About 80% of middle-aged people suffer from back problems. The most common disease of the spine in medical practice is cervical osteochondrosis.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is associated with deformation of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs caused by destructive processes in bone and cartilage tissue. The development of the disease is facilitated by lack of physical activity or vice versa - muscle overload, the habit of often taking the wrong position, hypothermia, physical inactivity, posture problems, sleep in an uncomfortable bed and a number of hereditary factors. The immediate cause of the disease is the increased level of salts in the blood lymph, which in turn causes changes in the amortization of the spine, loss of elasticity of cartilage. Cervical problems can occur with obesity and metabolic disorders that lead to an imbalance of mineral compounds in the bone tissue.
It is better to entrust the process of diagnosis and treatment of the disease to specialists in medicine, but in the early stages of the disease you can try the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home.
Manifestation of cervical osteochondrosis
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis most often appear at the stage when irreversible changes in the structure of the vertebrae have occurred and the physiological functionality of the intervertebral discs is lost. The space between them decreases, the nerve roots and the vertebral artery passing through the cervical spine are compressed, sensitivity and characteristic unpleasant symptoms appear.
Signs of disease to watch out for:
- Pain in neck, shoulder and forearm, arms.
- Vertigo conditions.
- Migraine.
- Noise in my head.
- Insomnia.
- Numbness in the upper extremities.
- Burning in the interscapular part of the back.
- Increase in blood pressure.
- Feeling weak, tired.
- Heart rate abnormalities.
- Restricted movement when turning the head, bending the neck.
- Hearing and vision disorders.
Information on what is cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment at home will help to suspect the presence of this disease in the early stages and to take independent measures in time to prevent its further development.
Homeless therapy
It is impossible to get rid of osteochondrosis if left untreated. In addition, therapeutic measures in this case will be aimed not so much at eliminating the clinical signs of the disease, but at combating the causes of the disease. Good results can be achieved with an integrated approach to treatment, combining the use of drugs, physical therapy, massage and folk remedies.
Folk remedies for cervical osteochondrosis are in addition to traditional treatment, help to significantly alleviate the patient's condition and are welcomed by most doctors.All of these methods have common goals:
- pain relief and spasm relief;
- strengthening muscle tissue;
- normalize blood flow to the brain;
- and the main task of folk medicine is to warm the affected area of the body.
At the same time, none of the existing recipes of traditional medicine is able to cope with the accumulation of salt deposits in the bone tissue. This must be taken into account in order to understand that folk remedies are good as preventive measures or in tandem with drugs, but not as independent therapeutic methods.
Healers in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis use many folk recipes. They are all based on the use of essential oils, plants, animal fats, roots and poisons. In certain proportions they are combined with alcohol, vodka or moonlight, turpentine and iodine tincture, which makes it possible to obtain effective analgesics, anti-inflammatory and warming agents that can be used both externally and internally.
Three groups of drugs for cervical osteochondrosis can be conventionally distinguished, which have been used in folk medicine for centuries - decoctions and infusions, rubbing and compresses. The most popular and affordable are:
Herbal medicines
- Bay leaf infusionis a proven prophylactic in traditional medicine. It is necessary to place the main ingredient on the bottom of the pan and pour cold water in the amount of twelve grams of leaves per 0, 3 liters of liquid. Boil for five minutes, then cool and infuse for three hours, then pass through cheesecloth. Take between each meal for four days, then take a week off and start over.
- Coniferous broth. Pour two hundred and fifty grams of fresh spruce or pine needles with a liter of water, boil for half an hour. The resulting volume of broth is sufficient for three days, provided that it is consumed twice a day, thirty minutes after a meal. The course of treatment is one month.
- Decoction of sunflower roots- a remedy for formed and stagnant salts in the joints. The main ingredient for this recipe is prepared in the fall by collecting, washing, drying and grinding the plant. Mix one hundred and fifty grams of roots with 2, 7 liters of water, boil for half an hour. The resulting amount of broth will be enough to use up to three days. You should drink in large sips thirty minutes after eating. The duration of the course is one month.
Within a few days it will be possible to personally assess the effectiveness of the broth - in the shade of urine. If its color has changed to orange, it means that the process of removing salts has begun actively. As the course continues, the color of the urine will gradually lighten.
friction
- Red pepper:saturate the pods, add 0. 2 liters of sunflower oil, cover tightly and leave in the dark for five days. Rub the resulting composition into the painful area twice a day to warm up and improve blood circulation.
- Ointment and egg ointment:One hundred milliliters of vegetable oil + one chicken egg + twenty grams of flour + one tablespoon of vinegar essence, mix together and leave for two days in a dark place, from time to time, removing the resulting film on the surface of the composition. Rub the finished ointment in the evening in the places where the manifestation of the pain syndrome is registered.
- Ginger ointment:Sliced one ginger root + three cloves garlic + thirty grams of oil mixture, add your favorite essential oil for a pleasant aroma and apply on the affected area of the neck in the evening to relieve painif necessary.
- Pharmacy:One hundred and fifty milliliters of medical alcohol + five milliliters of iodine + five milliliters of camphor alcohol + five tablets of analgin, mix until smooth, rub into painful areas of the neck, carefully avoiding contact with damaged skin.
Compresses
- Kerosene:Soak a compress cloth in household kerosene liquid, apply on the affected area and cover with polyethylene for 2-3 hours. The warming effect of the compress will help urgently relieve pain and relieve spasms.
- Potatoes:Mix raw potatoes with honey in a ratio of 1: 1, place on a towel and place in the neck area. A three-day course is recommended for treatment.
- Sour cream with oman:Put a mixture of 50 grams of sour cream and oman on a towel and put on the painful area for 40 minutes. The course is 10 days.
- Honey:Mix honey and fine salt 1: 1, place on a natural fiber towel, lie on the painful area of the neck, wrap with a scarf. Repeat every day until the patient's condition is relieved.
- Horseradish:Dip horseradish leaves in boiling water, cool slightly and apply on the painful area of the body, cover with a warm towel, repeat up to five times. The principle of action is similar to the treatment with mustard plasters, the sensations are painful and unpleasant. There is a risk of burns.
It is worth noting that some of the components used in folk recipes for cervical osteochondrosis, it is absolutely impossible to combine with drugs! There are drugs that provoke severe allergies or poisonings. As a rule, they contain poisonous fruits of plants or herbs.
Therefore, once you have decided to supplement the traditional treatment with "grandmother's methods", you should inform your doctor about it in order to receive individual recommendations and choose a safe set of procedures.
Therapeutic gymnastics
Improving physical education - exercises for cervical osteochondrosis at home will bring undoubted benefits in the treatment process. It is allowed to use different devices and simulators to increase the effect of the procedures. Properly selected exercise will help to quickly lose weight or even relieve the patient from excruciating pain, stretching the ligament apparatus and relaxation of the cervical muscles. Individual recommendations for gymnastics for cervical osteochondrosis at home can be obtained from the attending physician, but there are also universal training methods. For example, treatment of cervical osteochondrosis according to Bubnovski.
Professor Bubnovski's method is widely used in kinesitherapy for the treatment of many diseases without surgery and drugs and gives very impressive results.
To solve problems related to the cervical spine, the doctor offers a simple set of exercises 20 times for each of the points:
- Tilts the head up and down sequentially.
- Slowly tilt your head left and right.
- Circular rotation of the head.
- Lowering the head to a position where the chin touches the chest.
- Lift your shoulders up and fix the position for 10 seconds.
- Sitting on the floor with your knees bent and touching them with your forehead, fixing the position for 1 minute.
Massage and self-massage
Massage for cervical osteochondrosis, as an effective means of relaxation, helps to relax muscles, relieve tension and relieve stiffness.
To get high quality service, you can contact a professional masseur, but if you want, you can also learn the secrets of self-massage.
It's simple - there are no universal techniques, there are only three rules for massage for yourself:
- Use only your fingers to massage your neck.
- Direct movement from the center to the periphery.
- Move at a smooth pace and soft rhythm.
Of course, it is impossible to treat osteochondrosis with massage, but if done correctly and regularly, it will help relieve symptoms, improve the well-being and mood of the patient.
Apply applicators
A variant of an alternative method for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folk remedies is the use of applicators. From the eighties of the last century until today, this technique has many fans. The applicator is a specially designed device that represents an object with a needle-like surface. Among patients with cervical osteochondrosis, the most common applicators are Lyapko and Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov's development is a plastic product in the form of a carpet with sharp buttons on the surface. Lying on such a device, the patient undergoes massage and acupuncture therapy of reflex zones. The Lyapko applicator is its improved version, in which, in addition to reflex and acupuncture effects, a galvanic-electric effect is used due to metal needles embedded in the tubercles. Such therapy at home allows you to activate blood circulation in the problem area, to accelerate metabolic processes in the body, to improve the elimination of toxins, to reduce muscle tone, but this alone is not enough for the successful treatment of osteochondrosis.
Treating osteochondrosis of the neck at home is both simple and very difficult. On the one hand, all therapies are available to most people and are relatively easy to repeat. On the other hand, they require some time, patience, self-control and regularity of repetition. And whatever the expectations of alternative therapy, it is worth remembering: if within a week of starting treatment with home remedies symptoms of osteochondrosis have not disappeared and have not become less intense in manifestation, you should definitely consultwith a doctor so as not to worsen your already serious health condition.