Today, a disease of the musculoskeletal system such as osteochondrosis practically does not lend itself to complete treatment.
However, the set of doctors has enough tools that help to effectively stop the symptoms of the disease and can stop its further development.
Many of these methods require hospital treatment, for which, given the modern pace of life, a person does not always have time. How to get rid of osteochondrosis in this case?
There is only one answer - the treatment of osteochondrosis at home. Consider the methods of treating osteochondrosis at home with folk remedies.
Pathogenesis of the disease
According to statistics, one in three people under the age of 45 has complaints of back pain. In most cases, this is due to osteochondrosis of the spine.
The pathology is mainly characterized by damage to cartilage and bone tissue and, in the process of progression, begins to affect the patient's nervous system.
The disease is rapidly "rejuvenating" due to a decrease in physical activity of the population due to the development of computer technologies and the developing transport infrastructure.
But in addition to a sedentary lifestyle, experts also name other reasons for the development of pathology:
- Ecology;
- Diet disorder;
- Inadequate distribution of physical load on the back;
- Trauma;
- Skeletal muscle weakness;
- Decreased immunity against the background of the development of chronic diseases;
- Viral and bacterial pathologies, etc.
With the modern dynamics of a person's life, he simply does not have enough time to take care of his health. There are always ten other reasons not to do this: work, family, children, etc.
Then the person asks for a long time: where did he get osteochondrosis at the age of 25-30 years? - a disease that usually occurs in older people.
Many consider going to the clinic a waste of time, and a logical question is brewing: how to treat osteochondrosis at home?
To answer this question, it is necessary to consider what are the most common therapy methods used by specialists in the treatment of this pathology.
Only after this can we consider treating osteochondrosis with folk remedies to understand how effective alternative treatment methods are in general.
Treatment of osteochondrosis.
The therapy for this pathology does not have any standard and depends on the individual diagnosis of the patient.
This suggests that before starting treatment for osteochondrosis at home, you should still visit your doctor for a diagnosis.
This must be done so as not to cause further harm to your body. Complications of this pathology lead to protrusion and herniation of the intervertebral discs, which can contribute to headaches, loss of sensation in the extremities, even paralysis.
In hospital treatment after diagnosis, specialists first solve three main tasks:
- Elimination of pain syndrome;
- Relief of the inflammatory process and edema. These symptoms are almost always present during the development of this pathology;
- Physiotherapy procedures aimed at restoring damaged tissues, the main goal is to achieve a long and lasting remission.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine with alternative methods cannot replace full therapy.
However, an alternative treatment for osteochondrosis can help reduce pain symptoms and improve the patient's overall health.
What medicines can be used at home?
Many drugs that are used in the treatment of osteochondrosis have a number of serious side effects and are therefore only taken with the permission of the attending physician.
But what if back pain haunts you and there's no way to get to the clinic? How to cure osteochondrosis at home with the drugs that are available in the first aid kit at home?
The first thing that is recommended for acute pain are drugs from the group of painkillers.
Aspirin, in addition to its mild analgesic effect, has the ability to thin the blood, which promotes better blood circulation and has an antipyretic effect.
This helps to relieve inflammation and swelling of the tissues that pinch the nerve endings and thus cause pain.
The use of pain relief patches is recommended. In their composition, most often they contain lidocaine, which quickly has an analgesic effect.
Also, excellent reviews have soothing ointments with a cooling effect, which, as a rule, contain menthol and camphor.
If you are sure that the acute phase of the disease has passed and you do not have symptoms of inflammation, it is recommended to use gels with a warming effect - turpentine ointment.
The ointment should be applied directly to the pain site, gently rubbing the skin. There is no point in touching the unaffected areas.
The cold effect gels can be applied at any time. It is recommended to apply ointments with a warming effect at night and also wrap the affected area with a woolen cloth.
Gymnastics at home
Exercise therapy for osteochondrosis is one of the main and effective methods in the treatment of this pathology. A common reason for the development of osteochondrosis is a weak muscle structure that cannot cope with physical activity.
Therefore, the entire load falls on the intervertebral discs, as a result of which their degenerative changes occur.
The discs between the vertebrae become thinner or, as they say, dry out and lose their functional capacity. Gymnastics allows you to increase muscle tone, improve their elasticity and blood circulation in them.
Depending on the location of tissue damage and pain syndrome, osteochondrosis can be cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral.
Exercises also exist for different departments, but it is not recommended to train only the most affected area, which brings discomfort to a person, but to exercise all parts of the spine.
Attention!If pain occurs when performing recovery gymnastics, training should be stopped immediately and carried out only under the supervision of a specialist.
- The first two exercises perfectly stimulate the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine, promote better fluid circulation and thicken them. To perform them, you must take a sitting or standing position. We make the head tilt back and forth with a small range of motion. The movements should remind you that you are having a conversation with the person and in what agreement with him, say yes.
- The next exercise is similar to the first, only now you have to turn your head to the left and right, as if you were saying no. The movements should not be performed with a great amplitude, it should be approximately 30% of the maximum possible tilt or turn of the head. They are performed several times a day at a convenient time for 2-3 minutes each.
- The following exercise for home treatment of the spine strengthens the muscles of the neck and shoulders well. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms lowered along your body. We make circular movements with the shoulders back and forth. It is also performed several times a day in various approaches, 15-20 times in each direction.
- To exercise the lumbar spine, it is recommended to perform an exercise that is more like a belly dance. Starting position, with feet shoulder-width apart. We make circular movements with the pelvis, first in one direction, then the other. At the same time, we make sure that the chest and shoulder girdle remain as immobile as possible. It is enough to do it two or three times in different directions for 20-25 rotations.
- The following exercise aims to strengthen the back and trapezius muscles. The position of the body, lying on the stomach, arms extended forward. We raise our arms, shoulders, and head, take a second, and lower ourselves to the starting position. The exercise is done 10 to 15 times.
In addition to strengthening the back muscles, the abdominal muscles, which are involved not only in deep breathing, but also in maintaining correct posture, should not be forgotten. Weak abdominal muscles contribute to the development of lumbar lordosis.
Attention!Exercise benefits the body only with regular exercise.
Gymnastics is a good remedy for osteochondrosis. The therapeutic effect is achieved by strengthening the muscles and improving blood circulation in them, which prevents the development of the inflammatory process and edema around the cartilage tissue.
Physiotherapy at home
Home remedies used for osteochondrosis are often taken from the life experience of entire generations and used successfully in traditional medicine as physiotherapy procedures.
Some of them can easily be done at home.
Hot and cold shower
The first folk remedy with which osteochondrosis can be treated at home is a contrast shower.
For many, this procedure is associated only with hardening and not everyone understands how this procedure will help in the fight against this pathology.
The explanation here is quite simple: a sudden redirection of blood flow in the muscles, around the cartilaginous tissues and the skin.
This promotes the leakage of excess fluid from areas of inflammation and edema and the entry of essential trace elements into damaged tissues.
The moment a person is under streams of hot water, protective mechanisms are activated in the body, which should save it from overheating.
This is accomplished through the outflow of blood from the internal organs to the muscles and skin. The vessels dilate, the amount of blood increases, and excess heat is removed to the outside.
When you suddenly stand on the jets of cold water, the opposite reaction occurs: the outflow of blood from the muscles and skin to the internal organs.
This is the process of thermoregulation of the body, and at the same time, blood circulation in damaged tissues is normalized, which contributes to the improvement of the condition as a whole.
The procedure is pretty easy. It is necessary to stay under tolerant hot water that does not boil for 20-30 seconds.
Then change the water to cold for 10-20 seconds. The procedure should be done 3 to 5 times, ending with a cool but pleasant water temperature.
Despite the obvious benefits of this procedure, it still has contraindications:
- It is forbidden to perform this procedure when the patient has symptoms of a cold or acute respiratory disease;
- Cardiovascular diseases;
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and other internal organs, etc.
The volume of blood from the internal organs to the muscles and back is large enough and can cause: heart attack, stroke or internal bleeding. Therefore, this complex should be performed with a gradual increase in the time interval with cold or warm water.
First, spend no more than 5-7 seconds under running water and gradually bring these values up to 30 seconds over several weeks.
Salt baths
Another popular remedy for the treatment of osteochondrosis is salt baths. They help a lot if the pain in the back is caused by a muscular overexertion.
To prepare a bath, you will need sea or ordinary salt. Fine and purified by evaporation will be less effective in this case.
The volume of a standard bath varies from 170 to 195 liters, this amount of water will require about 5 kg of salt.
Water temperature from 36 to 38 ° С. Any essential oil can be used to get the best effect. After the procedure, it is recommended to stand for a few minutes under a slightly warm stream of water.
Osteochondrosis is practically not curable, but when using treatment with alternative methods as an additional therapy to the main treatment, it is still possible to stop and therefore win.