Diseases of the musculoskeletal system such as osteochondrosis today practically do not provide full treatment.
However, the doctor’s set has adequate tools that help stop the symptoms of the disease effectively and are able to stop further progression.
Many of these methods require in -patient treatment, which, given the pace of modern life, one does not always have time for. How to get rid of osteochondrosis in this case?
There is only one answer - treatment of osteochondrosis at home. Consider methods of treating osteochondrosis at home with folk remedies.
Pathogenesis of the disease
According to statistics, every third person under the age of 45 has a complaint of back pain. In most cases, this is due to osteochondrosis of the spine.
The pathology is mainly characterized by damage to cartilage and bone tissue, and in the process of development, it begins to affect the nervous system of the patient.
The disease is rapidly "getting younger" due to the decline in physical activity of the population due to the development of computer technology and the evolving transportation infrastructure.
But in addition to an inactive lifestyle, experts also name other reasons for the development of pathology:
- Ecology;
- Dietary disorders;
- Improper physical load distribution in the back;
- Trauma;
- Skeletal muscle weakness;
- Decreased immunity against the background of the development of chronic diseases;
- Viral and bacterial pathology, etc.
With the modern dynamics of one’s life, he does not have enough time to take care of his health. There are always ten other reasons not to do this: work, family, children, etc.
Then the person wonders for a long time: where did he get osteochondrosis at the age of 25-30 years? - a disease that usually occurs in older people.
Many consider it a waste of time to go to the clinic, and a logical question is growing: how to treat osteochondrosis at home?
To answer this question, it is necessary to consider what are the most common methods of therapy used by specialists in the treatment of this pathology.
Only after this can we consider the treatment of osteochondrosis with folk remedies to understand how effective alternative treatment methods are in general.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
Therapy for this pathology has no standards and depends on the individual diagnosis of the patient.
This suggests that before starting treatment for osteochondrosis at home, you still need to visit your doctor for a diagnosis.
This must be done so as not to cause more harm to your body. This pathological complication leads to protrusion and herniation of the intervertebral disc, which can contribute to headaches, loss of limb sensitivity, up to paralysis.
In the treatment of inpatients after diagnosis, the specialist first of all completes three main tasks:
- Removal of pain syndrome;
- Relieves inflammatory processes and edema. These symptoms are almost always present during the development of this pathology;
- Physiotherapy procedures aim to restore damaged tissue, the main goal being to achieve long -lasting and lasting remission.
Treatment of spinal osteochondrosis with alternative methods cannot replace full therapy.
However, alternative treatments for osteochondrosis may help reduce pain symptoms and improve the general health of the patient.
What are the medicines that can be used at home
Many drugs used in the treatment of osteochondrosis have some serious side effects and therefore they are taken only with the permission of the attending physician.
But what if back pain haunts you and there is no way to go to the clinic? How to cure osteochondrosis at home using the medications found in home first aid kits?
The first thing recommended for acute pain is medications from the painkiller group.
Aspirin, in addition to its mild analgesic effect, has the ability to thin the blood, which promotes better blood circulation and has antipyretic effects.
This helps relieve inflammation and swelling of the tissues that pinch the nerve endings and thus cause pain.
The use of pain relieving patches is advised. In their composition, they most often contain lidocaine, which quickly has an analgesic effect.
Also, excellent reviews have analgesic ointments with a cooling effect, which, as a rule, contain bulbs and camphor.
If you are sure that the acute phase of the disease has passed, and you have no symptoms of inflammation, it is recommended to use a gel with a warming effect: turpentine ointment.
The ointment should be applied directly to the sore site, rubbed gently into the skin. There is no point in touching an unaffected area.
The cold effect gel can be used at any time. It is recommended to use the ointment with a warming effect at night and also wrap the affected area with a woolen cloth.
Gymnastics at home
Exercise therapy for osteochondrosis is one of the main and effective methods in the treatment of this pathology. A common reason for the development of osteochondrosis is a weak muscular skeleton that cannot cope with physical activity.
Thus, the entire load falls on the intervertebral discs, as a result of which their degenerative changes occur.
The disc between the vertebrae becomes thinner or, as they say, dries up and loses its functional ability. Gymnastics allows you to improve muscle tone, increase elasticity and blood circulation in them.
Depending on the localization of tissue damage and pain syndrome, osteochondrosis can be cervical, thoracic and lumbosacral.
Exercises also exist for different departments, but it is not recommended to train only the more affected areas, which bring discomfort to a person, but to train all parts of the spine.
Attention!If pain occurs while performing rehabilitation gymnastics, the exercise should be stopped immediately and carried out only under expert supervision.
- The first two exercises perfectly stimulate the intervertebral disc in the cervical spine, promoting better fluid circulation and thickening it. To do this, you must take a sitting or standing position. We make the head bend forward and backward with a small range of motion. The movement should remind you that you are talking to the person and in what agreement with him, say yes.
- The next exercise is similar to the first, only now you have to turn left and right, as if to say no. The movement cannot be done with large amplitude, it must be about 30% of the maximum possible tilt or head rotation. They are performed several times a day at appropriate times for 2-3 minutes each.
- The following exercises for spine treatment at home strengthen the neck and shoulder muscles well. Standing with legs spread shoulder -width apart, arms lowered down along the body. We make circular movements with our shoulders back and forth. It is also done several times a day in several approaches, 15-20 times in each direction.
- To train the lumbar spine, it is recommended to do exercises that look more like belly dancing. Starting position, feet standing shoulder -width apart. We make circular movements with the pelvis, first in one direction, then in the other. At the same time, we ensure that the chest and shoulder belts remain as immobile as possible. It is enough to do two or three times in different directions for 20 -25 rotations.
- Subsequent exercises aim to strengthen the latissimus and trapezius muscles. Body position, lying on stomach, arms extended forward. We raised our hands, shoulders and head up, lingered for a moment and lowered ourselves to the starting position. Exercises are performed 10-15 times.
In addition to strengthening the back muscles, one should not forget about the abdominal muscles, which are involved not only in deep breathing, but also in maintaining proper posture. Weak abdominal muscles contribute to the development of lumbar lordosis.
Attention!Exercise benefits the body only with regular exercise.
Gymnastics is a good remedy for osteochondrosis. The therapeutic effect is achieved by strengthening the muscles and increasing blood circulation in them, which prevents the development of inflammatory processes and edema around the cartilage tissue.
Physiotherapy at home
Folk remedies used for osteochondrosis are often taken from the life experiences of entire generations and successfully used in traditional medicine as physiotherapy procedures.
Some of them can be done easily at home.
Cold and hot showers
The first folk remedy that you can treat osteochondrosis at home is a contrast bath.
For most people, this procedure is only associated with hardening and not everyone understands how this procedure will help in combating this pathology.
The explanation here is quite simple - a sharp diversion of blood flow in the muscles, around the cartilage tissue and skin.
This promotes the outflow of excess fluid from areas of inflammation and edema and the inflow of essential trace elements into the damaged tissue.
At this time when a person is under a stream of hot water, a protective mechanism is activated in the body, which is supposed to save him from overheating.
This is achieved by the outflow of blood from the internal organs to the muscles and skin. The blood vessels dilate, the blood volume increases and excess heat is expelled outside.
When you suddenly stand on a stream of cold water, the opposite reaction occurs - the outflow of blood from muscles and skin to internal organs.
This is a process of thermoregulation of the body and, at the same time, blood circulation in the damaged tissues is normalized, which contributes to the improvement of the overall condition.
The procedure is quite simple. It is necessary to stand under resistant and not hot water for 20-30 seconds.
Then change the water to cool for 10-20 seconds. The procedure should be performed 3-5 times, ending with a cool but comfortable water temperature.
Despite the obvious benefits of this procedure, it still has contraindications:
- It is forbidden to perform this procedure when the patient has symptoms of cold or acute respiratory illness;
- Heart disease;
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other internal organs, etc.
The volume of blood from the internal organs to the muscles and back is quite large and can cause: heart attack, stroke or internal bleeding. Therefore, this complex should be performed with a gradual increase in time interval under cold or warm water.
First, spend no more than 5-7 seconds under running water and gradually bring this value to 30 seconds over several weeks.
Salt bath
Another folk remedy for the treatment of osteochondrosis is a salt bath. They are very helpful if pain in the back is triggered by excessive muscle tension.
To prepare the bath, you need common sea or coarse salt. Refined and purified by evaporation will be less effective in this case.
The volume of a standard bath varies from 170 to 195 liters, this amount of water requires about 5 kg of salt.
Water temperature from 36 to 38 ° С. Any essential oil can be used for best effect. After the procedure, it is recommended to stand for a few minutes under slightly warm running water.
Osteochondrosis is practically incurable, but using treatment with alternative methods as an adjunct therapy to the main treatment, it is still possible to stop, and therefore win.