Straight walking has freed one's hand to perform labor operations - no doubt a plus. At the same time, the load on the spine has increased, leading to the development of serious diseases, and this is a huge minus. Osteochondrosis is one of the most common pathologies of the spine. It affects 60% of the world's population aged 35 and over. Surgical intervention is one method of treatment, but a possible alternative in the early stages of the disease. You can treat osteochondrosis at home. The range of effective therapeutic measures is wide and affordable.
What is osteochondrosis
Dysfunction and destruction of intervertebral discs, vertebral tissues, is a musculoskeletal disease called osteochondrosis. Osteocytes are bone cells and chondrocytes are cartilage cells. From these names, the origin of the term "osteochondrosis" is clear. Degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine negatively affect the general condition of the body.
As the disease progresses, the muscles atrophy, the conduction of the nerve impulse is interrupted, and the physiological systems and individual internal organs fail. The appearance of back and neck pain is the first sign of the disease. Depending on the location of the lesion, osteochondrosis:
- Cervix. The main symptoms are: pain in the shoulder, arm, neck; dizziness, tinnitus, blemishes in the eyes.
- Chest. It is characterized by dull pain or lumbago in the chest area.
- Lumbosacral. There are pains in the hip joints, in the lower back, in the sacrum. The functionality of the lower limbs is limited.
- It develops in several parts of the spine at the same time. It is accompanied by severe pain.
Effective treatment of osteochondrosis at home is possible by early diagnosis of the disease. Goes through 4 degrees (or sections):
- The pathological process begins with dehydration of the central part of the intervertebral disc (nucleus pulposus). As a result, the structure subsides, cracks appear on the outside of the disc (annulus fibrosus). This stage is almost invisible to the patient. Mild discomfort is manifested in an unpleasant posture or during active physical activity.
- The distance between adjacent vertebrae decreases due to the subsidence of the intervertebral disc. The ligaments and muscles sag. The vertebrae gain additional mobility. That's why they're pushed out. This condition is called spondylolisthesis. Under heavy load, the patient feels discomfort, sometimes pain in the localization of the pathology.
- The development of prolapses (hernias), protrusions (uneven protrusions) of the plates, subluxations and arthrosis of the intervertebral joints are the main pathological changes in the third stage of the disease. The patient has limited movement, numbness and tingling in the limbs. There are pains, their localization depends on the location of the disease focus.
- To eliminate excessive mobility of the vertebrae, the body forms neoplasms of bone tissue (osteophytes) in the spine. Their formation is chaotic, depending on the location they can damage the nerve endings of the spinal cord, the adjacent vertebrae. The processes of pronounced structural changes (fibrous ankylosis) begin in the intervertebral joints. The vertebral motor segment looks as if it has been "walled in". Signs of osteochondrosis are virtually imperceptible at this stage.
The risk of developing the disease increases with age. After 40 years, irreversible changes begin in the body. Osteochondrosis affects 80% of people over the age of 60. This is due to a decrease in metabolic processes, physical activity, chronic diseases and other causes. The risk group includes young people aged 20-30 who lead a sedentary lifestyle, are overweight and have a weak muscular system. There is a direct relationship between pathological changes in the spine and body function.
Causes
Medicine has not determined the exact cause of the disease. Walking vertically, improper distribution of load during work operations, physical exercises, static postures (standing, sitting) increases the risk of developing osteochondrosis. According to most doctors, the occurrence of spinal pathological processes is provoked by several factors:
- violation of metabolic processes;
- dehydration of the body;
- genetic predisposition;
- hormonal failure;
- insufficient physical development;
- degenerative processes of the muscular system;
- posture problems;
- flat feet;
- toxic damage to the body;
- infectious diseases;
- trauma, bruising of the spine and musculoskeletal system in general;
- pregnancy;
- age-related changes;
- harmful working conditions;
- overweight;
- malnutrition;
- incorrectly arranged sleeper;
- bad habits;
- common stress.
Treatment Methods
Therapy for osteochondrosis is a long process. Contains 1-3 month activities. By then, you will need to add a rehabilitation period of about 1 year. The success of the treatment depends largely on the patient himself. You should strictly follow your doctor's recommendations. With partial observation, the prognosis for recovery is minimal.
Self-healing complicates the treatment of osteochondrosis. The clinical picture of the disease is not clear, the patient begins to select drugs to alleviate the condition on their own. By blocking painful feelings, he continues to live a normal life and the disease progresses at this time. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, a doctor should be consulted, an examination should be performed, the diagnosis should be clarified, and therapeutic measures should be initiated.
Treatment of osteochondrosis is performed in two ways: by conservative treatment and by surgery. General recommendations in both cases are dietary nutrition and rehabilitation. The goal of conservative treatment is to relieve pain, restore spinal function, and prevent structural changes in the intervertebral joints. The list of activities includes:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- physiotherapy exercises;
- massage (paravertebral);
- manual therapy;
- using a needle applicator;
- spine traction.
The medical council decides on the surgical treatment of the disease in the absence of conservative treatment or in case of severe changes in the joint structure of the spine. It is important to see a doctor in time and not start the disease. Effective treatment is possible at home. This is confirmed by the long-term practice of treating the disease.
How to treat osteochondrosis at home
Given the nature of the disease and the duration of recovery, the issue of effective treatment of osteochondrosis at home is relevant to most patients. It is important to keep in mind that this is an unusual disease and it is impossible to achieve a positive result with the help of drugs alone. A set of measures that you can take according to your doctor's policy should be used regularly.
Medications
Medications are prescribed for the acute form of the disease. Osteochondrosis is a systemic disease. Its negative consequences affect the condition of the body as a whole, so medication solves a number of tasks:
- analgesia;
- relieves inflammation;
- restores metabolic reactions;
- improves blood circulation in the affected areas;
- restores cartilage tissue;
- to restore joint mobility;
- eliminates depression caused by severe pain.
Drug therapy involves several groups of drugs.
Group |
Action |
Pharmacological Forms |
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug |
Relieves inflammation and pain (inhibits prostaglandins) |
Capsules, tablets, gel, ointment, patch, injection |
Analgesics, anesthetics |
Pain Relief |
Tablets, injection |
vasodilators |
Improving the nutrition of damaged tissues, accelerating their regeneration |
Injections, tablets, gels, creams, ointments |
Glucocorticosteroid |
Heavy artillery, powerful anti-inflammatory |
Tablets, injections, ointments |
Muscle relaxers |
Relaxing, soothing effect on muscles |
Tablets, injection |
Chondroprotectors (glucosamine, chondroitin) |
Stabilizes the process, prevents further destruction |
Capsules, tablets, gels, ointments, injections |
Sedatives |
Eliminate depression, increase stress resistance, improve sleep quality, stabilize emotional state |
Tinctures, tablets |
Vitamins (Antioxidants) |
Restoring sensitivity to affected nerve endings, reducing pain |
Tablets, injection |
Vitamin and Mineral Complexes |
General reinforcement of the body |
Pills |
Exercise
A sedentary lifestyle has a detrimental effect on the condition of the body. Effective home treatment of the spine includes special exercises. There are author complexes on physiotherapy practices, you can use the recommendations and create an individual workout program.
Physical education is the main cure for osteochondrosis. Bending, twisting, twisting, swinging on the back are recommended exercises. It is useful to hang out at the bar and stretch your spine with yoga exercises. Sufficient attention should be paid to strengthening the muscles of the back - pulling up, performing supine supports. There are a number of rules to keep in mind that do not harm your health:
- The physiotherapy should start with a warm-up;
- should not be twisted in case of acute lumbar spine pain;
- jumping, running is not desirable, it is better to replace them with walking, swimming, cycling or skiing;
- Circular rotation of the head is not always recommended for osteochondrosis of the neck.
Age, exercise difficulties, and physical fitness should be considered when choosing a gym. Physiotherapy exercises are required at least 3 times a week. The proposed complex will help cure cervical osteochondrosis at home (all exercises are performed ten times):
- Sit on a chair, straighten your back, make smooth head turns alternately right and left.
- The starting position is the same. Place your right palm on your right face and gently tilt your head to the left. Repeat the exercise in the opposite direction.
- Sit up straight, clasp your hands at the back of your head, lean forward gently. Press the back of the head with your hands, gently lower your head, touch your chest with your chin, feel the muscle tension.
- Sit down, grasp the edge of the chair with your hands from behind, slowly lower your head, spread your shoulder blades, return to starting position.
- Raise your shoulders, try to reach your earlobes, lower your shoulders.
Back pain dominates. Complex regular exercise for lumbar osteochondrosis has more benefits than constant use of painkillers (repeat the exercises 5-10 times):
- Stretching your back muscles- lie on your back, raise your arms, stretch your toes.
- Raising the pool- lie on your back, bend your legs, arms to the side, raise your pool (inhale), lower (exhale).
- Embryo pose- lie on your back, pull your knees to your chest, clasp your arms together (inhale), pull your head to your knees (exhale).
- Cat pose- stands on all fours, round your back as you exhale, bend over as you inhale, raise your head.
Treating Osteochondrosis with Folk Remedies
Folk remedies for osteochondrosis have proven successful. They are effective and safe. There are many recipes for making medicinal tinctures, ointments, rubbing, decoctions. You can also cook them if you want. Herbal medicines eliminate the causes of the disease, herbs contain large amounts of nutrients and have a general strengthening effect. Herbal medicines are affordable. There are known methods for treating diseases with bee stings and bee products.
Compress
compresses help reduce pain, relieve swelling and inflammation. Home treatment of the back and spine will be effective if warming procedures are used for two weeks. They improve blood circulation, relieve pain, relieve muscle cramps. Easy horseradish and apple compression:
- horseradish contains mustard oil (warming effect), apples contain many organic acids (anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect);
- Grate a small horseradish root and an apple on a fine grater;
- squeeze the juice slightly;
- form a cake;
- put on the inflamed area;
- polyethylene cover, towel;
- wrap in a warm cloth;
- Take it every night until the severe pain goes away.
Infusions and decoctions
Effective home treatment of osteochondrosis not only involves the use of external agents but also affects the body from within. Medicinal infusions and decoctions are used for this purpose. They relieve pain, inflammation and calm the nervous system. In folk medicine, infusions of parsley leaves and seeds, a decoction of pine cones, are used to treat the spine. Cinquefoil acts as an effective painkiller, repairing damaged tissues. 
Tincture recipe:
- Mix 200 g of chopped cinquefoil root and 100 g of set up Potentilla;
- Pour vegetable mixture into 1 liter of vodka;
- insist for 3 weeks; strain
- ;
- take 1 tablespoon three times daily before meals;
- The course of treatment is 1 month.
Applications
Heating procedures include applications. Such treatment of the spine with folk remedies helps to restore the functionality of the neuromuscular elements in the affected joints of the spine. For application, the gauze napkin is moistened with a medicinal solution and applied to the affected area for 30-40 minutes. The procedure can be performed several times a day. How to apply aloe honey:
- natural honey has a unique medicinal composition, aloe is a natural antibiotic, a biological stimulant;
- make a tincture of 100 g of honey, 50 g of aloe leaves (must be passed through a meat grinder) and 100 ml of vodka;
- insists for 1 week;
- moisten a natural piece of tissue with tincture;
- applies the inflamed area;
- put polyethylene and towel on top;
- wrap with a woolen scarf;
- Perform the procedure 2 times a day.
Rubbing
You can make rubs and ointments to effectively treat home osteochondrosis. The rubbing procedure is similar to massage, performed 2-3 times a day. It stimulates blood circulation, relieves inflammation and pain. Turpentine, kerosene, badger fat, lard, herbs (plantain, sage, juniper) are used to make medicinal rubber.
Bay leaf juniper ointment recipe:
- 1 teaspoon juniper needle, 6 teaspoons chopped bay leaf, 12 teaspoons melted butter, mix thoroughly;
- apply the mixture to the site of inflammation;
- rub the ointment with light movements;
- wrap your back in a warm woolen cloth;
- rub in the afternoon and before bed.
Spas
Herbal baths are effective during rehabilitation. In acute conditions, this procedure is not recommended. Therapeutic baths dilate blood vessels, relax muscles, and have a beneficial effect on spinal joint structures. Chamomile, lemongrass, string, thyme, field horseradish, thyme and other plants are used to make broths. Medicinal ingredients can be prepared independently or purchased at a pharmacy.
The spa decoction is prepared as follows:
- take 250-300 g of dry plant material or prepare a mixture of herbs;
- boil in 5 liters of water for 20 minutes;
- filter and add to the prepared warm water;
- Take a bath 10-15 minutes before going to bed.