Back and neck pain is one of the most common unpleasant symptoms experienced by almost every modern person 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 the unstable lifestyle and the habit of bending over while doing inactive work.
It is important to identify the disease in time, as it is easier to treat cervical osteochondrosis in the early stages of its development than in more advanced cases.
Manifestations and causes of disease
Manifestations of this disease develop gradually. Their intensity increases as the condition of the spine worsens. At first, they may bother someone only occasionally, but eventually they become permanent.
The main symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis:
- the pain worsens when turning and tilting the head;
- neck pain;
- headache;
- decreased visual acuity;
- Muscle stiffness and tension in the affected area.
With increasing osteochondrosis, one complains:
- shooting pain;
- dizziness;
- burns;
- increased neck muscle tone.
Depending on which vertebrae are involved in the pathological process, pain and sensory disorders can affect different areas of the body. They can reach the shoulder girdle, be felt in the thoracic back, and appear in the muscles of the arms and even the fingers. Many patients want to know if cervical osteochondrosis can be cured forever. There is no definite answer here, as it all depends on the stage of the disease and the degree of degenerative change. But it is possible to alleviate the condition during deterioration and prevent deterioration of health. And folk remedies will help here.
Causes of the development of osteochondrosis:
- the habit of relaxing while walking;
- incorrect body position while reading a book, working at a computer;
- injuries and spinal cord injuries;
- inactive lifestyle;
- exhausting physical activity;
- use mattresses and pillows that are too soft at rest;
- long-term consideration;
- flat feet;
- metabolic disorders in the body;
- vitamin and mineral deficiency;
- scoliosis;
- obesity;
- genetic predisposition;
- pregnancy.
Choosing the option to treat cervical osteochondrosis, you need to take into account the severity of symptoms. Before starting therapy, you must contact a neurologist to determine the exact diagnosis and agree on a treatment plan. In some cases, only folk remedies can be taken, and sometimes these drugs should be used in conjunction with classical therapy.
Treatment with ointments and balms
When used externally, traditional medicine should reduce pain and inflammation, and help normalize muscle movement. Ointments and balms should be used in conjunction with other treatment methods, as it is quite difficult to cure osteochondrosis of the cervical spine only with its help. Instead, they are ambulance methods and express therapy.
Here are some easy-to-make homemade recipes:
- Garlic ginger ointment.In equal amounts, mix the garlic porridge and chopped fresh ginger root. For plasticity, you need to add a little olive oil or sesame oil to this mass. Apply the composition to the neck before bed. It is recommended to repeat the procedure daily until the unpleasant symptoms disappear. Leave the ointment for exposure for 30 minutes, after which it must be washed with warm water.
- Greeting leaf ointment.In 60 ml of melted butter, add 5 g of crushed juniper leaves and 6 tsp. dried crushed bay leaves. This ointment should be used to rub the sore neck area in the morning and evening.
- Sage Ointment.You need to dilute 3 tbsp in a water bath. l. Vaseline and add 2 tbsp. l. chopped sage herb, 2 tbsp. l. banana leaves, ¼ any cup of vegetable oil. It is recommended to rub the neck with ointment three times a day, after which the treated area should be covered with a woolen scarf for several hours.
Using compression
For many back problems, external treatment provides great relief to the patient. They must act quickly, as it is very good to cure neck osteochondrosis as soon as possible to avoid complications. Homemade compresses relieve pain and restore normal movement of stiff muscles. They can also have a warming effect, as the active ingredient can enter the bloodstream faster.
At home, you can use the following recipes:
- Burdock compress.2 tbsp. l. dried leaves of crushed plants, you need to pour 400 ml of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes. After straining, the bandage soaked in a warm solution should be rubbed into the painful area, covered with cellophane, cotton and wool. This procedure takes 15 minutes. After that, the bandage must be removed and a warm scarf wraps around the neck to keep it warm.
- Compress with eucalyptus and honey.30 g of eucalyptus leaves must be finely chopped and filled with 400 ml of boiling water. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Once cool, add honey (5: 1) to the stretched solution. This solution should be used for daily compresses before bed. Leave for therapeutic effect for 30 minutes.
- Compress the radish.The fresh leaves of the plant should be dipped in boiling water for a few minutes to soften it. When warm, they should be rubbed on the neck and covered with a plastic wrap and a warm cloth over it. The procedure is best done at bedtime, 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 it from drying out.
- Compress with mustard and aloe.In equal proportions, you must take and mix aloe juice, dried mustard and vodka. In the resulting solution, you need to moisten the gauze, attach it to the neck and protect this place with a sticker and a wool scarf. Allow the compress to warm overnight.
For maximum effect, compresses for cervical osteochondrosis should be combined with other treatment methods - decoction, ointment and bath. With an integrated approach, the unpleasant symptoms will disappear quickly and then will not remind themselves for a long time.
Internal products
In the event of this disease, decoctions, alcohol tincture and infusion water should be used to relieve swelling and have anti-inflammatory effects. Since the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis with folk remedies is necessarily complicated, such treatment should be used in parallel with external swabs and compresses. It is also important during suffering to reduce pressure on the cervical area, sleeping on your back or on your side on orthopedic pillows and hard mattresses.
For internal use, you can provide the following traditional medicine:
- Cedar tincture.Half-liter jars should be filled with unbroken pine nuts. The top must be poured with vodka until it covers the beans with a layer of 5 cm. The product must be injected for 7 days in a cool, dark place. After that, the tincture must be filtered and taken 15 ml three times a day.
- Boil steel St. John's wort and smelly.These components must be mixed in equal amounts, 2 tbsp. l. the resulting collection pour 400 ml of boiling water. The mixture should be cooked over low heat for 15 minutes, after which it should be infused for 1 hour in a warm place. It is recommended to take broth three times a day, 200 ml before meals.
- Herbal collection.You need to mix goat 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 leave on low heat for 10 minutes. After complete cooling, the broth must be filtered and drunk in a glass in the morning and evening before meals.
Alternative Help
Osteochondrosis is a chronic disease with a prolonged course. It is important to understand this, as it sometimes takes a very long time to treat the cervical spine. The main task during exacerbations is to alleviate the patient's condition. In many cases, this can be done without medication, using folk methods.
Conifer baths help reduce pain. Put 1 kg of needles and coniferous tree branches (pine, spruce, juniper) into an enamel pot, fill to the top with water and boil over low heat until the volume of water is halved. After that, the broth must be injected for 12 hours in a warm place. 1. 5 liters of filtered conifer infusion must be added to a public bath. The temperature should not be hot (around 37 ° C), because osteochondrosis of the cervical spine can only be treated with a fairly warm solution. Water that is too hot can cause the pain to worsen.
After consulting a neurologist, if there are no contraindications, you can do light exercise to relieve discomfort in the neck. The head must be tilted down and forward gently, and then left and right. You can place your hands on the back of your head and try to move your head in this direction with a hold. The same thing must be done from the side of the forehead. Simple treatments such as cervical osteochondrosis at home normalize muscle tone and relieve cramps. At the time, this gymnastics required about 15 minutes a day. Movement should be gentle, should not be done vigorously or if causing severe pain.