Cervical osteochondrosis is a more dangerous disease than osteochondrosis of the chest and lumbar region. This fact is explained by the fact that the neck is close to the end. Therefore, when the structures of the neck are damaged, various disorders begin in the functioning of the brain, vision, hearing and speech organs.
Therefore, doctors recommend starting treatment as soon as the disease is detected. Especially at an early stage.
Home treatment of cervical osteochondrosis may be recommended. You should get detailed instructions and recommendations from your doctor before starting treatment.
causes of the disease
It is important to know the causes of cervical osteochondrosis so that treatment is not in vain. After all, if the factors that lead to the development of pathology are not eliminated, osteochondrosis can recur.
The main causes of cervical osteochondrosis:
- Age - pathology often develops in older people due to physiological aging processes in the body. However, in recent decades, the disease has "rejuvenated" and is diagnosed in patients in their 30s. This is due to changes in modern lifestyle, occupational factors, food choices.
- Occupation or hobby - in most cases, degenerative-dystrophic changes in the tissues of the ODA begin in people who overload the cervical spine or, conversely, do not provide a normal load. For example, professional weightlifters overload their bodies with strength training. People who sit at a computer or in a sitting position, on the contrary, "load less". In the latter case, there are no dynamic loads, but static loads are very severe during prolonged inactivity.
- Injuries, hypothermia of the neck or surgery in this area.
- Heredity.
- Metastases in tumors of the spine or other organs.
- Wrong mattress (too much or not strong enough), inappropriate pillows, lying or sitting for a long time (in bed, on the couch).
The development of cervical lumbar osteochondrosis can even be caused by an improper diet. Or there may be several reasons. Factors contributing to the development of pathology will be determined by the doctor during the diagnosis. And during and after treatment, it is necessary to try to eliminate these factors or reduce their pathological effects.
Symptoms and Possible Complications
Cervical osteochondrosis may initially develop asymptomatically. Or neck discomfort and other symptoms include other illnesses, fatigue, stress, and atmospheric conditions.
However, if there are several symptoms at the same time, this should be a reason for emergency medical care:
- Finally, neck pain that spreads to the head, face, shoulders, shoulder blades, and arms. The pain may pass or intensify when you turn your head in a certain position.
- Cracked neck, limited mobility.
- Dizziness, fainting.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Harmful motor skills, coordination of movements, trembling hands.
- Sensitivity on the face, limbs, or, conversely, the appearance of unusual sensations - gas bumps, tingling.
- Problems with vision, hearing and speech.
- Increased intracranial pressure from the hypertension or cardiovascular system without an objective cause.
The occurrence of these symptoms is directly related to the dystrophic processes in the cervical spine. Both with the narrowing of the vertebral artery and the compression of the nerve tissue - these structures pass through the spinal canal and are damaged by the vertebrae.
If the disease is not treated, sooner or later dangerous complications will occur. First, the patient loses the ability to move freely - this is a disability, a permanent disability. Second, the development of the pathology is reflected in brain function, which can result in a fall, stroke, coma, or fatal trauma.
Home treatment
Almost all treatments for cervical osteochondrosis can be divided into:
- Etiotropic and pathogenetic- those that affect the cause and mechanism of development of the disease. These are some medications, physiotherapy, sports therapy, gymnastics, wearing a special collar.
- Symptomatic or palliative- those that eliminate the symptoms of the disease or help reduce its severity and intensity. They are aimed at alleviating the patient's condition, improving the quality of life during treatment and are used in addition to the first group of methods. These include other anesthetic drugs, ointments, and novocaine blockers.
However, most methods of osteochondrosis therapy are to some extent both etiotropic and symptomatic. You should try to use all available methods to treat osteochondrosis quickly. That is, therapy should be as complete, comprehensive and complex as possible.
Today, surgical methods are widely used in the treatment of osteochondrosis. However, in the case of a mild form of the disease, its use is not justified.
Therefore, for home treatment, you should pay attention to these conservative methods:
- Lifestyle and dietary changes.
- Reception or external use of drugs.
- Home treatment - gymnastics, exercise therapy, massage (if you call a masseur at home).
- Wear special collars or kinesio straps.
- Treatment with folk remedies.
Paragraphs 1, 3, 4 can be used during post-disease rehabilitation and as a preventive measure (to prevent future relapses).
It is desirable that the treatment program be developed by the doctor or at least agreed with him. Otherwise, it is possible to further damage the health of the ODA, which will significantly affect the patient's condition and treatment costs.
Lifestyle and diet
Lifestyle, physical activity will be less meaningful than treatment without normalization and adjustment of the daily menu.
What needs to be changed:
- Sleep quality- it is recommended to buy an orthopedic mattress, in addition to an orthopedic pillow.
- Cervical spine loads- should be moderate. It is advisable to refrain from strenuous sports and to transfer physical labor to another activity. You can also change the case with passive loads. If this is not possible, you should lengthen your neck during the working day and move your head more during the working day.
You also need to start eating right. After all, all the elements necessary for the recovery of muscle, nerve, cartilage and bone tissue of the spine are provided with food. Therefore, the food is rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals (calcium, iron, vitamins C, E, A, B group).
Medications
The main groups of pharmacological drugs prescribed by doctors:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - reduce pain and stop the inflammatory process in tissues.
- Drugs designed to relieve pain syndrome (including anti-inflammatory, warming effects). These include needles, corticosteroid pills, ointments and creams.
- Means for tissue regeneration ODA - chondroprotectors.
- Antispasmodics and muscle relaxants to relax neck muscle tissue.
- Vitamins and minerals, vitamin and mineral complexes.
All medications, except vitamins and painkillers, should be taken in courses. Periodic admission from each case will not give results, which will affect the effectiveness of treatment.
Procedures
Access to physiotherapy at home is limited. For example, you can only massage or lengthen your spine by calling a specialist to your home, and not everyone can do it. However, self-massage and basic physical exercises are very realistic and do not require financial costs.
Self-massage can be done with your hands as it is easy to reach the neck area. The self-massage technique is simple - you need to do gentle stroking and wrinkling movements. It is useful to use a lubricant such as petroleum jelly. The main thing is that the procedure does not cause pain.
You can also massage with a towel, rub your neck or take a shower in hot water. Another good option is to take a stick like a shovel handle - a round one. Such a rod is placed behind the shoulders, holds the ends and slides up and down like a brake on the surface of the neck. If possible, you can buy massage devices. Lyapko roller massage is very useful, not expensive, proven effective.
Neck gymnastics is also very simple. You need to do different turns and bows smoothly. However, it is not necessary to exercise with exacerbation of osteochondrosis, because the pain can be simply unbearable. This can cause spasms of the neck muscles.
Wearing orthopedic structures is an effective treatment method
There are many benefits to wearing a custom collar:
- Relax the spine and muscle tissue.
- More effective tissue repair.
- Improving blood circulation, including the vertebral artery. With cervical osteochondrosis - this is one of the main tasks.
- Neck fixation reduces mobility and pain.
- Protection of the neck area from possible additional injuries and injuries.
But the collar has its drawbacks. Wearing it is not always appropriate in the presence of other people. It can also be difficult to review and perform the necessary homework or labor manipulations. However, for the duration of treatment, you should try to wear a collar according to the schedule prescribed by your doctor.
Neck bands have many advantages as a method of treatment:
- Aesthetically pleasing, you can freely appear "in public" with the ribbon. Colored ribbons can be hidden with clothes with a high collar, if they do not fit in a certain situation.
- Do not limit physical activity.
- Moisture resistant, no need to clean before taking a shower.
- Improve blood flow and lymph drainage, relieve pain and inflammation, edema.
- Eliminate stress on muscle tissue.
- Massage stimulates metabolic processes in the muscles and their recovery.
Kinesio tapes have only one drawback - their price, but many patients can pay 100 rubles for a roll of 5 meters.
Folk remedies for the treatment of osteochondrosis
You can use for oral treatment:
- Infusion with water from bay or lingonberry leaves.
- Parsley root decoction.
- Aqueous solution of celery juice.
- Eating sesame seeds.
- Herbal teas - own or purchased (chamomile, nettle, thyme, hops).
- Alcoholic infusion of chopped pine nuts.
For the treatment of compresses and rubs, it is useful to use burdock, horseradish, red pepper (infusions, decoctions) sold in pharmacies, and resin or clay.
Home treatment of cervical osteochondrosis is often quite effective. If degenerative-dystrophic changes have already developed strongly, it is recommended to combine home therapy with other treatments. For example, use the services of a physiotherapist, massage therapist, therapist.
If the disease is just beginning to develop, medications, home procedures and folk remedies allow you to get a quick result. That is, to treat the spine without resorting to the services of specialists.