Characteristics of the disease
The course of cervical osteochondrosis is accompanied by slow, irreversible destruction of the intervertebral discs. Deprived of the shock-absorbing cartilage cushioning, the bony vertebrae also begin to deform.
- local anesthetic, regenerating, warming external agents;
- drugs that provide adequate nutrition for the brain;
- chondroprotectors, which start the disc's recovery processes;
- local and systemic pain relievers.
The pathology cannot yet be completely cured. Doctors' efforts are aimed at eliminating painful symptoms and preventing the disease from spreading to other parts of the spine. For this purpose, complex treatment regimens are compiled using drugs from different groups.
Signs of cervical chondrosis
In the initial stages of the disease, there are practically no symptoms in women and men. In the evening, a person experiences slight discomfort. He chalks them up to fatigue after a day at work, which is why he doesn't see a doctor. Meanwhile, your intervertebral discs are gradually destroyed. The vertebrae are deformed by the formation of bony growths, compressing the vertebral artery.
After about a year, the discomfort is replaced by pain, which increases when turning or tilting the head.
- clicking, cracking in the neck;
- limitation of range of motion;
- jumpy blood pressure;
- fast heartbeat;
- migraine-like unilateral throbbing headache;
- vision and hearing disorders;
- dizziness, unsteady gait, sensations of imaginary rotation of objects;
- attacks of nausea that rarely end in vomiting.
Due to oxygen starvation of the brain, sleep is disturbed, weakness, listlessness, fatigue, and tinnitus occur. A person's psycho-emotional state deteriorates - he becomes nervous and worries about little things.
Principles of drug treatment
Chiropractors, professional massage therapists, physiotherapists and physical therapists 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 exacerbation of chondrosis to quickly eliminate 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 cracking.
It is rarely possible to treat osteochondrosis with a single drug. Therapeutic regimens usually include at least 5 drugs with different pharmacological properties. They are compatible and convenient for home use.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are used more often than other drugs in the treatment of cervical chondrosis. They are recommended for acute, stabbing or distant, dull pain. The mechanism of action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is based on the ability to inhibit the enzymes responsible for the production of neurotransmitters.
- eliminates painful sensations;
- eliminates crunching and clicking when turning the neck;
- stop acute, subacute, chronic inflammatory processes affecting soft tissues;
- they stimulate the reduction of swelling that affects sensory nerve endings;
- increase range of motion in injured cervical vertebrae.
In the treatment of chondrosis, drugs in the form of solutions and tablets for parenteral administration are well proven.
Long-term use of NSAIDs leads to damage to the gastric mucosa. The simultaneous use of proton pump inhibitors helps to avoid this. The drugs reduce the aggressive production of gastric juice by the parietal cells, which increases under the influence of NSAIDs.
Synthetic hormones
Glucocorticosteroids are synthetic analogues of hormones produced by the adrenal cortex. This is the "heavy artillery" of drug treatment of cervical osteochondrosis. Like natural hormones, glucocorticosteroids quickly relieve inflammation, swelling and almost immediately eliminate pain. They are used in the form of solutions for intramuscular administration. But in case of acute pain, they can be inserted directly into the area of the destroyed intervertebral disc.
The use of hormonal drugs during pregnancy, breastfeeding, adolescence and childhood is prohibited.
All glucocorticosteroids have a number of contraindications. In clinical practice, cases of withdrawal include severe damage to the liver, kidneys, and stomach after long-term hormone therapy. They cannot be used in case of liver cirrhosis, peptic ulcer, kidney failure or osteoporosis.
Medicines with a chondroprotective effect
All tools used in the complex treatment of chondrosis only eliminate its symptoms, temporarily improving a person's well-being. The only exception is chondroprotectors. These medications contain ingredients that can trigger the repair of damaged cartilaginous intervertebral discs. The pain in the neck disappears after use, and it disappears not for a few hours, but forever.
In pharmacies, chondroprotectors are presented in a wide variety. These are capsules, substances for making injection solutions, powders packed in bags.
- Glucosamine. It stimulates the synthesis of bioactive substances necessary for the construction of tissues, and improves the composition of synovial fluid. It increases the permeability of the joint capsule, restores enzymatic processes, prevents the destruction of cartilage discs.
- Chondroitin. It participates in the construction of cartilage and bone tissue, accelerates metabolic processes. It prevents the destruction of the intervertebral discs, blocks the enzymes that damage the cartilage tissue.
Products that improve microcirculation
The substance sought to improve blood circulation in cervical osteochondrosis is xanthinol-nicotine. This drug is used to treat pathologies of great severity, when not only the discs, but also the bone vertebrae are deformed. Compression of the vertebral artery manifests itself in cervicocranialgia. This is the name of the set of symptoms of a violation of the vertebral artery: headache, "floating" in front of the eyes, temporary blurred vision, sweating, rapid heartbeat.
Thioctic acid improves microcirculation and eliminates the "spinal artery syndrome". The disadvantage of such drugs is their indiscriminate effect, since they accelerate the movement of blood throughout the body, which is not always advisable. Therefore, their contraindications include epilepsy, hyperthyroidism andpeptic ulcer.
Preparations containing B vitamins
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the acute stage cannot be carried out without the use of drugs that contain B vitamins. The fact is that acute bone growth of the vertebrae does not only damage the vertebral artery. They also put pressure on the sensitive nerve roots, disrupting innervation. Nerve impulses enter the central nervous system with a delay, and its responses are inhibited.
Disturbance of innervation leads to paresthesia - loss of sensation in certain areas of the body.
Medicines whose activity is determined by pyridoxine, thiamine and B12 are well proven in the medical treatment of cervical chondrosis.
Many of them are available as a solution for intramuscular administration. Contains vitamin B and anesthetic. Therefore, after the injection, the pain disappears immediately and the range of motion in the area of the cervical vertebrae is restored.
At the same time, the product improves blood flow, the functioning 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 components.
The best muscle relaxants
Eliminating mild symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and treating exacerbations at home are often complicated by muscle spasms. The nerve root is compressed by displaced intervertebral discs and inflammatory edema. A severe pain syndrome occurs, which the body tries to eliminate with muscle spasms. Thanks to this specific protective reaction, the person's movement is limited and the discomfort is eliminated.
But often the increase in skeletal muscle tone puts even more pressure on the nerve endings.
Muscle relaxants are combined with all means of drug treatment of chondrosis, including glucocorticosteroids. The body tolerates them well, but some of them can cause addiction and "withdrawal syndrome". Therefore, they are not intended for long-term therapy. The duration of treatment does not exceed one week.
Medications that improve the psycho-emotional state
Among all chondrosis, cervical chondrosis especially worsens a person's psycho-emotional state. It's all about the vertebral artery being damaged by bony growths, which leads to cerebral hypoxia.
- 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 appear is to use cough suppressants, eye drops, or ear drops. The symptoms can often be eliminated with a mild sedative medication: Tenoten, Novo-Passit, motherwort tinctures, valerian, peony. Tranquilizers, antipsychotics and antidepressants are prescribed only for severe neuroses and depression.
Vitamin-balanced complexes
Most vitamins, essential micro- and macro-elements enter the human body with food. However, food does not always meet physiological needs or is absorbed and distributed incorrectly. For example, with circulatory disorders characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis. Lack of bioactive substances, which negatively affects the functioning of all vital systems.
In order to quickly replace the body's daily vitamin, micro and macro element needs, balanced complexes of these should be included in the treatment regimen.
Magnesium forms muscle and bone tissue, and iodine regulates metabolism. Manganese, molybdenum, chromium, potassium, chlorine, selenium and zinc stimulate the strengthening of ligaments, and copper stops inflammatory processes. These minerals are present in all the above complexes.
The correct intake of medicines is to use 1 tablet per day - this amount is sufficient to improve blood supply to the brain with useful substances.
A week later, the signs of anemia in the 3rd stage of the development of cervical chondrosis disappear. The person no longer feels drowsy and does not suffer from impaired motor coordination. Double vision of objects in front of the eyes is eliminated.
Ointments, gels, balms
For exacerbation of chondrosis, external remedies are always used at home. They cannot cope with severe pain, injections or painkillers are needed. Ointments, creams, gels, balms are used to eliminate hypothermia and pain during changing climatic zones.
- Anti-inflammatory. The drugs have a gentler effect on the human body than other NSAIDs.
- vasodilators. The drugs have a local irritant effect and dilate the blood vessels that supply the brain.
- Pain relievers. Medicines relieve pain immediately after application. They absorb well and do not leave greasy marks on clothes and bed linen.
- Warming up. Products containing paprika extract can only be applied with an applicator. The drugs have an analgesic effect a few minutes after application to the back of the neck.
Products intended for external use are effective and rarely cause local allergic reactions. However, caution is required during treatment. If ointments come into contact with mucous membranes, rinse quickly with water. Especially those containing essential oils, natural poisons and turpentine.
Therapeutic plasters
Pepper patch is a proven remedy for exacerbation of osteochondrosis. 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 a pain-relieving effect for 3-5 hours. If your neck hurts, use the external remedy whole or cut into small pieces.
The wine plaster can be conveniently used for treatments at home, at work or while traveling. But it also has a contraindication - individual intolerance to one of the components. And for women with sensitive skin, it can cause chemical burns.
The patches have an anti-inflammatory, decongestant and chondroprotective effect. They are used to treat all pathologies of the cervical spine. Their use helps reduce the pharmacological load on the human body by reducing the dose of systemic drugs.
How to properly treat cervical chondrosis?
Stopping the destruction of the intervertebral discs is possible only with an integrated approach to therapy. They practice wearing orthopedic devices (Schanz collars) that fix the vertebrae in an anatomical position. Applicators are needed to improve the blood supply of damaged tissues with nutrients and bioactive substances. Daily physical therapy classes, yoga, swimming and walks in the fresh air can be seen.
Most medications are recommended to relieve symptoms during exacerbations. They have many side effects, including damage to liver tissue. Chondroprotectors, blood circulation-improving agents, and balanced vitamin and mineral complexes are suitable for regular use.