Vertebral osteochondrosis is the most common disease of the human musculoskeletal system. In the cervical spine, degenerative diseases are particularly common: in all cases of osteochondrosis, about 30-40% of the disease affects this specific area of the back.
Even if the lifestyle is not active, the daily pressure will fall on the cervical spine area, causing the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc to be gradually destroyed. The cervical spine supports the head, provides lateral movement and bends forward and backward. A sedentary lifestyle and excessive pressure on the spine are equally detrimental to cartilage tissue.
Osteochondrosis develops slowly, but it almost always leads to painful manifestations and serious consequences. This article will discuss in detail how to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home. In this case, it is reasonable and desirable. What measures should be taken to relieve painful symptoms and eliminate the main cause of the disease.
When can osteochondrosis be treated at home
The treatment task of the initial stage of the disease is to prevent disc disease. No treatment can reverse the destructive process, but there are opportunities to prevent dangerous and painful consequences.
You can practice home care in the following situations:
- When the diagnosis is accurately known and confirmed clinically;
- When the disease is mild or moderate;
- When approved or approved by a doctor for family and self-treatment;
- In the form of recurrence prevention in the recovery stage after complete clinical treatment.
Clinical diagnosis and consultation with a specialist (orthopaedic surgeon, vertebral surgeon or traumatologist) are necessary stages for the treatment of osteochondrosis. Starting treatment without an accurate diagnosis may cause irreparable damage to the spine. Even if you are completely sure that you have osteochondrosis, you need to find out its stage, determine the extent of tissue destruction and determine the accompanying disease.
The danger of cervical osteochondrosis lies in the multiple manifestations of the disease. Since the most important nerve pathways and blood vessels pass through this part, any displacement of cartilage and skeletal structures from their anatomical positions, as well as the transformation of intervertebral discs and vertebral bodies, is full of compression of nerve endings and arteries.
Compression can cause headaches, decreased blood supply to the brain and decreased intelligence. The most dangerous complication of compression is stroke: the brain’s oxygen supply drops sharply, leading to partial death.
It is irresponsible and dangerous to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home when there is a sense of pressure. Massage procedures, manual therapy, and exercise therapy should be performed under strict medical supervision. In the case of progressive degeneration, only professional massage therapists and therapists can perform manual and hardware impacts on the vertebrae.
General rules of self-treatment
Some people believe that cervical osteochondrosis is a temporary disease that occurs after sleeping in an uncomfortable position or working on the computer for a long time. People often ignore the symptoms of neck pain, thinking that they are caused by overwork, "salt deposits", and colds.
The factors listed can indeed cause the occurrence of osteochondrosis, but they are not the cause, but the cause of the pathology. Eliminating them may reduce symptoms, but it will not cure the disease itself.
The treatment of osteochondrosis should be scientific and pragmatic. The earlier the treatment starts, the greater the chance of restoring cervical spine function. If you want to restore the mobility of the neck, get rid of back contraction and fatigue, start treatment as soon as the first signs of degenerative changes appear.
If implemented correctly and authorized by experts, family treatment of osteochondrosis in the territory is a necessary and useful measure to influence.
At home you can do:
- Medication;
- Self massage;
- Use mechanical and electrical equipment for hardware massage;
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- Physical therapy.
Basically, any kind of conservative treatment can be done at home. Traditional methods of influencing are popular among the population-various lotions, firming creams and applications in affected sectors. Such treatments are sometimes very effective and can indeed relieve pain symptoms and other discomfort symptoms of osteochondrosis.
The basic rules of self-processing are as follows:
- Analgesics and other medicines should only be taken after a doctor has prescribed them;
- During acute pain and disc displacement, you should not perform massage and physical therapy exercises;
- Suspicious and unauthorized traditional medicine should not be used;
- At the slightest sign of deterioration, you should stop home treatment and go to the clinic.
Usually, experts even recommend self-treatment, because these procedures are only performed in the clinic if an expert or complex equipment is required. It is only necessary to strictly follow the medical advice on home treatment techniques.
A good doctor, before recommending or prescribing any remedies, will always tell you how to apply the method, the results you should expect, and when and when to perform the treatment procedure. The ultimate goal of any practice is not only to stop the symptoms, but also to prevent or completely eliminate the cause of the disease.
Home treatment methods
There are many home remedies for cervical osteochondrosis. We will consider the most basic product-the most effective and most affordable product. We remind you again: Only by fully implementing the medical advice can you have a chance of recovery.
A qualified doctor will consider all influencing factors-starting from where you are in your sleep and ending with the nature of your diet. The diet of osteochondrosis is based on the elimination of fat, refined and over-seasoned foods, and the diet must contain mucopolysaccharide-cartilage tissue food.
Almost all aspects of life must be consistent with the principles of supervisor and proper treatment.
Physiotherapy practice
Adequate physical exercise is the basis for effective treatment. Taking into account the stage of the disease, the age and physical condition of the patient, a group of exercises can be selected individually. Physical education is not an aid, but the most important treatment for osteochondrosis in the consular area.
Gymnastics has solved several problems at once:
- A corset that develops and strengthens the muscles of the neck and shoulder straps;
- Stimulate local blood flow, improve the nutrition of the intervertebral disc and other tissues in the affected area;
- Accelerate the metabolic process and help restore physical activity;
- Eliminate muscle blockage and spasm.
In the initial stage of treatment, it is best to perform several exercise therapy under the guidance of an experienced coach. Then, you can do physical exercises at home. Please wear comfortable clothes when exercising, and ensure that the area is regularly ventilated.
The useful indicative criteria for exercise therapy are no pain, improved health, and increased range of motion. If acute and regular pain symptoms occur, exercise should be stopped until the cause of this phenomenon is clear. Pain usually occurs when the disc is displaced and nerves are compressed. To prevent this from happening, you need to perform the exercise smoothly and avoid jumping and twisting the spine.
Manual and hardware massage
Self-massage can relieve pain and stimulate local circulation. Self massage techniques (kneading, stroking, kneading) will be taught by your doctor or professional massage therapist. Avoid strong pressure, impact, squeeze.
The effect of correct self-massage is usually even better than that of drugs. The gentle manual effect not only relieves pain, but also relaxes muscles and accelerates blood flow and metabolism. It is recommended to massage in a sitting position, using only fingers, and directing the movement from the spine to the surrounding areas of the back.
Another method is to use mechanical equipment and modern electronic equipment for hardware massage. It is recommended to use massage products without severe pain and disc displacement. Medical supply stores can provide cheap hand-held massagers and expensive computer-controlled equipment.
Another effective tool is to apply tools to have a static effect on the affected area. Devices such as the Lyapko applicator or Kuznetsov applicator have proven to be effective means of treating pain symptoms and eliminating the cause of disease. The main rule for using this type of equipment is regularity. It is necessary to continuously carry out exposure training-only in this way can stable and obvious health improvement results be obtained.
The applicator is based on the principle of reflexology-the effect on the active parts of the body and the activation of the body's self-repair mechanism. Using the Lyapko device for home acupuncture and the Kuznetsov device for device exposure actually made some patients stand up.
Other orthopedic devices are also useful-special sleeping pillows that ensure the correct position of the body at night, mattresses, pillows for cars and office chairs.
Family Physiotherapy
Exposure to magnetic fields, ultrasound, light of a certain spectrum-all of these are very effective treatments for moderate and mild osteochondrosis. Physical therapy is usually seen in an outpatient clinic, but it is also possible to use these methods at home.
Magnetic therapy equipment, ultrasound and electrical nerve stimulation equipment, and other equipment used to treat 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 under the prescription of a physical therapist.
Compression, friction, other traditional medical procedures
The following alternative methods are acceptable:
- Use with healing clay;
- Compressed from honey, vodka, agave;
- Honey and mustard sauce;
- A lotion of propolis, aloe vera juice and vodka;
- Bee venom treatment;
- Wipe with herbal preparations (the most popular option is a mixture of 2 packets of pepper and vegetable oil).
Phytoremediation can be used without allergies and after the doctor approves the method.
Modern medicine provides many quite effective and safe treatments on a natural basis to eliminate the signs of cervical osteochondrosis. Creams, ointments and plasters of herbal medicines and compositions should be applied externally during the initial manifestations of pain and the stage of rehabilitation.