Pain comes when you don't expect it. Even the most confident person in such cases can be confused and scared. The cause of the pain syndrome is often osteochondrosis. How is osteochondrosis of the cervical spine treated at home and how effective will the treatment be? Let's find out more.
What is osteochondrosis
Official medical sources interpret osteochondrosis as a degenerative disease that affects the intervertebral disc involving adjacent vertebrae and joints. The elasticity of the intervertebral joint is impaired - and the disc becomes thinner. It is necessary to understand how nutritional and metabolic processes take place in the intervertebral discs. This structural element is formed by cartilage tissue, there are no blood vessels here. The power supply is diffuse, like a pump. During the squeezing movement, lubricating fluid is released and then reabsorbed. If osteochondrosis of the cervical spine occurs, exercise, massage and the full range of therapeutic techniques should be prescribed as soon as possible.
What changes occur in the spine and their symptoms
The following processes take place in the affected joint:
- the pulpal nucleus of the disc loses physiological moisture;
- the cartilage loses its shape;
- loses its elasticity;
- changes color;
- dries up;
- turns yellow;
- loses damage resistance.
The consequence of this is a violation of the synchronization of movement in the adjacent segments of the spine, a violation of the nerve roots. The main symptoms of degenerative changes will be pain, limited mobility, some forms of paresthesia ("creeping", tingling).
All these changes suggest the presence of osteochondrosis. How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine or any other, we will talk later.
Why does osteochondrosis occur?
The causes of the disease include everything that disrupts the power of the disk:
- Congestion caused by static loads.
- Prolonged retention of unfavorable positions, especially in a sitting position. There is a good saying: "If you can stand - do not sit, if you can lie down - do not stand. "
- Traumatic effects on the end plates, the fibers of the fibrous ring.
Common causes include unbalanced diet, physical inactivity, insufficient development of the deep muscles that form the muscular corset. The stability of the spine is due to the complex interaction of bone, muscle and nerve structures of the skeleton. The abdominal and back muscles are antagonists, balancing each other. Therefore, the postulate "movement is life" remains more relevant than ever. Exercise can effectively affect degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine. Physical therapy is used both in the clinic and at home. Because the spine consists of several sections, the disease can occur in any of them. More often exposed cervical and lumbar regions.
How does osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifest itself?
Manifestations of osteochondrosis with different localization are combined in syndromes:
- cervical pain syndrome (impaired mobility of the shoulder joint, pain of various natures);
- cervicocranialgia (pain in the back of the head, discomfort in the neck, there may be tinnitus, dizziness, palpitations, nausea);
- cervicobrachialgia or shoulder-shoulder syndrome (pain in the neck, overflowing into the shoulder and arm).
If you are worried about aches and pains, often at night, with tingling, the diagnosis will probably be confirmed - osteochondrosis of the cervical-thoracic spine. The pain syndrome associated with disorders of this department is called thoracalgia.
Physiotherapy at home
How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with medication is described in many reference books. But in most cases the effect of the drug is short-lived. Here, training therapy can come to the rescue.
- We stand by the wall and lean against it with the back of our heads. We try to push the wall with maximum force for a few seconds. Then we relax.
- We sit at the table, put our elbows on it. We rest our chin on our hands, trying to press our palms as we try to tilt our head or turn it to the side.
- Lean your head on the hands of your neck. Alternatively, then press them with the back of the head, then relax. Do several repetitions with a delay of up to 10 seconds.
- Hold your head with your palms, successively pressing one or the other hand.
During exacerbations, exercises are performed with a duration of no more than 3-4 seconds and with a moderate load. Exercise will slow down the osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Exercises at home can begin once you make sure they are performed properly in a health setting.
Massage without the help of a professional
If the diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is confirmed, massage will be one of the necessary methods of treatment. In this case, this is not only useful but also an indispensable procedure. Initially, it is better to take a professional course and then perform simple techniques at home. These techniques include the technique of poststatic muscle relaxation. The peculiarity of the method consists in the passive stretching of the muscle from an overstrained position in combination with massage elements. It is necessary to apply the technique after heating the spasmodic muscles (bath, hot compress, kneading, ironing).
When using self-massage, the same techniques are used as for the professional one. These are ironing, kneading, precise strokes, tapping, shaking. The massage is performed with warm, warm hands. Use massage oil to improve glide. The sequence of techniques is as follows:
- ironing;
- trituration;
- kneading;
- vibrations (tapping, shaking).
Acting on osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the massage begins and ends with stroking.
A little manual therapy
- We are sitting on a chair with a high back. We grasp the head with our hands, placing our thumbs on the cheekbones (more precisely on the irregularities under the eye sockets). We look up, take a breath, and press the back of our fingers. Hold for up to a quarter of a minute, then exhale, lean back in your chair and relax your neck muscles, tilting your head down. We repeat the technique several times. Then we wrap our fingers around his neck, closer to his upper part, slightly tilting his head forward. We press our fingers at the base of the skull, making them a slow rotating movement. Gradually lower your fingers lower and lower, approaching the trapezius muscle. How to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with the help of manual therapy can be seen in the following manipulations.
- We lie on our backs, pulling our shoulders as low as possible. Place the patient's hand under the buttocks, palm up. Place your other hand under your head, squeezing the back of your head and tilting your head to the side opposite the problem. When inhaling, press your head on your fingers for 15 seconds. As you exhale, relax and pull your head a little harder, stretching the inflamed muscle.
A set of measures for the treatment of osteochondrosis
Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely defeat cervical osteochondrosis. Treatment at home or in a medical facility should be comprehensive. This includes the use of:
- painkillers;
- muscle relaxants that help relieve muscle spasm;
- drugs with chondroprotective action;
- physiotherapy procedures;
- massage;
- Exercise therapy;
- balanced diet.
After studying the medical literature, certain conclusions can be drawn about how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, but the refusal of professionally prescribed treatment is a crime against human health.