, people over the age of 45 suffered from osteochondrosis, now it is often diagnosed in people in their thirties.
What is osteochondrosis
With osteochondrosis, degenerative damage to the intervertebral discs occurs. If the disease is not treated, over time the disc will collapse, overgrow with bone tissue, and the spine will lose mobility. Also, with degenerative changes in the disc, the contents of the nucleus flow outward, forming an intervertebral hernia. Disc bulging and herniation cause severe pain that must be stopped with novocaine.
The content leaking from the disk affects the nerve endings in the spine, tightening them. This disrupts the work of all internal organs. With cervical osteochondrosis, the blood supply to the brain deteriorates, severe migraines occur, and vision relaxes. With lumbosacral, the legs suffer: they become numb and swollen, the joints and bones are destroyed, a heel spur can occur. 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 various parts of the spine, which requires immediate treatment.
How to treat osteochondrosis
First of all, with an exacerbation of the disease, it is necessary to relieve pain. If pain relievers don't help, a novocaine injection is necessary. The next step is to unload the column. The first 4-6 days with exacerbation of osteochondrosis require bed rest.
The main stages of the treatment of osteochondrosis are as follows:
- Provide the patient with bed rest to relieve stress on the spine.
- Eliminate pain with painkillers: tramadol, nefopam, etc.
- Eliminate inflammation with NSAIDs: diclofenac, ketoprofen, piroxicam, meloxicam, etc.
- For severe and persistent pain, an injection with novocaine or glucocorticoid should be given. These drugs work for a long time to help relax muscles, resulting in less pain.
- If osteochondrosis pain interferes with sleep, you should take sleeping pills.
- If hypertonicity of the back muscles is detected, muscle relaxants are prescribed.
- Diuretics are used to relieve spinal edema.
- Once the acute pain has been relieved, anti-inflammatory ointments and gels can be used. The products contain not only anti-inflammatory and analgesic components, but also collagen hydrolyzate. Collagen hydrolyzate restores the destroyed tissues of the vertebral disc and helps to eliminate osteochondrosis.
- To restore blood supply to the spine, angioprotective and venotonic drugs 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 all of the above, the following are effective for treating osteochondrosis:
- physiotherapy;
- acupuncture;
- mud therapy;
- bathrooms.
Particular 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 in time.