Characteristic features of the disease
The course of cervical osteochondrosis is accompanied by slow, irreversible destruction of the intervertebral discs. Deprived of the shock-absorbing cartilage lining, the bony vertebrae also begin to deform.
- external agents with local anesthetic, regenerating, warming effects;
- drugs that provide adequate nutrition to the brain;
- chondroprotectors that trigger disc restoration processes;
- local and systemic analgesics.
The pathology cannot yet be completely cured. The efforts of doctors are aimed at eliminating painful symptoms and inhibiting the spread of the disease to other parts of the spine. For this purpose, complex treatment regimens with drugs from different groups are created.
Signs of cervical chondrosis
In the initial stages of the disease, there are practically no symptoms in women and men. Occasionally a person experiences slight discomfort in the evening. He attributes them to fatigue after a day's work, so he doesn't go to the doctor. Meanwhile, his intervertebral discs are gradually destroyed. The vertebrae are deformed by the formation of bony growths, squeezing the vertebral artery.
After about a year, the discomfort is replaced by pain, which intensifies when turning or tilting the head.
- clicking, cracking in the neck;
- limitation of range of motion;
- spikes in blood pressure;
- rapid heartbeat;
- unilateral throbbing migraine-like headaches;
- vision and hearing disorders;
- dizziness, unsteadiness of gait, feeling of imaginary rotation of objects;
- attacks of nausea, which rarely end in vomiting.
Starving the brain of oxygen leads to sleep disturbances, weakness, apathy, fatigue, and ringing in the ears. The person's psycho-emotional state worsens - he becomes nervous and worries about little things.
Principles of drug treatment
Chiropractors, professional massage therapists, physiotherapists and doctors of physical therapy are involved in the treatment of cervical chondrosis. In the final stage, the use of folk remedies is allowed. But the main role in complex therapy is assigned to pharmacological drugs.
- injection solutions are used for exacerbations of chondrosis in order to quickly remove its painful symptoms;
- tablets, capsules, dragees are prescribed during remission to prevent disc destruction, relieve mild or moderate pain and restore blood circulation;
- ointments, gels, balms, creams are the safest, they quickly cope with stiffness and unpleasant crunching.
It is rarely possible to treat osteochondrosis with any medicine. Therapeutic regimens usually include at least 5 drugs with different pharmacological properties. They are compatible and practical for home use.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are used more often than other drugs in the treatment of cervical chondrosis. They are indicated for acute, piercing or distant, dull pain. The mechanism of action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is based on the ability to inhibit enzymes responsible for the production of neurotransmitters.
- eliminate painful sensations;
- eliminate creaking and clicking that occur when turning the door;
- stop the flow of acute, subacute, chronic inflammatory processes affecting soft tissues;
- stimulate the reduction of swelling affecting the sensory nerve endings;
- increase the range of motion in the damaged cervical vertebrae.
Medicines in the form of solutions for parenteral administration and tablets have proven themselves well in the treatment of chondrosis.
Long-term use of NSAIDs leads to damage to the gastric mucosa. Concomitant use of proton pump inhibitors will help to avoid this. The drugs reduce the production of aggressive gastric juice by the parietal cells, which increases under the influence of NSAIDs.
Synthetic hormones
Glucocorticosteroids are synthetic analogues of hormones produced by the cortex of the adrenal gland. This is "heavy artillery" for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. Like natural hormones, glucocorticosteroids quickly relieve inflammation, swelling and almost instantly eliminate pain. They are used in the form of solutions for intramuscular administration. But in case of acute pain, it is possible to insert them directly into the area of the destroyed intervertebral disc.
It is forbidden to use hormonal drugs during pregnancy, breastfeeding, adolescence and childhood.
All glucocorticosteroids have numerous contraindications. In clinical practice, withdrawal cases include severe liver, kidney and stomach damage after long-term hormone therapy. They are not used in the presence of liver cirrhosis, peptic ulcer, kidney failure or osteoporosis.
Medicines with chondroprotective effect
All the means used in the complex treatment of chondrosis only remove its symptoms, temporarily improving a person's well-being. The only exception is chondroprotectors. These drugs contain ingredients that can initiate the regeneration of damaged cartilaginous intervertebral discs. Neck pain stops hurting after use and disappears not for a few hours, but forever.
In pharmacies, chondroprotectors are presented in a wide range. These are capsules, substances for preparing solutions for injections, powders packed in bags.
- Glucosamine. Stimulates the synthesis of bioactive substances necessary for building tissues, improves the composition of synovial fluid. It increases the permeability of the joint capsule, restores enzymatic processes and inhibits the destruction of discs.
- Chondroitin. It participates in building cartilage and bone tissue, accelerates metabolic processes. It inhibits the destruction of intervertebral discs, blocks enzymes that cause cartilage tissue damage.
Products that improve microcirculation
The substance needed to improve blood circulation in cervical osteochondrosis is xanthine nicotinate. This drug is used in the treatment of severe pathology, when not only the discs, but also the bony vertebrae are deformed. Compression of the vertebral artery is manifested by cervicocranialgia. This is the name for the whole complex of symptoms of vertebral artery injury: headache, "floating" in front of the eyes, temporarily blurred vision, sweating, rapid heartbeat.
Thioctic acid helps improve microcirculation and eliminate "vertebral artery syndrome". The disadvantage of such drugs is their indiscriminate effect, because they accelerate the movement of blood around the body, which is not always advisable. Therefore, the list of their contraindications includes epilepsy, hyperthyroidism and peptic ulcer.
Preparations with B vitamins
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the acute phase cannot be done without the use of drugs, the composition of which is formed from vitamin B. The fact is that acute bony growths of the vertebrae encroach not only on the vertebral artery. They also put pressure on sensitive nerve roots, disrupting innervation. Nerve impulses enter the central nervous system with a delay and its reactions are inhibited.
Innervation disorder leads to paresthesia - loss of sensitivity in certain parts of the body.
In the treatment of cervical chondrosis, drugs whose activity is determined by pyridoxine, thiamine and B12 have proven themselves well.
Many of them are available in the form of solutions for intramuscular administration. It contains B group vitamins and an anesthetic. Therefore, after the injection, the pain immediately disappears and the range of motion in the region of the cervical vertebrae is restored.
At the same time, the product improves blood flow, work of the nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems, relieves inflammation and nerve degeneration. There are contraindications for its use. These are the periods of pregnancy and breastfeeding, hypersensitivity to the ingredients.
The best muscle relaxants
Eliminating mild symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and treating its exacerbations at home is often complicated by muscle spasms. The nerve root is compressed by displaced intervertebral discs and inflammatory edema. A strong pain syndrome occurs, which the body tries to eliminate with muscle spasms. Thanks to this unusual protective reaction, the person's mobility is limited and discomfort disappears.
But often the increase in skeletal muscle tone causes even more pressure on the nerve endings.
Muscle relaxants are combined with all means for the treatment of chondrosis, including glucocorticosteroids. The body tolerates them well, but some can cause addiction and "withdrawal syndrome". Therefore, they are not intended for long-term therapy. The duration of the treatment course does not exceed a week.
Medicines that improve the psycho-emotional state
Of all chondrosis, cervical is the one that particularly worsens a person's psycho-emotional state. It's all about the injury of the vertebral artery by bony growths, which leads to hypoxia of the brain.
- panic attacks;
- depression, neurosis;
- vision and hearing disorders;
- dry non-productive cough;
- shortness of breath;
- anxiety, apathy, fatigue;
- various sleep disorders.
What you don't need to do when they occur is to use cough suppressants, eye drops, or ear drops. Symptoms can often be eliminated by taking a course of drugs with a mild sedative effect: Tenoten, Novo-Passit, lemon balm tincture, valerian, peony. Tranquilizers, antipsychotics and antidepressants are prescribed only for severe neuroses and depression.
Vitamin balanced complexes
Most vitamins, essential micro- and macroelements enter the human body through food. But food products cannot always meet physiological needs, or they are absorbed and distributed incorrectly. For example, with circulatory disorders characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis. There is a lack of bioactive substances, which negatively affects the functioning of all vital systems.
In order to quickly compensate the body's daily needs for vitamins, micro- and macroelements, their balanced complexes must be included in treatment regimens.
Magnesium forms muscle and bone tissue, and iodine regulates metabolism. Manganese, molybdenum, chromium, potassium, chlorine, selenium, zinc stimulate the strengthening of the tendon-ligament apparatus, and copper stops inflammatory processes. These minerals are present in all the complexes mentioned above.
The correct intake of drugs is the use of 1 tablet per day - this amount is sufficient to improve the supply of useful blood substances to the brain.
A week later, the signs of anemia disappear, which occurs in stage 3 of the development of cervical chondrosis. The person no longer feels sleepy and does not suffer from movement coordination disorders. The double vision of objects in front of the eyes disappears.
Ointments, gels, balms
For exacerbations of chondrosis, external medicines are always used at home. They cannot cope with severe pain, injections or analgesics are needed. Ointments, creams, gels, balms are used to relieve pain caused by hypothermia and changes in climatic zones.
- Anti-inflammatory. Medicines have a milder effect on the human body than other NSAIDs.
- Vasodilators. The agents show local irritating activity and dilate the blood vessels that supply the brain with blood.
- Painkillers. Medicines help relieve pain immediately after administration. They absorb well and do not leave greasy marks on clothes and bedding.
- Warming up. Products with paprika extract are applied exclusively with an applicator. Medicines have an analgesic effect a few minutes after application to the back of the neck.
Products for external use are effective and very rarely cause the development of local allergic reactions. But caution is necessary during treatment. If the ointments come into contact with the mucous membrane, wash them off quickly with water. Especially those containing essential oils, natural poisons and turpentine.
Therapeutic plasters
A time-tested remedy for exacerbations of osteochondrosis is the Pepper patch. Its composition is represented by phytoextracts of red pepper, belladonna and dimexide. The active ingredients of the patch gradually penetrate the area of the damaged disc and have an analgesic effect for 3-5 hours. If your neck hurts, then the external medicine is used whole or cut into small pieces.
The pepper patch is suitable for treatment at home, at work or when travelling. But it also has a contraindication - individual intolerance to one of the components. And in women with sensitive skin, it can cause chemical burns.
Patches show anti-inflammatory, decongestive and chondroprotective effects. They are intended for the treatment of all pathologies of the cervical spine. Their use helps to reduce the pharmacological burden on the human body by reducing the doses of systemic drugs.
How to properly treat cervical chondrosis?
Stopping the destruction of intervertebral discs is possible only with an integrated approach to therapy. It is practiced to wear orthopedic devices (Schanz collars) that fix the vertebrae in an anatomical position. Applicators are needed to improve the supply of nutrients and bioactive blood to damaged tissues. Daily classes of physical therapy, yoga, swimming, walks in the fresh air are presented.
Most medications are recommended to relieve symptoms during exacerbations. They have many side effects, including damage to liver tissue. Chondroprotectors, means to improve blood circulation and balanced vitamin-mineral complexes are suitable for regular use.