Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis and methods of its 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 osteochondrosis was previously considered an age-related disease, today it is increasingly being diagnosed in young people. This is due to a sedentary lifestyle and the habit of staying away while doing a sedentary job.

It is important to recognize the disease in time, because cervical osteochondrosis is much easier to treat in the initial stage of its development than in advanced cases.

Manifestations and causes of the disease

Manifestations of the disease develop gradually. Their intensity increases as the condition of the spine worsens. At first they may bother a person only occasionally, but over time they become permanent.

Main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis:

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

With worsening osteochondrosis, a person complains of:

• shooting pain;
• dizziness;
• gori;
• increased neck muscle tone.

Depending on which vertebrae are involved in the pathological process, pain and sensory disturbances can affect different areas of the body. They can cross over the shoulder girdle, be felt in the thoracic back, and appear on the muscles of the hands and even the fingers. Many patients want to know if cervical osteochondrosis can be cured forever. There can be no definite answer here, as it all depends on the stage of the disease and the degree of degenerative changes. But it is possible to alleviate the condition during the deterioration and prevent the deterioration of health. And folk remedies will help here.

Reasons for developing osteochondrosis:

• cramping habit while walking;
• improper body position when reading books, working at a computer;
• injuries and spinal injuries;
• insufficiently active lifestyle;
• exhausting physical activity;
• use of soft mattresses and pillows during rest;
• prolonged weight bearing;
• flat feet;
• metabolic disorders in the body;
• vitamin and mineral deficiency;
scoliosis;
• obesity;
• genetic predisposition;
• pregnancy.

When choosing options for treating cervical osteochondrosis, you need to consider the severity of the symptoms. Before starting the therapy, you must definitely contact a neurologist in order to determine the correct diagnosis and agree on a treatment plan. In some situations, only folk remedies can be relieved, and sometimes they should be used in combination with classical therapy.

Ointment and balm treatment

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

Here are some simple homemade recipes:

1. Ginger ointment from garlic.Mix equal amounts of garlic puree and chopped fresh ginger root. For plasticity, add a little olive or sesame oil to this mass. Apply the composition on the neck before bed. It is recommended to repeat the procedure every day until the unpleasant symptoms disappear. Leave the ointment to act for 30 minutes, after which it must be rinsed off with warm water.
2. Bay leaf ointment.In 60 ml of melted butter add 5 g of crushed juniper leaves and 6 tsp. dry beaten bay leaf. This ointment should be used to rub the painful area of ​​the neck in the morning and evening.
3. Sage oil.It is necessary to dissolve 3 tablespoons in a water bath. l. Vaseline and add 2 tbsp. l. chopped sage plant, 2 tbsp. l. plantain leaves, ¼ cups of any vegetable oil. It is recommended to rub the neck with ointment three times a day, after which the treated area should be insulated with a woolen scarf for several hours.

Using wraps

For many back problems, external treatments bring significant relief to the patient. They must act quickly, because it is desirable to cure osteochondrosis of the neck as soon as possible to avoid complications. Self-made compresses relieve pain and restore normal mobility of stiff muscles. They can also have a warming effect, so that the active substances can penetrate the blood faster.

You can use the following recipes at home:

1. Velcro wrap.2 tbsp. l. dry crushed leaves of the plant, it is necessary to pour 400 ml of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes. After straining, a bandage soaked in warm solution, covered with cellophane, cotton wool and woolen cloth should be applied to the painful area. The procedure takes 15 minutes. After that, the bandage must be removed and a warm scarf wrapped around the neck to keep warm.
2. Wrapping with eucalyptus and honey.30 g of eucalyptus leaves must be finely chopped and filled with 400 ml of boiling water. Cook them on 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 it for therapeutic effects for 30 minutes.
3. Horseradish wrap.Fresh leaves of the plant should be soaked in boiling water for a few minutes to soften. When they are warm, they should be applied to the neck and covered with plastic wrap and a warm cloth on top. The procedure is best done before bed, leaving the leaves on the skin overnight. In the morning, they must be removed, washed with warm water and lubricated with baby cream to protect them from drying out.
4. Mustard and aloe vera wrap.In equal parts you must take and thoroughly mix aloe juice, dried mustard and vodka. In the resulting solution you need to moisten the gauze, apply it to the neck and insulate this place with cling film and a woolen scarf. Leave the compress to warm overnight.

For maximum effect, compresses for cervical osteochondrosis should be combined with other methods of treatment - decoctions, ointments and baths. With an integrated approach, the unpleasant symptoms will recede very quickly and then will not remind you for a long time.

Internal Products

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

You can prepare the following traditional medicines for internal use:

1. Cedar tincture.Half a liter jar should be filled with crushed, unpeeled pine nuts. They must be topped with vodka so that it covers the nuts with a layer of 5 cm. The product must be infused for 7 days in a cool, dark place. After that, the tincture must be filtered and taken 15 ml three times a day.
2. Decoction of St. John's wort and stinking steel.These components must be mixed in the same amount, 2 tbsp. l. Pour 400 ml of boiling water over the resulting collection. The mixture should be boiled on low heat for 15 minutes, after which it should be infused for 1 hour in a warm place. It is recommended to take the soup three times a day, 200 ml before meals.
3. Herbal collection.It is necessary to mix willow bark, buckthorn grass and birch leaves in a ratio of 5: 1: 4. Pour 30 g of this mixture into 500 ml of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes. After complete cooling, the soup must be filtered and drunk in a glass in the morning and evening before meals.

Alternative help

Osteochondrosis is a chronic disease with a long course. This is important to understand because sometimes it takes a very long time to heal the cervical spine. The primary task during exacerbation is to alleviate the patient's condition. In many cases, this can be done without medication by resorting to folk methods.

Softwood baths help reduce pain. In an enamel bowl you need to put 1 kg of needles and branches of coniferous trees (pine, spruce, spruce), fill them to the top with water and cook over low heat until the amount of water is halved. After that, the soup must be given for 12 hours in a warm place. 1. 5 liters of the obtained filtered coniferous infusion must be added to the general bath. Its temperature should not be hot (about 37 ° C), because osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can be treated only with moderately warm solutions. Too hot water can make the pain worse.

After consulting a neurologist, in the absence of contraindications, you can perform light gymnastics to remove the discomfort in the neck. The head should be slightly tilted down and forward, then left and right. You can put your hands on the back of your head and try to move your head steadily in this direction. The same must be done on the side of the forehead. Such a simple treatment of cervical osteochondrosis at home normalizes muscle tone and relieves cramps. In time, this exercise should last about 15 minutes a day. The movements should be soft, not performed by force or if they cause severe pain.