In the complex therapy of cervical chondrosis (osteochondrosis), injection solutions, ointments, creams, tablets, and dragees are used. The drugs cope well with pain, swelling, inflammation, loss of sensitivity, dizziness, and surges in blood pressure.
Characteristic features of the disease
The course of cervical osteochondrosis is accompanied by slow, irreversible destruction of intervertebral discs. Deprived of shock-absorbing cartilage padding, the bony vertebrae also begin to deform.When visiting a vertebrologist or neurologist, patients complain of sharp or aching pain, stiffness, dizziness when standing up suddenly, so treatment regimens consist of drugs with various properties:
- external agents with local anesthetic, regenerating, warming effects;
- drugs that provide adequate nutrition to the brain;
- chondroprotectors that trigger disc restoration processes;
- local and systemic analgesics.
The pathology cannot yet be completely cured. The efforts of doctors are aimed at eliminating painful symptoms and inhibiting the spread of the disease to other parts of the spine. For this purpose, complex treatment regimens are drawn up using drugs from various groups.
Signs of cervical chondrosis
At the initial stages of the disease, there are practically no symptoms in women and men. Occasionally a person experiences mild discomfort in the evening. He chalks them up to fatigue after a day of work, so he doesn’t see a doctor. Meanwhile, his intervertebral discs are gradually destroyed. The vertebrae are deformed with the formation of bone growths, squeezing the vertebral artery.
After about a year, the discomfort is replaced by pain, which intensifies when turning or tilting the head.Chondrosis manifests itself with the following symptoms:
- clicking, crackling in the neck;
- limitation of range of motion;
- surges in blood pressure;
- rapid heartbeat;
- migraine-like unilateral throbbing headaches;
- visual and hearing disorders;
- dizziness, unsteadiness of gait, sensations of imaginary rotation of objects;
- attacks of nausea, rarely ending in vomiting.
Due to oxygen starvation of the brain, sleep is disrupted, weakness, apathy, fatigue, and ringing in the ears occur. A person’s psycho-emotional state worsens - he becomes nervous and worries over trifles.
Principles of drug treatment
Chiropractors, professional massage therapists, physiotherapists, and physical therapy doctors are involved in the treatment of cervical chondrosis. At the final stage, the use of folk remedies is allowed. But the main role in complex therapy is assigned to pharmacological drugs.All dosage forms are in demand:
- injection solutions are used for exacerbations of chondrosis to quickly eliminate its painful symptoms;
- tablets, capsules, dragees are prescribed during remissions to prevent disc destruction, relieve mild or moderate pain, and restore blood circulation;
- ointments, gels, balms, creams are the safest, quickly cope with stiffness and unpleasant crunching.
It is rarely possible to treat osteochondrosis with any one drug. Therapeutic regimens usually include at least 5 drugs with different pharmacological properties. They are compatible and convenient to use at home.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are more often used than other drugs in the treatment of cervical chondrosis. They are indicated for acute, piercing or distant, dull pain. The mechanism of action of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is based on the ability to inhibit enzymes responsible for the production of neurotransmitters. All NSAIDs have a complex effect on the human body:
- eliminate painful sensations;
- eliminate crunching and clicking noises that occur when turning the neck;
- stop the course of acute, subacute, chronic inflammatory processes affecting soft tissues;
- stimulate a reduction in swelling that impinges on the sensory nerve endings;
- increase the range of motion in damaged cervical vertebrae.
In the treatment of chondrosis, drugs in the form of solutions for parenteral administration and tablets have proven themselves well.
Long-term use of NSAIDs leads to damage to the gastric mucosa. The simultaneous use of proton pump inhibitors will help to avoid this. The drugs reduce the production of aggressive gastric juice by parietal cells, which increases under the influence of NSAIDs.
Synthetic hormones
Glucocorticosteroids are synthetic analogues of hormones produced by the adrenal cortex. This is the "heavy artillery" of drug treatment for cervical osteochondrosis. Like natural hormones, glucocorticosteroids quickly relieve inflammation, swelling, and almost instantly eliminate pain. They are used in the form of solutions for intramuscular administration. But in case of acute pain, it is possible to insert them directly into the area of the destroyed intervertebral disc.Treatment of aggravated pathology is carried out with hormonal drugs.One injection is enough to prevent pain from appearing for 3-5 days. Glucocorticosteroids are prescribed to patients with osteochondrosis when NSAIDs are ineffective. It's all about the wide list of their potential side effects. Too frequent use of hormones leads to damage to muscles, bones, tendon-ligament apparatus.
It is prohibited to use hormonal drugs during pregnancy, lactation, adolescence and childhood.
All glucocorticosteroids have many contraindications. In clinical practice, withdrawal cases include severe damage to the liver, kidneys, and stomach after long-term hormone therapy. They are not used in the presence of liver cirrhosis, peptic ulcer, renal failure, or osteoporosis.
Drugs with chondroprotective effects
All means that are used in the complex treatment of chondrosis only eliminate its symptoms, temporarily improving a person’s well-being. The only exception is chondroprotectors. These drugs contain ingredients that can trigger the restoration of damaged cartilaginous intervertebral discs. The neck pain stops hurting after using them and disappears not for a few hours, but forever.
In pharmacies, chondroprotectors are presented in a wide range. These are capsules, substances for the preparation of injection solutions, powders packaged in bags.They must contain one of the following components:
- Glucosamine. Stimulates the synthesis of bioactive substances necessary for tissue construction, improves the composition of synovial fluid. Increases the permeability of the joint capsule, restores enzymatic processes, and inhibits the destruction of discs.
- Chondroitin. Participates in the construction of cartilage and bone tissue, accelerates metabolic processes. Inhibits the destruction of intervertebral discs, blocks enzymes that cause damage to cartilage tissue.
Products that improve microcirculation
A substance in demand for improving blood circulation in cervical osteochondrosis is Xanthinol nicotinate. This drug is used in the treatment of pathology of high severity, when not only the discs, but also the bone vertebrae are deformed. Compression of the vertebral artery is manifested by cervicocranialgia. This is the name for a whole complex of symptoms of infringement of the vertebral artery: headache, "floaters" before the eyes, temporary blurred vision, sweating, rapid heartbeat.
Thioctic acid helps improve microcirculation and eliminate "vertebral artery syndrome. "The disadvantage of such drugs is their indiscriminate effect, since they accelerate the movement of blood throughout the body, which is not always advisable. Therefore, the list of their contraindications includes epilepsy, hyperthyroidism, and peptic ulcer.
Preparations with B vitamins
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis in the acute stage cannot be done without the use of drugs, the composition of which is formed from B vitamins. The fact is that acute bone growths of the vertebrae infringe not only the vertebral artery. They also put pressure on the sensitive nerve roots, disrupting the innervation. Nerve impulses enter the central nervous system with a delay, and its responses are inhibited.
Disruption of innervation leads to paresthesia - loss of sensitivity in certain areas of the body.
In the drug treatment of cervical chondrosis, drugs whose activity is determined by pyridoxine, thiamine, and B12 have proven themselves well.
Many of them are available in the form of solutions for intramuscular administration. It contains B vitamins and an anesthetic. Therefore, after the injection, the pain instantly disappears and the range of motion in the area of the cervical vertebrae is restored.
At the same time, the product improves blood flow, the functioning of the nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems, relieves inflammation and nerve degeneration. There are contraindications to its use. These are periods of pregnancy and breastfeeding, hypersensitivity to ingredients.
The best muscle relaxants
Eliminating mild symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and treating its exacerbations at home is often complicated by muscle spasms. The nerve root is compressed by displaced intervertebral discs and inflammatory edema. A severe pain syndrome occurs, which the body tries to eliminate with muscle spasms. Thanks to this peculiar protective reaction, a person’s mobility is limited and discomfort disappears.
But often an increase in skeletal muscle tone causes even greater pressure on the nerve endings.
Muscle relaxants are combined with all means for the drug treatment of chondrosis, including glucocorticosteroids. They are well tolerated by the body, but some can cause addiction and "withdrawal syndrome. "Therefore, they are not intended for long-term therapy. The duration of the treatment course does not exceed a week.
Drugs that improve psycho-emotional state
Of all chondrosis, it is the cervical one that especially worsens a person’s psycho-emotional state. It's all about the infringement of the vertebral artery by bone growths, which leads to brain hypoxia.The patient suffers from symptoms atypical for pathologies of the musculoskeletal system:
- panic attacks;
- depression, neurosis;
- visual and hearing disorders;
- dry non-productive cough;
- shortness of breath;
- anxiety, apathy, fatigue;
- various sleep disorders.
What you don’t need to do when they appear is to use cough suppressants, eye or ear drops. Symptoms can often be eliminated by taking a course of drugs with a mild sedative effect: Tenoten, Novo-Passit, motherwort tinctures, valerian, peony. Only for severe neuroses and depression are tranquilizers, antipsychotics, and antidepressants prescribed.
Vitamin-balanced complexes
Most vitamins, essential micro- and macroelements enter the human body with food. But food products cannot always meet the physiological needs, or they are incorrectly absorbed and distributed. For example, with circulatory disorders characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis. There is a deficiency of bioactive substances, which negatively affects the functioning of all vital systems.
To quickly replenish the body’s daily needs for vitamins, micro- and macroelements, their balanced complexes must be included in treatment regimens.
Magnesium forms muscle and bone tissue, and iodine regulates metabolism. Manganese, molybdenum, chromium, potassium, chlorine, selenium, zinc stimulate the strengthening of the tendon-ligament apparatus, and copper stops inflammatory processes. These minerals are present in all of the above complexes.
The correct intake of medications is to use 1 tablet per day - this amount is enough to improve the blood supply to the brain with useful substances.
A week later, the signs of anemia that occurs at stage 3 of the development of cervical chondrosis disappear. The person no longer feels drowsy and does not suffer from impaired coordination of movements. Double vision of objects before the eyes disappears.
Ointments, gels, balms
External remedies are always used for exacerbations of chondrosis at home. They cannot cope with severe pain; injections or analgesics are required. Ointments, creams, gels, balms are used to eliminate pain that occurs during hypothermia and changing climate zones.Which of them will help cure a chronic disease:
- Anti-inflammatory. Medicines have a more gentle effect on the human body than other NSAIDs.
- Vasodilators. The agents exhibit local irritating activity and dilate the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain.
- Painkillers. The drugs help relieve pain immediately after application. They are well absorbed and do not leave greasy marks on clothes and bedding.
- Warming. Products with pepper extract are applied only using an applicator. Medicines have an analgesic effect a couple of minutes after they are applied to the back of the neck.
Products for external use are effective and very rarely provoke the development of local allergic reactions. But caution is necessary during treatment. If ointments come into contact with mucous membranes, rinse them quickly with water. Especially those that contain essential oils, natural poisons, and turpentine.
Therapeutic plasters
A time-tested remedy for exacerbations of osteochondrosis is Pepper patch. Its composition is represented by phytoextracts of red capsicum, belladonna, and dimexide. The active ingredients of the patch gradually penetrate the area of the damaged disc and have an analgesic effect for 3-5 hours. If your neck hurts, then the external remedy is used whole or cut into small pieces.
Pepper patch is convenient to use for treatment at home, at work or while traveling. But it also has a contraindication - individual intolerance to one of the components. And in women with sensitive skin, it can cause a chemical burn.
The patches exhibit anti-inflammatory, decongestant, and chondroprotective activity. They are intended for the treatment of all pathologies of the cervical spine. Their use helps reduce the pharmacological load on the human body by reducing doses of systemic drugs.
How to properly treat cervical chondrosis?
Stopping the destruction of intervertebral discs is possible only with an integrated approach to therapy. It is practiced to wear orthopedic devices (Schanz collars) that fix the vertebrae in an anatomical position. Applicators are required to improve the blood supply to damaged tissues with nutrients and bioactive substances. Daily physical therapy classes, yoga, swimming, and walks in the fresh air are shown.
Most drugs are advisable to use to relieve symptoms during exacerbations. They have many side effects, including damage to liver tissue. Chondroprotectors, means to improve blood circulation, and balanced vitamin and mineral complexes are suitable for regular use.