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 feel severe pain.
As the disease develops, the type and frequency of pain only increases. In connection with this, the patient is prescribed injections of drugs. They quickly lead to the desired result, since their entry into the circulatory system takes literally minutes. In addition, it is possible to use the drug locally. For example, inject it directly into the affected joint.
But this treatment method has some disadvantages. For example, there is a possibility of infection or damage to the joint tissue 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 the cervical and lumbar spine is that the vertebrae are closer together. Because of this, the appearance of a pathology in at least one of them can lead to disruption of the normal functioning of the spine as a whole. 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, painful sensations arising from the process of changing the structure of the cartilage and pinching the artery begin.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include:
- It all starts with the appearance of pain in the throat area. This pain begins to cover the muscles of the back of the head, is accompanied by an uncomfortable, frightening crunch, and increases when the head is rotated. Severe headaches are possible, radiating to the neck, left chest and lower back;
- There may be a feeling of nausea. This is due to a violation of normal cerebral circulation. There may be signs of vegetative disorders, flushing, profuse sweating, hearing loss, and numbness of the tongue.
- Difficulty breathing is possible. They are associated with excessive irritation of the diaphragm due to damage to the cervical vertebrae. It can cause severe shortness of breath and even a feeling of suffocation. This can lead to memory problems and permanent brain damage;
- In addition, this condition is characterized by visual impairment. It occurs due to a distortion of the arteries. This leads to blurred vision, flickering dots in front of the eyes, difficulty focusing your gaze and the appearance of atherosclerosis;
- Due to spasms of the arteries and disturbances in the normal flow of blood in the brain, dizziness can occur, which can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness and unstable pressure.
The need for treatment with injections may arise depending on the stage of the disease and the degree of deformation of the vertebrae. In any case, the sooner you start treatment, the more likely you are to get rid of osteochondrosis forever. Ignoring the disease can lead to dangerous consequences, up to and including disability.
Indications for the appointment of injections in cervical osteochondrosis
When osteochondrosis occurs, such treatment methods are traditionally prescribed as:
- Massage;
- special gymnastics;
- Manual therapy;
- Yoga;
- methods of oriental medicine;
- Miscellaneous.
All this 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 patient's severe pain. For this, injections are needed for cervical osteochondrosis.
With cervical osteochondrosis, depending on the origin, several types of pain are possible:
- Reflex;
- spastic;
- neuropathic;
- Compression.
The latter should be given the most attention, since this is the most common and dangerous variety. With 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, treatment is prescribed:
- Accelerated Effect. By skipping the absorption process in the gastrointestinal tract, the drug reaches the target organs almost immediately;
- peculiar. Certain drugs can simply lead to destruction in the gastrointestinal tract, making them less effective, especially compared to drugs that enter the bloodstream directly.
- Selectively. Some injections for cervical osteochondrosis are placed directly at the site of the lesion. 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 with injections.
What injections are prescribed for cervical osteochondrosis?
All injections from osteochondrosis are strictly prescribed by a doctor after the patient has been hospitalized during an exacerbation of the disease. The patient goes through an intensive course in which all drugs are administered parenterally.
The main indication for prescribing the treatment of osteochondrosis with injections is severe pain, which ointments or tablets cannot cope with.
Between exacerbations, injections can also be prescribed for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Basically, these are chondroprotectors and vitamin complexes designed to improve the condition of the spine. This helps minimize the number of exacerbations. What 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 spasms and relieve pinched nerve endings. With the correct prescription of drugs, they give a good result.
If we talk about some drugs from this group, the dosage is 25 mg for 10 days.
Painkiller
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 from the group of pyrazolones. Although it belongs to the NSAIDs, it has almost no anti-inflammatory effect. But copes quickly with pain. It must be administered intravenously twice a day;
- An analgesic that acts directly on the opioid receptors in the head to relieve pain. The effects kick in within 30 minutes and last for six hours. The drug is addictive but not strong.
vitamin complexes
In osteochondrosis, injections with vitamins A, E and C are often prescribed, which can reduce inflammation of the affected tissues and nerve endings, and have a beneficial effect on microcirculation.
Vitamin injections in cervical osteochondrosis, for the most part, are released in the form of oily or aqueous solutions. Are entered only intramusculary. A course of treatment lasts a few weeks.
NSAIDs
Regardless of the degree of osteochondrosis, one of the main pathogenic factors is inflammation. Such drugs are designed to eliminate the symptoms (especially pain). You cannot help to overcome the disease on your own.
chondroprotectors
Contribute to the protection and recovery of intervertebral discs. The composition of the preparations includes the same substances as the composition of the joint tissue. You cope quickly with pain and inflammation.
Depending on the doctor's prescription, they are administered intramuscularly daily or several times a week. The course lasts several weeks.
Methods of administering drugs for cervical osteochondrosis
During the injection process, it is important to follow the rules of antisepsis and asepsis, since the integrity of the skin is violated and there is a risk of infection. There are several types of injections that are given for osteochondrosis, namely:
- intravenously;
- 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 of the way into the muscle.
If you can do everything yourself when injecting into a muscle, then for injections in the neck you definitely need an experienced assistant.
The cervical variant of osteochondrosis is much more dangerous than the lumbar or thoracic. All because the vessels are pinched and the blood flow to the brain is disrupted. The distortion of the structure itself and the deformation of the intervertebral discs can lead to compression of the nerve roots, as well as the destruction of the vessels responsible for blood flow to the brain.
As a result, a person with impaired blood circulation begins to become stupid and does not even notice. In addition to the above treatment, it is important to eliminate as much as possible the cause of the pathology, for example:
- lack of exercise in everyday life;
- Too much weight;
- violations of metabolic processes;
- unhealthy diet;
- constant stress;
- severe hypothermia;
- Injury;
- Frequently sitting without moving.
Properly prescribed treatment with injections in a short period of time can reduce pain, reduce inflammation and restore normal blood flow. In severe attacks of the disease, the patient can be prescribed drops with mixtures of several drugs.