Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can ruin a person's life. The result of its progression is sharp and painful pain in the neck, shoulders, clavicle. Often, compression of the spinal canal and pinching of the veins lead to headaches, migraines and impaired mobility of the neck. Treating the disease at home requires an integrated approach, as it is not so easy to get rid of cervical osteochondrosis.
Why the disease occurs: basic prerequisites
Osteochondrosis is accompanied by degenerative changes in the joints of the cervical vertebrae. Due to osteochondrosis, the joints wear out faster, lose their mobility, bone growths are formed on the body of the cervical vertebrae, consisting of salts - osteophytes. As a result, pinching of nerves and blood vessels, narrowing of the spinal canal, destruction of joints, protrusion of the vertebrae with the occurrence of intervertebral hernias.
Inpatient and home treatment of osteochondrosis begins with identifying 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, greasy, fried, smoked) food.
- Metabolic disorders due to chronic diseases.
- Scoliotic deformity of the back.
The specialist will be able to accurately determine the cause of osteochondrosis after collecting a history of the disease.
How cervical osteochondrosis manifests itself: the first signs
A list of early symptoms of the disease will help to recognize the development of cervical osteochondrosis at home:
- Reduced performance.
- Discomfort in the neck when turning the head.
- Restrict the movement of the neck to one side.
- The characteristic crunch when turning the neck.
- Frequent headaches.
- Pain and spasmodic pain in the muscles of the neck.
As the disease progresses, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis increase:
- Pain occurs at rest.
- Shoots are felt in the area of the scapula and clavicle.
- Moving the door forward or backward becomes difficult.
- Dizziness occurs due to cerebral hypoxia.
In the absence of appropriate treatment, progression of osteochondrosis symptoms is observed:
- Numbness of the tongue appears.
- Sensitivity of the upper limbs is impaired.
- Paresthesias of the arms occur.
- Door mobility is completely lost.
The appearance of the first signs of cervical osteochondrosis requires immediate medical attention to establish an accurate diagnosis and choose treatment tactics. The patient can observe it at home.
Diagnostic basics: who to contact
If you suspect the development of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home, it is necessary to contact a neurologist, orthopedist or vertebrologist. Examination and confirmation of the diagnosis of "osteochondrosis" occurs after:
- Acceptance of anamnesis. The doctor will learn all the details about the patient's lifestyle.
- Internal and palpation examination. The degree of pain and disorders of the mobility of the vertebrae, the presence of swelling of the tissues and the preservation of their sensitivity are established.
- Conducting diagnostic tests. These include X-rays of the spine. If necessary, MRI or computed tomography is performed to assess the condition of the joints of the cervical spine, to confirm or refute the formation of hernias.
During the examination, the doctor will make a diagnosis and offer the patient a set of measures to treat the disease at home.
How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home
With early diagnosis, proper selection of treatment and responsible attitude of the patient to therapy, cervical and thoracic osteochondrosis can be successfully treated at home.
The main home treatment measures are aimed at eliminating the cause of cervical osteochondrosis:
- Physical inactivity shows a gradual increase in physical activity at home. When you sit at a table or computer for a long time, frequent breaks are prescribed, which implies physical activity.
- In case of posture disorders and uneven loading of the neck muscles, special fixators, correctors and corsets are used to ensure a symmetrical body position.
- In case of overweight and improper nutrition, appropriate adjustments are made in the patient's lifestyle and a diet is prescribed.
- Cervical osteochondrosis caused by metabolic disorders on the background of chronic diseases is eliminated by treatment of the underlying disease.
The main treatment at home is in strict compliance with medical prescriptions for medication - nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, chondroprotectors. The patient should follow the recommended regimen, clearly maintaining the duration of treatment until the desired result is achieved.
Home treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine involves making adjustments to the diet and drinking regime of the patient. Prerequisite is the use of two liters of clean water per day, excluding beverages and liquid food. Home food for the patient should be nutritious and balanced. The diet should include:
- Sources of fiber to normalize metabolic processes: vegetables and fruits in large quantities.
- Sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids to improve metabolism: nuts, vegetable oils, oily fish.
- Low fat protein sources: poultry, legumes, eggs.
- Sources of calcium and potassium in easily digestible form: cottage cheese, leafy vegetables, dairy products.
Naturally, home treatment will have to exclude from the diet fatty, fried, smoked and salty foods.
Home treatment may require visits to specialized inpatient physiotherapy rooms. You should not ignore them. The electrophoresis session ensures the delivery of drugs directly to the tissues affected by osteochondrosis, which is impossible to achieve at home. Physiotherapy recommended by the doctor should be visited regularly, it is imperative that you undergo the complete treatment recommended by the doctor.
In the early stages of home treatment, the patient may be advised to rest in bed until the pain syndrome is eliminated. It is important to take into account that bed rest with cervical osteochondrosis can not last more than 2-3 days. After this period, the patient should gradually become active and increase physical activity, even if all treatment will be performed at home.
For more effective home treatment of osteochondrosis, the purchase of a special orthopedic pillow is indicated. It is able to effectively relieve tension from the cervical muscles when the patient is sleeping.
Recipes of traditional medicine
Doctors do not forbid to combine drugs at home with the use of means proven by popular experience. Moderation, adherence to 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 the ingestion of infusions helps to normalize metabolic processes, remove excess salt deposits from the body. Below are proven folk recipes for home treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Pour a teaspoon of dandelion roots with a glass of boiling water. The drug is infused for 15 minutes, then filtered and taken orally. The tool removes salt deposits.
5 tablespoons dried nettle leaves are poured a liter of boiling water. They insist for an hour. After straining, add to the bath. The course of treatment is 2 weeks of daily baths. Some healers recommend beating the localization of pain with fresh nettle branches.
Garlic and ginger are mixed in equal proportions. Dilute with vegetable oil to obtain a slurry. Rub the composition into the neck muscles for 20 minutes. The remaining funds are removed with a napkin.
Horseradish leaves are boiled in boiling water for a minute, then applied to the cervical spine. Leave the compress on overnight, warming it with a tissue.
Treatment of osteochondrosis at home only with the help of folk methods is ineffective. It will probably only be possible to reduce the symptoms, but not to cure the disease. Treatment with folk remedies is best to consult a doctor.
Massage for cervical osteochondrosis
The complete home treatment of cervical osteochondrosis recommended by doctors includes massage. It is better to entrust its implementation to a qualified specialist. In the absence of such an opportunity, self-massage will help to cure osteochondrosis of the neck, which the patient can perform at home at any time convenient for him. Its basic rules:
- The impact on the neck muscles is done with the pads of the fingers, not the palm.
- Movements must be strictly peripheral and also from top to bottom.
- It is forbidden to press and rub the cervical vertebrae too quickly.
- For light sliding of the fingers, the massage is performed with oil.
Homemade honey massage helps well against osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. About a teaspoon of honey is rubbed on the surface of the cervical spine and muscles, kneading gently with your fingers until the honey becomes viscous, then washed with warm water.
Medications: Feeding and smearing at home
Medical treatment for cervical osteochondrosis should be chosen by a physician. A whole complex consisting of injectable, oral and topical drugs is often used.
- Forms for injection. They are prescribed to eliminate 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. Anesthetic anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants, chondroprotectors are prescribed. Treatment with drugs from the latter group is long-term. The minimum course of treatment is 3 months.
- Outdoor facilities. These are ointments and gels based on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain or chondroitin sulfate to accelerate cartilage recovery.
Physiotherapy exercises: principles of performance and result
Home therapy for cervical osteochondrosis is based on special exercises for the cervical muscles. The exercises are performed according to the following rules:
- The list of exercises and their amplitude is determined by the doctor.
- All exercises are done smoothly and slowly to eliminate the risk of injury.
- Do not start gymnastic treatment for acute pain in the cervical spine.
- The load increases gradually.
- The patient does gymnastics regularly, several times a day, at the same time.
The exercises for treating cervical osteochondrosis are very simple. Proper performance at home will speed up recovery and help relieve pain. Treatment of cervical spine with exercise therapy includes:
- Turns the head sideways to the end point.
- Bend your head to the sides, back and forth.
- Circular movements of the neck and shoulders.
The gymnastic course continues until the end of treatment and complete elimination of symptoms. If the patient continues to do gymnastics, he will be able to prevent recurrence of the disease. Results from home treatment of osteochondrosis through gymnastics:
- Elimination of hypertension of cervical muscles.
- Stretch links.
- Improve vertebral mobility.
- Pain relief.
- Increased neck range.
- Normalization of 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 an experienced specialist to monitor them so that home treatment brings positive results as soon as possible and the patient forgets the unpleasant symptoms forever.