Vertebral osteochondrosis is the most common disease of the human musculoskeletal system. In the cervical spine, degenerative processes develop especially often: in about 30-40% of all cases of osteochondrosis, the disease affects this particular area of the back.
Even with an inactive lifestyle, daily stress falls on the cervical area, leading to the gradual destruction of the cartilage tissues of the intervertebral discs. The cervical vertebrae support the head, provide lateral movement, and bend forward and backward. Both a sedentary lifestyle and excessive stress on the spine are equally 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 primary 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 back fatigue, rapid fatigue and reduced performance. It is important to take therapeutic measures at the first signs of the disease, while the degenerative and dystrophic processes have not spread from the cartilage tissues to neighboring structures.
The task of treatment in the initial stage of the disease is to stop the pathological transformations in the intervertebral discs. No amount of therapy can reverse the destructive processes, but there is the possibility of preventing dangerous and painful consequences.
You can practice home treatment in the following cases:
- When the diagnosis is accurately known and clinically confirmed;
- When the manifestations of the disease are mild or moderate;
- When home and self-treatment are approved or authorized by a doctor;
- In the form of relapse prevention during the recovery phase after full clinical therapy.
Diagnosis in the clinic and consultation with a specialist (orthopedist, vertebrologist or traumatologist) is an obligatory stage in the treatment of osteochondrosis. Starting treatment without an accurate diagnosis can cause irreparable damage to the spine. Even if you are absolutely sure that you have osteochondrosis, you need to find out its stage, determine the degree of tissue destruction and identify concomitant diseases.
The danger 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 cartilage and bone structures from their anatomical position, as well as the transformation of the discs and vertebral bodies, is fraught with compression of the nerve endings and arteries.
Compression leads to headaches, deterioration of the blood supply to the brain and decreased intellectual abilities. The most dangerous complication of compression is stroke - a sharp deterioration in the supply of oxygen to the brain, which leads 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, physical therapy must be carried out under strict medical supervision. Only professional masseurs and therapists should perform a manual and hardware impact on the vertebrae in case of progressive degenerative changes.
General rules for self-treatment
Some people believe that cervical osteochondrosis is a temporary disorder that occurs after sleeping in an uncomfortable position or working on a computer for a long time. People often ignore the symptoms of neck pain, believing they are caused by overwork, "salt deposits", colds.
The listed factors can really provoke the development of an attack of osteochondrosis, but they are not the causes, but the predisposing factors of the pathology. Eliminating them may relieve symptoms, but will not cure the disease itself.
The treatment of osteochondrosis should be approached scientifically and pragmatically. The earlier you start therapy, the greater the chances of restoring the function of the cervical spine. If you want to regain neck mobility, get rid of crunches and back fatigue, start treatment immediately when the first signs of degenerative changes appear.
Home treatment for osteochondrosis of the collar area is a necessary and useful measure of influence if it is performed correctly and authorized by specialists.
At home you can do:
- Pharmacological therapy;
- Self-massage;
- Hardware massage using mechanical and electrical devices;
- 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 on 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 medicines should only be taken after they have been prescribed by a doctor;
- You should not practice massage and physiotherapy exercises during acute pain and disc displacement;
- Doubtful and unapproved traditional medicine should not be used;
- At the slightest sign of deterioration in health, you should stop home therapy and go to the clinic.
In general, experts even recommend self-treatment, since 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 home therapeutic techniques.
A good doctor, before recommending or prescribing any remedy, will always tell you how it is applied, what results to expect, when and for what period of time it is necessary to carry out the treatment procedures. The ultimate goal of any practice is not just to stop the symptoms, but to block or completely eliminate the causes of the disease.
Home treatment methods
There are many home treatments for cervical osteochondrosis. We will consider the most basic of them - the most effective and economical. We remind you once again: only the complete implementation of medical recommendations gives a chance for recovery.
Qualified doctors take into account all influencing factors - from the position you assume during sleep to the nature of your diet. The diet for osteochondrosis is based on the exclusion of fatty, refined and excessively seasoned foods and on the mandatory inclusion in the diet of mucopolysaccharides, compounds that nourish cartilage tissue.
Almost all aspects of life must be aligned with the principles of competent and fair treatment.
Physiotherapy exercises
A complete regimen of physical activity is the basis of effective therapy. The set of exercises is selected individually, taking into account the stage of the disease, the age and physical condition of the patient. Physical education is not an auxiliary, but the most important therapeutic method for osteochondrosis of the neck region.
Gymnastics exercises solve several problems at once:
- Develop and strengthen the muscular corset in the neck and shoulder girdle;
- Stimulates local blood flow, improving the nutrition of the intervertebral discs and other tissues in the affected area;
- Accelerate metabolic processes, helping to restore physical activity;
- Eliminates muscle blocks and spasmodic phenomena.
In the initial stage of therapy, it is best to conduct several sessions of physical therapy under the guidance of an experienced instructor. So you can practice physical education at home. Make sure you wear comfortable clothes when exercising and make sure the area is regularly ventilated.
The indicative criteria for the usefulness of physical therapy are the absence of pain, the improvement of well-being, the increase in range of motion. If there are acute and regular pain symptoms, exercise should be stopped until the causes of this phenomenon are clarified. Pain usually occurs when the disc is displaced and the nerve is compressed. To prevent this from happening, you need to perform the movements smoothly, avoid jumping and twisting the spine.
Manual and hardware massage
Self-massage reduces pain and stimulates local circulation. Self-massage techniques (rubbing, stroking, kneading) will be taught by the doctor or professional masseur. Avoid strong pressure, shocks, pinching.
Proper self-massage often outperforms even drugs. A gentle hand effect not only relieves pain, but also relaxes muscles, speeds up blood flow and metabolism. It is recommended to perform the massage in a sitting position, using only the fingers and directing the movements from the spine to the peripheral parts of the back.
A separate method is hardware massage using modern mechanical and electronic devices. It is recommended to use massage products in the absence of severe pain and displacement of the discs. Inexpensive portable massagers and expensive computer-controlled devices are available in medical supply stores.
Another effective tool are the applicators for static impact on the affected areas. Devices such as the Lyapko applicator or Kuznetsov's applicator are proven and effective means of 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 constantly practice exposure sessions - only then it is possible to achieve a stable and pronounced health improvement result.
The applicators are based on the principles of reflexology: the impact on the active parts of the body and the initiation of the body's self-healing mechanism. Home acupuncture with Lyapko devices and exposure of the apparatus with Kuznetsov devices literally lifted some patients to their feet.
Other orthopedic devices are also useful: special pillows for sleeping, which ensure the correct position of the body at night, mattresses, car pillows and office chairs.
Home physiotherapy
Exposure to a magnetic field, ultrasound, light of a certain spectrum - all these are very effective methods of treating moderate and mild osteochondrosis. Physiotherapy is usually done on an outpatient basis in clinics, but it is quite possible to use these methods at home.
Devices for magnetic therapy, ultrasonic and electrical neurostimulation and other devices for the treatment of spinal structures are sold in pharmacies and specialized 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 physical therapist.
Compresses, rubs, other traditional medicine procedures
The following alternative treatments are acceptable:
- Applications with healing clay;
- Compresses from honey, vodka, agave;
- Honey and mustard wraps;
- Lotions based on propolis, aloe juice and vodka;
- Bee venom treatment;
- Rubbing with herbal preparations (the most popular option is a mixture of 2 pods of hot pepper with vegetable oil).
The phytopreparations can be used in the absence of allergies and with prior approval of the method by a doctor.
Modern medicine offers many quite effective and safe remedies on a natural basis to eliminate the signs of cervical osteochondrosis. Creams, ointments and patches of herbal and combined composition are applied externally to the first manifestations of pain and in the phase of rehabilitation therapy.