For a start, 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 quickly relieve the most unpleasant symptoms and are very important in the fight against the disease in general.
The main methods of treating osteochondrosis
Regardless of which parts of the spine are affected, there are general methods of therapy:
- Medication with external agents, pills or injections.
- Physiotherapy (electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, ultrasound, laser . . . ).
- Reflex 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 remedies prepared according to folk recipes are not official medicines, the principle of their 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 lengthy process. They help more reliably, but they 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
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home is the easiest way to quickly accomplish with the help of medication. Their action is aimed at relieving inflammation, hypertonicity of the neck muscles, improving blood circulation and accelerating recovery processes in cartilage tissues. Many drugs indicated for osteochondrosis are available in the convenient form of tablets or external agents. Well-known pain relieving gels will help to quickly relieve pain.
Injections, as well as acupuncture and manual therapy are very effective. But the use of these methods has a number of serious limitations. Only in a hospital or clinic can you undergo physiotherapy.
Massage can give quick results too. Doctors recommend self-massage techniques to quickly eliminate dizziness, tinnitus, muscle pain in the neck.
Of the folk methods, external agents have a quick effect - compresses, plasters, rubbing. But they give only temporary relief, after which longer treatment courses will still be required.
Exercise therapy rarely works quickly. It takes weeks to see a noticeable improvement. In addition, most doctors advise against exercising during an exacerbation of the disease, recommending it during recovery and remission. Sanatorium and climatic treatment also does 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 needle insertion, otherwise you can cause serious harm. Damage to nerve roots or important 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, restorative drugs, going directly into the blood and muscles, are more effective.
However, injections are usually 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 full-fledged massage should also be performed by a specialist. Some of the patient's relatives 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 in lightly kneading the muscles of the neck with the help of the fingertips. It helps to relieve muscle tension, improve blood circulation, tinnitus and headaches.
When performing self-massage, you need to follow a few elementary rules to make it safe and effective:
- Use only 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 stroking (in the same direction).
- You shouldn't make a lot of effort when massaging, even if the strength of your hands allows it.
This method works very quickly, but not too hard 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 from the number of folk recipes, it is better to choose products for external use. Various teas and infusions give good results, but it takes a long time to wait.
But compresses and rubbing can remove some symptoms of the disease in hours or even minutes:
- Ordinary pepper vodka is suitable for grinding. Alcohol can be factory made, but it is better to insist the pepper on your own.
- Another grinding recipe: mustard, camphor alcohol, vodka (all 50 g each), 3 beaten egg whites, leave for half a day.
- Vodka, honey, aloe juice (2: 2: 1), mix, let it brew overnight. A good anti-inflammatory agent.
- Ideal for compresses - horseradish and burdock leaves, pre-scalded with boiling water.
- A mixture of honey and grated potatoes (equally divided) is also suitable. You can keep it for several hours.
- Grated radish applied as an ointment. It must be washed off when a noticeable burning sensation appears in the skin. It is a good distraction. Stimulates blood circulation.
Treatment of 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 ready-made ointments based on them.
How Exercises For Neck Muscles Can Help
Physical education is not one of the quick-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 performed during the break, while sitting in a chair:
- Head tilts to the sides and back and forth.
- Head turns, neck rotation.
- Pulling the neck forward.
- Raising and lowering the shoulders.
- Stretching exercises (mentally stretch the crown of the head up).
- Self-resistance: pressure with hands on the forehead or 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 kind of exercise help? They will strengthen the muscles, and they will provide additional support for the spine. In addition, movement will improve blood circulation and oxygen supply to the brain. There is a better chance of releasing pinched roots. Muscle overstrain will disappear.
But you don't have to wait for instant results. Therefore, you should first relieve the exacerbation 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 continue treatment with other, less rapid methods.