Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and methods of treatment at home

Back and neck pain is one of the most common unpleasant symptoms that almost every modern person has encountered at least once.

If previous osteochondrosis was considered an age-related disease, it is now increasingly diagnosed in young people. This is due to a sedentary lifestyle and the habit of bending over when doing sedentary work.

It is important to identify the disease in time, as it is much easier to treat cervical osteochondrosis in the early stage of its development than in advanced cases.

Manifestations and causes of the disease

The manifestations of the disease develop gradually. Its intensity increases as the condition of the spine worsens. At first, they can only bother a person occasionally, but over time they become permanent.

The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis:

• worsening of pain when turning and tilting the head;
• crispy neck;
• headaches;
• decreased visual acuity;
• Stiffness and muscle tension in the affected area.

With an exacerbation of osteochondrosis, a person complains about:

• acute pain;
• dizziness;
burning
• ;
• increased muscle tone in the neck.

Depending on which vertebra is involved in the pathological process, pain and sensory disturbances can affect different areas of the body. They can pass to the shoulder girdle, be felt in the thoracic back and appear in the muscles of the arms and even in the fingers. Many patients want to know if cervical osteochondrosis can be cured forever. There can be no definitive answer here, since everything depends on the stage of the disease and the degree of degenerative changes. But it is possible to relieve the condition during an exacerbation and to prevent deterioration of health. And folk remedies will help here.

Reasons for developing osteochondrosis:

• the habit of bending over when walking;
• incorrect body position when reading books, working on a computer;
• injuries and spinal injuries;
• insufficiently active lifestyle;
• exhaustive physical activity;
• use very soft mattresses and pillows while resting;
• long-term weight transport;
• flat feet;
• metabolic disorders in the body;
• deficiency in vitamins and minerals;
scoliosis
• ;
• obesity;
• genetic predisposition;
• pregnancy.

When choosing treatment options for cervical osteochondrosis, you must take into account the severity of the symptoms. Before starting therapy, you should contact a neurologist to establish an accurate diagnosis and agree to a treatment plan. In some situations, only folk remedies can be dispensed with, and sometimes they must be used in combination with classical therapy.

Treatment with ointments and balms

When applied externally, traditional medicine should reduce pain and inflammation and help normalize muscle movement. Ointments and balms should be used in conjunction with other treatment methods, as it is quite difficult to cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine with their help alone. Instead, they are the means of ambulance and express therapy.

Here are some easy homemade recipes:

1. Ointment of garlic and ginger.In equal amounts, mix the garlic porridge and the chopped fresh ginger root. For plasticity, you need to add a little olive oil or sesame to this mass. Apply the makeup on the neck before bed. It is recommended to repeat the procedure every day until the unpleasant symptoms disappear. Leave the ointment for 30 minutes, after which it should be washed with warm water.
2. Bay leaf ointment.In 60 ml of melted butter, add 5 g of crushed juniper leaves and 6 teaspoons. crushed dry bay leaf. This ointment should be used to rub the painful area of ​​the neck in the morning and at night.
3. Sage Ointment.It is necessary to melt 3 tablespoons in a double boiler. me. Vaseline and add 2 tbsp. me. chopped sage herb, 2 tbsp. me. banana leaves, ¼ cup of any vegetable oil. It is recommended to rub the neck with ointment three times a day, after which the treated area should be isolated with a wool scarf for several hours.

Using compresses

For many back problems, external treatments provide significant relief to the patient. They must act quickly, as it is desirable to cure osteochondrosis of the neck as soon as possible to avoid complications. The compresses made by himself relieve pain and restore the normal mobility of rigid muscles. They can also have a warming effect, so that the active substances can enter the bloodstream more quickly.

At home, you can use the following recipes:

1. Burdock compaction.2 tbsp. me. crushed dry leaves of a plant, you need to pour 400 ml of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes. After the effort, a bandage soaked in a hot solution should be applied to the painful area, covered with cellophane, cotton and woolen fabric. The procedure takes 15 minutes. After that, the bandage should be removed and a warm scarf wrapped around the neck to keep it warm.
2. Compress with eucalyptus and honey.30 g of eucalyptus leaves should be finely chopped and filled with 400 ml of boiling water. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. After cooling, add honey (5: 1) to the filtered solution. This solution should be used for compresses daily before bedtime. Leave for therapeutic effects for 30 minutes.
3. Strong root compaction.The fresh leaves of the plant should be dipped in boiling water for a few minutes to soften them. When heated, they should be applied to the neck and covered with plastic wrap and a warm cloth on top. The procedure is best done at bedtime, leaving the leaves on the skin at night. In the morning, they should be removed, washed with warm water and lubricated with baby cream to prevent drying.
4. Compress with mustard and aloe vera.In equal parts, you should drink and mix aloe juice, dry mustard and vodka well. In the resulting solution, it is necessary to moisten the gauze, apply it to the neck and isolate that place with plastic wrap and a woolen scarf. Allow the compress to warm up overnight.

For maximum effect, compresses for cervical osteochondrosis should be combined with other treatment methods - decoctions, ointments and baths. With an integrated approach, the unpleasant symptoms will disappear very quickly and will not be remembered for long.

Internal products

In the event of an exacerbation of this disease, decoctions, alcoholic tinctures and water infusions should be used to relieve swelling and have an anti-inflammatory effect. As the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folk remedies must be complex, they must be used in parallel with external friction and compresses. It is also important, during an exacerbation, to minimize stress in the cervical region, to sleep on your back or on your side on an orthopedic pillow and a hard mattress.

For internal use, you can prepare the following traditional medicine:

1. Cedar tincture.A half-liter bottle should be filled with crushed and shelled pine nuts. Vodka should be poured over them in a way that covers the nuts with a 5 cm layer. The product should be infused for 7 days in a cool, dark place. After that, the tincture should be filtered and ingested 15 ml three times a day.
2. A decoction of St. John's wort and stinking steel.These components should be mixed in the same amount, 2 tbsp. me. the resulting collection, pour 400 ml of boiling water. The mixture must be cooked over low heat for 15 minutes, after which it must be infused for 1 hour in a warm place. It is recommended to take the broth three times a day, 200 ml before meals.
3. Herbs collection.It is necessary to mix goat willow bark, buckthorn grass and birch leaves in a 5: 1: 4 ratio. Pour 30 g of this mixture into 500 ml of boiling water and keep it on low heat for 10 minutes. After complete cooling, the broth should be filtered and drunk in a glass in the morning and in the evening before meals.

Alternative help

Osteochondrosis is a chronic disease with a prolonged course. This is important to understand, as it sometimes takes a long time to treat the cervical spine. The main task during an exacerbation is to relieve the patient's condition. In many cases, this can be done without medication, using popular methods.

Coniferous baths help to reduce pain. Place 1 kg of needles and branches of coniferous trees (pine, spruce, juniper) in an enamel pan, fill them to the top with water and boil over low heat until the volume of water is reduced by half. After that, the broth should be infused for 12 hours in a warm place. 1. 5 liters of the filtered coniferous infusion obtained should be added to the general bath. Its temperature should not be high (about 37 ° C), as osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can be treated only with moderately hot solutions. Very hot water can make the pain worse.

After consulting a neurologist, in the absence of contraindications, you can do light gymnastics to eliminate neck discomfort. The head should be gently tilted down and forward, then left and right. You can put your hands behind your head and try to move it in that direction with resistance. The same should be done on the side of the forehead. Such a simple treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home normalizes muscle tone and relieves spasms. Over time, this gym should last for about 15 minutes a day. The movements must be smooth, they must not be performed with force or if they cause severe pain.