The spinal column is the spine of a person. It carries the burden of walking. Abrasion occurs faster than other parts of the body. A sedentary, sedentary lifestyle makes the situation worse. The causes are unknown, there is a group of risk factors.
Before treating osteochondrosis, it is necessary to consult a doctor who will perform 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 diseases differ:
- Pain in the arms, shoulders, headache with the appearance of tinnitus, dizziness, colored spots, tingling in front of the eyes with cervical osteochondrosis. It occurs in 25% of cases.
- Chest pain, numbness, pain in the heart, abdomen and other organs are signs of damage to the thoracic region. It is 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 types - 50% of cases.
- Pain in several parts of the spine is a common osteochondrosis.
Pain is considered a deciding factor, there is a feeling of numbness of the limbs, pain, tingling. An unpleasant manifestation is muscle spasm, stiffness of movement, 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 the ways of making an accurate diagnosis, determining the presence of concomitant diseases - protrusion, intervertebral hernia.
Symptoms often indicate a later stage in the development of the disease, when surgery is needed. Treatment is aimed at eliminating pain, stopping the development of the disease.
Conservative treatment
Treatment of the patient is prescribed by the attending physician, the advice of a physician in severe cases. Conservative treatment is widespread - treatment methods from various fields of medicine. Conservative treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine includes recreational activities:
- Therapeutic exercise - restores mobility of the spine, disease prevention.
- Manual therapy is a way to alleviate muscle cramps, improve blood circulation and metabolic processes.
- Reflexology is a way of eliminating muscle cramps, stimulating the production of substances that inhibit inflammatory processes.
- Underwater hydromassage. Water sports relieve 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-, magnetic-, vibrostimulation - types of hardware treatment that relieve muscle cramps, improve microcirculation.
- Therapeutic diet. The diet is chosen so that the body gets the necessary vitamins, trace elements.
- Psychotherapy. It promotes a person's faith in recovery, activates the body's internal resources.
- Medical therapy. Taking medication.
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, follow it. Inpatient treatment is also not ideal - the lack of orthopedic products in the hospital, appliances, doctors.
Treatment in special centers, sanatoriums is provided in full. The duration of treatment has not been determined. It will take from one week to a month to eliminate the serious symptoms. For rehabilitation, restoration of the discs will take more than 3 months.
Many doctors from the complex of procedures prescribe drugs, hardware treatment. Preparations for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine help 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 regeneration of nerve, cartilage tissue.
When they treat only with drugs, they forget about the internal abilities 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, surgery is prescribed. Sometimes surgery alone can alleviate the condition. Doctors remove hernias, put new discs instead of worn ones. The rehabilitation period is carried out as a usual treatment.
The costs of treating osteochondrosis are compared to cardiovascular diseases, flu. 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. You can perform the procedures at home alone, with the help of loved ones.
The alternative is traditional medicine. There are many recipes for ointments, decoctions of herbs that are taken orally, in the form of compresses. Many recipes for different stages, types of diseases.
Self-medication will worsen the patient's condition, so a doctor should be consulted before taking the medicine. The option of self-medication is to believe in medicine, 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 its occurrence. It is worth developing good habits in terms of daily routine, diet. Preventive actions:
- Morning massages of the back, limbs - rubbing, kneading, performed independently.
- Gymnastics, exercises. It is worth to include swing movements, turns, inclines, jumps in place, bends.
- Exercises in the workplace. If the job involves a long stay in a certain position, it is worth interfering for five minutes every hour or two to perform a few exercises.
- Swimming is a sport that helps solve spinal problems.
If the disease has managed to develop, prevention, treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine should be combined, supplemented.
The important thing is to follow a proper diet. It should contain vegetarian dishes, steamed dishes, baked in the oven. The diet should be high in protein, not mushrooms. Spices, condiments are welcome, 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. In one day do not eat more than 2 kg of food, a liter of water. With a lack of vitamins, they are prescribed separately.
Active lifestyle, proper nutrition - the key to health of the spine, body. Treatment is difficult, but it will help relieve unpleasant pain. If osteochondrosis is diagnosed, you will have to change your lifestyle forever.
The article is written for general educational development. Be sure to see a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.