It is easier to prevent osteochondrosis than to treat it for a long time. Prevention includes posture, fitness, exercise equipment, walking, yoga, swimming. It is necessary to sit correctly on the table and the computer, you can not throw your head back for a long time or tilt when lifting weights. When writing or reading, it is not recommended to bend down over the table surface and it is advisable to use an orthopedic pillow while sleeping.
Osteochondrosis is manifested by unpleasant symptoms. Patients complain of back pain, body aches, and numbness of the hands or feet for no apparent reason. In some cases, even loss of consciousness or frequent dizziness is possible. If the disease is not treated, it gradually leads to atrophy of muscle tissue, disruption of nerve impulses, dysfunction of a number of internal organs.The causes of the onset of the disease are hidden in a passive lifestyle, lack of sufficient load on the spine and a developed muscular framework. Accompanying factors are also unhealthy diet, hormonal disruptions, behavioral problems, insufficient fluid intake, hereditary predispositions, infection, overweight and bad habits.
Treatment of osteochondrosis at home is possible if the patient does not use folk remedies as the only therapy and has consulted a doctor about the complex effect on the pathology. The main ways to get rid of the problem are:
- Drug therapy.
- Massage and physiotherapy.
- Gymnastics.
- Traditional medicine.
It is impossible to cure osteochondrosis quickly, as the affected cartilage tissue regenerates slowly. It will take at least three months to complete the complex measures and it will take about a year for the rehabilitation period. The result of the treatment largely depends on the patient himself, his diligence in following the instructions, as well as the stage of development of the disease.
Do you know why your spine is suffering? To say with certainty that the development of the disease began due to improper nutrition or blood stasis is almost impossible, therefore, for effective therapy, a whole program is needed to restore blood flow to the damaged discs.
Next, we will talk briefly about methods of treating osteochondrosis at home. We have already talked about some of them in more detail: below, in the descriptions of the methods, see the articles in the links.
- Diet. Often the cause of osteochondrosis is impaired blood flow due to the accumulation of cholesterol and loss of elasticity of blood vessels. Eliminating fatty foods from the diet, as well as foods rich in cholesterol: chicken eggs, meat juices, pork and chicken skins, will help correct the situation. Strong drinks can play an important role in the activity of blood vessels, even those that do not contain alcohol - ordinary coffee and tea. Regular intake of nicotine in the body also leads to vasospasm. The decision is unclear: if you are being treated for osteochondrosis, you need to completely abandon bad habits and lead a healthy lifestyle.
- Restoration of blood circulation in the area of the pathological process is the most important condition for the treatment of osteochondrosis at home. There are many ways: from physiotherapy exercises to rubbing and compresses, but you have to choose a few and act.
- Orthopedic sleeping supplies. The spine is the axis of the human body, which throughout the day experiences loads that are dynamic when moving and static when sitting. But, like any other part of the body, it needs proper rest, which can only be provided by a correct position even during sleep. A quality orthopedic mattress and pillow create the ideal conditions for normal blood circulation during your sleep and rest.
Osteochondrosis is a disease that affects the spine, or more precisely, the intervertebral discs. As it develops, the soft elements of the discs are damaged and ossified, and the vertebrae begin to touch each other as they squeeze the blood vessels and nerve fibers located close together.
Cervical osteochondrosis is one of the most common types of spinal lesions that can occur in both the elderly and those around 20 years of age.In the process of developing the disease, experts distinguish 4 stages:
- Stage I. In this stage, there is a displacement of the intervertebral discs, violation of their stability. In this case, a person may feel muscle tension in the affected area and slight soreness. Due to the mild symptoms, as a rule, this stage is almost invisible.
- Phase II. The destruction of the ring fibrosis begins, the distance between the vertebrae decreases. Symptoms are pain localized to certain points and are aggravated by bending or turning the head. Also at this stage, increased fatigue may appear.
- Phase III. The fibrous ring is completely destroyed, a hernia is formed. In this case, the spine is deformed, the pain becomes much stronger. To reduce discomfort, a person is forced to restrict movement. The obvious signs are frequent dizziness, fatigue.
- Phase IV. This stage is characterized by complete immobility of the damaged area of the spine. Periodically, the pain may subside, but then it will definitely come back, increasing several times.
The earlier cervical osteochondrosis begins, the stronger the possible complications. If an illness occurs at a young age, the following consequences are possible:
- intervertebral disc herniation;
- cervical root radiculopathy;
- intervertebral extension in the cervical region (extension);
- vertebral cervicalgia, etc.
Also, in the case of advanced osteochondrosis, problems with the vertebral arteries, the development of paresis and other concomitant diseases are possible.
The main symptom of osteochondrosis is back pain. There may also be a feeling of numbness in the limbs. The pain may worsen with movement. Patients may also complain of headaches, dizziness, pain in internal organs.
The first signs
Osteochondrosis of the cervix at the onset of the disease may not occur at all. The disease makes itself felt already in a neglected form with frequent headaches and neck pain when moving. When there is a violation of cerebral circulation in osteochondrosis of the cervix, a person develops the following symptoms:- regular headaches;
- violation of facial muscle sensitivity;
- added fatigue;
- noise in the head;
- tinnitus;
- high blood pressure;
- loss of coordination;
- frequent dizziness;
- rocking.
If osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae takes a chronic form, then the pain is permanent and any movement of the head is difficult due to the tension of the neck muscles. The patient begins to suffer from cervical migraine and the headache is sometimes accompanied by vomiting, nausea and even loss of consciousness. If cervical osteochondrosis is not treated in time, then the person may be accompanied by pharyngeal symptoms: difficulty swallowing, dry throat, itching and tickling. Over time, this disease can lead to a disc herniation.
Due to the fact that the intervertebral discs in the cervical spine are not very high, even a slight damage to them causes the development of the disease. The beginning of the problems can be indicated by:
- hoarseness, hoarseness;
- increase in dental problems (you should visit the dentist more often than usual, for example, due to partial tooth decay);
- blurred vision;
- burning sensation between the shoulder blades;
- sore throat as in the throat;
- pain in the shoulder, occipital region, along the entire length of the arms;
- weakness of the front limbs;
- lack of coordination, expressed in an uneven gait;
- frequent dizziness, which can result in fainting;
- reduces durability;
- feeling tired immediately after sleep;
- recurrent headaches on the left side of the chest, radiating to the arm;
- restriction of neck movement, crumbling when turning and tilting.
Experts distinguish between several types of syndromes characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis, including:
- Back. It develops as a result of a tight nerve. In this case, a person experiences acute pain that spreads from the neck to the shoulders, then to the forearms and so on to the fingers (or one hand). Also, radicular syndrome is characterized by tingling or "staining" sensation on the skin, pale skin and slight swelling.
- Vertebral artery syndrome. The main symptom is a "belt" headache. Most often, this pain is constant, but in some cases it can be periodic. An increase in pain occurs after increased activity, or after a long time in an uncomfortable position. With a concomitant decrease in immunity, headache may be accompanied by nausea and loss of consciousness. Also in this case, hearing, vision and problems with the vestibular apparatus are possible.
- Cervical Migraine Syndrome. In this case, due to changes in the position of the vertebrae and the discs between them, the blood circulation in the brain is disturbed, which is accompanied by noise in the ears or their blockages, tachycardia, noise in the head, etc.
- Hypertension. It is characterized by an increase in intracranial pressure. The patient suffers from severe attacks of headache, often accompanied by a mixed feeling.
Often, with an exacerbation of the disease, the patient's body temperature may rise.
How to treat osteochondrosis at home: folk remedies
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Painkillers.
- Vasodilators.
- Muscle relaxants.
- Sedatives.
- Multivitamins.
They must be handled in full compliance with regulations. Medications improve patient well-being, restore metabolism. Therefore, after a few weeks, the patient feels much better, but it should not be forgotten that osteochondrosis is a systemic disease and should be treated only in a comprehensive manner. Tablets alone can not solve the problem.
The question of how to treat osteochondrosis at home is of increasing concern. Importers It is important to understand that osteochondrosis is an uncommon disease that will go away after you take the pill. Osteochondrosis is, first of all, changes in the vertebrae and cartilage. In order to be cured, you need to do a number of actions. The tablets listed above should be taken without any problem, but they can not be distributed.
Below we will explore the possibilities of treating osteochondrosis at home. But before using this or that prescription, you should consult your doctor, so as not to harm yourself.
The first thing you need to do is relieve the pain. This can be done with medication. But it is important to understand that regular use of pain relievers will lead to problems with the intestines, liver and pancreas. This is why an experienced doctor will definitely advise those folk remedies that can be used with complete safety at home.
- Honey and mashed potatoes. Take some potatoes and rub them on a fine grater, then mix in equal proportions with honey. Mix well and place the gravel on the cheesecloth, then apply as a compress to the sore spot. From above, you should wrap something warm and leave it in this position for an hour. This medicine will relieve the pain quickly but, unfortunately, not for long.
- Horseradish leaves. Take a horseradish leaf and steam it with boiling water. Turn the sheet from the inside towards you and stick to the diseased area. Wrap well and go to bed. In the morning you will feel that the pain has subsided.
- Hot bottle. Take a plastic bottle and pour hot water into it, place it on the sofa or bed and lie on your back. Try to roll it under you for half an hour.
- Parsley. For a month, you should eat a parsley root every day.
- Pine buds. Collect pine buds every spring, but only those that are two inches long. Wash well, dry and grind through a meat grinder. Add sugar in a ratio of 1: 2, number 2 are the kidneys.
- Mix everything well and remove to refrigerate for two weeks. You can understand that the mixture is ready by its changed color, it will take on brown color. The course of treatment will be three weeks. Eat a teaspoon daily.
- Banja. You can relieve pain in osteochondrosis of the chest in a steam room. The course of treatment is ten days. Do three runs, lasting five minutes. But visit the bathroom every other day.
Healing massages and baths
- Start the process with a light, gentle tap on the problem area. Better yet it is better not to take extra equipment, the impact of the palms and fingers will be enough.
- After rubbing, they continue with an added effect on the area. You can grab a skin finger with your fingers and squeeze it lightly.
- Treatment of muscles and soft tissues should be done in the paravertebral region, it is impossible to affect the ridge itself. The movement can be eavesdropping, circular, pressing.
- To end the session it is worth tapping, shaking, stroking.
A self-massage of the back can be performed every day even without special knowledge and skills. Impact on the muscles of the chest, hips, shoulders, lower back, has a beneficial effect in the treatment of osteochondrosis in general.
In addition to massage, therapeutic baths help to cope with the disease. They are contraindicated during a deterioration, but become necessary in forgiveness. Correct and regular exercises allow you to increase blood flow, relax muscles, improve mood and well-being. You can use only warm water during the process (hot water will only hurt), to which are added decoctions of medicinal herbs. Thyme, yarn, thyme, lemon balm, chamomile have proven themselves well. Take a medicinal bath 20 minutes before bedtime.
Simple exercises are beneficial for the spine with cartilage dysfunction. The doctor selects them for each patient individually, taking into account the general condition, physical fitness, age. They are performed daily and are an integral part of therapy. The simplest activities are similar to school exercises, but their importance to the body during the treatment period should not be underestimated. They aim to warm up the muscles, improve blood circulation, stretch and relax the muscles where there are blocks.
During execution, you should follow these recommendations:
- Do not exercise too fast, putting too much stress on your bones and muscles.
- Everything is done smoothly, thoughtfully, with the control of the sensations in the body.
- Classes are interrupted completely if the patient feels pain, can not be directed.
- Strength complexes always alternate with breathing exercises so that the tissues receive a sufficient amount of oxygen.
- Classes should only take place in a well-ventilated room or outside.
It should be remembered that the attending physician prescribes exercises, some effects on the spine are dangerous in case of a disease such as osteoporosis. They can cause serious complications. Exercise therapy is an excellent tool to combat back pathologies and is often used to prevent a number of problems at increased risk. Complexes include exercises from yoga or oriental techniques. You should do it regularly, at least 3 times a week.
Physiotherapy for osteochondrosis is used as an adjunct to the main treatment, the patient's condition becomes significantly better. Physiotherapy procedures act directly on the painful focus, so no side effects will arise.
- The body's metabolism is normalizing.
- The condition of tissues and organs is improving.
- Immunity increases and becomes more resilient.
- Pain is relieved.
- Good anti-inflammatory and anti-edema effect.
Specialists often prescribe combination physiotherapy. For example, if the pain is severe, electrophoresis and diadynamic therapy are used, with the mandatory use of novocaine.
To act simultaneously on biologically active points, drip-acupuncture-reflexology is used. There is an effect on the tissue using laser radiation and needles. Along with electrotherapy, mud therapy is used.
Massage
- During the period when there is no pain, at that moment, the movements will not cause pain.
- At the moment of deterioration.
Before the specialist starts this procedure, the patient is prepared. To do this, you should tap your back for about 3-5 minutes, first stroking the area of the shoulder blades, then closer to the neck and shoulder girdle. After that, stroking should be replaced with stirring and shaking. At this stage, the preparation will be completed, you can proceed directly to the massage procedure.
Massage for osteochondrosis can provoke severe pain. But if the body is properly prepared and relaxed, then this can be avoided.
If you feel uncomfortable after the first procedures, you do not have to worry, by the third day the pain will subside, and the procedure itself will become much more pleasant.
The patient should be placed on a flat surface in a horizontal position. If the massage is performed only in the neck area, then the patient should sit down.
There is another way to treat osteochondrosis with folk remedies - herbal medicinal baths. Baths can be used not only for the purpose of cleansing, but also for the purpose of healing, choosing the right medicinal plants and their quantity. Baths, like any other alternative method of treating osteochondrosis, should be taken only after consulting a doctor. In some forms of osteochondrosis, they may be contraindicated.
To treat osteochondrosis of the spine using baths, you need to know some recipes for their correct preparation:
- Birch leaf bath. For cooking, you need to create birch leaves. The washing procedure should take about half an hour. The water should be slightly hot.
- Chestnut shower. For cooking, press the chestnut and boil it for 15 minutes. Then pour into a bath and take it for about 20 minutes.
- Bath with pine needles. It is necessary to collect a few needles from the trees in the woods, boil it for about 20 minutes. Then pour the liquid into the bath and take it for about 25 minutes.
- Chamomile bath. It is necessary to pour boiling water over the chamomile and let the broth brew for half an hour. Then you can filter the medicine and take a bath.
- Artichoke bath in Jerusalem. It is necessary to fill a bucket with a capacity of 10 liters of stalks and leaves of Jerusalem artichoke, pour boiling water, wait 20 minutes. Pour the juice into a bath. The bath procedure takes 15 minutes.
For the most effective treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine, the duration of treatment should be about one week. Baths have a relaxing and calming effect, relieve spasms and relieve pain. Such a home treatment is not only beneficial but also enjoyable.
How to cure cervical osteochondrosis at home
There are several reasons for the onset and development of the disease. Among the most common:
- hereditary predisposition;
- behavioral disorders;
- age;
- past spinal cord injuries;
- heavy loads, including heavy physical work and sports;
- previous infectious diseases;
- wearing uncomfortable tight shoes or high heels;
- unhealthy diet, including excessive dependence on raw food.
The cause of osteochondrosis can be hypothermia, a sharp tilt or twist, strong physical strain.
Experts are sure that the main cause of osteochondrosis is the incorrect distribution of the load on the spine. As a result, at the site where there is excessive physical pressure, there is a complete or partial change in cartilage tissue.
- The back is curved.
- The patient chews when sitting or walking.
- The back muscles are weak.
- A person leads a sedentary lifestyle, moves little.
- There is a strong lack of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus in the body.
- Hereditary factors.
- Infectious diseases of the past.
- Severe nervous tension, depression.
- Hormones are disturbed.
- Spinal cord injuries, they can occur during a fall, impact.
- Luggage position changes frequently and suddenly.
Elevation at right angles to the brain can cause intervertebral disc prolapse. This is why a large load should only be taken during assembly, so the spine will be protected.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine includes a whole range of tools and methods aimed at eliminating pain and combating the inflammatory process in tissues. An effective method is daily exercise for spinal flexibility. As a rule, an individual exercise program is chosen by a physician after diagnosis using MRI or computed tomography and assessment of the stage of the disease. Let's see how osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is treated.
Drug therapy is already prescribed at the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis. If the first pain can be eliminated with a regular anesthetic pill, then later it will no longer help. Medical treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is performed with new generation chondroprotectors - drugs that stimulate the restoration of cartilage tissue in the spine.
But if you need to relieve acute pain in cervical osteochondrosis, then doctors prescribe a novocaine blockade or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. These are oils, capsules, tablets and injections that quickly improve the overall condition of the patient. But if chondroprotectants are not contraindicated even with prolonged use, then NSAIDs have serious ones, so their use should be agreed with the attending physician.
To make quick anesthesia of the cervical spine in case of osteochondrosis, special gels or oils, which start to act 10 minutes after application, will help. There are several types of them:
- Regeneration, allowing the restoration of damaged cartilage tissue between the vertebrae.
- Anti-inflammatory, based on non-steroidal substances, eliminating pain.
- Pain relievers that affect nerve endings, quickly relieve pain.
- Massage ointments.
Manual therapy
The oldest, but no less effective method than modern methods of treating osteochondrosis, is manual therapy. Specialists have developed many techniques that have a beneficial effect on the vertebrae, tissues and joints of the affected area. Only a chiropractor should be a good specialist in his field, so as not to lead the patient in a wheelchair. The main methods of manual therapy for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine are:
- segmental massage that relieves muscle tension;
- manipulations aimed at restoring the working capacity of the joints, accompanied by their crisis;
- mobilization, restoring damaged joints by stretching them.