How to treat osteochondrosis of the spine

The spine is the backbone of a person. It carries the weight of walking. Friction occurs faster than other parts of the body. A sedentary, sedentary lifestyle worsens the situation. The causes are unknown, there is a group of risk factors.

Before treating osteochondrosis, you should 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. Depending on the symptoms, the types of the disease are distinguished:

  1. Pain in the arms, shoulders, headaches with tinnitus, dizziness, colored spots, bumps in front of the eyes with cervical osteochondrosis. It occurs in 25% of cases.
  2. Chest pain, numbness, pain in the heart, stomach and other organs are signs of damage to the chest area. It is diagnosed in 13% of cases.
  3. Pain in the lower back, legs, groin, decreased sensitivity of the lower extremities, pelvic organs - osteochondrosis of the lumbar region. Common species - 50% of cases.
  4. Pain in many parts of the spine is a common osteochondrosis.
The focus of osteochondrosis of the spine

Pain is considered the determining factor, there is a feeling of numbness in the limbs, pain, 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 material examination - x-rays, tomography, magnetic resonance imaging. These are ways to accurately diagnose, determine the presence of concomitant diseases - protrusion, intervertebral hernia.

Symptoms often indicate the later stages of disease development, when surgery is required. The treatment aims to eliminate the pain, to stop the development of the disease.

Conservative therapy

Treatment for the patient is prescribed by the treating physician, a board of physicians in difficult cases. Conservative treatment is widespread - treatment methods 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 hot tub. Water sports relieve the spine, heal.
  • Traction therapy is a set of techniques that stretch the spine, reducing pressure on the discs and nerve endings.
  • Ultrasound, laser therapy, electro-, magneto-, vibrational stimulation - types of material therapy that relieve muscle spasms, improve microcirculation.
  • Therapeutic diet. The diet is chosen so that the body receives the necessary vitamins, trace elements.
  • Psychotherapy. Promotes the person's faith in recovery, activates the body's internal pores.
  • Medical treatment. Drug intake.
Human spine affected by osteochondrosis

It is best 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. In-hospital treatment is also not ideal - the lack of orthopedic products in the hospital, devices, doctors.

The treatment in special centers, sanatoriums is given in full. The duration of treatment is not defined. It will take a week to a month to eliminate the severe symptoms. It will take more than 3 months for recovery, disk recovery.

Many doctors from the complex of procedures prescribe medication, material therapy. Preparations for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine help to treat 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 nerve, cartilage tissues.

When they are treated only with drugs, they forget the internal capabilities of the body, they treat the patient without him. This is wrong, lack of medication. Conservative methods can improve the patient's condition.

How else to deal with osteochondrosis?

If conservative treatment is not enough, surgery is prescribed. Sometimes only surgery will alleviate the condition. Doctors remove the hernias, put new discs in place of the worn ones. The recovery period takes place as usual.

The cost of treating osteochondrosis is comparable to that of cardiovascular disease, the flu. To make it cheaper, alternative treatment options are considered. It is worth buying a device for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine, which relieves pain. The procedures can be performed at home yourself, with the help of loved ones.

An alternative is traditional medicine. There are many recipes for ointments, herbal decoctions taken orally, in the form of a compress. Many recipes for different stages, types of diseases.

Self-medication will worsen the patient's condition, so you should consult a doctor before taking the medication. The choice of self-medication is to believe in a treatment, to 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 appearance. It is worth developing good habits regarding the daily routine, the diet. Precautions:

  • Morning back, limb massage - rubbing, kneading, performed independently.
  • Gymnastics, exercise. It is worth including swinging movements, turns, inclines, jumps in place, pulls.
  • Workplace training. If the work involves a long stay in a particular position, it is worth distracting yourself for five minutes every hour or two to perform a few exercises.
  • Swimming is a sport that helps to solve problems with the spine.

If the disease has managed to develop, the prevention, treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine should be combined, complement each other.

An important point is the maintenance of proper nutrition. It should contain vegetarian dishes, steamed dishes, baked in the oven. The diet should have a lot of protein, not mushrooms. Spices, seasonings are welcome, salt and pickles are excluded. Consumption of strong tea, coffee, alcohol, abuse of sweets, starchy foods is not recommended. It is worth eating 5-7 times a day. For one 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 difficult, but it will help eliminate the unpleasant pain. If you are diagnosed with osteochondrosis, you need to change your lifestyle forever.

The article was written for general educational development. To make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment, be sure to consult a doctor.