Vertebral osteochondrosis is the most common disease of the human musculoskeletal system. In the cervical spine, degenerative processes occur particularly frequently: in about 30-40% of all cases of osteochondrosis, the disease affects this particular area of the spine.
Even with an inactive lifestyle, daily stress drops in the cervical area, leading to the gradual destruction of the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs. The cervical vertebrae support the head, provide lateral movement, and bend back and forth. As a sedentary lifestyle and excessive stress on the spine are just as damaging to cartilage tissue.
Osteochondrosis develops slowly, but almost always leads to painful manifestations and serious consequences. This article will discuss in detail how to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home, in which cases it is reasonable and advisable, what procedures should be practiced to reduce painful symptoms and eliminate the root causes of the disease.When osteochondrosis can be treated at home
Osteochondrosis rarely occurs suddenly - usually the disease is preceded by an early stage, characterized by fatigue in the spine, rapid fatigue, and decreased performance. Importers it is important to take therapeutic measures at the first signs of disease, as degenerative and dystrophic processes have not spread from cartilage tissue to nearby structures.The task of treatment in the early stages of the disease is to stop pathological transformations in the intervertebral discs. No amount of therapy can change the destructive processes, but there is a chance to prevent dangerous and painful consequences.
You can practice home treatment in the following cases:
- When the diagnosis is known accurately and clinically confirmed;
- When the manifestations of the disease are mild or moderate;
- When home and self-treatment is approved or sanctioned by a doctor;
- In the form of relapse prevention during the recovery phase after complete clinical therapy.
Diagnosis in the clinic and consultation with a specialist (orthopedist, vertebrologist or traumatologist) is a mandatory stage in the treatment of osteochondrosis. Starting treatment without an accurate diagnosis can cause irreparable damage to the spine. Even if you are completely sure that you have osteochondrosis, you need to discover its stage, determine the degree of tissue destruction, and identify the accompanying diseases.
The risk of cervical osteochondrosis lies in the variety of manifestations of this disease. Since the most important nerve pathways and blood vessels pass through this section, any displacement of the cartilaginous and bony structures from their anatomical position, as well as the transformation of the discs and vertebral bodies, are fraught with compression of the nerve endings and arteries.
Compression leads to headaches, deteriorating blood supply to the brain, and decreased intellectual ability. The most dangerous complication of compression is stroke: a sharp deterioration in the oxygen supply to the brain, leading to the death of its parts.
it is irresponsible and dangerous to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home in the presence of compression. Massage procedures, manual therapy, exercise therapy should be performed under strict medical supervision. Only therapists and professional massage therapists should perform manual and hardware impact on the vertebrae in case of progressive degenerative changes.
General rules for self-therapy
Some believe that cervical osteochondrosis is a temporary disease that occurs after sleeping in an uncomfortable position or working for a long time at the computer. People often ignore the symptoms of neck pain, believing that they are caused by overwork, "salt deposits", colds.
The listed factors can indeed provoke the development of an osteochondrosis attack, but it is not the causes but the predisposing factors of the pathology. Eliminating them may alleviate the symptoms, but it will not cure the disease itself.
The treatment of osteochondrosis must be treated scientifically and pragmatically. The earlier you start therapy, the more chances you have of restoring the functionality of the cervical spine. If you want to regain movement in the neck, get rid of chewing and fatigue in the back, start treatment as soon as the first signs of degenerative changes appear.
Home treatment for collarbone osteochondrosis is a necessary and beneficial measure of impact if performed correctly and authorized by specialists.
At home you can do:
- Drug therapy;
- Self-massage;
- Massage of equipment using mechanical and electrical equipment;
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- Physiotherapy.
Basically, any kind of conservative treatment can be practiced at home. Traditional methods of influence are popular among the population - a variety of lotions, compresses and applications in the affected department. Such treatment options are sometimes quite effective and really help with pain symptoms and other unpleasant manifestations of osteochondrosis.
The basic rules for self-treatment are as follows:
- Analgesics and other medications should only be taken after being prescribed by a doctor;
- You should not practice massage and physiotherapy exercises during acute pain and disc displacement;
- Suspicious and unapproved traditional medicine should not be used;
- At the slightest sign of deteriorating health, you should stop home therapy and go to the clinic.
In general, experts even recommend self-treatment, as only those procedures are performed in the clinic that require the presence of a specialist or the presence of complex equipment. It is only necessary to strictly adhere to medical recommendations regarding therapeutic techniques at home.
A good doctor, before recommending or prescribing any medicine, will always tell you how it is applied, what results should be expected, when and for what period of time you should perform the treatment procedures. The ultimate goal of any practice is not simply to stop the symptoms, but to completely block or eliminate the causes of the disease.
Home Treatment Methods
There are many home remedies for cervical osteochondrosis. We will consider the most basic of them - the most effective and affordable. We remind you once again: only full implementation of medical recommendations gives a chance for recovery.
Qualified doctors take into account all the impact factors - from the position you take during sleep, ending with the nature of the diet. The diet for osteochondrosis is based on the exclusion of fatty, refined and highly seasonal food and the mandatory inclusion of mucopolysaccharides in the diet - compounds that nourish cartilage tissue.
Almost all aspects of life must conform to the principles of competent and correct treatment.
Physiotherapy exercises
A complete regimen of physical activity is the basis of effective therapy. The group of exercises is chosen individually, taking into account the stage of the disease, age and physical condition of the patient. Physical education is not a helper, but the most important therapeutic method for osteochondrosis of the collar region.
Gymnastic exercises solve several problems at once:
- Develop and strengthen muscular corsets in the neck and shoulder girdle;
- Stimulates local blood flow, improving nutrition of intervertebral discs and other tissues in the affected area;
- Accelerate metabolic processes, contributing to the restoration of physical activity;
- Elimination of muscle blocks and spasmodic phenomena.
In the initial phase of therapy, it is best to perform a few sessions of exercise therapy under the guidance of an experienced instructor. Then you can practice physical education at home. Make sure you wear comfortable clothes when exercising and make sure the area is regularly ventilated.
Indicative criteria for the usefulness of exercise therapy are the absence of pain, improved well-being, increased range of motion. If there are symptoms of acute and regular pain, exercise should be stopped until the causes of this phenomenon are clarified. Pain usually occurs when the disc moves and the nerve is compressed. To prevent this from happening, you need to perform smooth movements, avoid jumping and twisting your spine.
Manual and hardware massage
Self-massage reduces pain and stimulates local circulation. Self-massage techniques (rubbing, stroking, kneading) will be taught by your doctor or professional massage therapist. Strong pressure, shock, tightening should be avoided.
Proper self-massage often surpasses even medication in effectiveness. A gentle manual effect not only relieves pain, but also relaxes muscles, speeds up blood flow and metabolism. The massage is recommended to be performed in a sitting position, using only the fingers and directing movements from the back to the peripheral parts of the back.
A special method is to massage the equipment using mechanical equipment and modern electronic equipment. It is recommended to use massage products in the absence of severe pain and disc displacement. Free hand-held massages and expensive computer-controlled equipment are available from medical supply stores.
Another effective tool are static impact applicators in the affected areas. Devices such as the applicator Lyapko or the applicator Kuznetsov are proven and effective tools for treating pain symptoms and eliminating the causes of the disease. The main rule in the use of such devices is regularity. It is necessary to practice exposure sessions continuously - only then is it possible to achieve a consistent and pronounced health improvement result.
Implementers are based on the principles of reflexology - influencing the active parts of the body and launching the body's self-healing mechanism. Home acupuncture with Lyapko equipment and exposure of apparatus with Kuznetsov equipment literally lifted several patients on foot.
Other orthopedic devices are also useful - special sleeping pillows, ensuring proper body position at night, mattresses, car and office chair cushions.
Physiotherapy at home
Exposure to a magnetic field, ultrasound, light of a certain spectrum - all of these are very effective methods for treating moderate to mild osteochondrosis. Physiotherapy is usually practiced in outpatient clinics, but it is quite possible to use these methods at home.
Apparatus for magnetotherapy, ultrasonic and electrical neurostimulation and other equipment for the treatment of spinal structures are sold in pharmacies and specialty stores. Such devices eliminate pain, stimulate metabolism and blood flow, and eliminate muscle spasms. These devices can only be used after being prescribed by a physiotherapist.
Compresses, rubs, other procedures of traditional medicine
The following alternative treatments are acceptable:
- Applications with healing mud;
- Compresses from honey, vodka, agave;
- Honey and mustard compresses;
- Lotions from propolis, aloe juice and vodka;
- Treatment of bee venom;
- Rubbing with herbal preparations (the most popular option is a mixture of 2 pods of hot pepper with vegetable oil).
Phytopreparations can be used in the absence of allergies and after the method is approved by a doctor.
Modern medicine offers many effective and safe remedies on a natural basis to eliminate the signs of cervical osteochondrosis. Herbal and combined creams, oils and plasters are applied externally at the first manifestations of pain and in the phase of rehabilitation therapy.