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 the bone and cartilaginous tissues. The development of the disease is facilitated by lack of physical activity, or vice versa: muscle overload, the habit of taking the wrong position of the body often, hypothermia, physical inactivity, posture problems, sleeping in an uncomfortable bed and a seriesof hereditary factors. The immediate cause of the disease is the increased level of salts in the blood lymph, which, in turn, provoke changes in the amortization of the spine, loss of elasticity of the cartilage. Problems with the cervical spine can occur with obesity and metabolic disorders, which lead to an imbalance of mineral compounds in bone tissue.
It is better to entrust the process of diagnosis and treatment of the disease to specialists in the field of medicine, but in the initial stages of the manifestation of the disease, you can try the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home.
Manifestation of cervical osteochondrosis
The symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis appear most frequently at the stage when irreversible changes have occurred in the structure of the vertebrae 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, tenderness and unpleasant characteristic symptoms appear.
Signs of illness to watch out for:
- Pain in the neck, shoulder and forearm, arms.
- States of vertigo.
- Migraine.
- Noise in my head.
- Insomnia.
- Numbness in upper limbs.
- Burning in the interscapular part of the back.
- Sudden increases in blood pressure.
- Feeling of weakness, increased fatigue.
- Heart rate abnormalities.
- Limited movement when turning the head, bending the neck.
- Hearing and visual impairment.
Information about what is cervical osteochondrosis, symptoms and home treatment will help to suspect the presence of this disease in the early stages and take independent measures in time to prevent its further development.
Therapy without leaving home
It is impossible to get rid of osteochondrosis if it is not treated. Also, therapeutic measures in this case will be aimed not so much at eliminating the clinical signs of the disease, as at combating the causes of the disease. Good results can be achieved with an integrated approach to healing, combining the use of drugs, physical therapy, massages and popular treatments.
Home remedies for cervical osteochondrosis are an addition to traditional treatment, they help to significantly alleviate the patient's condition and are welcomed by most doctors.
All of these methods have common goals:
- relieve pain and relieve spasms;
- strengthening of muscle tissues;
- normalization of blood flow to the brain;
- and the main task of folk treatment 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 bone tissue. This must be taken into account to understand that home remedies are good as preventive measures or in conjunction with medication, but not as stand-alone therapeutic methods.
Healers in the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis use many popular recipes. All of them are based on the use of essential oils, vegetables, animal fats, roots and poisons. In certain proportions, they are combined with alcohol, vodka or moonshine, turpentine and iodine tincture, which allows to obtain effective painkillers, anti-inflammatory agents and warmers 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, rubs and compresses. The most popular and available are:
Herbal Medicine
- Bay leaf infusionis a proven prophylactic remedy from traditional medicine. It is necessary to put the main ingredient in the bottom of the pan and pour cold water at the rate of twelve grams of leaf per 0. 3 liters of liquid. Boil for five minutes, then cool and infuse for three hours, then pass through cheesecloth. Take between meals for four days, then take a week-long break 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 it is consumed twice a day, thirty minutes after eating. The course of treatment is one month.
- A decoction of sunflower roots- a remedy for salts formed and stagnant in the joints. The main ingredient of this recipe is prepared in the fall, collecting, washing, drying and crushing 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 sufficient for use for 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 evaluate the effectiveness of the broth, by the tone of the urine. If its color has changed to orange, it means that the salt removal process has actively started. As the course continues, the urine color will gradually clear.
Rub
- Red pepper:finely chop the pods, add 0. 2 liters of sunflower oil, cover well and leave in the dark for five days. Rub the resulting composition on the sore area twice a day to warm up and improve blood circulation.
- Butter and egg ointment:One hundred milliliters of vegetable oil + one chicken egg + twenty grams of flour + one tablespoon of vinegar essence, mix and leave for two days in adark place, time, removing the resulting film on the surface of the composition. Rub the finished ointment at night in the places where the manifestation of pain syndrome is registered.
- Ginger ointment:Chop a ginger root + three cloves of garlic + thirty grams of butter mixture, add your favorite essential oil for a pleasant aroma and apply to the affected neck areaat night to relieve pain as needed.
- Pharmacy:One hundred and fifty milliliters of medicinal alcohol + five milliliters of iodine + five milliliters of camphor alcohol + five analgin tablets, mix until smooth, rub into sore areas of the neck, avoidingcarefully contact with damaged skin.
Compress
- Kerosene:Dampen a cloth to make a compress in the household kerosene liquid, apply it to the affected area and cover it with polyethylene for 2-3 hours. The warming effect of the compress will help to urgently remove pain and relieve spasms.
- Potato:Mix raw potatoes with honey in a 1: 1 ratio, put a cloth and place on the neck area. A three-day course is recommended for treatment.
- Sour cream with comfrey:Place a mixture of 50 grams of sour cream and comfrey on a cloth and apply to the painful area for 40 minutes. The course is 10 days.
- Honey:Mix honey and fine salt 1: 1, place on a cloth made of natural fibers, place on the sore area of the neck, wrap it with a scarf. Repeat every day until the patient's condition improves.
- Horseradish:soak the horseradish leaf in boiling water, cool slightly and apply it to the painful area of the body, cover it with a warm cloth, repeat up to five times. The principle of action is similar to 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 popular recipes for cervical osteochondrosis, it is categorically impossible to combine with drugs! There are medications that cause severe allergies or poisonings. As a rule, they contain poisonous fruits of plants or herbs.
Therefore, having decided to supplement the traditional treatment with the "grandmother's" methods, you should inform your doctor about this in order to receive individual recommendations and choose a safe set of procedures.
Recovery gymnastics
Improved physical education: exercises for cervical osteochondrosis at home will bring undoubted benefits in the treatment process. It is allowed to use various devices and simulators to increase the effect of the procedures. Correctly selected physical exercises will help to quickly weaken or even relieve the patient from debilitating pain, stretch the ligamentous apparatus, and relax the cervical muscles. Individual recommendations for performing gymnastics for cervical osteochondrosis at home can be obtained from your doctor, but there are also universal training methods. For example, the therapy of cervical osteochondrosis according to Bubnovsky.
Professor Bubnovsky's method is widely used in kinesitherapy for the treatment of many diseases without surgery or drugs and gives very impressive results.
To solve problems associated with the cervical spine, the doctor offers a simple set of exercises 20 times for each of the points:
- Tilt your head up and down alternately.
- Tilting the head slowly to the left and right.
- Circular rotation of the head.
- Lower your head to a position where your chin touches your chest.
- Raise shoulders and fix position for 10 seconds.
- Sitting on the floor with your knees bent and touching your forehead while 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 in the body.
For quality service, you can contact a professional masseuse, 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 massage rules for you:
- Use only your fingers to massage the neck.
- Guides the movement from the center to the periphery.
- Move at a smooth pace and a smooth pace.
Of course, it is impossible to cure osteochondrosis with massage, but if done correctly and regularly, it will help to relieve symptoms, improve the patient's well-being and mood.
Applicator App
A variant of an alternative method of treating cervical osteochondrosis with home remedies is the use of applicators. From the eighties of the last century to the present day, this technique has many followers. An applicator is a specially designed device that presents 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 carpet-shaped plastic product with sharp buttons on the surface. Lying on said device, the patient undergoes massage and acupuncture therapy in the reflex zones. The Lyapko applicator is its improved version, in which, in addition to the reflex and acupuncture effects, a galvanic-electric effect is used due to the metal needles integrated into the tubers. Such therapy at home allows you to activate blood circulation in the problem area, accelerate metabolic processes in the body, improve the elimination of toxins, reduce muscle tone, but alone it is not enough for the successful treatment of osteochondrosis.
Treating osteochondrosis of the neck at home is simple and very difficult at the same time. For one thing, all therapies are available to most people and are relatively easy to repeat. On the other hand, they require a certain amount of time, patience, self-control, and regularity in repetition. And whatever the expectations of alternative therapy, it is worth remembering: if, within a week from the start of treatment with folk remedies, the symptoms of osteochondrosis have not disappeared and have not become less intense in its manifestation, it is imperative to consult a doctor so as not to aggravate your already dire situation. Health.