To begin with, immediately and honestly: treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home is not possible quickly. But this disease cannot be cured in a short time and in a hospital - it is still a long process.
Home methods can really help alleviate the most unpleasant symptoms and are very important in fighting the disease in general.
Main methods of treating osteochondrosis
Regardless of which parts of the spine are affected, there are general methods of therapy:
- Medicines with external means, tablets or injections.
- Physiotherapy treatment (electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, ultrasound, laser. . . ).
- Reflexology treatment (acupuncture, acupressure).
- Massage, manual therapy.
- Remedial gymnastics, climatological and spa treatment.
Various folk methods (compresses, rubbing, teas) should rather be attributed to the first group. Although medicines prepared according to folk recipes are not official medicines, they have a similar principle of action. And in official medicine, herbal extracts and other biologically active substances are often used.
However, not all treatment methods can give quick results. Many are designed for a lengthy process. They help more reliably, but they cannot alleviate pain, dizziness, or other unpleasant symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis. Some are completely forbidden for use during the worsening of the disease.
Which methods can give a quick result
Treating cervical osteochondrosis at home is the easiest way to achieve it quickly with medication. Their action is aimed at alleviating inflammation, hypertonicity of the neck muscles, improving blood circulation and accelerating regenerative processes in cartilage tissues. Many medications indicated for osteochondrosis are available in a suitable tablet or external form. Known pain relieving gels will help you relieve pain quickly.
Injections as well as acupuncture and manual therapy are very effective. But the use of these methods has serious limitations. You can only undergo physiotherapy in a hospital or clinic.
Massage can also give fast results. Doctors recommend self-massage techniques to quickly remove dizziness, tinnitus, neck muscle pain.
Of the folk methods, external remedies - compresses, plasters, rubbing - have a quick effect. But they provide only temporary relief, after which longer courses of treatment will still be needed.
Exercise therapy rarely works fast. It takes weeks for there to be a noticeable improvement. In addition, most doctors advise not to exercise during the worsening of the disease, recommending it during recovery and remission. Sanatorium and climate treatment also do not work at the moment and it is difficult to get it at home. But on the other hand, these methods give a stable long-term result.
Is it possible to treat injections at home?
In theory yes, but only if the household includes a qualified nurse or paramedic who is familiar with the job. It is very difficult to give injections in the neck, you must be able to precisely choose the place, direction and depth of insertion of the needle, because otherwise you can cause serious damage. Damage to nerve roots or important blood vessels can be a more serious problem than osteochondrosis.
But injections are very effective and it is possible to quickly treat cervical osteochondrosis at home with their help. The injection block can relieve even very severe pain in a few minutes. Relaxing, anti-inflammatory, restorative drugs, which come directly into the blood and muscles, are more effective.
However, injections are usually recommended in advanced cases when the symptoms of osteochondrosis are strong. If the disease is in an early stage, it is quite possible without them. In a difficult situation, it is better to undergo treatment with injections in a medical institution, and to apply additional methods at home that will improve and strengthen the result.
Massage for osteochondrosis at home
Powerful massage should be performed by a specialist. Some relatives of the patient can be trained in this particular area, but a professional is still better.
But simple self-massage techniques can help reduce the painful manifestations of osteochondrosis in those moments when it is inconvenient to go to the master. This massage consists of lightly kneading the neck muscles with the help of fingertips. It helps relieve muscle tension, improves blood circulation, tinnitus and headaches.
When performing a self-massage, you need to follow a few basic rules to make it safe and effective:
- Use only your fingertips for work.
- Movements should be performed from top to bottom and from the spine to the sides.
- It is necessary to alternate kneading movements with strokes (in the same direction).
- You should not put much effort into massaging, even if the strength of your hands allows it.
This method works very fast, but not too hard and not for long. Massage should be combined with other treatments.
Traditional methods of rapid treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
To achieve a quick result from the number of folk recipes, it is better to choose products for external use. Various teas and infusions give good results, but you have to wait a long time.
But compresses and rubbing can eliminate some symptoms of the disease in a few hours or even minutes:
- Ordinary pepper vodka is suitable for grinding. Alcohol can be produced at the factory, but it is better to insist on paprika yourself.
- Another recipe for grinding: mustard, camphor alcohol, vodka (50 g each), 3 beaten egg whites, leave for half a day.
- Vodka, honey, aloe juice (2: 2: 1), stir, let it cook overnight. A good anti-inflammatory.
- Ideal for dressings - horseradish and burdock leaves, previously scalded with boiling water.
- A mixture of honey and grated potatoes (equally divided) is also suitable. You can keep it for a few hours.
- Grated radish applied as an ointment. It must be rinsed when a noticeable tingling appears on the skin. Good distraction. Stimulates blood circulation.
Rapid treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home folk remedies also includes the use of bee venom and comfrey roots and larkspur. It is not easy to collect them yourself, but you can buy dried roots at the pharmacy or use ready-made fats based on them.
How neck neck exercises can help
Physical education is not one of the fastest methods, but it is the most reliable. Once you have been diagnosed with osteochondrosis, it is better to do therapeutic exercises regularly for the rest of your life. They are quite simple, they can even be performed during a break while sitting on a chair:
- The head is tilted to the side and back and forth.
- Turning the head, rotating the neck.
- Pull the door forward.
- Raising and lowering the shoulders.
- Stretching exercises (mentally stretch the top of the head upwards).
- Self-resistance: hand pressure on the forehead or nape with neck resistance.
- Aerial "drawing": write imaginary words or numbers in the air with your nose.
How can this kind of exercise help? It will strengthen the muscles and provide extra support to the spine. In addition, exercise will improve blood circulation and oxygen supply to the brain. The chances of releasing the pinched roots are higher. Excessive muscle tension will disappear.
But you don't have to wait for the current results. Therefore, you need to alleviate the deterioration first with medication and then exercise.
Although spinal diseases are very stubborn, symptomatic treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home is quickly possible. But the patient must remember that the temporary disappearance of symptoms does not mean getting rid of the disease and continuing treatment with other, less rapid methods.