The modern rhythm of life seems to be very fast, but more and more people are not in motion, but are in a sitting position. This is fraught with various problems. One of which is osteochondrosis of the neck. How to treat this problem, in what ways you can deal with it - this will be discussed later.
Definition of concepts
Initially, you need to understand the terminology that will be used in the article. So what is osteochondrosis? This is a disease affecting the spine. In science, the definition is more accurate: it is a degenerative-dystrophic lesion. Intervertebral discs and cartilages suffer. This disease can affect various parts of the back. In this case, we will focus on cervical osteochondrosis. Which, by the way, is known firsthand to about 80% of the inhabitants of our country.
A bit of basic about the disease
If we talk about the causes of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, then there can be a huge number of reasons. However, the most common of these are a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, impaired posture, as well as work that is associated either with frequent movements or with lifting a lot of weight. The doctor will help determine the diagnosis, however, the first bell that will let the patient understand that there are problems is pain in the neck. You can diagnose the disease in various ways. For this, in medicine, there are specially designed procedures for this: radiography, CT or MRI. If you need to check the condition of the cervical vertebrae, for this you can use ultrasound dopplerography (examination of blood vessels, their condition and patency) or duplex scanning (vascular blood flow is also examined).
First aid for discomfort
Understanding how to treat osteochondrosis of the neck, effective first-aid methods need to be remembered first of all. That is, in what ways, quickly and in a short time, you can cope with unpleasant sensations. But you must remember that these methods are temporary. They will help to cope with the problem at a certain stage, but they will not save the cause of the disease.
- Taking painkillers. You can cope with uncomfortable sensations with the help of “Analgin” or “Tempalgin”.
- If the above drugs do not help, you will have to use drugs such as Ibuprofen or Diclofenac. They belong to the category of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.
- You can try to cope with the pain with the help of Diclofenac or Butadion ointments. Use warming agents very carefully and only on the recommendation of a doctor. Otherwise, you can significantly worsen the situation.
- You can cope with edema with the help of diuretics.
It can be either certain medications or alternative medicine.
It should also be said that it is impossible to fight the disease with the help of special gymnastics. You can start training only after the focus of the disease has subsided and the inflammatory process will be left behind.
Traditional Disease Control Methods
If a person is tormented by osteochondrosis of the neck, how to treat this problem is what is thought of first. What methods does traditional, that is, ordinary and familiar to modern man, medicine offer?
- The use of drugs. These can be medications such as analgesics, antispasmodics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Doctors may also prescribe vitamins. In this case, it is useful to use exactly the B vitamins. And also doctors often attribute chondroprotectors.
- Ointments and creams. Some are prescribed to relieve pain, others - to stimulate recovery processes in the tissues.
- The effect of manual therapy is very useful in this case . It can be special massages, therapeutic exercises, hirudo or reflexology.
- Very rarely, but it also happens that patients require surgical intervention.
Traditional treatment
It's time to answer how to treat osteochondrosis of the neck. A variety of methods to deal with the problem - this is the main rule. That is, you need to use complex therapy. It should not be just a medical treatment. We must also not forget about manual methods. What do doctors advise?
- You can relieve pain and cope with the inflammatory process with the help of Diclofenac, Nise, or Voltaren drugs. These remedies are also good because they help stimulate cerebral circulation.
- To relieve abnormal muscle tension, doctors advise using a tool such as Midokalm.
- Among vitamins, experts advise to pay special attention to preparations saturated with vitamins B1, B6 and B12. Nicotinic acid is also good.
- Useful in osteochondrosis are calcium, magnesium and phosphorus preparations.
- What else can be overcome osteochondrosis of the neck? How to treat this difficult disease? Often in commercials you can find information about drugs that are called "chondroprotectors." Doctors on this score do not have a clear opinion. These are essentially dietary supplements that do no harm. But also completely useless in the treatment of this complex disease.
- Physiotherapeutic procedures also help in the treatment. In this case, electrophoresis, magnetotherapy, paraffin baths, healing showers and baths are useful.
Physiotherapy
Many people are interested in how to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home. Doctors never tire of claiming that one of the main methods of complex therapy is therapeutic gymnastics. However, it can only be carried out at times when there is no exacerbation of the disease. Otherwise, you can significantly harm your body. The exercises are very simple. Everything is done in a sitting position. The head must be tilted back and forth, left and right. The exercise is strengthened by pressing a hand as opposed to a head so that the neck feels resistance. Next you need to work with your shoulders. They need to be raised up as high as possible and lowered down so that the neck extends as much as possible. The exercise can be repeated 5-10 times. If possible, you can lightly massage yourself to knead the area of pain for at least a couple of minutes every half hour, even if there is no pain. These simple exercises can even be done in the workplace. They are an excellent prevention of discomfort in the neck.
Indian onions to help
Often people are looking for ways to treat osteochondrosis of the neck with folk remedies. After all, not everyone wants to use medications. To relieve pain, you can use a regular Indian bow. It is necessary to smear the place of pain with juice from his feather. This is best done before bedtime. The next morning the pain will go away, and the discomfort will no longer make itself felt.
Healing scarf
What other methods can be used to overcome osteochondrosis of the neck? How to treat this disease without resorting to medication? You can use the so-called healing scarf. Preparing it is easy. You need to put cottage cheese with a thin layer on a regular scarf, drip a little vinegar and wrap around the place of pain localization at night.
Garlic and lemon
Are there any other ways to treat cervical osteochondrosis at home? The healers say that you can cope with this disease with the help of the well-known elixir of youth, which includes garlic and lemon. It’s not difficult to cook it. Four small lemons must be twisted with peeled garlic (150 grams). All this is placed in an ordinary three-liter jar, poured to the top with non-hot boiled water. This simple medicine is taken at 100 ml daily in the morning. Shake the medicine well before use.
Horseradish leaves
Folk healers are also advised to use horseradish leaves for treatment . Before treatment, pour one sheet with boiling water, cool and attach to the sore spot, wrapping it with a scarf. The first procedure may seem unbearable, the burning will be so strong. But after a couple of procedures the sensations will weaken. The course of treatment is only five uses. Compresses need to be done at night.
Mountain wax
How to treat osteochondrosis of the neck at home, if it is almost impossible to get horseradish leaves in winter? Do not despair. To do this, you can use mountain wax, which in medicine is called ozokerite. Oilcloth is placed at the bottom of the can, this wax is melted in a small layer on it, and then placed on a sore spot. The compress can be tied with a scarf. The course consists of twenty procedures. If you do them regularly, every three to four months, then you can completely forget about exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis.
Simple conclusions
Having figured out how to treat osteochondrosis of the neck, having examined the causes and treatment of this disease, it should be noted that in any situation in which a health disorder appears, it is best to consult a doctor. After all, only a specialist can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe competent treatment. And self-medication often leads to serious complications.