What is a conservative treatment? This is a non-surgical therapy. The latter, translated from Greek, means treatment or medical care. In other words, this is a process by which it is possible to alleviate the condition, remove or eliminate symptoms, as well as manifestations of trauma or pathological condition, disruption of vital processes. The goal of therapy is to recover and restore health.
Therapeutic approaches
What is a conservative treatment? The basis of this type of treatment is therapy:
- Etiotropic is the most effective treatment.
- Pathogenetic - used when it is impossible to use the previous therapy. As an example, hormone replacement therapy for diabetes.
- Symptomatic - is used to help the first two and is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of pathology. In addition, it is used when radical treatment is not possible. For example, in case of cancer in the terminal phase, as well as in the framework of palliative care.
general information
Conservative treatment is treatment that is carried out using methods such as biological, chemical and physical. The first two are recognized as the main ones, these include:
- pharmacotherapy;
- chemotherapy;
- phytotherapy;
- immunotherapy;
- and some others.
Physical methods include physical therapy - this is a field of medicine that studies the healing and physiological effects of various physical factors on the human body. It is presented:
- hydrotherapy;
- physical therapy;
- massage
- radiotherapy;
- magnetotherapy;
- laser therapy;
- UHF;
- and other.
Unlike conservative, surgical treatment is used in the absence of effect or impossibility of conservative therapy. At the same time, such an intervention can be considered as a special case of treatment, and it is used when this is necessary from the point of view of the therapeutic program. Surgical treatment is a treatment method with which tissues are disconnected and connected during surgery. Such therapy has several stages - preoperative and directly surgery.
Types of Pharmacotherapy
Pharmacotherapy is the treatment of an individual with medication. The main goal of the conservative treatment method:
- correction of various malfunctions of the body;
- improvement or restoration of organs and systems affected by the disease.
Types of pharmacotherapy:
- Symptomatic - eliminates individual signs of the disease.
- Pathogenetic - suppresses or completely eliminates various mechanisms of the development of the disease.
- Substitution - shown with a lack of its own active substances, for example, hormones, enzymes, vitamins. Thanks to such constant therapy, the body is able to work in normal mode for many years.
- Etiotropic - fights the cause that provoked the pathology.
- Chemotherapy - this type of treatment is mainly used for oncological pathologies.
- Herbal medicine - treatment is carried out with drugs created on the basis of medicinal plant materials.
- Preventive - aimed at preventing the occurrence of pathology.
- Immunotherapy - it is indicated both as the main one, for example, in immunodeficiency states, and as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of infectious and oncological diseases.
All types of therapy complement each other and combine with each other.
Physical Conservative Therapies
In the conservative treatment of diseases, physical methods are also actively used, which are usually used as auxiliary methods. Physiotherapeutic manipulations are indicated in the complex treatment of various pathological conditions of the musculoskeletal system, as well as the internal organs of the individual. And, for example, the main component of spa treatment is physiotherapy. The main methods that are used in the treatment of:
- Galvanization is the effect of a constant continuous electric current of small strength and voltage.
- Medicinal electrophoresis is a complex effect on the body of direct current of low voltage and strength, as well as medications.
- Laser therapy - radiation penetrating the tissues of the body, activates the work of photochemical and photophysical processes.
- UHF is the impact on the body of an individual of a high-frequency magnetic field.
- Magnetotherapy - during manipulation, a magnetic field affects the patient’s body. Mainly use a constant and alternating magnetic field.
- Infrared radiation is the use for the treatment of infrared radiation or rays.
- Hydrotherapy - fresh water procedures: swimming classes and therapeutic exercises in the pool, bathing with hydro- or underwater massage. In addition, gas baths are used.In this case, fresh water is oversaturated with a certain gas, which is released in the form of bubbles.
- Balneotherapy - the use of mineral and artificial mineral water in treatment.
- Inductometry, or it is also called high-frequency magnetotherapy. A high frequency magnetic field acts on the human body.
Features of conservative joint treatment
Conservative therapy is actively used in diseases of the joints. The sooner an individual seeks help, the more effective the treatment will be. In the early stages of the disease, medications can:
- accelerate tissue regeneration;
- restore blood flow in the affected area;
- remove unpleasant signs - swelling, pain, hyperemia, a feeling of fullness;
- strengthen trophic tissue.
In the treatment of joints, the following pharmacological groups of drugs are used:
- painkillers;
- hormonal;
- antidepressants;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory;
- accelerating regeneration processes.
They also make intraarticular injections and physiotherapeutic manipulations. An individual conservative therapy scheme is selected for each patient, aimed at restoring the mobility of the affected limb and improving the individual's quality of life.
Methods for treating bone fractures
In practical medicine, conservative and surgical treatment of bone fractures is used. The first includes the following methods:
- reposition, or reduction and fixation of fragments on special devices;
- skeletal traction, and then manual reduction of fragments;
- fixation and reduction of fragments with the help of special knitting needles with so-called thrust pads;
- closed reposition of fragments and then the imposition of longy or dressings made of plaster.
The most common methods of surgical open reduction of fragments include the connection of the latter:
- with fixation and additional use of various metal structures;
- without fixation.
High-quality assistance guarantees the individual no consequences and complete recovery.
Non-surgical treatment of fractures
By conservative treatment of fractures is meant a closed reposition with a further application of a plaster cast for the purpose of immobilization. This method is most often used for simple closed fractures. Mainly use manual simultaneous closed reposition. To do this:
- Anesthesia - performed in various ways: intravenous anesthesia, the introduction of anesthetic into the fracture zone, conduction anesthesia.
- Immobilization - carried out using plaster dressings.
The advantages of conservative therapy used in the treatment of fractures include:
- the absence of complications of an infectious nature;
- simplicity of execution;
- the possibility of treatment at home;
- patient mobility;
- lack of damage to the dermis.
Cons of this treatment method:
- Limb immobility contributes to phlebitis, muscle atrophy, lymphatic stasis, impossibility of movement, especially with massive dressings, in individuals of senile and childhood age, as well as in the absence of the ability to monitor the condition of the affected limb.
- There is no way to retain bone fragments in large muscle tissues, for example, in the thigh.
What is a conservative treatment?
This is a treatment that aims to prevent the deterioration of the individual’s health status if he has any pathology. As a result of such therapy, recovery or a slowdown in the process of disease progression should occur to such an extent that the patient does not need additional surgical intervention.
Conservative therapy should be started as soon as the disease is discovered. In addition, with a number of pathologies, when there are relative or absolute contraindications to surgical intervention, this type of therapy acts as an independent treatment method.
Conclusion
So what is a conservative treatment? In other words, it is a treatment that is implemented by chemical, physical and biological, i.e., non-surgical methods. The main or main methods of conservative therapy of exposure to an individual's body are pharmacotherapy, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, herbal medicine and some others related to chemical and biological methods. In addition, physical treatment methods, which include various areas of physiotherapy, play a huge role in recovery.