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 going beyond the normal range. As a result, the patient begins to feel severe pain.
With the development of the disease, the nature and frequency of pain will only increase. In this regard, 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 method of treatment has some disadvantages. For example, there is a chance of infection or damage to the tissues 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 the cervical and the lumbar is that the vertebrae are located more closely in relation to each other. For this reason, the appearance of pathology in at least one of them can cause a disruption in 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, 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 starts 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, frightening crunch and becomes stronger when turning the head. Severe headaches are possible, radiating to the neck, chest on the left and passing into the lower back;
- There may be a feeling of nausea. This is due to a violation of the normal cerebral circulation. There may be signs of vegetovascular diseases, there is a feeling of heat, severe 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 vertebrae of the neck. There may be severe shortness of breath, and even a feeling of suffocation. This can lead to memory impairment and permanent brain damage;
- In addition, this condition is characterized by visual impairment. It occurs due to distortion of the arteries. This leads to the appearance of blurred vision, flickering points in front of the eyes, difficulty in focusing the gaze and the occurrence of atherosclerosis;
- Due to spasm of the arteries and disruption of normal blood flow in the brain, dizziness can occur, which can overflow into an unexpected loss of consciousness and unstable pressure.
The need for treatment with injections may arise depending on the stage of the disease and how much it has managed to deform the vertebrae. In any case, the sooner you start to be treated, the more likely you are to get rid of osteochondrosis forever. Ignoring the disease can lead to dangerous consequences up to 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;
- Oriental medicine methods;
- Other.
All of the above is aimed at restoring the spine and countering the consequences of osteochondrosis. But such procedures may simply not be feasible. This is due to the severe pain experienced by the patient. It is for this that injections are needed for cervical osteochondrosis.
With cervical osteochondrosis, several types of pain are possible, depending on their origin:
- reflex;
- Spastic;
- neuropathic;
- Compression.
The greatest attention should be paid to the latter, since 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 process of absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, the drug reaches the target organs almost immediately;
- peculiar. Certain drugs can simply lead to destruction in the gastrointestinal tract, as a result, their effectiveness will be worse, especially in comparison with drugs that directly enter the bloodstream;
- Selective. 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 precisely when using injections.
What injections are prescribed for cervical osteochondrosis
All injections from osteochondrosis are prescribed strictly by a doctor after the patient is hospitalized during an exacerbation of the disease. The patient is undergoing an intensive course in which all drugs are administered parenterally.
The main indication for prescribing the treatment of osteochondrosis with injections is severe pain that 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 to improve the condition of the spine. This helps to 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 from this group, then the dosage will be 25 mg for 10 days.
Painkillers
Such drugs are usually prescribed in cases where anti-inflammatory drugs are powerless. Mostly analgesics. The most effective painkillers injections for osteochondrosis:
- Analgesic and antipyretic from the group of pyrazolones. Although it belongs to NSAIDs, it has almost no anti-inflammatory effect. But quickly copes with pain. 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 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, vitamin injections from cervical osteochondrosis are released in the form of oily or aqueous solutions. Are entered only intramuscularly. One treatment course 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 get rid of the symptoms (in particular, pain). They cannot help to overcome the disease itself.
Chondroprotectors
Contribute to the protection and restoration of intervertebral discs. The composition of the preparations includes the same substances as in the composition of the articular tissue. They quickly cope with pain and inflammation.
They are administered intramuscularly, depending on the doctor's prescription, every day 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, 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:
- 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 in accordance with 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 make injections in the neck.
The cervical variety of osteochondrosis is much more dangerous than the lumbar or thoracic. All because the vessels are pinched and blood circulation in the brain is disturbed. The distortion of the structure itself and the deformation of the intervertebral discs can lead to compression of the nerve roots, as well as to the destruction of the vessels responsible for the 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 get rid of 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;
- Injury;
- 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 several drugs.