There are many responsibilities a caretaker must fulfill for their patient. However, some of these responsibilities can prove to be challenging especially when your patient is diagnosed with a certain chronic health problem. A patient who is diagnosed with cervical osteophytes needs specific treatment that will properly care for their needs. The following paragraphs will enlighten you into understanding what is cervical osteophytes and it's symptoms.
What Is Cervical Osteophytes?
Cervical Osteophytes are bone spurs that are located in the neck vertebrae. The osteophytes is a symptom that is not alarming until there are neurological symptoms experienced by the patient. These include noticeable pain felt within that region of the body, difficulty swallowing, compression of the esophagus, and inflammation.
The Danger Of What Dysphagia Can Lead To.
Dysphagia is a medical term that classifies one as having difficulty swallowing food, drinks, or even their own saliva. The danger that exists in dysphagia is what it can lead to, aphagia. Aphagia is a condition in which one is completely unable to swallow due to the esophagus and their related muscles not functioning properly or being used. This condition can be devastating to one's health as it will cause the body's organs to shut down due to dehydration. If aphagia is detected in your patient it becomes crucial that they receive a nasogastric tube.
The Symptoms.
1) Dysphagia:
When a patient is consistently coughing, chocking, or gaging when they eat this becomes a big indication that they are experiencing dysphagia. Additional symptoms that they may experience are hoarseness, dramatic weight loss, heartburn, or even drooling.
2) Aphagia:
This condition will make it nearly impossible for your patient to swallow anything. The food or beverage that they consume will automatically be spit out due to pain.
If in fact your patient is experiencing any one of these symptoms an examination from their primary physician is vital
A Potential Treatment For Bone Spurs.
According to The National institutes of Health the therapy treatment called phonophoresis when combined with the specialized gel that contains ketoprofen has improved the severity of dysphagia. Additionally, cervical muscle tenderness from the bone spurs are helped to be relieved. This will reduce the chances of your patient's bone spurs to be diagnosed with dysphagia or aphagia.
Phonophoresis is a therapeutic ultrasound that improves the permeability of the skin to allow a medication to be delivered deeper into the body's tissues. A portable ultrasound machine is able to detect potential complications found in the bone spurs of a neck. This in turn will allow a physician to accurately diagnose their patient's to provide them the best possible treatments for their conditions. Our website www.keebomed.com provides affordable and efficient portable ultrasounds that will best suit your needs for your practice.