Vertebral osteochondrosis is the most common disease of the human musculoskeletal system. In the cervical spine, degenerative processes develop frequently: in about 30-40% of all cases of osteochondrosis, the disease affects this area of the spine.
Even with an inactive lifestyle, daily stress drops on the cervical zone, resulting in gradual destruction of the intervertebral disc cartilage tissue. The cervical vertebrae support the head, providing lateral movement and bending forward and backward. An unstable lifestyle and excessive stress on the spine are both detrimental 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 this case it is desirable and organized, what procedures should be practiced to reduce painful symptoms and eliminate the root cause of the disease.
When osteochondrosis can be treated at home
Osteochondrosis is rare - it is usually preceded by an early stage, characterized by back fatigue, rapid fatigue and decreased performance. It is important to take therapeutic measures at the first signs of the disease, while degenerative and dystrophic processes have not yet spread from cartilage tissue to nearby structures.
The task of treatment in the early stages of the disease is to stop the pathological transformation of the intervertebral disc. There is no amount of therapy that can reverse the destructive process, but there is an opportunity to prevent dangerous and painful consequences.
You can undergo treatment at home in the following cases:
- When the diagnosis is accurately known and clinically confirmed;
- When the manifestation of the disease is mild or moderate;
- When home and personal treatment is approved or approved 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 damage to the spine. Even if you are completely convinced that you have osteochondrosis, you need to know the stage, determine the degree of tissue destruction, and identify the underlying disease.
The danger of cervical osteochondrosis lies in the various manifestations of this disease. As the most important nerve and blood vessels enter this section, any displacement of cartilage and bone structures from their anatomical position, as well as the transformation of the disc and vertebral body, is filled with compression of nerve endings and arteries.
Compression causes headaches, deterioration of blood supply to the brain, and decreased intellectual ability. The most dangerous complication of compression is stroke: severe deterioration of oxygen supply to the brain, resulting in the death of its parts.
It is irresponsible and dangerous to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home if there is compression. Massage procedures, manual therapy, exercise therapy should be performed under strict medical supervision. Only professional massage therapists and therapists can perform manual and hardware effects on the spine in the event of progressive degenerative changes.
General rules for self-therapy
Some people believe that cervical osteochondrosis is a temporary disease that occurs after sleeping in an uncomfortable state or working at a computer for a long time. People often ignore the symptoms of pain in the neck, believing that it is caused by overwork, "salt storage", colds.
The factors listed can actually provoke the development of osteochondrosis attacks, but that is not the cause, but the pathological predisposition factor. Getting rid of it can reduce the symptoms, but will not cure the disease itself.
Treatment of osteochondrosis should be approached scientifically and pragmatically. The earlier you start therapy, the more chances you have of restoring cervical spine function. If you want to regain mobility in your neck, relieve cramps and fatigue in the back, start treatment immediately when the first signs of degenerative changes appear.
Home treatment for collarbone zone osteochondrosis is a necessary and useful measure of influence if it is done correctly and authorized by a specialist.
At home you can do:
- Drug therapy;
- Massage yourself;
- Massage hardware using mechanical and electrical tools;
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- Physiotherapy.
Basically, any type of conservative treatment can be done at home. Traditional methods of influence are popular among the population - various types of lotions, compresses and applications in the affected areas. Such treatment options are sometimes quite effective and very helpful with pain symptoms and other unpleasant manifestations of osteochondrosis.
The basic rules for self-treatment are as follows:
- Analgesics and other medicines should be taken only after they are prescribed by a doctor;
- You may not perform massage and physiotherapy exercises during acute pain and disc transplants;
- Doubtful and unapproved traditional medicine should not be used;
- At a slightly worse level of health, you should stop therapy at home and go to the clinic.
In general, experts even recommend self-treatment, because only procedures performed in the clinic require the presence of a specialist or the presence of complex equipment. Just need to adhere to medical recommendations on home therapy techniques.
A good doctor, before recommending or prescribing any medication, will always tell you how the method is used, what results are expected, when and for how long you need to carry out the treatment procedure. The main goal of every practice is not just to stop the symptoms, but to prevent or completely eliminate the cause of the disease.
Home Treatment Methods
There are many treatments at home for cervical osteochondrosis. We will consider the most basic - the most effective and affordable. We remind you again: only the implementation of medical recommendations completely gives a chance to recover.
A qualified doctor takes into account all the factors of influence - 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 overly experienced foods and the mandatory inclusion of mucopolisaccharides in the diet - compounds that feed cartilage tissue.
Almost all aspects of life must be aligned with the principles of efficient and correct treatment.
Physiotherapy training
A full regime of physical activity is the basis of effective therapy. The training set is selected individually, taking into account the patient's disease status, age and physical condition. Physical education is not an additional aid, but the most important therapeutic method for osteochondrosis in the collar area.
Gymnastics exercises solve several problems at once:
- Expands and strengthens muscle corsets in ties and shoulders;
- Stimulates local blood flow, improves nutrition of intervertebral discs and other tissues in the affected area;
- Accelerates metabolic processes, contributes to the restoration of physical activity;
- Eliminates muscle restriction and spasmodic phenomena.
In the early stages of therapy, it is best to do some exercise therapy sessions under the guidance of an experienced instructor. Then you can practice physical education at home. Be sure to wear comfortable clothing while exercising and make sure the area is always ventilated.
Indicative criteria for the use of exercise therapy are the absence of pain, improved well-being, increased mobility. If there are symptoms of acute and normal pain, exercise should be stopped until the cause of this phenomenon is clarified. Pain usually occurs when the disc is replaced and its nerves are compressed. To prevent this from happening, you need to move smoothly, avoid jumping and turning your spine.
Manual and hardware massage
Self-massage reduces pain and stimulates local circulation. Your own massage techniques (rubbing, caressing, kneading) will be taught by your doctor or professional massage therapist. Stress, shock, strong pinches should be avoided.
Proper self-massage often exceeds effective medication. The gentle manual effect not only relieves pain, but also relaxes muscles, speeds up blood flow and metabolism. The massage is recommended to be done in a sitting position, using only the fingers and directing the movement from the spine to the back.
Separate methods are hardware sequences using modern mechanical and electronic devices. It is best to use massage products if there is no severe pain and disc replacement. Cheap hand massages and expensive computer controls are available from medical supplies stores.
Another effective tool is an applicator for static effects on the affected area. Devices such as Lyapko applicators or Kuznetsov applicators are proven and effective in treating pain symptoms and eliminating the cause of the disease. The main rule in the use of such devices is regularity. It is necessary to practice exposure sessions continuously - only then can achieve stable and clear health improvement results.
Applicants based on the principles of reflexology - the effect on the active part of the body and the launch of the body's self-healing mechanism. Home acupuncture with Lyapko tools and exposure of tools with Kuznetsov tools literally lifted some patients to their feet.
Other orthopedic devices are also useful - special pillows for sleeping, ensuring proper body position at night, mattresses, pillows for car and office chairs.
Home Physiotherapy
Exposure to magnetic fields, ultrasound, specific spectrum light - all of these are very effective methods of treating mild and mild osteochondrosis. Physiotherapy is usually done on an outpatient basis in the clinic, but it is very possible to use this method at home.
Tools for magnetotherapy, ultrasonic and electrical neurostimulation, and other tools for the treatment of spinal structures are sold in pharmacies and specialty stores. Such devices relieve pain, stimulate metabolism and blood flow, and relieve muscle spasms. This device can only be used after prescribing by a physiotherapist.
Compressing, rubbing, other traditional medical procedures
The following alternative treatments are acceptable:
- Applications with healing clay;
- Compresses from honey, vodka, agave;
- Honey and mustard;
- Lotion from propolis, aloe juice and vodka;
- Bee venom treatment;
- Rub with herbal preparation (the most popular option is a mixture of 2 hot peppercorns with vegetable oil).
Phytopreparations can be used in the absence of allergies and after obtaining the method approved by the doctor.
Modern medicine offers many medicines that are quite effective and naturally safe to get rid of the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis. Creams, ointments and plasters of herbal composition and combination are applied externally at the first manifestation of pain and at the stage of rehabilitation therapy.