Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can ruin a person's life. The result of its progression is sharp and aching pains in the neck, shoulder blades and collarbone. Often, squeezing the spinal canal and pinching the veins leads to headaches, migraines and disorders of neck mobility. Treatment of the disease at home requires an integrated approach, as it is not that easy to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis.
Why does the disease occur: Basic requirements
Osteochondrosis is accompanied by degenerative changes in the joints of the vertebrae of the cervical spine. Due to osteochondrosis, the joints wear out more quickly, lose their mobility, bone growth from salts - osteophytes - forms on the body of the cervical vertebrae. As a result, there is entrapment of nerves and blood vessels, narrowing of the spinal canal, destruction of the joints, protrusion of the vertebrae and the appearance of intervertebral hernias.
Inpatient and home treatment of osteochondrosis begins with determining the cause of the disease and eliminating it. These can be:
- Lack of physical activity.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Uneven load distribution on the muscles of the cervical spine.
- Abuse of harmful (salty, fatty, fried, smoked) foods.
- Metabolic disorders due to chronic diseases.
- Scoliotic back deformity.
A specialist can pinpoint the cause of osteochondrosis after collecting a history of the disease.
How cervical osteochondrosis manifests itself: the first signs
A list of the early symptoms of the disease will help identify the development of cervical osteochondrosis at home:
- Performance reduction.
- Discomfort in the neck when turning the head.
- Restriction of neck movement to one side.
- Characteristic crunch when turning the neck.
- Frequent headaches.
- Pain and cramping pain in the neck muscles.
As the disease progresses, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis increase:
- Pain occurs at rest.
- shoots can be felt in the area of the shoulder blade and collarbone.
- It will be difficult to bring your neck back and forth.
- Dizziness occurs due to cerebral hypoxia.
Without suitable treatment, a progression of the osteochondrosis symptoms is observed:
- The tongue becomes numb.
- The sensitivity of the upper limbs is impaired.
- Gun paresthesia occurs.
- The mobility of the neck is completely lost.
The appearance of the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis requires immediate medical attention in order to establish an accurate diagnosis and select treatment tactics. The patient can watch it at home.
Basics of diagnosis: who can you contact?
If osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is suspected at home, a neurologist, orthopedist or vertebrologist must be contacted. The examination and confirmation of the diagnosis "osteochondrosis" takes place after:
- Take anamnesis. The doctor will learn all the details of the patient's lifestyle.
- Internal and palpation examination. The degree of pain and mobility disorders of the vertebrae, the presence of tissue edema and the preservation of their sensitivity are determined.
- Perform diagnostic studies. This includes x-rays of the spine. If necessary, an MRI or computed tomography scan is done to assess the condition of the joints of the cervical spine and to confirm or disprove the formation of hernias.
During the examination, the doctor makes a diagnosis and offers the patient a range of measures to treat the disease at home.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home
With an early diagnosis, a correct selection of treatment and a responsible attitude of the patient towards therapy, cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis can be successfully treated at home.
The main measures of home treatment are aimed at eliminating the cause of cervical osteochondrosis:
- During physical inactivity, there is a gradual increase in physical activity at home. If you sit at a table or computer for a long time, frequent breaks are prescribed, which implies physical activity.
- In the case of postural disorders and uneven loads on the neck muscles, special fixators, correctors and corsets are used to ensure a symmetrical body position.
- If the patient is overweight and has a poor diet, appropriate adjustments are made to the patient's lifestyle and a diet is prescribed.
- The cervical osteochondrosis caused by metabolic disorders against the background of chronic diseases is eliminated by the therapy of the underlying disease.
The main treatment at home is strict compliance with medical regulations for the use of drugs - nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, chondroprotectors. The patient must adhere to the recommended schedule of admission and clearly adhere to the duration of the course of treatment until the desired result is achieved.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home requires adjustments to the patient's diet and drinking regime. The prerequisite is the use of two liters of clean water per day, excluding drinks and liquid foods. Homemade food for the patient should be nutritious and balanced. The diet should contain:
- Sources of fiber for normalizing metabolic processes: vegetables and fruits in large quantities.
- Sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids to improve metabolism: nuts, vegetable oils, oily fish.
- Low-fat sources of protein: poultry, legumes, eggs.
- Calcium and potassium sources in an easily digestible form: cottage cheese, leafy vegetables, dairy products.
Of course, home treatment must exclude fatty, fried, smoked and salty foods from the diet.
For treatment at home, visits to specialized inpatient rooms for physiotherapy may be required. You shouldn't neglect them. The electrophoresis session provides drug delivery directly to the tissues affected by osteochondrosis, which is impossible at home. Physiotherapy recommended by a doctor should be attended regularly. It is imperative to undergo the full treatment recommended by a doctor.
In the early stages of home treatment, the patient may be advised to rest in bed until the pain syndrome is resolved. It is important to take into account that bed rest with cervical osteochondrosis cannot last more than 2-3 days. After this period, the patient should gradually become more active and increase physical activity, even if all of the treatment takes place at home.
For more effective treatment of osteochondrosis at home, the purchase of a special orthopedic pillow is indicated. It is able to effectively relieve tension in the neck muscles when the patient is sleeping.
Recipes for traditional medicine
Doctors do not forbid the combination of drugs at home with means derived from the experience of the population. Moderation, compliance with safety rules and elimination of the risk of damage to the skin of the neck are important conditions.
Natural compresses for cervical osteochondrosis allow you to get rid of painful sensations, and taking infusions will help normalize metabolic processes and remove excess salt deposits from the body. Below are proven folk recipes for treating osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home.
Pour a teaspoon of dandelion roots with a glass of boiling water. The remedy is kept for 15 minutes, after which it is filtered and taken orally. The tool removes salt deposits.
5 tablespoons of dried nettle leaves are poured with one liter of boiling water. They insist on an hour. Put in the bath after sieving. The course of treatment is 2 weeks of daily bath. Some healers recommend using fresh nettle sprigs to combat the localization of pain.
Garlic and ginger are mixed in equal proportions. Dilute with vegetable oil to obtain porridge. Rub the composition into the muscles of the neck for 20 minutes. The remaining money is removed with a napkin.
Horseradish leaves are steamed for one minute with boiling water and then applied to the cervical spine. Leave the compress on overnight and warm it with a handkerchief.
Treatment of osteochondrosis at home using only folk methods is ineffective. Most likely, it will only be possible to relieve the symptoms, but not cure the disease. Treatment with folk remedies is best agreed with a doctor.
Massage for cervical osteochondrosis
Comprehensive home treatment for cervical osteochondrosis, recommended by doctors, includes massage. It is better to entrust the implementation to a qualified specialist. In the absence of such an opportunity, self-massage will help cure osteochondrosis of the neck, which the patient can do for him at home at any time. Its main rules:
- The impact on the neck muscles occurs with the fingertips, not with the palm.
- Movements should be strictly peripheral and also from top to bottom.
- It is forbidden to press and rub the cervical vertebrae too quickly.
- The massage is carried out with oil for a gentle glide of the fingers.
Honey massage at home is a good help against osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. About a teaspoon of honey is rubbed over the surface of the cervical vertebrae and muscles and gently kneaded with your fingers until the honey becomes viscous. Then it is washed off with warm water.
Medicines: eat and smear at home
Medical treatment for cervical osteochondrosis should be selected by a doctor. Often a whole complex is used, consisting of injectable, oral and topical drugs.
- forms of injection. They are prescribed to get rid of acute inflammation in the early stages of home treatment. These are chondroprotectors, muscle relaxants, B vitamins. Home use lasts up to 10 days.
- Preparations for internal use. They are the most convenient way to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home. Anti-inflammatory pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and chondroprotectors are prescribed. Treatment with drugs of the latter group is long-term. The minimum duration of treatment is 3 months.
- External institutions. These are ointments and gels based on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief or chondroitin sulfate to speed up cartilage recovery.
At home, complex treatment will help get rid of cervical osteochondrosis much faster than taking medication just one group. It is almost impossible to cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with only external means.
Physiotherapy exercises: principles of implementation and result
Home therapy for cervical osteochondrosis is based on special exercises for the cervical muscles. The exercises are carried out according to the following rules:
- The list of exercises and their amplitude are determined by the doctor.
- All exercises are performed smoothly and slowly to eliminate the risk of injury.
- Do not start gymnastics treatment for acute pain in the cervical spine.
- The load increases gradually.
- The patient regularly does gymnastics several times a day at the same time.
Exercises for treating cervical osteochondrosis are very simple. If you do them properly at home, it will speed recovery and reduce pain. Treatment of the cervical spine with exercise therapy includes:
- Turn your head to the side to the furthest point.
- Bend your head to one side, back and forth.
- Circular movements of the neck and shoulders.
The gymnastics course lasts until the end of the treatment and until the symptoms are completely eliminated. If the patient continues to exercise, they can prevent the disease from relapsing. Results of home treatment of osteochondrosis through gymnastics:
- Removal of the hypertonicity of the neck muscles.
- stretching the ligaments.
- Improvement of the mobility of the vertebrae.
- pain relief.
- Increased freedom of movement in the neck.
- normalization of the blood flow in the cervical spine.
Home treatment for cervical osteochondrosis includes a large list of therapeutic and preventive measures. The most important condition is that they are monitored by an experienced specialist, so that the treatment at home brings positive results as soon as possible, and the patient can forget about unpleasant symptoms forever.