Self-medication is a surefire way to harm your body. But this does not mean that the treatment of osteochondrosis at home is impossible. Treatment of the disease should be started after consulting a doctor.
If all the doctor's recommendations are followed, patients can restore the cartilage tissue and natural anatomical structure of the spine and prevent the development of complications.
Principles of home treatment
It should be understood that eliminating the symptoms of pathology does not mean eliminating osteochondrosis. The disappearance of the signs gives only a brief respite before the next attack begins. Pain relievers do not cure osteochondrosis. They only eliminate discomfort, spasms and pain.
Dystrophic changes in the spine occur due to:
- disturbed blood flow;
- deficiency of nutrients in the cartilage;
- stagnation in tissue structures;
- oxygen deficiency of cartilage tissues.
To understand how to treat osteochondrosis at home, it is necessary to know the mechanism of the development of pathology. After 25 years, the cartilage loses its ability to receive nourishment from the bloodstream.
The blood vessels that pass through the cartilage structures are closed. Cartilage nutrients are extracted from surrounding tissues through reverse osmosis. With reduced motor activity, cartilage tissues do not receive enough substances necessary for normal functioning.
Degenerative processes occur in them. Cartilage loses its elasticity, microfractures appear. This leads to the destruction of the integrity of tissue structures, inflammation, edema and pain.
Here's how to cure osteochondrosis at home, doctors advise:
- stick to a diet;
- engage in medical gymnastics;
- take drugs;
- regulate the mode of work, rest and sleep;
- create the right sleeping place with a hard surface (an orthopedic mattress and pillow are ideal).
Defeating osteochondrosis helps patient persistence, a systematic approach to treatment. Success is guaranteed by full compliance with all medical recommendations, by the correct application of medical methods.
Pharmacological therapy
Medicines help suppress the symptoms of osteochondrosis. Home treatment of the disease without drugs is impossible. Until the pain subsides, it is forbidden to practice physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapy procedures and massage. This is the basic rule for the treatment of osteochondrosis in the acute stage.
To relieve exacerbation, the attending physician prescribes:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs relieve pain and inflammation. The pills have severe side effects. Their use is possible only after a meal with plenty of water. For diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, drugs are administered parenterally (injections are given).
- Muscle relaxants relieve swelling and pain syndrome, reduce hypertonicity of the back muscles. They are taken simultaneously with diuretics.
- Sedative medicines. They drink decoctions, herbal teas and pharmaceutical preparations based on soothing herbs (chamomile, motherwort, mint). They eliminate the neurosis caused by unbearable pain. If spinal osteochondrosis is severe, treatment is carried out with the use of tranquilizers, antidepressants. They normalize the psychological state of a person.
- Complex preparations with vitamins of group B. The use of multivitamins accelerates the regeneration of nerve fibers. The course of treatment with vitamins is 21 days.
- Local preparations with anti-inflammatory effect. Ointments and gels are rubbed on the affected areas. They fight pain and inflammation. They are used until the pain syndrome completely disappears.
- Warming gums and balms based on bioactive substances that have a moderate irritating effect. The healing effect is given by the poisons of bees and snakes, menthol, which are part of the medicines. Means eliminate swelling and pain, improve blood flow, restore tissue nutrition.
- Applications with a medicinal solution. Drugs, penetrating deep into the tissues, suppress inflammation.
Traditional treatment methods
It is impossible to get rid of osteochondrosis with drugs alone. Treatment must be supplemented with folk remedies that the attending physician will recommend.
Common methods of treatment at home with folk remedies:
- Applications with potatoes and honey. Potatoes are turned into gruel, combined with honey in equal quantities. The agent is spread on a napkin and fixed on the lesion. The application is entered for 1 hour. The procedure is suitable for short-term pain relief.
- Horseradish leaf applications are a good way to show you how to get rid of the pain. The sheet is steamed in boiling water. Apply with the inside on the sore spot, wrap it in a warm cloth, go to sleep. In the morning, the pain syndrome subsides.
- Treatment of osteochondrosis at home is carried out by taking medicines from pine buds. I collect the raw materials in the spring, they collect those buds that are less than 2 centimeters long (only they are enriched with the necessary bioactive substances). The kidneys are washed, dried and turned into gruel. Mixed with sugar. For 2 parts of the gruel from the kidneys, take 1 part of sugar. The mixture is refrigerated for 14 days. The criterion for product readiness is brown. They are treated for 21 days, taking 1 teaspoon of medicine.
- Bath. A Turkish bath helps get rid of osteochondrosis. Warm up in the steam room with breaks. They go inside 3 times for 5 minutes. The procedure is carried out every other day. The course of treatment is 10 sessions. Bathing relieves pain.
- Nettle seed oil helps treat osteochondrosis at home. Mix 100 ml of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of plant seeds. The mixture is left to infuse for 14 days. The oil is filtered, poured into a dark glass bottle. Rubbing is done with oil. The procedure relieves the pain.
- Vodka, honey, and aloe tincture is another popular way to relieve pain in osteochondrosis. For cooking, take vodka, honey and aloe in a ratio of 3: 2: 1. By combining the components, let them brew for several hours. Compresses are made with this tool at night.
- Healing baths suppress pain, remove toxins, increase blood flow, and relieve inflammation. For the treatment of osteochondrosis, salt, turpentine and mustard baths are taken. Baths with pine needles, oak bark, sage, juniper help fight the disease.
Hardware methods for treating osteochondrosis at home
Despite such a variety of home methods of treating osteochondrosis, consult a doctor before fighting the disease yourself!
The pharmaceutical industry produces devices for the treatment of osteochondrosis at home. The devices act on diseased areas with a pulse or vibration generated by electric currents or a magnetic field. The devices allow you to perform medical procedures at home.
In addition to drug therapy, folk methods and hardware techniques, osteochondrosis is treated at home, performing therapeutic exercises, doing massage (classical, cupping, acupressure). Symptoms will pass quickly, and treatment will be effective if therapeutic and traditional methods are combined with a diet.
The diet should be enriched with healthy foods: fruits, vegetables, lean meat and fish, dairy products. With osteochondrosis, spicy and fatty dishes, meat broths, alcoholic beverages, coffee, pork are contraindicated.
Complex treatment helps to get rid of osteochondrosis, to forget about pain. Use your doctor's advice to restore spinal function and health.