Treatment of osteochondrosis according to Dr. Osteochondrosis – which specialist treats this disease
When the symptoms of a disease such as osteochondrosis appear constantly, a person needs health care. And here the question arises about which doctor treats osteochondrosis. Of course, it is better to turn to professionals, but who is better to make an appointment with?
So, which doctors will help in the treatment of osteochondrosis?
Survey
Therapist
First of all, you should contact your local physician. But it will only perform the function of a dispatcher. That is, he will appoint general tests and will redirect you to a neurologist. You need to contact a therapist if he has a wide profile and can refer you to the right office.
Neuropathologist
You can immediately contact a neurologist who will conduct a manual and neurological examination, prescribe x-rays and magnetic resonance imaging. Based on the results of tests and examinations, the doctor can decide on the treatment of the patient.
Radiologist
The neurologist will also ask you to visit a radiologist for staging correct diagnosis and appointments adequate treatment. It can be either conservative or operative.
Vertebroneurologist
In specialized medical centers and in clinics, osteochondrosis is treated by a doctor with a more narrow focus: a vertebroneurologist or vertebrologist. They deal exclusively with diseases of the spine. However, these specialists will most likely help relieve pain syndromes and will further guide and coordinate the actions of their colleagues.
So, there is only one conclusion: treatment of osteochondrosis is carried out in a complex, and it is treated on various stages different specialists. During treatment conservative methods You will need the help of a chiropractor, massage therapist, and exercise therapy instructor.
Treatment
Conservative therapy is carried out in several areas by such specialists:
Reflexologist
Applies acupuncture methods.
Chiropractor and massage therapist
These specialists make it easier painful sensations associated with disruption of the vertebrae, tense muscles, produce stretching of the spine, which slows down development pathological processes. A chiropractor knows the anatomy of a person’s spine at any age down to the smallest nuances and, with the help of his hands, can determine the correct location of the vertebrae, as well as any deviation from the norm.
Physiotherapist
Physiotherapists take an active part in the treatment of osteochondrosis using influences special devices to improve trophism of the affected area and help reduce inflammation, swelling and pain.
Physical therapy instructor
Therapeutic gymnastics is a necessary link in complex treatment such a disease as osteochondrosis. Correct exercises perfectly relax tense muscles, promote the restoration of damaged vertebrae, put them on right place in the spinal column.
Rehabilitologist
This specialist monitors the progress of treatment and adjusts sets of special exercises.
If the methods conservative therapy will not help, then with a diagnosis of “osteochondrosis”, neurosurgeons who specialize in spinal surgery will help. They will analyze all the tests, assess the patient’s condition, his general state and the presence of absolute and relative contraindications for the operation and choose the form of surgical intervention.
Having noticed unpleasant symptoms diseases of the spine, and when deciding which doctor treats osteochondrosis, you should pay attention to specialists who will help cure this disease and relieve pain. The doctor must be highly qualified and have good knowledge in the field of spine treatment. Only thanks to the knowledge and skills of the most different specialists, it is possible to relieve pain from osteochondrosis, significantly improve your condition and slow down the development of pathologies.
Cannot be cured because accelerated wear occurs intervertebral discs and cartilage tissue is destroyed. But if you consult a doctor in time, you can significantly alleviate the condition and stop the progression of the disease. Therefore, you need to know in advance which doctor to contact for osteochondrosis.
Initially, you should contact a therapist - your attending physician, who determines and refers you to more to a specialist. In some situations, surgical intervention is clearly necessary, while in others, drug treatment is an option. For this reason correct diagnosis very important. By consulting a doctor at an early stage, the patient can gain time and stop osteochondrosis.
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Who is doing the treatment?
And yet, what kind of doctor treats spinal osteochondrosis? In fact, there are several of them. The first specialist who is waiting for you after diagnosis is a radiologist. X-ray is a mandatory procedure in the treatment of patients with osteochondrosis. After the picture is taken, it becomes clear which doctor to go to. If the picture shows that osteochondrosis is still amenable to manual therapy, it will become clear which doctor is treating it – a chiropractor. A specialist in the field of vertebroneurology knows the exact structure of the spine and is able to determine by touch where the patient has abnormalities.
Another treatment option for early stages osteochondrosis is a referral to an osteopath. The treatment technique is very similar to manual therapy; the doctor uses soft and smooth touches to influence nerve centers body. The therapy does not involve any pressure on the spine, sudden and harsh movements, so as not to harm the patient.
A neurologist also treats osteochondrosis. The fact is that osteochondrosis is closely related to health nervous system and treatment should be carried out by someone who specializes in its structure. Now there is another specialist with a narrower profile - a vertebrologist. This is the doctor you can contact immediately if you need cervical osteochondrosis, and lumbar region.
The main technique of a vertebrologist is to select all possible treatment options, avoiding the option surgical intervention.
Osteochondrosis cervical region spine - dangerous disease, an operation in which is extremely undesirable and can lead to disability. It is the vertebrologist who will explain to you whether it is possible to get by with only medications and in the right way life.
Who prescribes exercise therapy
A complex of physical therapy is a mandatory measure in the treatment of osteochondrosis. After all, the spine is supported by muscles, and the exercise therapy complex helps strengthen them. Which doctor should I consult? A physiotherapist is a specialist in this matter. At the most initial stages osteochondrosis, only manual treatment can be used, and this will be quite sufficient.
Who to contact in case of exacerbation
At early detection osteochondrosis and timely treatment by competent specialists, the disease recedes and the person feels healthy. But sometimes there are relapses of the pathology. If so, which doctor should I contact?
It is logical to assume that the patient, knowing which doctor treats osteochondrosis of the cervical region, which doctor treats osteochondrosis of the lumbar and thoracic regions, will immediately go to a vertebrologist. On the one hand, the decision is correct, but it is recommended to first go to a neurologist, because the disease is neurological and exacerbations are directly related to disorders in the nervous system.
It may be that the neurologist himself will clarify some details with the one who treats cervical osteochondrosis, thoracic osteochondrosis and lumbar osteochondrosis in more depth.
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There are many diseases that can be treated different ways. Osteochondrosis cannot be completely cured, but it should be addressed immediately to avoid complications. As soon as the first symptoms appear, you should immediately contact a specialist. This disease represents a change cartilage tissue, which can lead to hernias and protrusions. And they, in turn, directly lead to surgical intervention. So which doctor should you contact for osteochondrosis in order to avoid the operating table?
Types and symptoms of osteochondrosis
1. Cervical. The first symptoms remain, as a rule, invisible. Since they are taken by the sick for normal fatigue or the first signs of a cold. It is worth considering contacting a specialist if you have symptoms such as:
- - varies in intensity headache
- - frequent dizziness
- - tinnitus
- - numbness upper limbs
- - decreased vision
- characteristic crunching sound when turning the neck and tilting the head in different directions
- - pain and tingling sensations in the area of the shoulders, shoulder blades, neck and chest
- - compressive pain in the heart, accompanied by rapid heartbeat.
2. Chest. Signs of osteochondrosis thoracic so different that they can easily be confused with manifestations of other diseases. Characteristics for thoracic diseases are:
- - pain between the shoulder blades
- girdle pain felt in the intercostal spaces, which intensifies with coughing, various turns of the body and even with deep breathing
- - numbness and tingling lower limbs, upper chest, as well as abdomen
- - violation normal functioning pelvic organs.
3. Lumbar. The most common signs of lumbar lesions are:
- - decreased mobility and flexibility of the lower back, accompanied by pain
- - varicose veins
- - impaired sweating
- - numbness and tingling of the lower extremities
- feet are constantly cold, due to impaired blood flow
- - irritability
- - sleep disturbance
- fast fatiguability
- - dysfunction of the genital organs in men
- - disruption of the menstrual cycle.
If you discover some signs of osteochondrosis, which doctor should you contact?
Where to go and which doctor to see
1. First, a local therapist is visited. The patient turns to indicate the symptoms that bother him. Then the therapist refers the patient to someone who treats osteochondrosis. But first the doctor will give directions for various studies and taking tests.
2. Which doctor to go to immediately after the therapist - to the radiologist. Without x-ray Not a single doctor treating osteochondrosis can fully assess the degree of changes that have occurred in the patient’s body.
3. Having received all the studies in hand, a neurologist is visited. This is one of the few doctors who treats cervical osteochondrosis. Because this disease is directly related to neurological disorders. After conducting a neurological and manual examination, he may additionally recommend tomography or magnetic resonance therapy. And also prescribe a treatment program and prescribe exercise therapy (Therapeutic Physical Culture).
4. Which doctor treats cervical osteochondrosis? special exercises — exercise therapy instructor. He will choose the right one individual program based on:
- area of damaged vertebrae and degree of disease development
- - age, weight and height of the patient
- - availability bad habits
- - features of the patient’s lifestyle.
After prescribing certain exercises, a training schedule is drawn up. Which is strongly not recommended to be violated. Classes are best done under the supervision of an instructor. A slight violation of exercise therapy technique can provoke severe pain.
5. In addition to the above specialists, what kind of doctor treats spinal osteochondrosis? Vertebrologist – specializes in diseases of the bones of the spine. The treatment methods used by this specialist are very reminiscent of the work of osteopaths and massage therapists. Since he approaches diseases from the perspective of neuropathology and neurophysiology. Manual method treatment helps to cope with diseases such as radiculitis and osteochondrosis.
6. K chiropractor It is worth contacting for cervical osteochondrosis. Painful sensations cease to appear after the first sessions. His method of work is to feel all the changes with his fingers and use certain hand movements to relax the muscles of the desired area. A complex of such manipulations leads to strengthening of muscles and slowing down the development of the disease.
7. Also, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and not only can be cured by an osteopath. Finding disorders in the musculoskeletal system, he uses delicate movements, influencing the necessary points, and performs treatment. Osteopaths do not resort to drug treatment, so it is recommended to visit them even for pregnant women.
8. Acupuncture treats many diseases, including osteochondrosis. Which doctor should I consult? This is done by a reflexologist.
9. During treatment, do not forget about physiotherapeutic procedures. Who should I contact for them? A physiotherapist can choose them correctly.
10. If the disease has been advanced, which doctor treats cervical osteochondrosis, as well as thoracic and lumbar osteochondrosis using surgery? These doctors are a neurosurgeon and a trauma surgeon. They select optimally suitable operation, based on diagnostic data and medical history.
Although many people do not consider this disease serious, it is better to prevent its occurrence. The main prevention is moderate physical activity, proper nutrition and a correct daily routine. And then you won’t have to think about which doctor treats osteochondrosis.
But if suddenly it happens, then you should choose comfortable shoes, not carry heavy objects, try not to sit long time in an awkward position and watch your posture. Compliance with these simple recommendations will help prevent complications associated with osteochondrosis.
Osteochondrosis is a common disease that affects older people and middle-aged people. Many people do not know which doctor to contact for osteochondrosis.
Patients prefer self-medication, therapeutic exercises, but this does not help and leads to sad consequences. If you have symptoms of osteochondrosis, you should see a doctor. The doctor will determine the type of disease and prescribe appropriate treatment.
Doctors treating osteochondrosis
There is more than one doctor treating osteochondrosis. Doctors work with each other, consulting, making decisions about the disease. Let's look at the doctors who deal with the disease:
- Initially, they make an appointment with a local doctor - therapist. After examining the patient, he will send him to a neurologist.
- Without making an appointment with a therapist, you can go straight to a neurologist. The doctor will conduct diagnostic examination, will order an x-ray, computed tomography, MRI. After reviewing the results, treatment is prescribed.
- A narrow specialist dealing with osteochondrosis is a vertebrologist, vertebroneurologist.
Osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is a complex of disorders in joint cartilage. Occurs in any joint. Depending on the location of the joint, osteochondrosis of the spine, cervical, and thoracic are distinguished.
With cervical osteochondrosis, pain is localized in the neck. This type of disease occurs frequently. Designers, programmers, secretaries, and dentists suffer. Spinal diseases often appear by the age of 35-40.
The appearance of the disease is facilitated by different reasons. How older man, the greater the likelihood of developing a disease that requires seeing a doctor. The appearance of the disease depends on the reasons:
- Genetic predisposition to the disease;
- Metabolic failures;
- Presence of infection;
- Excess body weight;
- Passive lifestyle;
- Recent spinal injuries;
- Activities that involve constant lifting of heavy objects;
- Prolonged uncomfortable postures in a standing position;
- Frequent stress, nervous tension;
- Excessive use of cigarettes;
How to determine osteochondrosis?
Symptoms of the disease:
- Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis:
- Constant pain in the hands;
- Headaches, dizziness;
- Noise in the head;
- Colored spots before the eyes;
- Numbness of the tongue;
- Symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis:
- Constant pain in the lower back;
- Defeat nerve endings;
- Sharp, shooting pain in the back;
- Increased pain when walking fast or doing physical exercise;
- Loss of sensitivity in the lower back.
Who to contact for cervical osteochondrosis?
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is a disease that leads to tragedy if you do not see a doctor in time. Which doctor treats cervical osteochondrosis? The answer is a neurologist, vertebrologist. Not only a neurologist and a vertebrologist are involved in treatment.
In case of remission of cervical osteochondrosis, massage therapists and physiotherapists will be required.
Osteochondrosis of the spine is treated by a neurologist and vertebrologist. They will conduct an examination and prescribe treatment.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
Doctors use conservative methods treatment. There are many ways to treat the disease. These include:
- Use medicines(pills);
- Manual therapy;
- Healing Fitness;
- Physical therapy through electrophoresis, laser therapy;
- Pharmacupuncture;
- Surgical intervention;
The doctor will individually select treatment depending on the condition of the spine. In practice, the exacerbation is weakened, the inflammatory reactions, restorative medications are taken, physical exercise to strengthen the structure of the spine.
If prescribed by a doctor manual therapy, you should make sure that a professional will treat you. Because with the help of his hands he will relieve the pain, or make the situation worse. If you are sure that you have a specialist in front of you, he will improve your condition, improve your blood circulation, correct your posture, and normalize your metabolism.
IN therapeutic exercises, for getting positive result, the main thing is consistency. If you perform the exercises correctly, back pain will ease and a muscle corset will be formed, which will help not put strain on the spine.
Physiotherapy is used in conjunction with another method of treating osteochondrosis. Physical therapy relieves pain and reduces inflammatory reactions. Massage normalizes blood circulation and improves the condition of the spine. Initially, you should consult a doctor; for many people, massage is contraindicated due to blood vessels.
Medicines used
A neurologist and vertebrologist prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory tablets, chondroprotectors, muscle relaxants, vitamin complexes, sedatives, and vasodilators. Medicines are prescribed to relieve pain in the back, neck, inflammatory processes, eliminating stagnation of blood circulation so that a rapid recovery process of the spinal joint begins.
Sedatives are necessary to eliminate the patient's fear and anxiety. They relax the muscles. Doctors prescribe them to make it easier to bear pain and to enable them to sleep at night.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs medications- substances for pain. They relieve pain, inflammatory reactions, eliminate fever, and have the properties of hormonal agents.
Which doctor should I contact at an advanced stage?
When diagnosing osteochondrosis, a neurologist diagnoses severe, advanced disease. Refers to a doctor who deals with last stage diseases - to a surgeon, neurosurgeon. Surgical intervention is performed to improve the patient's condition. People turn to him when conservative treatment methods do not help.
Surgery is performed after viewing computed tomography and MRI images. Sometimes the surgeon asks the patient to undergo the examination again. If the stage of the disease is severe, urgent surgery is performed.
The article was written for general educational development. To establish accurate diagnosis and prescribing treatment, ALWAYS consult a doctor
Spinal osteochondrosis is a frequently diagnosed disease that has no age, gender or social restrictions. These are complex dystrophic disorders of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs. They can affect any joint, any part of the spine, which subsequently affects the functioning of the entire musculoskeletal system. The disease is accompanied painful sensations in back. But you shouldn’t independently determine whether you have a pathology, much less treat it, because many disorders in the functioning of the body are similar in their symptoms, but require different methods corrections. Therefore, a person faced with such a problem needs to know which doctor treats spinal osteochondrosis in order to contact him in a timely manner and receive qualified help.
There are three types of osteochondrosis: cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions spine. It depends on the part of the body where the affected vertebrae or intervertebral discs. They are considered the most dangerous and serious, because a small and short load on the back is enough for the nerves to be compressed and blood vessels, which immediately causes pain.
To determine the direction of treatment for a patient with osteochondrosis, it is necessary to find out what caused its development. There are quite a lot of such reasons:
- Hereditary factor.
- Disturbed metabolic process.
- Various chronic diseases infectious nature origin.
- Obesity.
- Traumatic injuries of the spinal column.
Body mass index is equal to weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters
A lecture on symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of the disease is given by neuropathologist Radion Gennadievich Ignatiev:
Any of the above reasons or a combination of them can become a condition for the development of pathology, so the doctor who treats osteochondrosis will definitely, during a conversation with the patient, find out what factors contributed to its occurrence and whether it is possible to correct them, and will prescribe treatment.
Symptoms
Clinical manifestations of osteochondrosis include the following characteristic symptoms:
- Pain in the cervical, thoracic or lumbosacral spine. Moreover, when breast type disease, it increases at the moment of sighing, deep breaths.
- With cervical osteochondrosis, a person has a headache. This pain is directly related to neck movements.
- Due to the compression of the blood vessels, the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, so a person often feels dizzy.
- Enlarged or decreased sensitivity arms and legs. Limitation of physical activity.
- Decreased visual acuity and hearing.
- Pain that radiates to other areas of the body and internal organs: shoulders, arms, buttocks, legs, liver, heart.
- At lumbar osteochondrosis Dysfunctions of the urinary and reproductive systems are possible.
- The need to take an uncomfortable position (standing or walking bent over) due to.
Any of these signs cause inconvenience to a person, so you need to know which doctor to contact to treat spinal osteochondrosis.
Which doctor should I contact?
If a person notices symptoms of pathology, he should first see a therapist or family doctor. The specialist will examine the patient, collect anamnesis, and establish a preliminary diagnosis. During the medical examination, he will try to find out whether the person’s complaints are related to the symptoms of osteochondrosis, then he will advise which doctor to go to for a consultation. Treatment depends on the course of the disease and the degree of tissue damage. Therefore, diseases are treated by doctors of the following specializations: vertebrology, neurology, neurosurgery, rheumatology, arthrology. Let's take a closer look at which specialist to contact with what:
- A vertebrologist is a doctor whose specialty is any problems with the spine. This specialist has the ability, using modern equipment, to carry out diagnostics and establish the causes of the development of osteochondrosis. After analyzing the information received, he prescribes the necessary corrective measures. It could be drug therapy(taking NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, corticosteroids, painkillers), stimulating the body vitamin complexes(for example, vitamins “Pentovit”). In the non-acute period - massage, physiotherapy, exercise therapy, etc. Vertebrologists are only on staff at specialized clinics, but, if possible, you should try to get an appointment with them.
- A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in treating pathologies of the nervous system. For diseases of the spine, a neurologist organizes treatment for neurological disorders that are provoked by compression (squeezing) of nerve endings in the spinal cord, as well as impaired blood supply and intake nutrients into the spinal cord and brain. These processes manifest themselves in the form of a burning, acute pain syndrome V different parts back, which is especially felt when physical activity, becomes less pronounced or stops completely at rest. In severe situations, the patient’s sensitivity in the arms or legs is impaired, they become numb, and paralysis and immobilization may develop. A neurologist also deals with these cases. With cervical osteochondrosis, a sick person often suffers from drowsiness, headaches, and loss of consciousness may occur. If such signs are observed, then you should definitely undergo treatment from a neurologist.
- A rheumatologist is a doctor who provides treatment if the cause of osteochondrosis is rheumatism. With this systemic inflammatory pathology In the human body, joints and ligaments are affected multiple times.
- An arthrologist is a doctor whose specialty is joints. Spinal column there are more than forty of them. If a person has pain in the back (cervical, thoracic, spinal part) stupid character, which intensifies in calm state, but it goes away with little physical activity, it is difficult for him to bend over, turn his whole body, and his posture is also impaired, then it is necessary to undergo treatment from an arthrologist. In addition, a doctor of this specialization observes patients with formed organic disorders spine: bone growths(osteophytes), atrophy of joint capsules, problems with ligaments.
- Neurosurgeon. Treats patients if therapeutic methods do not work desired result and a surgical solution to the problem is necessary. A doctor specializing in neurosurgery performs operations to remove and replace intervertebral discs, remove osteophytes, etc.
- A rehabilitologist is a specialist who helps people recover after spinal surgery. This doctor develops an individual rehabilitation program and monitors the patient’s progress in its implementation.
In the most neglected and difficult situations a person may have to consult and follow prescriptions for the treatment of osteochondrosis from doctors of different specialties.
In any case, you should not self-diagnose, take medications, or use prescriptions. alternative medicine so as not to harm yourself. It will be much more effective if a person, having found out which doctor to contact for osteochondrosis, gets an appointment with him and begins to follow the recommendations received.
