Physiotherapy of osteochondrosis, depending on the patient's condition, is used both in conjunction with drug therapy and independently. For osteochondrosis, the following types of physiotherapy are used: laser therapy, Detenzor therapy, electrotherapy, shock wave therapy, magnetotherapy, mud and balneotherapy, ultrasound therapy, ultraviolet irradiation (UFO). After successfully relieving the exacerbation, massage and physiotherapy exercises are presented.
UFO:under the influence of UVA, vitamin D is formed in the skin, which helps to absorb calcium. The method is carried out using irradiators with bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.
Ultrasound therapy and phonophoresis:during ultrasound therapy, the body is exposed to high frequency sounds (from 20 kHz or more). Due to its effect, the method relieves pain from various localizations. This method is combined with the introduction of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs (ultraphonophoresis) for their better penetration into the affected tissues.
Shock wave therapy:the method consists of transmitting an acoustic wave to a painful area of the body. This type: eliminates pain, improves microcirculation, improves metabolism.
Therapy by holders:the method involves stretching the spine using the patient's body weight.
Laser therapy:the method has a healing effect using helium-neon lasers. Due to the activation of bioelectric processes in the tissues of the nervous system, laser therapy has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Laser radiation is carried along the inflamed spinal roots. With osteochondrosis, an effect on the paravertebral areas of the affected spine is used.
Electrotherapy:Electrotherapy has a multifaceted effect on the body: it eliminates pain and discomfort, improves nutrition and trophism of affected tissues. Pulse currents have a very effective therapeutic effect. Their mechanism of action on the body is determined by the effect on nerve receptors. Low-frequency pulses contribute to the extinction of acute pain and are prescribed as first aid for severe pain syndrome. The following types of currents are used: diadynamic therapy (DDT), amplified therapy (SMT), interference therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), UHF electric field.
Magnetotherapy:Physiotherapy of osteochondrosis includes the use of magnetotherapy, which has a decongestant, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic effect. Inducers are placed on the spine and affected limbs.
Balneotherapy and mud therapy: The balneotherapy of osteochondrosis consists in the use of mineral water (local and general baths, swimming pools, showers) for the purposes of treatment and rehabilitation. During the procedure, the minerals penetrate the skin and act on receptors and nerve centers.
When treating with mud, the effect on the body occurs under the influence of temperature and the chemical composition of the healing mud. Mud is used in the form of applications.
Balneotherapy stimulates the metabolism, improves blood circulation and relieves inflammation and pain.
Combination methods of physiotherapy: Combination methods of physiotherapy for osteochondrosis are most often prescribed. For example, in severe pain, diadynamic therapy and electrophoresis (diadynamophoresis) with the use of novocaine are used. For a one-step effect on biological active points, the acupuncture-laser puncture method is used. Its action is to activate points with acupuncture needles and laser radiation.
Mud therapy is often used with electrotherapy (electrophoresis with a mud solution, inductothermia with mud, galvanic mud therapy).
Joint treatment
All joint diseases can be divided into two main groups - joint damage, which results from metabolic disorders, and joint inflammation. Of course, in each case joint treatment is carried out according to its own special program.
Joint Treatment,whether it is arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatism or some other ailment, it must necessarily be complex, and the main task to be solved by treatment is to eliminate the cause of the disease, and, hence, the painful symptoms.
Treatment with modern techniques is aimed at eliminating or minimizing pain, signs of local or general inflammation and restoring the affected joints. Complex treatment usually begins with drug therapy.
The patient is prescribed pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs, drugs that help restore joint cartilage, strengthen the immune system. Joint treatment at this stage can relieve pain symptoms. Often this includes the intra-articular administration of drugs so that the therapeutic substance in the desired concentration directly enters the cavity of the diseased joint. This increases the effectiveness of drug treatment.
In addition, when the main symptoms of the acute phase are safely eliminated, treatment is continued with the help of a complex of physiotherapeutic procedures, exercise therapy exercises, massage. In particular, the treatment of the joints with physiotherapeutic methods has found very wide application today.
Pulsed currents (DDT, SMT), magnetotherapy, EHF therapy, laser therapy, electrophoresis with medicinal substances, ultrasound and phonophoresis are used. When the exacerbation subsides, balneotherapy (various types of baths) and mud therapy are linked. Physiotherapy and massage are prescribed.
Treatment of back pain
There are several reasons for this pain. First of all, excruciating pain may appear due to a herniation (protrusion) of the intervertebral disc, osteochondrosis and pathology of the nervous system. Most often, back pain occurs in people who have been in the same position for a long time.
And yet, the most common reason is a lack of physical activity! This reduces blood flow to ligaments, joints and intervertebral discs, causing the breakdown of the cartilage that forms them. It is the weakening of the ligamentous system that is at the origin of all diseases of the spine. When pain appears, you should immediately consult a doctor who will determine the cause, make the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
In order to reduce the risk of back pain, you need to move more, watch your weight, and do at least a minimum of gymnastics (15 minutes a day is enough).
Good nutrition is also very important - it is one of the keys to good health and longevity, and the spine needs protein to maintain its flexibility and calcium for its strength. Calcium is found in high amounts in hard cheese, liver, nuts, cottage cheese, eggs, and proteins in meat and dairy products. The bones and ligaments of the spine also need microelements: phosphorus (there is a lot of it in bran, peas, fish), magnesium and manganese (they are found in marine fish, onions, potatoes), as well as fatty acids - their source is nuts, fatty sea fish and olive oil.
When back pain worsens, treatment begins with medication - usually pain relievers, water pills, and medications that relieve muscle spasms. However, there are no drugs without side effects, they are used only for a limited time, and most importantly, they do not eliminate the cause of back pain and do not prevent a relapse of the disease. In the acute period, such treatment methods as traction, as well as wearing necklaces and corsets, are also used, which helps to relieve the diseased spine.
In addition to emergency medicine - drugs that relieve muscle spasms and pain, the most important treatment for osteochondrosis is physiotherapy, which helps reduce pain during the acute period of the disease, improve theblood circulation in the tissues, prevent malnutrition of ligaments, muscles and joints. and prevent movement disorders.
Modern physiotherapy is a branch of medicine which has a powerful arsenal of treatment tools; two large blocks stand out - physiotherapy exercises with massage and electrotherapy. Therapeutic massage is one of the most effective methods of treating osteochondrosis and back pain, as it improves blood circulation in deep tissues and removes muscle blockages ("clamps"), which are the main cause ofsevere pain.
One of the most effective methods of electrotherapy is drug electrophoresis - this is a means of targeted delivery of drugs to a diseased organ, which improves blood supply to tissues.
Impulse currents - DDT, SMT - have a pronounced analgesic, antispasmodic and trophic effect. Also, a laser, a magnetic laser is used to treat back pain. This method allows you to quickly relieve the swelling associated with inflammation and, as a result, the pain that occurs in the edematous and compressed tissues.
Magnetotherapy is used in the form of permanent or alternating magnetic fields, it is also able to quickly stop swelling and pain.
Arsonval currents are effective - they are "ozonized" currents used to relieve painful muscle spasms, high frequency ultrasonic vibrations that remove inflammation and help scars dissolve, increasing tissue elasticity.
Physiotherapy plays a special role in physiotherapy. Its importance is often underestimated, and after all, without a full-fledged muscle corset, it is impossible to cure back pain and prevent the recurrence of osteochondrosis.
Physiotherapy is particularly important in trauma and in the postoperative period. Its use will help prevent the recurrence of back pain due to so-called "motor stereotypes". For example, an office worker who spends their entire working day sitting in front of a computer or a salesperson whose main workload is on their feet. Gymnastics, yoga, Pilates and other types of usual exercise for improving health can also become a very effective means of combating "motor automatisms".
Treatment of neck pain
Pain can be caused by a variety of reasons, ranging from muscle spasms to herniated discs in the cervical spine. If neck pain appears once (due to a sudden head twist, awkward posture while sleeping), it will likely go away on its own within a few days.
To reduce the pain, you just need to reduce the static load on the muscles of the neck (do not keep your head tilted for a long time), do not get carried away with excessive physical exertion, do not make sudden movements of the neck.
If the pain in the neck is constant or often recurring, accompanied by headache, numbness of the upper extremities, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination.
Physiotherapy for neck pain is aimed at relieving pain syndrome, improving blood circulation and microcirculation in the affected segment, providing anti-inflammatory and anti-edema effects, eliminating metabolic and dystrophic disorders, and reducing disorders of themovement.
Physical factors are used at the stages of inpatient and outpatient treatment, after discharge of the patient from the hospital, as well as at the beginning of postoperative rehabilitation. In the acute period: after 4-5 days (as the severity of the process decreases), laser therapy, pulsed currents (TMS, DDT, interference currents), magnetotherapy, segmental zone UFO, darsonvalization of the zonefrom the cervical neck of the spine and the occipital region of the head, electrophoresis of the substances is prescribed local anesthetic, action blocking the lymph nodes on painful areas.
In the subacute period: phonophoresis with drugs, magnetotherapy, drug electrophoresis, microwave electromagnetic fields (VMS, UHF), laser therapy are used.
At the stage of remission: thermotherapy is associated, including ozokerite and mud therapy for the area of the cervical collar, balneotherapy (iodine-bromine, turpentine baths, bay baths, bischofite baths), shower-underwater massage, therapeutic massage.
Lower back pain treatment
The sensation of pain in the lower back arises due to an imbalance of the musculo-ligamentous system. In this case, microtrauma of soft tissues occurs, as a result of which chemical irritants (pain mediators) are released in excess. They cause muscle spasms and back pain.
The origin of lumbodynia is mainly associated with osteochondrosis, which is localized in the lumbar region. Lumbodynia is characterized by painful pain in the lower back with moderate or traumatic factors of lumbodynia: physical fatigue, systematic or excessive physical exertion; sudden movements; constant work in a "non-physiological" or prolonged stay in an uncomfortable position; bruising on the lower back, hypothermia, cold, etc.
The low back pain treatment program includes the following main points:
- Rest in bed for eight to ten days. At the same time, the bed should be flat and firm. "Resting" on such a surface allows the back muscles to relax.
- Medical treatment for lumbago involves the use of sedatives and pain relievers and the use of novocaine blockades (with severe pain increase).
From the methods of physiotherapy, you can use the electrophoresis of analgesics, pulse currents, ultraviolet irradiation of segmental areas. In an acute period, the patient may be prescribed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of tablets, injections, suppositories or ointments that relieve muscle spasms. Warming creams can be used only during the rehabilitation period (the third day of exacerbation). In the acute period, they can cause swelling and increase pain.
- After the acute pain has been eliminated, the treatment of lumbago is continued with the help of exercise therapy, massage and manual therapy.
The main task at this stage is to strengthen the muscle corset and reduce the compression of the nerve roots. Special exercises for lumbago help normalize metabolism, improve blood circulation and nutrition of intervertebral discs, relieve muscle tension, increase intervertebral space and relieve spine.
In addition, at the stage of remission, acupuncture, hydromassage, mineral baths, mud therapy and other physiotherapy are prescribed (see Treatment of back pain). Thanks to this, blood circulation is improved, an anti-inflammatory and absorbing effect is provided.
Physiotherapy treatment
Physiotherapy (from the Greek physis - nature and therapy), a branch of medicine that studies the healing properties of physical factors and develops methods for their use for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. In modern physiotherapy, magnetic, electric and electromagnetic fields of low, high, ultrahigh and ultrahigh frequencies, artificial light radiation (from infrared to ultraviolet and coherent monochromatic), mechanical vibrations (from infrasound to ultrasound) are used. , etc.
Physical factors have affected humans throughout its evolution, therefore physiotherapy procedures have a greater physiological effect on the body than many drugs.
Physiotherapy treatment can be used both independently and in combination with drug therapy, manual therapy, massage, physiotherapy exercises. The variety of factors and techniques used in physiotherapy determines the possibilities of individual impact on the body and targeted influence on the pathological process without negative side effects.
The use of physiotherapy is possible in almost all areas of medicine: otolaryngology, gastroenterology, gynecology, urology, pneumology, orthopedics and traumatology, neurology, surgery, cardiology and others.
There is a fairly wide range of physiotherapeutic treatments, namely mud therapy, hydrotherapy (various mineral and aromatic baths, underwater shower massage), magnetotherapy, laser therapy, various types of currents (galvanic, pulsed, highfrequency), UHF electromagnetic waves, microwave, EHF, inhalation of medicinal herbs, halotherapy, vibratory traction device, physiotherapy room, qualified massage personnel.
Also in the department of physical methods of treatment, therapeutic methods of acupuncture, electrical stimulation for various neurological diseases are used. Any physiotherapy treatment is prescribed by the physiotherapist of the department, taking into account the disease and the general condition of the patient.
Rehabilitation
Medical rehabilitation is a set of therapeutic and prophylactic measures aimed at maximally restoring the patient's lost abilities after various diseases.
Rehabilitation also aims to restore the patient's muscle strength, as well as to prevent recurrences or complications. Today, medical rehabilitation is not just about prescribing any type of exercise after discharge from the hospital or a course of physiotherapy at the end of the period of hospitalization.
Rehabilitation is a complex of activities that includes the participation of doctors from different fields - physiotherapists, massage therapists, psychologists, speech therapists and others. As a result, it is a complex rehabilitation that allows the patient to recover completely, and not partially. The success of treatment depends on both the correct diagnosis and the treatment selected and carried out optimally, as well as the correct and timely rehabilitation of the patient.
Rehabilitation has one goal - the fullest possible restoration of the lost functions of the patient, based on the existing consequences of the injury or disease, and the treatment carried out.
Depending on the area of application, rehabilitation can be: Orthopedic - it is carried out after injuries and operations for diseases of the musculoskeletal system, fractures, malformations of the spine and postural disorders. Neurological and neurosurgical is one of the most serious types of rehabilitation, since the largest number of specialists are involved in its implementation - neurologists, physiotherapists, massage therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, etc.
This rehabilitation is necessary after injuries and operations on the nervous system (brain, spinal cord), with diseases of the peripheral nervous system (nerve bundles), strokes, paresis and paralysis. Cardiological rehabilitation - rehabilitation after an acute heart attack, with diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
The goal of rehabilitation is the rapid regeneration of muscles with their atrophies associated with prolonged physical inactivity, in order to restore the strength and tone of the limb, restore the full range of motion of the joints after immobilization (after fractures), accelerate theregeneration of cartilage tissue, improves trophism of organic and bone tissues, increases mobility with adhesions in the abdominal cavity after abdominal operations, increases the general tone of the patient and improves the psycho-emotional state, relieves pain andswelling after joint injuries, restores physical activity after stroke, paresis and paralysis, as well as in the postoperative period in patients after operations associated with diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system (afterinjuries, fractures, bruises and sprains).
It should be noted that the process of rehabilitation itself is based on the stimulation of the patient's own abilities under external influence. Physical exercises, modern equipment help to stimulate local and general immunity, improve tissue repair processes, restore blood and lymphatic circulation.
The methods of medical rehabilitation include the following methods: corrective gymnastics, massage, physiotherapy, physiotherapeutic treatment, manual therapy, electromyostimulation (it consists in improving the conduction of nerve impulses to the skeletal muscles), psychological assistance, speech therapy.
It should be noted that one of the key points in any rehabilitation are physiotherapeutic methods, which are aimed at restoring lost functions and stimulating movements in the patient, accelerating repair processes in tissues and organs, in particularin the musculoskeletal system, the nervous system and the circulatory system. .
One of the advantages of physiotherapy methods is that they do not use drugs, which means that there is no risk of allergic reactions and side effects, addiction does not develop andthat the treatment methods used are generally not invasive.
Correctly selected complex of the rehabilitation program will help the patient to recover as quickly as possible after illness, injury or operation, restore a feeling of freedom of movement and the ability to communicate with those around him without any restrictions.