It is easier to prevent osteochondrosis than to cure it for a long time. Prevention includes posture, fitness exercises, exercise equipment, walking, yoga, swimming. It is necessary to sit properly at the table and the computer, you can not throw your head back for a long time or lean when lifting weights. When writing or reading, it is not recommended to bend low on the table surface and during sleep it is recommended to use an orthopedic pillow.
Osteochondrosis presents with unpleasant symptoms. Patients complain of back pain, body aches and numbness of the hands or feet for no 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, disturbance of nerve pulses, dysfunction of certain internal organs.
The causes of the disease are hidden in a passive lifestyle, lack of adequate load on the spine and a developed muscular framework. Parallel factors are also unhealthy diet, hormonal disorders, posture problems, insufficient fluid intake, hereditary predisposition, infection, obesity and bad habits.
- Drug treatment.
- 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 complex measures and it will take about a year for the recovery period. The outcome of the treatment depends to a large extent on the patient himself, his diligence to follow the instructions, as well as the stage of development of the disease.
Do you know why your spine suffers? It is almost impossible to say with certainty that the development of the disease began due to improper nutrition or blood stasis, therefore, for effective treatment, a whole program is needed to restore blood flow to damaged discs.
Next, we will talk briefly about home remedies for osteochondrosis. We have already talked about some of them in more detail: below, in the method descriptions, see the articles in the links.
- Nutrition. Often the cause of osteochondrosis is the disturbance of blood flow due to the accumulation of cholesterol and the loss of vascular elasticity. Eliminating fatty foods from your diet, as well as cholesterol-rich foods such as chicken eggs, broths, pork and chicken skin, will help correct the condition. Strong drinks can play an important role in the activity of blood vessels, even those that do not contain alcohol - regular coffee and tea. Regular intake of nicotine in the body also leads to vasospasm. The decision is clear: if you are receiving treatment for osteochondrosis, you should completely abandon bad habits and follow 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 physical therapy exercises to rubbing and squeezing, but you have to choose several and act.
- Orthopedic sleeping items. The spine is the axis of the human body, which during 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 from an even proper position during sleep. A quality orthopedic mattress and pillow create the ideal conditions for normal blood circulation during sleep and rest.
Osteochondrosis is a disease that affects the spine or rather the intervertebral discs. As it grows, the soft elements of the discs are destroyed and ossified and the vertebrae begin to touch each other, compressing the nearby blood vessels and nerve fibers.
Osteochondrosis of the cervix is one of the most common types of spinal cord injuries 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. At this stage, there is a displacement of the intervertebral discs, violating their stability. In this case, a person may feel muscle tension in the affected area and slight pain. Due to the mild symptoms, as a rule, this stage is almost imperceptible.
- Stage II. The destruction of the fibrous ring begins, the distance between the vertebrae decreases. The symptoms are localized to the pain in some places and are aggravated by bending or turning the head. Also at this stage, increased fatigue may occur.
- Stage 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 the discomfort, a person is forced to restrict movement. Obvious signs are frequent dizziness, fatigue.
- Stage IV. This stage is characterized by complete immobility of the damaged area of the spine. Periodically, the pain may subside, but then it will inevitably return, increasing several times.
The earlier cervical osteochondrosis begins, the stronger the possible complications. If the disease occurs at a young age, the following consequences are possible:
- intervertebral disc herniation?
- root disease of the cervical roots.
- intervertebral protrusion in the cervical region (protrusion);
- cervical spine 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 extremities. The pain may worsen with movement. Patients may also complain of headache, dizziness, pain in the internal organs.
First signs
Osteochondrosis of the cervix at the onset of the disease may not occur at all. The disease is already felt in a neglected form with frequent pain in the head and neck when moving. When there is a violation of cerebral circulation with cervical osteochondrosis, a person has the following symptoms:
- regular headaches?
- violation of the sensitivity of the facial muscles.
- increased fatigue
- noise in the head?
- ringing in the ears.
- high blood pressure?
- loss of coordination.
- frequent dizziness.
- boring walking.
If osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae has a chronic form, then the pain is permanent and any movements of the head are difficult due to the tension of the neck muscles. The patient begins to suffer from cervical migraines 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 herniated disc.
Due to the fact that the intervertebral discs in the cervical spine are not very high, even a slight damage to them becomes the cause of the development of the disease. The beginning of the problems can be indicated by:
- hoarseness, hoarseness?
- increase in dental problems (you need to go to the dentist more often than usual, for example, due to partial tooth decay).
- blurred vision?
- burning sensation between the shoulders?
- sore throat as in sore throat?
- pain in the shoulder, occipital region, along the entire length of the arms.
- weakness of the forearms;
- lack of coordination, expressed by uneven gait.
- frequent dizziness, which can lead to fainting.
- reduced strength?
- feeling tired immediately after sleep.
- recurrent headaches on the left side of the chest, radiating to the arm.
- Restriction of neck mobility, contraction during rotation and inclination.
Experts distinguish between different types of syndromes that characterize cervical osteochondrosis, such as:
- Spine. It develops as a result of a stinging 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 with one hand). Also, the radical syndrome is characterized by tingling or "spot" on the skin. light skin and slight swelling.
- Spinal artery syndrome. The main symptom is a headache. Most of the time, this pain is constant, but in some cases it can be periodic. The increase in pain occurs after increased activity or after a long time in an uncomfortable position. With a simultaneous decrease in immunity, the headache may be accompanied by nausea and loss of consciousness. Also, in this case, hearing, vision and problems with the vestibular device are possible.
- Hypertension. It is characterized by an increase in intracranial pressure. The patient is concerned about severe headache attacks, often accompanied by nausea.
Often, as the disease worsens, the patient's body temperature may rise.
How to treat osteochondrosis at home: folk remedies
Chondrosis can be treated at home only after the doctor prescribes a number of medications. They aim at relieving back pain, eliminating inflammatory processes and restoring the mobility of cartilage tissues. After examination and diagnosis, the specialist prescribes the following groups of drugs:
- Anti-inflammatory.
- Painkillers.
- Vasodilators.
- Muscle relaxants.
- Sedatives.
- Multivitamins.
Must be taken in accordance with regulations. Drugs improve the patient's well-being, restore metabolism. Therefore, after a few weeks, the patient feels much better, but we must not forget that osteochondrosis is a systemic disease and should be treated only in a comprehensive way. Pills alone can not solve the problem.
The question of how to treat osteochondrosis at home is of increasing concern. It is important to understand that osteochondrosis is an unusual disease that will go away after taking the pill. Osteochondrosis is, first of all, changes in the vertebrae and cartilage. To be healed, you must do a series of actions. The tablets listed above should be taken without failure, but cannot be dispensed.
Below we will look at the treatment options for osteochondrosis at home. But before using this or that recipe, 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 drugs. But it is important to understand that regular use of painkillers will lead to problems with the intestines, liver and pancreas. This is why an experienced doctor will definitely advise these folk remedies that can be used safely at home.
- Honey and grated potatoes. Take some potatoes and grate them on a fine grater, then mix in equal proportions with honey. Mix well and put the gruel in the cheesecloth and then spread it as a compress on the toothache. From above, you need to wrap something warm and leave it in this position for an hour. This treatment will quickly relieve the pain, but unfortunately not for long.
- Horseradish leaf. Take a horseradish leaf and steam with boiling water. Turn the sheet inwards towards you and attach it to the diseased area. Wrap it 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 a sofa or bed and lie on your back. Try rolling it under you for half an hour. Parsley. For a month, you should eat a parsley root every day.
- Pine. Collect buds every spring, but only those that are two inches long. Wash them well, dry them and grind them with a meat grinder. Add sugar in a ratio of 1: 2, the number 2 is the kidneys.
- Mix everything well and remove for infusion for two weeks in the refrigerator. You can understand that the mixture is ready from its changed color, it will turn brown. The duration of treatment will be three weeks. Eat a teaspoon every day.
- Bathroom. You can relieve the pain in the osteochondrosis of the chest in a hammam. The course of treatment is ten days. Do three runs, lasting five minutes. But visit the bathroom every other day.
Bath massage and treatment
- Start the process with a light, gentle stretch of the problem area. It is better not to take extra devices, the impact of the palms and fingers will be enough.
- After rubbing, they have an increased effect on the area. You can grab a fold of skin with your fingers and press it lightly.
- The kneading of muscles and soft tissues should take place in the area of the spine. The movement can be stroke, circular, pressure.
- To end the session, it is worth pressing, vibrating, caressing.
This self-massage on the back can be performed daily, even without special knowledge and skills. The effect 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 treat the disease. It is contraindicated during the period of deterioration, but they necessarily become in the stage of recession. Proper and regular exercise allows you to increase blood flow, relax muscles, improve mood and well-being. Only hot water can be used in the process (hot water will only hurt), to which a decoction of medicinal herbs is added. Thyme, string, thyme, lemon balm, chamomile have proven to be good. Take a medical bath 20 minutes before bedtime.
Simple exercises are useful for the spine with cartilage dysfunction. The doctor selects them individually for each patient, taking into account the general condition, physical condition, age. They are performed daily and are an integral part of the treatment. The simplest activities are like school exercises, but we should not underestimate their importance to the body during the treatment period. Their goal is to warm up the muscles, improve blood circulation, stretch and relax the muscles where there are blocks.
When running, you should follow these suggestions:
- Do not exercise quickly, putting too much stress on your bones and muscles.
- Everything is done smoothly, carefully, by controlling the senses in the body.
- Classes stop completely if the patient feels pain, can not straighten.
- Strength complexes are always alternated with breathing exercises, so that the tissues receive a sufficient amount of oxygen.
- Classes should only be conducted in a well-ventilated room or outdoors.
We must remember that the treating physician prescribes exercises, some effects on the spine are dangerous in case of a disease such as osteoporosis. They can cause serious complications. Exercise is an excellent tool for fighting back diseases and is often used to prevent certain problems with increased risks. Bands include yoga exercises 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 there will be no side effects.
- The body's metabolism is normalized.
- Condition of tissues and organs improves.
- 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 dynamic therapy are used, with the mandatory use of novocaine.
In order to act simultaneously on biologically active points, acupuncture-reflexolase-puncture is used. There is an impact 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 time, the movements will not cause pain.
- At the time of deterioration.
Before the specialist begins this procedure, the patient is prepared. To do this, you should tap your back for about 3-5 minutes, first stroking the shoulder area and then closer to the neck and shoulder girdle. After that, stroking should be replaced with kneading and shaking. At this stage, the preparation will be completed, you can proceed directly to the massage process.
Massage for osteochondrosis can cause severe pain. But if the body is properly prepared and relaxed, then this can be avoided.
If you feel discomfort after the first procedure, do not worry, on the third day the pain will subside and the procedure itself will become much more enjoyable.
The patient should be placed on a flat surface in a horizontal position. If the massage is done only in the neck area, then the patient should sit.
There is another way to treat osteochondrosis with folk remedies - herbal baths. Baths can be used not only for cleansing, but also for therapeutic purposes, choosing the right medicinal herbs and their quantity. Baths, like any other alternative treatment for osteochondrosis, should only be taken after consulting a doctor. In some forms of osteochondrosis, it may be contraindicated.
To treat osteochondrosis of the spine with the help of baths, you need to know some recipes for their proper preparation:
- Bathroom with birch leaves. For cooking, you need to prepare birch leaves. The bathing process should take about half an hour. The water should be slightly warm.
- Bath chestnut. For cooking, crush the chestnut and cook for 15 minutes. Then pour in a bath and take it for about 20 minutes.
- Bath with pine trees. It is necessary to collect a few needles from the trees in the forest, boil for about 20 minutes. Then pour the broth into the bath and take it for about 25 minutes.
- Bathtub with chamomile. It is necessary to pour boiling water over the chamomile and let the broth boil for half an hour. You can then filter the medicine and take a bath. Jerusalem artichoke bath. It is necessary to fill a bucket with a capacity of 10 liters of stems and Jerusalem artichoke leaves, pour boiling water over them, wait 20 minutes. Pour liquid in a bath. The bathing process takes 15 minutes.
For more effective treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine, the duration of treatment should be about one week. Baths have a relaxing and soothing effect, relieving spasms and relieving 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?
- posture disorders?
- age?
- past spinal injuries?
- heavy loads, including hard physical work and sports.
- previous infectious diseases?
- wearing tight, uncomfortable shoes or high-heeled shoes.
- unhealthy eating, including excessive junk food addiction.
In addition, being overweight, frequent stress, sedentary lifestyle and even severe hypothermia can contribute to osteochondrosis.
The cause of osteochondrosis can be hypothermia, sharp inclination or turning, intense physical exercise.
Experts are convinced that the main cause of osteochondrosis is the incorrect distribution of the load on the spine. As a result, at the point where there is excessive physical pressure, there is complete or partial change in the cartilage tissue.
- The spine is curved.
- The patient relaxes when sitting or walking.
- The back muscles are weak.
- A person leads a sedentary lifestyle, moves a little.
- There is a severe lack of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus in the body.
- Hereditary factors.
- Past infectious diseases.
- Severe nervous tension, depression.
- Hormones are disrupted. Injuries to the spine can occur during a fall, impact.
- The position of the trunk changes frequently and abruptly.
Lifting at a right angle to the torso can cause the intervertebral disc to protrude. This is why a large load should only be taken while squatting, thus, the spine will be protected.
The treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine includes a wide range of means and methods aimed at eliminating pain and combating the inflammatory process in the tissues. An effective method is daily exercise for spinal flexibility. Typically, an individual exercise program is selected by a physician after diagnostic use with magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography and evaluation of the stage of the disease. Let's see how osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is treated.Medication 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 repair of cartilage tissue in the spine.
But if you need to relieve acute pain in cervical osteochondrosis, then doctors prescribe novocaine blockade or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These are ointments, capsules, tablets and injections that quickly improve the general condition of the patient. But if chondroprotectants have no contraindications even with prolonged use, then NSAIDs are serious, so their use should be agreed with the treating physician.To quickly anesthetize the cervical spine with osteochondrosis, special gels or ointments will help, which begin to act 10 minutes after application. There are several types of these:
- 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, rapidly debilitating pain.
- Massage ointments.
Manual therapy
The most ancient, 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:
- partial massage that relieves muscle tension.
- manipulations aimed at restoring the working capacity of the joints, accompanied by their judgment.
- mobilization, repair of damaged joints by stretching.