Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can ruin a person's life. The result of its development is sharp pain and soreness in the neck, shoulder blades, collarbone. Often, squeezing of the spinal canal and pinching the veins causes headaches, migraines, and neck movement disorders. Treatment of the disease at home requires an integrated approach, as it is not so easy to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis.
Why this disease occurs: basic prerequisites
Osteochondrosis is accompanied by degenerative changes in the vertebral joints of the cervical spine. Due to osteochondrosis, joints quickly tear, loss of mobility, bone growths consisting of salts - osteophytes - form on the body of the cervical vertebrae. As a result, pinching of nerves and blood vessels develops, narrowing of the spinal canal, destruction of joints, protrusion of the vertebrae with the occurrence of intervertebral hernias.
Inpatient and hospital treatment of osteochondrosis begins with prescribing the cause of the disease and eliminating it. This can be:
- Lack of physical activity.
- Inactive lifestyle.
- Uneven load distribution on the muscles of the cervical spine.
- Abuse of harmful foods (salty, fatty, fried, smoked).
- Metabolic disorders due to chronic diseases.
- Scoliotic back defects.
An expert will be able to accurately determine the cause of osteochondrosis after collecting anamnesis of the disease.
How cervical osteochondrosis manifests itself: the first signs
A list of early symptoms of this disease will help identify the development of cervical osteochondrosis at home:
- Decreased performance.
- Discomfort in the neck when turning the head.
- Restriction of neck movement to one side.
- Feature cramps when twisting the neck.
- Frequent headaches.
- Pain and spasmodic pain in the neck muscles.
With the development of this disease, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis increase:
- Pain occurs during rest.
- Shoots are felt in the scapula and clavicle areas.
- Bringing the neck back or back becomes difficult.
- Dizziness occurs due to cerebral hypoxia.
In the absence of proper treatment, the development of osteochondrosis symptoms is observed:
- Tongue numbness occurs.
- Sensitivity of the upper limbs is impaired.
- Arm paresthesia occurs.
- Neck mobility is completely lost.
The appearance of the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis requires immediate medical attention to determine the exact diagnosis and choose treatment tactics. Patients can observe it at home.
Diagnostic basis: who to contact
If the development of cervical spine osteochondrosis is suspected at home, it is necessary to contact a neurologist, orthopedist or vertebrologist. Diagnosis and confirmation of the diagnosis of "osteochondrosis" occurs after:
- Taking anamnesis. The doctor will know all the details of the patient's lifestyle.
- Internal examination and palpation. The degree of pain and disruption of vertebral movement, the presence of tissue edema, and the preservation of their sensitivity are prescribed.
- Conduct diagnostic studies. This includes X-rays of the spine. If necessary, MRI or computed tomography is performed to assess the condition of the cervical spine joint, to confirm or object to the formation of a hernia.
During the examination, the doctor will make a diagnosis and offer the patient one step to treat the disease at home.
How to treat cervical spine osteochondrosis at home
With early diagnosis, proper treatment selection, and patient-responsible attitude towards therapy, cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis can be successfully treated at home.
The main step of home treatment aims to eliminate the cause of cervical osteochondrosis:
- With physical inactivity, an increase in physical activity at home is shown gradually. When sitting at a desk or computer for long periods of time, frequent breaks are prescribed, which indicate physical activity.
- If there is a disturbance of posture and uneven load on the cervical muscles, special fixators, corrections and corsets are used to ensure a symmetrical body position.
- In case of overweight and improper nutrition, appropriate adjustments are made to the patient's lifestyle, and diet is prescribed.
- Cervical osteochondrosis, caused by metabolic disorders against a background of chronic disease, is eliminated with the therapy of the underlying disease.
The main treatment at home is strict adherence to medical prescriptions for taking medications - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxers, chondroprotectors. Patients must follow the recommended admission regimen, clearly maintaining the duration of treatment until the desired result is achieved.
Treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis at home means making adjustments to the patient's diet and drinking. The prerequisite is the daily consumption of two liters of clean water, excluding drinks and liquid foods. Homemade food for patients should be nutritious and balanced. Diet should include:
- Sources of fiber for the normalization of metabolic processes: vegetables and fruits in large quantities.
- Sources of double unsaturated fatty acids to increase metabolism: nuts, vegetable oils, fatty fish.
- Low-fat protein sources: poultry, legumes, eggs.
- Sources of calcium and potassium in easily digestible form: cottage cheese, green vegetables, dairy products.
Naturally, home treatment should exclude fatty, fried, smoked, salty foods from food.
Home treatment may require a visit to the inpatient room specifically for physiotherapy. You can not ignore them. Electrophoresis sessions ensure the delivery of the drug directly to the tissues affected by osteochondrosis, which is impossible to achieve at home. Physiotherapy recommended by a doctor should be attended regularly, it is important to undergo the full treatment recommended by the doctor.
In the early stages of treatment at home, patients may be advised to rest in bed until the pain syndrome is eliminated. It is important to note that bed rest with cervical osteochondrosis should not last longer than 2-3 days. Upon completion of this period, the patient should gradually activate and increase physical activity, although all treatments will be performed at home.
For more effective home osteochondrosis treatment, the purchase of a special orthopedic pillow is indicated. It can effectively relieve tension from the cervical muscles while the patient is asleep.
Traditional medicine recipes
Doctors do not forbid combining home remedies with the use of proven methods with popular experience. Simplicity, compliance with safety regulations, 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 helps normalize metabolic processes, removing excess salt deposits from the body. Here are proven folk recipes for the treatment of cervical spine osteochondrosis at home.
Pour a teaspoon of dandelion root with a glass of boiling water. The drug is pressed for 15 minutes, after which it is filtered and taken orally. This tool removes salt storage.
5 tablespoons dried nettle leaves poured with one liter of boiling water. They insisted for an hour. After straining, add to the bathtub. The course of treatment is 2 weeks bath daily. Some healers recommend to beat the localization of pain with fresh nettle branches.
Garlic and ginger are mixed in equal parts. Dilute with vegetable oil to get gruel. Rub the composition into the neck muscles for 20 minutes. The remaining funds are withdrawn with a napkin.
Carrot leaves are steamed with boiling water for one minute, then applied to the cervical spine. Leave to compress overnight, warm with a handkerchief.
Treating osteochondrosis at home using only folk methods is ineffective. Most likely, you can only reduce the symptoms, but not cure the disease. Treatment with folk remedies is highly approved by doctors.
Massage for cervical osteochondrosis
Comprehensive home treatment for cervical osteochondrosis, recommended by doctors, including massage. It is better to entrust its implementation to a qualified specialist. If there is no such opportunity, self-massage will help cure neck osteochondrosis, which can be done by the patient at home at any time convenient for him. The main rule:
- The effect on the cervical muscles is done with the finger pads, not the palms.
- Movement should be completely peripheral and also from top to bottom.
- It is forbidden to put pressure and rub the cervical vertebrae too quickly.
- For gentle finger friction, massage is done using oil.
Honey massage at home can help overcome cervical spine osteochondrosis. About one teaspoon of honey is rubbed on the surface of the cervical vertebrae and muscles, gently kneading your fingers until the honey becomes viscous, after which it is washed with warm water.
Medicine: we eat and slander at home
Medical treatment of cervical osteochondrosis should be chosen by a doctor. Often, the whole complex is used, consisting of injectable, oral and local drugs.
- Injection form. They are prescribed to eliminate acute inflammation in the early stages of treatment at home. These are chondroprotectors, muscle relaxants, vitamin B. Use at home lasts up to 10 days.
- Setup for internal use. They are the simplest method of treating cervical osteochondrosis at home. Anti-inflammatory pain relievers, muscle relaxants, chondroprotectors are prescribed. Treatment with the last group of drugs is long-term. Minimum treatment is 3 months.
- External facilities. These are ointments and gels based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain or chondroitin sulfate - to speed up cartilage recovery.
At home, complex treatments help get rid of cervical osteochondrosis faster than using drugs from one group only. It is almost impossible to cure cervical spine osteochondrosis only by external methods.
Physiotherapy training: principles of implementation and results
Home therapy for cervical osteochondrosis is based on special exercises for the cervical muscles. Training is done according to the following rules:
- The list of exercises and their measurements is determined by the doctor.
- All exercises are done 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.
- Patients do gymnastics regularly, several times a day, at the same time.
Training for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is very simple. Doing it right at home will speed up recovery and help relieve pain. Treatment of cervical spine with exercise therapy includes:
- Turn your head to the side to the extreme point.
- Bend your head sideways, back and forth.
- Neck and shoulder circular movements.
The gymnastics course lasts until the end of treatment and the complete elimination of symptoms. If the patient continues to do gymnastics, he will be able to prevent the recurrence of the disease. Outcomes of treatment of osteochondrosis at home by gymnastics:
- Removal of hypertonic cervical muscle.
- Stretching ligaments.
- Increases spinal mobility.
- Relieves pain.
- The range of neck movement increases.
- Normalizes blood circulation in the cervical spine.
Home treatment for cervical osteochondrosis includes a large list of therapeutic and preventive measures. The most important condition is that an experienced specialist should monitor them until home treatment brings positive results as soon as possible, and the patient can forget about the unpleasant symptoms forever.