If you have been diagnosed with Osteochondrosis

If attacks of nausea occur frequently and for no apparent reason, this may be one of the manifestations of cervical osteochondrosis. Unfortunately, most people do not associate such a symptom with diseases of the spine, and for years they have been unsuccessfully trying to get rid of it with the help of medications and various diets. As a result, time is lost, the pathology progresses, and the chances of recovery decrease every day. Meanwhile, determining the real cause of the malaise is not so difficult, because nausea with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is always accompanied by other, more characteristic manifestations.

Nausea with cervical osteochondrosis

Causes of osteochondrosis.

The main cause of osteochondrosis is improper distribution of the load on the spine, which leads to changes in cartilage tissue in places of excess pressure. Anything can provoke the disease: vertebrae “knocked out” as a result of injury, weakened back muscles, stooping and lateral S-shaped curvature of the spine, dragging heavy objects and simply holding an uncomfortable position for a long time. Osteochondrosis can develop not only in people with poor posture and engaged in mental work, but also in those who are well physically trained - for example, athletes and loaders.

In addition to purely mechanical reasons, metabolic disorders (for example, calcium and phosphorus), lack of microelements and vitamins (magnesium, manganese, zinc, vitamins D and F) also lead to the development of osteochondrosis. It is possible that hereditary predisposition plays a significant role in this.

Diagnosis of the disease

You need to make an appointment with a neurologist or vertebrologist who specializes in such pathologies. After collecting an anamnesis, an initial examination and palpation of the cervical spine is carried out, which allows the doctor to approximately determine the degree of damage to the vertebrae. An instrumental study is required to confirm the diagnosis. The simplest way is radiography. The patient is photographed in lateral and frontal projections so that changes in the vertebrae, hernias, swelling of soft tissues, and salt deposits are clearly visible.

What happens with osteochondrosis?

When lifting heavy objects, jumping, falling and similar impacts, the maximum load on the intervertebral discs decreases. As a result, these cartilage discs are constantly injured, and they cannot heal on their own. As is known, cartilage tissue, like nervous tissue, is practically not restored. Over time, damaged intervertebral discs lose their elastic properties, become flattened, and the distance between the vertebrae decreases. This means that the nerve roots extending from the spinal cord are pinched and pain occurs. At the same time, swelling appears in the area where the neurovascular bundle is clamped, which leads to even greater pinching and increased pain.

If the intervertebral disc has already begun to collapse, it ceases to absorb shock, becomes even more injured, and gradually the spine loses its flexibility. In 95% of cases, the cause of lumbosacral radiculitis is osteochondrosis of the intervertebral disc.

How to recognize osteochondrosis?

The main symptom of osteochondrosis is pain. Depending on where the damaged intervertebral discs are located, pain may occur in the neck, shoulder, arm, back, and even chest. Sometimes a person thinks that he has heart problems, but in fact, it is an aching nerve that is pinched as a result of osteochondrosis. Along with pain, a person often feels muscle tension and numbness. If the blood vessels supplying the brain are compressed, headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, double vision, nausea and vomiting occur.

How to eliminate nausea

Sudden attacks of nausea, especially severe ones, in addition to discomfort, cause a lot of problems: they prevent you from concentrating on work, interfere with communication, rest, and affect your diet. Of course, in order to completely get rid of them, you need to eliminate the main cause - osteochondrosis, but treating this disease requires months of intensive therapy. But for temporary relief of the condition, there are several simple and effective methods available to anyone.

Table. Ways to eliminate nausea

Illustration	Description
Method 1	Since nausea in osteochondrosis occurs due to reduced oxygen access to the brain, during an attack it is necessary to increase this access. While indoors, you need to open the window and take a few deep breaths. On the street, you just need to stop, straighten your shoulders and breathe deeply for a couple of minutes.
Method 2	Oxygen saturation of the brain also occurs with increased blood flow. Self-massage techniques will help here: you need to sit comfortably, put both palms on your neck, massage on both sides with your fingertips, then intensively rub the back of your head and the area behind the ears.
Method 3	Exercises for the neck also help to increase blood flow: while sitting, you need to slowly tilt your head to one side, then to the other (like a pendulum), and then turn your head with the maximum possible amplitude until painful sensations appear. If you have neck pain, you should not do this so as not to worsen the situation. In such cases, it is recommended to smoothly stretch your arms up, taking a deep breath, and then just as slowly lower them as you exhale. It is enough to repeat the movements 3-4 times for the nausea to subside.
Method 4	Another effective way is to influence the active points of the face. First, place your hand in the middle of your forehead, press with the heel of your palm for 10 seconds, and release sharply. Then both hands are pressed to the cheeks, pressed lightly again and released just as sharply. Repeat 3-4 times.
Method 5	If the nausea is not severe, you can remove the discomfort in this way: rinse your face with cold water or wipe it with a piece of ice. You can also put a slice of lemon under your tongue or drink a glass of still water with lemon juice (no sugar).

If the nausea is so severe that it causes vomiting, the most effective measure would be to take antiemetics such as Zofran, Motilak, Cerucal and others. It should be noted that all these drugs have contraindications and side effects, so before using them you should consult a doctor and strictly follow the indicated dosages.

Instructions for use of motilak

Important! All these measures are only temporary, so the main efforts should be directed to the treatment of osteochondrosis. And in order to choose the right treatment method, you first need to undergo an examination in a clinic, which will allow you to accurately determine the degree of damage to the spine.

Treatment of osteochondrosis.

Treatment of osteochondrosis is a long process that requires a person to have great willpower and free time. There are enough methods to combat the disease: pills (not always effective), manual therapy, massage and therapeutic exercises. Some people prefer to be treated with traditional medicine - cupping massage, hirudotherapy (leeches), traction, acupuncture, metal therapy and bee venom. In cases where osteochondrosis is complicated by a herniated disc, the person is sent for surgery.

Character and features

During the remission stage, nausea occurs quite rarely. But during exacerbations, a painful sensation often appears in the epigastric region, chest, oral cavity, and pharynx. It almost never precedes vomiting, since it is not associated with the presence of food in the gastrointestinal tract or intoxication. The following factors can trigger the appearance:

sudden change in body position - getting out of bed, bending, turning the body or head;
loud laughter, coughing fits, sneezing;
a sharp increase or decrease in blood pressure;
staying in one body position for a long time;
excessive physical activity.

During an attack of nausea, the patient's general well-being worsens. It turns pale, the nasolabial triangle may acquire a bluish tint. Cold sweat appears on the forehead, the skin becomes damp to the touch.

Prevention of osteochondrosis.

To prevent radiculitis and osteochondrosis, experts advise the following:

Correct spinal curvatures and postural disorders in a timely manner at early school age.
Actively engage in sports, which will allow you to form a muscle corset. No amount of “standing” near the wall and “trying” to sit straight will replace your muscles, which themselves must take care of your posture, even when you don’t think about it.
Stick to a diet, consuming foods with sufficient calcium and magnesium content (fish and other seafood, cabbage, spinach, beans, nuts, seeds, peas, wholemeal bread and fresh milk from healthy cows) and a full set of vitamins.
Fight excess weight.
When carrying heavy objects, ensure an even load on both hands; wear backpacks instead of bags. Lift weights only using your legs, not your spine, like weightlifters do. Avoid twisting the spine when moving a load. And - hang, hang, hang on the horizontal bar, not only stretching the spine, but also strengthening the arms.

Author: V.I. Dikul

Why is thoracic osteochondrosis called a “chameleon”?

The thoracic spine has a special feature - the ribs are attached to it. Thanks to this, it is less mobile than the neck and lower back. Consequently, osteochondrosis in the thoracic region develops less frequently, according to the principle: “less mobility - less wear.” But it develops less often - this does not mean it proceeds easier. And indeed it is. We are talking about chest pain. Since the pain area of the thoracic spine coincides with the area of the heart, symptoms are often confused with angina pectoris or myocardial infarction. It is not for nothing that they say about thoracic osteochondrosis that it is a “chameleon”. After all, he can pretend not only to have a heart disease, but also a disease of the lungs, liver, stomach, gallbladder or pancreas. And here you can’t make a mistake and overlook a heart attack or other serious disease, for example, pathology of the mammary glands in women. Such mistakes are costly, even if everything works out in the end. After all, this can “drive” a person into severe stress. That is why it is very important to find an experienced and knowledgeable doctor who will understand everything and distinguish the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis from other pathologies. Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region are usually divided into two categories - radicular and reflex.

Sign of dangerous complications

Head pain in patients with Covid in some cases indicates the development of life-threatening complications. You should carefully monitor your health and, if necessary, undergo diagnostics.

Complications of COVID-19, manifested by cephalalgia:

Ischemic stroke. Vascular thrombosis is caused by damage to endothelial cells and the effect of the virus on blood cells. The formed blood clot enters the cerebral vessels and causes a blockage that impedes blood supply to the brain. The complication is manifested by facial asymmetry, unintelligible speech, unilateral movement disorder and other symptoms.
Encephalopathy is damage to brain cells. According to statistics, such a complication is diagnosed in approximately 30% of patients with severe coronavirus infection. Severe headaches are accompanied by nausea, dizziness, vomiting and impaired consciousness. Encephalopathy can lead to swelling of the brain.
Hypoxia. Severe lung damage caused by coronavirus leads to a decrease in oxygen concentration in the blood. Oxygen deficiency negatively affects the condition of neurons and quickly leads to irreversible damage to the central nervous system. Cephalgia is a possible early sign of decreased saturation. You should pay attention to weakness, impaired consciousness, shortness of breath and pallor of the skin.

The life-threatening consequences of COVID-19 often develop rapidly. If alarming signs are detected, you must call an ambulance. Timely treatment measures reduce the likelihood of death.

Physiotherapy

Regular exercise therapy and gymnastics are the most effective way to get rid of not only nausea, but also all the symptoms of osteochondrosis. A set of exercises is compiled by a physical therapy doctor, taking into account the patient’s physical fitness, the stage of the course and localization of the pathology, and developed complications (hernia, radicular syndrome). The main goal of physical therapy is to strengthen muscles and stabilize spinal segments. The following exercises have proven especially effective for cervical osteochondrosis:

sit down, rest your chin on your palm, try to tilt your head, while simultaneously creating an obstacle with your hand;
in a sitting position, place your palm on your cheek, tilt your head, exerting resistance with your hand. Repeat the exercise on the other side;
sit on a stool, make circular rotations with your head, without throwing it back, without lowering your chin.

Exercises for the neck for osteochondrosis.

For thoracic osteochondrosis, a physical therapy doctor recommends smooth rotations of the hips, tilts and turns of the body. All movements are performed smoothly, slowly, with a small amplitude.

Massage

For frequent attacks of nausea, massage is very useful - classical, acupuncture, segmental. After kneading the spasming muscles, pressing, chopping, vibrating movements, rubbing and stroking are performed. Mechanical effects on tissues located near damaged discs and vertebrae help relax skeletal muscles and improve blood supply.

Massage of the cervical-collar area.

In the treatment of osteochondrosis, medical cups are used. When used, a double therapeutic effect is created due to the combination of vacuum and massage movements.

Cupping massage.

Physiotherapy

After relief of acute pain and aseptic inflammation, physiotherapy is included in the therapeutic regimen - UHF therapy, diadynamic currents, shock wave therapy, laser therapy, magnetic therapy. Electrophoresis and ultraphonophoresis with NSAIDs, chondroprotectors, and preparations with B vitamins have proven themselves well.

To improve blood circulation, patients are also prescribed applications with paraffin and ozokerite, acupuncture, and treatment with medicinal leeches.

Hirudotherapy session.

First aid

If nausea occurs, you should sit or lie down as quickly as possible and try to relax as much as possible. Self-massage of the neck-collar area will help improve your well-being. Rubbing, kneading, and vibrating movements will restore blood supply to the neck and eliminate compression of the vertebral artery.

If nausea does not disappear or its severity has decreased slightly, the following measures must be taken:

Rinse your face with cool water several times;
hold a slice of lemon in your mouth along with the peel;
suck on mint candy or menthol lozenges.

You cannot take pharmacological medications for vomiting and nausea without a doctor’s prescription. Their mechanism of action is usually based on accelerating the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the use of such tablets will not only not bring relief, but will also worsen your overall health.