Self-medication is a sure way to harm your own body. But this does not mean that treatment of osteochondrosis at home is impossible. Treatment of the disease should be started after consulting a doctor.
If all of the doctor's recommendations are followed, patients can restore cartilage tissue and the natural anatomical structure of the spine and prevent the development of complications.
Principles of home treatment
It should be understood that getting rid of the symptoms of pathology does not mean eliminating osteochondrosis. The disappearance of the signs only gives a short respite before the onset of the next attack. Pain relievers do not cure osteochondrosis. They only eliminate discomfort, spasms and pain.
Dystrophic changes in the spine occur due to:
- disturbed blood flow;
- nutrient deficiency in cartilage;
- stagnation of tissue structures;
- lack of oxygen in cartilage tissue.
To understand how to treat osteochondrosis at home, you need to know the mechanism of the development of pathology. After 25 years, the cartilage loses its ability to be nourished by the bloodstream.
The blood vessels passing through the cartilage structures are closed. Nutrients in the cartilage are extracted from surrounding tissues by reverse osmosis. With reduced motor activity, cartilage tissue does not receive enough substances necessary for normal functioning.
Degenerative processes take place there. The cartilage loses its elasticity, microcracks appear in it. 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;
- practice medical gymnastics;
- to take pills;
- adjust the mode of work, rest and sleep;
- create the right place to sleep with a hard surface (an orthopedic mattress and pillow are ideal).
Overcoming osteochondrosis helps patient persistence, a systematic approach to treatment. Success is guaranteed with full compliance with all medical recommendations, the correct application of medical methods.
Drug therapy
Medicines help suppress the symptoms of osteochondrosis. Home treatment of the disease without medication is impossible. Until the pain subsides, it is forbidden to do physiotherapy exercises, physiotherapy procedures and massage. This is the rule of thumb for the treatment of osteochondrosis in the acute stage.
To relieve the exacerbation, the attending physician prescribes:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs relieve pain and inflammation. The pills have serious 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 back muscles. They are taken at the same time as diuretics.
- Sedative drugs. They drink decoctions, herbal teas and pharmaceutical preparations made from soothing herbs (chamomile, motherwort, mint). They eliminate the neurotization 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 based on B vitamins. The use of multivitamins accelerates the regeneration of nerve fibers. The duration 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 has completely disappeared.
- Heating rubbers and balms based on bioactive substances with a moderate irritant effect. The healing effect is given by the poisons of bees and snakes, menthol, which are part of the medicines. Means to eliminate swelling and pain, improve blood circulation, restore tissue nutrition.
- Applications with a medicinal solution. Medicines, penetrating deep into the tissues, suppress inflammation.
Traditional methods of treatment
It is impossible to get rid of osteochondrosis with drugs alone. Treatment should be supplemented with folk remedies, which the attending physician will recommend.
Common methods of treatment at home with folk remedies:
- Applications with potatoes and honey. Potatoes are made into porridge, combined with honey in equal quantities. The agent is spread on a napkin and fixed on the lesion. The application is put in place for 1 hour. The procedure is suitable for short-term pain relief.
- Horseradish leaf appliques are a good way to show you how to get rid of the pain. The leaf 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 drugs from pine buds. I harvest the raw materials in the spring, they pick the buds less than 2 centimeters long (only they are enriched with the necessary bioactive substances). Kidneys are washed, dried and made into porridge. Mixed with sugar. For 2 parts of kidney porridge, take 1 part of sugar. The mixture is refrigerated for 14 days. The product preparation criterion is brown. They are treated for 21 days, taking 1 teaspoon of the drug.
- Bath. A steam room helps get rid of osteochondrosis. Warm up in the hammam with breaks. They enter it 3 times for 5 minutes. The procedure is carried out every two days. The duration 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. The friction is done with oil. The procedure relieves pain.
- Another popular way to relieve the pain of osteochondrosis is tincture of vodka, honey and aloe. For cooking, take vodka, honey and aloe in a ratio of 3: 2: 1. Combining the components, let them brew for several hours. Compresses are made with this tool at night.
- Healing baths remove 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 disease.
Hardware methods for treating osteochondrosis at home
Despite such a variety of home methods to treat osteochondrosis, consult a doctor before independently fighting the disease!
The pharmaceutical industry produces devices for the treatment of osteochondrosis at home. The devices act on diseased areas with an impulse 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 material 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 diet.
The diet should be enriched with healthy foods: fruits, vegetables, lean meats and fish, dairy products. With osteochondrosis, spicy and fatty dishes, meat broths, alcoholic beverages, coffee, pork are contraindicated.
Complex treatment helps get rid of osteochondrosis, forget about pain. Use your doctor's advice to restore spine function and health.