To begin, 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 to quickly alleviate the most unpleasant symptoms and are very important in the fight against the disease in general.
The main methods of treating osteochondrosis
Regardless of the parts of the spine affected, there are general methods of therapy:
- Medications with external agents, pills or injections.
- Physiotherapeutic treatment (electrophoresis, magnetotherapy, ultrasound, laser. . . ).
- Reflex treatment (acupuncture, acupressure).
- Massage, manual therapy.
- Restorative gymnastics, weather treatment and spa.
Several popular methods (compresses, rubs, teas) should be attributed to the first group. Although the remedies prepared according to folk recipes are not official drugs, their principle of action is similar. And in official medicine, plant extracts and other biologically active substances are often used.
However, not all treatment methods can give quick results. Many are designed for a long process. They help more reliably, but cannot relieve pain, dizziness, or other unpleasant symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis. Some are completely prohibited for use during an exacerbation of the disease.
What methods can give a quick result?
Treating cervical osteochondrosis at home is the easiest way to achieve it quickly with the help of medications. Its action is aimed at relieving inflammation, hypertonicity of the neck muscles, improving blood circulation and accelerating the recovery processes in cartilaginous tissues. Many drugs indicated for osteochondrosis are available in convenient form of tablets or external agents. Known pain reliever gels will help relieve pain quickly.
Injections, as well as acupuncture and manual therapy are very effective. But the use of these methods has several important limitations. Only in a hospital or clinic can physiotherapy be performed.
Massage can also give quick results. Doctors recommend self-massage techniques to quickly eliminate dizziness, tinnitus, and muscle pain in the neck.
Of the popular methods, external remedies (compresses, plasters, rubs) have a quick effect. But they only provide temporary relief, after which even longer courses of treatment will be required.
Exercise therapy rarely works quickly. It takes weeks to experience noticeable improvement. Also, most doctors advise against exercising during an exacerbation of the disease, recommending it during recovery and remission. The sanatorium and climate treatment also do not work instantly 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 with 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 to the neck, you need to be able to accurately choose the place, direction and depth of insertion of the needle; otherwise, it may cause serious damage. Damage to important nerve roots or blood vessels can be a more serious problem than osteochondrosis.
But injections are very effective, and treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home quickly with their help is possible. An injection block can relieve even very severe pain in a matter of minutes. Relaxing, anti-inflammatory and restorative medications, which go directly to the blood and muscles, are more effective.
However, injections are generally recommended in advanced cases, when the symptoms of osteochondrosis are severe. If the disease is at an early stage, it is quite possible to do without them. In a difficult situation, it is better to undergo treatment with injections in a medical institution and at home to apply additional methods that will improve and consolidate the result.
Massage for osteochondrosis at home
A specialist should also perform a full massage. Some of the patient's family members may be trained in this particular area, but a professional is even better.
But simple self-massage techniques can help reduce the painful manifestations of osteochondrosis at those times when it is inconvenient to go to the teacher. This massage consists of lightly kneading the neck muscles with the help of the fingertips. Helps relieve muscle tension, improve blood circulation, tinnitus, and headaches.
When performing self-massage, you must follow some basic rules to make it safe and effective:
- Use only your fingertips to work.
- The movements must be made 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 shouldn't try too hard when massaging, even if the strength of your hands allows it.
This method works very fast, but not too fast and not for long. The massage should be combined with other treatments.
Traditional methods of rapid treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
To get a quick result of the number of popular recipes, it is better to choose products for external use. Various teas and infusions work well, but it takes a long time to wait.
But compresses and rubbing can eliminate some symptoms of the disease in hours or even minutes:
- Common pepper vodka is suitable for grinding. Alcohol can be made at the factory, but it is better to insist on the pepper alone.
- 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), mix, let it sit overnight. Good anti-inflammatory agent.
- Ideal for compresses - horseradish and burdock leaves, previously blanched with boiling water.
- A mixture of honey and grated potatoes (divided equally) is also suitable. You can keep it for several hours.
- Grated radish applied as an ointment. It should be washed when a noticeable burning sensation appears on the skin. It is a good distraction. Stimulates blood circulation.
Treating cervical osteochondrosis at home quickly with folk remedies also involves the use of bee venom and comfrey and larkspur roots. It is not easy to collect them yourself, but you can buy dried roots at the pharmacy or use ointments prepared on the basis of them.
How Neck Muscle Exercises Can Help
Physical education is not one of the fast-acting methods, but it is the most reliable. Having received a diagnosis of osteochondrosis, it is better to do therapeutic exercises regularly for the rest of your life. They are quite simple, they can even be done while resting, sitting in a chair:
- The head tilts sideways and back and forth.
- The head rotates, the neck rotation.
- Pulling the neck forward.
- Raising and lowering the shoulders.
- Stretching exercises (mentally stretching the crown of the head up).
- Self-resistance: pressure with the hands on the forehead or the back of the head with resistance from the neck.
- Air "drawing": write imaginary words or numbers in the air with your nose.
How can this type of exercise help? They will strengthen the muscles and provide additional support for the spine. Also, movement will improve blood circulation and oxygen supply to the brain. There are more chances of loosening pinched roots. The muscle overexertion will disappear.
But you don't have to expect instant results. Therefore, you must first relieve the exacerbation with medication, and then exercise.
Although diseases of the spine are very persistent, 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.