Osteochondrosis is a rather unpleasant disease of the spine, belonging to the degenerative-dystrophic type. It leads to abnormal compaction of the intervertebral discs and their further exceeding the normal range. As a result, the patient begins to experience severe pain.
As the disease develops, the nature and frequency of the pain will increase. In this regard, the patient is prescribed drug injections. They quickly lead to the desired result, as their entry into the circulatory system takes literally a few minutes. In addition, it is possible to use the drug locally. For example, inject it directly into the affected joint.
But this method of treatment has some disadvantages. For example, there is a possibility of infection or tissue damage of the joint at the injection site. Therefore, such treatment is prescribed only when it is really necessary. Below we will take a closer look at cervical osteochondrosis, its symptoms and treatment with injections.
Typical and atypical symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The main difference between cervical and lumbar is that the vertebrae are located more closely to each other. For this reason, the appearance of pathologies in at least one of them can cause a disruption of the normal functioning of the entire spine. In order to exclude the possibility of other diseases with similar symptoms, to prescribe the appropriate treatment and injections for osteochondrosis, it is important to accurately establish the diagnosis.
The main problem is that the initial forms of cervical osteochondrosis practically do not appear. And already in a neglected state, a variety of unpleasant and painful sensations begin, arising from the process of changing the very structure of the cartilage and pinching the artery.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include:
- It all begins with the appearance of pain in the cervical region. This pain begins to cover the muscles of the back of the head, is accompanied by an unpleasant and frightening crunch, and becomes stronger when turning the head. Severe headaches are possible, radiating to the neck, chest to the left and passing to the lower back;
- There may be a feeling of nausea. This is due to a violation of normal cerebral circulation. There may be signs of vegetovascular diseases, there is a feeling of heat, strong sweating, hearing loss and numbness of the tongue.
- Possible difficulty in breathing. They are associated with excessive irritation of the diaphragm due to damage to the vertebrae of the neck. There may be severe shortness of breath and even a feeling of choking. This can lead to memory impairment and permanent brain damage;
- Also, this condition is characterized by visual impairment. It occurs due to the distortion of the arteries. This leads to the appearance of blurred vision, flicker points in front of the eyes, difficulty in focusing the gaze and the onset of atherosclerosis;
- Due to spasm of the arteries and disruption of normal blood flow in the brain, dizziness can occur, which can overflow into unexpected loss of consciousness and unstable pressure.
The need for treatment with injections may arise depending on the stage of the disease and how well it has managed to deform the vertebrae. Either way, the earlier you start being treated, the more likely you are to get rid of osteochondrosis forever. Ignoring the disease can lead to dangerous consequences including disability.
Indications for the appointment of injections for cervical osteochondrosis
Traditionally, when osteochondrosis occurs, such methods of treatment are prescribed as:
- Massage;
- special gymnastics;
- Manual therapy;
- Yoga;
- methods of oriental medicine;
- Other.
All of the above is aimed at restoring the spine and counteracting the consequences of osteochondrosis. But such procedures may simply not be feasible. This is due to the severe pain experienced by the patient. This is why injections are needed for cervical osteochondrosis.
With cervical osteochondrosis, different types of pain are possible, depending on their origin:
- reflex;
- spastic;
- neuropathic;
- Compression.
The greatest attention should be paid to the latter, as this is the most common and dangerous variety. In inflammatory processes, pain is easier to treat. So it is possible to get rid of it even with just one drug.
Depending on the type of syndrome, a course of treatment is prescribed:
- Accelerated effect. By skipping the absorption process in the gastrointestinal tract, the drug almost immediately reaches the target organs;
- peculiar. Some drugs can simply lead to destruction in the gastrointestinal tract, as a result, their effectiveness will be worse, especially in comparison with drugs that enter the bloodstream directly;
- Selective. Some injections for cervical osteochondrosis are placed directly at the injury site. This is necessary to improve their performance.
The most effective injections for osteochondrosis are prescribed on the recommendation of a doctor. The greatest effect can be achieved precisely when using injections.
What injections are prescribed for cervical osteochondrosis
All injections of osteochondrosis are prescribed strictly by a doctor after the patient is hospitalized during an exacerbation of the disease. The patient undergoes an intensive course in which all drugs are administered parenterally.
The main indication for the prescription of osteochondrosis treatment with injections is severe pain that ointments or tablets cannot cope with.
Among the exacerbations, injections may also be prescribed for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Basically, these are chondroprotectors and vitamin complexes to improve the condition of the spine. This helps minimize the number of exacerbations. Which injections are prescribed for osteochondrosis will be discussed below.
Muscle relaxants and antispasmodics
These drugs should be combined with other drugs. They are used to relieve muscle spasm and relieve pinched nerve endings. With proper prescription of drugs, they give a good result.
If we talk about some drugs of this group, then the dosage will be 25 mg for 10 days.
Pain relievers
Such drugs are usually prescribed in cases where anti-inflammatory drugs are powerless. Mostly analgesics. The most effective painkiller injections for osteochondrosis:
- Analgesic and antipyretic of the pyrazolone group. Although it belongs to NSAIDs, it has almost no anti-inflammatory effect. But deal with the pain quickly. It must be administered intravenously 2 times a day;
- An analgesic that acts directly on the opioid receptors in the head to relieve pain. The effect appears within 30 minutes and lasts for six hours. The drug is addictive, but it is not strong.
Vitamin complexes
Often with osteochondrosis, injections of vitamins A, E and C are prescribed. They are able to reduce inflammation of the affected tissues and nerve endings and have a positive effect on microcirculation.
For the most part, injections of vitamins from cervical osteochondrosis are released in the form of oily or aqueous solutions. They entered only intramusculary. A course of treatment lasts a couple of weeks.
NSAIDs
Regardless of the degree of osteochondrosis, one of the main pathogenic factors is inflammation. Such drugs are designed to eliminate symptoms (especially pain). They cannot help overcome the disease itself.
Chondroprotectors
Contribute to the protection and restoration of the intervertebral discs. The composition of the preparations includes the same substances as the composition of the joint tissue. They quickly cope with pain and inflammation.
They are administered intramuscularly, depending on the doctor's prescription, daily or a couple of times a week. The duration of the course is several weeks.
Methods of administering drugs for cervical osteochondrosis
During the injection process, it is important to follow the rules of antisepsis and asepsis, as the integrity of the skin is violated and there is a risk of infection. There are several types of injections that are administered for osteochondrosis, namely:
- intravenous;
- epidural;
- intraosseous;
- Intramuscular.
The intramuscular injection process is as follows:
- It is necessary to treat the skin at the injection site with iodine or alcohol;
- Draw the medicine into the syringe according to the dosage indicated in the instructions;
- Insert the needle about two-thirds into the muscle.
If you can do everything yourself when injecting into a muscle, then you will definitely need an experienced assistant to do injections in the neck.
The cervical variety of osteochondrosis is much more dangerous than the lumbar or thoracic variety. All because the blood vessels are squeezed and blood circulation in the brain is disturbed. Distortion of the structure itself and deformation of the intervertebral discs can lead to compression of the nerve roots, as well as to the destruction of the vessels responsible for blood circulation of the brain.
As a result, with impaired blood circulation, a person begins to become stupid and does not even notice it. In addition to the above treatment, it is important to eliminate the cause of the pathology as much as possible, for example:
- Lack of activity in daily life;
- Too much weight
- Violations of metabolic processes;
- unhealthy diet;
- Constant stress;
- Severe hypothermia;
- Wound;
- Frequent sitting without moving.
Properly prescribed treatment with injections in a short time can remove pain, relieve inflammation and restore normal blood flow. With severe attacks of the disease, the patient may be prescribed droppers with mixtures of different drugs.