Walking upright frees a person's hands to perform work operations - this is an indisputable advantage. Along with this, the load on the spine has increased, which leads to the development of serious illnesses, and this is a colossal sign. 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 of the treatment methods, but an alternative is possible in the early stages of disease development. You can treat osteochondrosis at home. The range of effective therapeutic measures is wide and accessible.
What is osteochondrosis
Dysfunction and destruction of intervertebral discs, vertebral tissues, is a disease of the musculoskeletal system, which is called osteochondrosis. Osteocytes are bone cells and chondrocytes are cartilage cells. Based on these names, the origin of the term "osteochondrosis" is clear. Degenerative dystrophic changes in the spine negatively affect the general state of the body.
As the disease progresses, the muscles atrophy, the conduction of nerve impulses is interrupted, the physiological systems and individual internal organs malfunction. The appearance of back and neck pain is the first sign of the disease. Depending on the location of the lesion, osteochondrosis is:
- Cervical. The main symptoms are: pain in the shoulders, arms, neck; dizziness, tinnitus, spots in front of the eyes.
- Chest. It is characterized by dull pain or lumbago in the chest area.
- Lumbosacral. There are pains in the hip joints, lower back and sacrum. The functionality of the lower extremities 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 with the timely diagnosis of the disease. It goes through 4 degrees (or stages):
- The pathological process begins with dehydration of the central part of the intervertebral disc (nucleus pulposus). As a result, the structure decreases, cracks appear on the outer part of the disc (fibrous ring). This stage is almost invisible to the patient. Mild discomfort manifests itself in an uncomfortable position or during active physical activity.
- The distance between adjacent vertebrae decreases due to subsidence of the intervertebral disc. Ligaments and muscles give way. The vertebrae acquire additional mobility. For this reason, they are displaced. This condition is called spondylolisthesis. With a heavy load, the patient feels discomfort, sometimes pain at the location of the pathology.
- The formation of prolapses (hernias), protrusions (irregular protrusions) of discs, subluxations and arthrosis of the intervertebral joints are the main pathological changes in the third stage of the disease. The patient's movements are restricted, numbness, tingling in the limbs occurs. Pains are present, their location 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. Its formation occurs in a chaotic way, depending on the location, can damage the nerve endings of the spinal cord, neighboring vertebrae. Processes of pronounced structural changes (fibrous ankylosis) begin in the intervertebral joints. The vertebral-motor segment appears "bricked". The signs of osteochondrosis at this stage are practically not felt.
The risk of developing the disease increases with age. After 40 years, irreversible changes in the body begin. Osteochondrosis affects 80% of people who have reached the age of 60. This is due to a decrease in the level of metabolic processes, physical activity, chronic diseases and other reasons. The risk group is formed by young people from 20 to 30 years old who lead a sedentary life, are overweight and have a weak muscular system. There is a direct connection between pathological changes in the spine and the body's functionality.
Reasons
The medication did not determine the exact cause of the disease. Walking, improper load distribution when performing work operations, physical exercises, static body positions (standing, sitting) increase the risk of developing osteochondrosis. According to most doctors, the occurrence of pathological processes in the spine is caused by a group of factors:
- violation of metabolic processes;
- dehydration of the body;
- genetic predisposition; hormonal failure
- ;
- insufficient physical development;
- degenerative processes of the muscular system;
- problems with posture;
- flat feet;
- toxic damage to the body;
- infectious diseases;
- trauma, hematomas in the spine and in the musculoskeletal system in general;
- pregnancy;
- age-related changes;
- harmful working conditions;
- overweight;
- inadequate nutrition;
- sleeping place incorrectly organized;
- bad habits;
- frequent stress.
Treatment methods
Osteochondrosis therapy is a long process. It includes a set of activities that take from 1 to 3 months. At this time, you need to add a rehabilitation period, its duration is about 1 year. The success of the treatment depends a lot on the patient himself. He must strictly follow the doctor's recommendations. With partial compliance, the prognosis for recovery is minimal.
Self-medication complicates the treatment of osteochondrosis. The clinical picture of the disease is not clear, the patient begins to select medications independently to relieve the condition. By blocking painful sensations, he continues to lead a normal life, and the disease progresses at that point. When the first symptoms of the disease appear, it is necessary to consult a doctor, do an exam, clarify the diagnosis and start the therapeutic measures.
The treatment of osteochondrosis is carried out by two methods: conservative and surgical treatment. The general recommendations in both cases are dietary nutrition and rehabilitation. Conservative treatment aims to eliminate pain, restore spine functionality and prevent structural changes in intervertebral joints. The set of activities includes:
- drug therapy;
- physiotherapy;
- physiotherapy exercises;
- massage (paravertebral);
- manual therapy;
- using a needle applicator;
- spinal traction.
The decision on the surgical treatment of the disease is taken by the advice of doctors in the absence of a conservative treatment result or in the event of serious injuries to the articular structures of the spine. It is important to consult a doctor in a timely manner 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
Considering the peculiarities of the disease and the recovery time, the question of effective treatment of osteochondrosis at home is relevant for most patients. It is important to consider that this is an uncommon disease and that it is not possible to obtain a positive result with the help of medication alone. It is necessary to regularly use a set of measures that can be taken as directed by a doctor at home.
Medicines
Medicines are prescribed in the acute form of the disease. Osteochondrosis is a systemic disease. Its negative consequences affect the state of the body as a whole, therefore, drug treatment solves a set of tasks:
- pain relief;
- relieves inflammation;
- restores metabolic reactions;
- improves blood circulation in the affected areas;
- to restore cartilage tissue;
- to restore joint mobility;
- eliminates depression caused by severe pain.
Drug therapy includes several groups of drugs.
Group |
Action |
Pharmacological forms |
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory |
Inflammation and pain relief (inhibiting prostaglandins) |
Capsules, pills, gels, ointments, adhesives, injections |
Analgesics, anesthetics |
Pain relief |
Pills, injection |
Vasodilators |
Improving the nutrition of damaged tissues, accelerating their regeneration |
Injections, pills (dragees), gels, creams, ointments |
Glucocorticosteroid |
Heavy artillery, powerful anti-inflammatory |
Pills, injections, ointments |
Muscle relaxants (muscle relaxers) |
Relaxing and calming effect on muscles |
Pills, injection |
Chondroprotectors (glucosamine, chondroitin) |
Stabilize the process, avoid further destruction |
Capsules, pills, gels, ointments, injections |
Sedatives |
Removing depression, increasing resistance to stress, improving sleep quality, stabilizing emotional state |
Tinctures, tablets |
Vitamins (antioxidants) |
Restoring the sensitivity of the affected nerve endings, reducing pain |
Pills, injection |
Vitamin and mineral complexes |
General strengthening of the body |
Pills |
Exercise
A sedentary lifestyle has a detrimental effect on the state of the body. The effective treatment of the spine at home involves special exercises. There are physiotherapy exercise complexes by the author, you can use the recommendations and design an individual training program.
Physical education is the main remedy for osteochondrosis. Bending, twisting, twisting and rocking the back are recommended exercises. It is useful to perform hanging from the bar, use yoga exercises to stretch the spine. Sufficient attention must be paid to strengthening the back muscles - pulling up, doing push-ups. There are several rules that you need to consider in order not to harm your health:
- Corrective gymnastics should start with a warm-up;
- torsion should not be done for acute pain in the lumbar spine;
- jumping, running are undesirable, it is better to replace them by walking, swimming, cycling or skiing;
- for cervical osteochondrosis, circular rotation of the head is not always recommended.
When choosing gymnastics, you must take into account age, difficulty in exercising, physical fitness. It is necessary to practice physical therapy exercises at least 3 times a week. The proposed complex will help to cure cervical osteochondrosis at home (all exercises are performed 10 times):
- Sit in a chair, straighten your back, gently rotate your head alternately to the right and to the left.
- The starting position is the same. Place your right palm on your right cheek and gently tilt your head to the left. Repeat the exercise in the opposite direction.
- Sit upright, bring your hands together at the back of your head and gently lean forward. Press the back of the head with your hands, gently lower the head, touch the chest with the chin, feel the muscular tension.
- Sit down, hold the edge of the chair with your hands behind you, slowly lower your head back, open your shoulder blades and return to the starting position.
- Lift your shoulders, try to reach them up to your earlobe, lower your shoulders.
Pain in the lower back is prevalent. Uncomplicated regular gymnastics with lumbar osteochondrosis will bring more benefits than constant use of painkillers (repeat the exercises 5 to 10 times):
- Stretching your back muscles- Lie on your back, raise your arms, stretch your toes down.
- Raising the pelvis- Lie on your back, bend your legs, arms at your sides, raise your pelvis (inhale), lower (exhale).
- Embryo posture- lie on your back, pull your knees against your chest, holding them with your arms (inhale), pull your head up to your knees (exhale).
- Cat stance- stand on all fours, while exhaling, turn your back, while inhaling, lean in, lift your head.
Treatment of osteochondrosis with folk remedies
Folk remedies for osteochondrosis have been shown to be good. They are effective and safe. There are many recipes for the preparation of medicinal tinctures, ointments, friction, decoctions. You can cook them yourself if you want. Herbal medicines eliminate the causes of the disease, herbs contain a lot of nutrients and have a general strengthening effect. Herbal remedies are affordable. There are known methods of treating diseases with bee stings and bee products.
Compresses
The compresses help to reduce pain, relieve swelling and inflammation. Home treatment of the back and spine will be effective if warm-up procedures are used for two weeks. They improve blood circulation, relieve pain, relieve muscle spasms. Easy to make horseradish and apple compaction:
- horseradish contains mustard oil (heating effect), apples have many organic acids (anti-inflammatory, analgesic effect);
- on a fine grater, grate a small horseradish root and an apple;
- squeeze the juice slightly;
- forms a cake;
- place in the inflamed area;
- cover with polyethylene, towel;
- wrap with a warm cloth;
- placed at night, every day, until the intense pain goes away.
Infusions and decoctions
Effective treatment of osteochondrosis at home involves not only the use of external agents, but also an internal effect on the body. For this, infusions and medicinal decoctions are used. They relieve pain, inflammation and soothe the nervous system. In folk medicine, infusions of leaves and parsley seeds, a decoction of pine cones are used to treat the spine. Cinquefoil is effective, acts as an analgesic, restores damaged tissues. 
Dye recipe:
- Mix 200 g of chopped cinquefoil root and 100 g of Potentilla erecta;
- Pour the vegetable mixture into 1 liter of vodka;
- insist for 3 weeks; strain
- ;
- take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day before meals;
- The course of treatment is 1 month.
Applications
The heating procedures include applications. This 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, a gauze napkin is moistened with medicinal solution and applied to the affected area, maintained for 30-40 minutes. The procedure can be performed several times a day. Technique for applying honey with aloe:
- natural honey has a unique medicinal composition, aloe is a natural antibiotic, a biological stimulant;
- prepare a tincture of 100 g of honey, 50 g of aloe leaves (must pass through a meat grinder) and 100 ml of vodka;
- insists on 1 week;
- moisten a piece of natural fabric with dye;
- applies to the inflamed area;
- put polyethylene and a towel on top;
- wrap with a woolen scarf;
- perform the procedure 2 times a day.
Scrub
For an effective treatment of osteochondrosis at home, you can prepare rubbing and ointments. The friction procedure is similar to the massage, performed 2 to 3 times a day. Stimulates blood circulation, relieves inflammation, pain. Turpentine, kerosene, badger fat, lard, medicinal plants (banana, sage, juniper) are used to prepare medicinal rubbers.
Bay leaf juniper ointment recipe:
- 1 teaspoon of juniper needles, 6 teaspoons of chopped bay leaves, 12 teaspoons of melted butter, mix well;
- apply the mixture to the inflammation site;
- Rub the ointment with light movements;
- wrap your back with a warm woolen cloth;
- rub in the afternoon and before bed.
Healing baths
Baths with herbal decoctions 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 articular structures. For the preparation of decoctions, chamomile, lemon balm, string, thyme, horsetail, thyme and other plants are used. Medicinal raw materials can be prepared independently or purchased at the pharmacy.
The decoction of the medicinal bath is prepared as follows:
- take 250-300 g of dry plant material or prepare a mixture of medicinal herbs;
- boil in 5 liters of water for 20 minutes; strain
- and add to the prepared warm water;
- Take a shower 10-15 minutes before bedtime.