Osteochondrosis is a rather unpleasant disease of the spine, of the degenerative dystrophic type. It causes abnormal compaction of the intervertebral disc and further beyond the normal range. As a result, the patient begins to experience severe pain.
The nature and frequency of pain will only increase as the disease progresses. In this regard, patients are prescribed injectable drugs. They achieve the desired results quickly, as it takes a few minutes for them to enter the circulatory system. In addition, the drug can be used locally. For example, inject it directly into the affected joint.
But this treatment has some drawbacks. For example, the injection site has the potential to infect or damage joint tissue. Therefore, this treatment should only be prescribed when it is truly necessary. Below we will take a closer look at cervical osteochondrosis, its symptoms and injection treatments.
Typical and atypical symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
The main difference between cervical and lumbar spine is the tighter relationship between the vertebrae. For this reason, the presence of a lesion in at least one of these results in disruption of the normal function of the entire spine. In order to rule out the possibility of other diseases with similar symptoms, proper treatment and injection of osteochondrosis, it is important to establish the diagnosis accurately.
The main problem is that the original form of cervical osteochondrosis doesn't actually appear. And has been in a state of neglect, with all kinds of unpleasant, painful sensations due to the process of changing the cartilage structure and squeezing the arteries.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis include:
- It all started with the appearance of pain in the neck area. The pain started to cover the muscles in the back of the head, accompanied by an unpleasant, horrible crunching sound, and became more intense as the head was turned. Severe headaches are possible, radiating to the neck, left chest, and lower back;
- There may be nausea. This is due to a violation of normal brain circulation. There may be signs of phytovascular disease, with fever, profuse sweating, hearing loss, and a feeling of numbness in the tongue.
- Difficulty breathing is possible. They are associated with overstimulation of the diaphragm due to damage to the cervical vertebrae. Severe shortness of breath and even a feeling of suffocation may occur. This can lead to memory impairment and permanent brain damage;
- In addition, this condition is characterized by visual impairment. It occurs due to twisting of the arteries. This results in blurred vision, flickering spots, difficulty focusing and atherosclerosis;
- Dizziness can occur due to arterial spasms and interruption of normal blood flow in the brain, which can lead to unexpected loss of consciousness and stress instability.
Depending on the stage of the disease and how much it deforms the vertebrae, the need for injection therapy may arise. Regardless, the sooner you start treatment, the better chance you have of getting rid of osteochondrosis forever. Neglecting the disease can lead to dangerous consequences and even disability.
Indications for appointment of cervical osteochondrosis injections
Traditionally, when osteochondrosis occurs, treatment is as follows:
- massage;
- special gymnastics;
- manual therapy;
- yoga;
- Eastern medical methods;
- other.
All of the above are aimed at restoring the spine and combating the consequences of osteochondrosis. But such a procedure may simply not be feasible. This is due to the severe pain experienced by the patient. It is for this reason that cervical osteochondrosis requires injections.
With cervical osteochondrosis, there may be several types of pain, depending on their origin:
- reflection;
- spasms;
- Neuropathy;
- compression.
The latter should be given the most attention as this is the most common and most dangerous breed. During an inflammatory process, pain is easier to treat. So even with just one drug, it's possible to get rid of it.
Depending on the type of syndrome, a course of treatment is prescribed:
- acceleration effect. By skipping the absorption process in the gastrointestinal tract, the drug reaches the target organ almost immediately;
- strange. Certain drugs simply cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract and are therefore less effective, especially compared to drugs that go directly into the bloodstream;
- optional. Some injections for cervical osteochondrosis are placed directly on the lesion. This is necessary to improve their performance.
The most effective injections for osteochondrosis are those prescribed by a doctor. Use the injection precisely to achieve maximum effect.
What needles are needed for cervical osteochondrosis
All injections from osteochondrosis are strictly prescribed by the doctor after the patient is hospitalized during the deterioration of the disease. The patient was receiving an intensive course in which all drugs were administered parenterally.
The main indication for the use of injectables for osteochondrosis is severe pain that ointments or tablets cannot cope with.
Between exacerbations, injections may also be prescribed for cervical osteochondrosis. Basically, these are chondroprotectants and vitamin complexes that improve the condition of the spine. This helps minimize the number of exacerbations. Injections prescribed for osteochondrosis are discussed below.
Muscle relaxants and antispasmodics
These drugs should be used in combination with other drugs. They are used to relieve muscle spasms and relieve compressed nerve endings. With proper medication prescription, they produce good results.
If we were talking about some of the drugs in this group, the dose would be 25 mg for 10 days.
painkiller
Such drugs are often prescribed when anti-inflammatory drugs are ineffective. Mainly pain relievers. The most effective painkiller injections for osteochondrosis:
- Analgesics and antipyretics of the pyrazolone class. Although it is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, it has almost no anti-inflammatory effect. But deal with the pain quickly. Must be administered intravenously 2 times a day;
- An analgesic that acts directly on opioid receptors in the head to reduce pain. The effects appear within 30 minutes and last for 6 hours. The drug is addictive, but not strong.
vitamin complex
For osteochondrosis, vitamins A, E, and C are usually injected. They are able to reduce inflammation in affected tissues and nerve endings and have a positive effect on microcirculation.
In most cases, vitamin injections from cervical osteochondrosis are released in the form of an oily or aqueous solution. Intramuscular input only. A course of treatment lasts several weeks.
NSAIDs
Regardless of the degree of osteochondrosis, one of the main causative factors is inflammation. These drugs are designed to eliminate symptoms (especially pain). They cannot help overcome the disease itself.
chondroprotective agent
Helps in the protection and repair of intervertebral discs. The composition of the preparation includes the same substances as in the composition of the joint tissue. They respond quickly to pain and inflammation.
As prescribed by your doctor, intramuscular injections are given daily or several times a week. Courses last several weeks.
Medications for cervical osteochondrosis
During injections, it is important to observe the rules of preservation and sterility, since the integrity of the skin is violated and there is a risk of infection. There are several types of injections used for osteochondrosis, namely:
- vein;
- epidural;
- intraosseous;
- intramuscular.
The intramuscular injection procedure is as follows:
- The skin at the injection site needs to be treated with iodine or alcohol;
- Inhale the medicine into the syringe at the dose indicated by the instructions;
- Insert the needle approximately two-thirds of the way into the muscle.
If you can do everything on your own when it comes to intramuscular injections, then you definitely need an experienced assistant for neck injections.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is more dangerous than the lumbar or thoracic spine. This is all because blood vessels are squeezed and blood circulation in the brain is disrupted. Distortion of the structure itself and deformation of the intervertebral discs can lead to compression of nerve roots, as well as disruption of blood vessels responsible for blood circulation to the brain.
As a result, with impaired blood circulation, a person starts to become stupid without even noticing it. In addition to the above treatments, it is important to exclude as far as possible pathological causes such as:
- Lack of activity in daily life;
- being overweight;
- Violation of metabolic processes;
- unhealthy diet;
- constant pressure;
- severe hypothermia;
- Injuried;
- Often sit still.
Appropriate injection therapy over a short period of time can eliminate pain, relieve inflammation, and restore normal blood flow. As the disease progresses, patients may be prescribed a dropper of several drug mixtures.