Self-medication is a surefire way to harm your own body. However, this does not mean that treating osteochondrosis at home is impossible. Treatment of the disease should be started after consulting a doctor.
If all the recommendations of the doctor are followed, patients can restore cartilage tissue and the natural anatomical structure of the spine and prevent the development of complications.
Treatment principles at home
It should be understood that the elimination of the symptoms of the pathology does not mean the elimination of osteochondrosis. The disappearance of the signs gives only a short respite before the onset of the next attack. Painkillers do not cure osteochondrosis. They only eliminate discomfort, cramps and pain.
Dystrophic changes in the spine occur due to:
- impaired blood flow;
- Lack of nutrients in cartilage;
- Stagnation in tissue structures;
- Oxygen deficiency in the cartilage tissue.
To understand how to treat osteochondrosis at home, you need to know the mechanism of pathology development. After 25 years, the cartilage loses its ability to absorb food from the bloodstream.
The blood vessels running through the cartilaginous structures are closed. Cartilage nutrients are extracted from the surrounding tissue through reverse osmosis. With reduced motor activity, the cartilage tissue does not receive enough substances that are necessary for normal function.
Degenerative processes appear in them. Cartilage loses its elasticity, microcracks appear in them. This leads to the destruction of the integrity of tissue structures, inflammation, edema and pain.
How to cure osteochondrosis at home, doctors advise:
- stick to a diet;
- participate in medical gymnastics;
- Take in medication;
- adjust the method of work, rest and sleep;
- create the right sleeping space with a hard surface (an orthopedic mattress and pillow are ideal).
Conquering osteochondrosis will help the patient persevere through a systematic approach to treatment. Success is guaranteed with full compliance with all medical recommendations and the correct application of medical methods.
Drug therapy
Medications help suppress symptoms of osteochondrosis. Treatment of the disease at home without medication is not possible. Until the pain disappears, it is forbidden to perform physical therapy exercises, physiotherapy procedures, massages. This is the basic rule 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. They can only be used after a meal with plenty of water. In diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, drugs are administered parenterally (injections are given).
- Muscle relaxants relieve swelling and pain syndrome, reduce hypertension of the back muscles. They are taken at the same time as diuretics.
- Sedatives. They drink decoctions, herbal teas and pharmaceutical preparations based on soothing herbs (chamomile, feverfew, mint). They eliminate the neurotization caused by excruciating pain. With severe osteochondrosis of the spine, treatment is carried out with sedatives and antidepressants. They normalize a person's mental state.
- Complex preparations with vitamin 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 effects. Ointments and gels are rubbed into the affected areas. They fight pain and inflammation. They are used until the pain syndrome disappears completely.
- Warming rubbers and balms based on bioactive substances with moderate irritation. The healing effect is given by bee and snake poisons, menthol, which are part of medicinal products. Means eliminate swelling and pain, improve blood circulation, restore tissue nutrition.
- Applications with a medical solution. Drugs that penetrate deep into the tissue suppress inflammation.
Traditional methods of treatment
It is impossible to get rid of osteochondrosis with medication alone. Treatment must be supplemented with folk remedies recommended by the attending physician.
Common methods of treatment at home with folk remedies:
- Applications with potatoes and honey. Potatoes are made into pulp, combined with honey in equal quantities. The remedy is spread on a napkin and fixed on the lesion. The application is applied for 1 hour. The procedure is suitable for short-term pain relief.
- Horseradish leaf apples are a great way to show you how to get rid of pain. The tray is steamed in boiling water. Apply to the sore area inside out, wrap in a warm cloth, go to sleep. In the morning the pain syndrome recedes.
- Treatment of osteochondrosis at home is carried out by taking drugs from pine buds. I harvest the raw materials in spring, they pick the buds that are less than 2 centimeters long (only they are enriched with the necessary bioactive substances). The kidneys are washed, dried and made into pulp. Mixed with sugar. For 2 parts of the porridge from the kidneys, take 1 part of sugar. The mixture is refrigerated for 14 days. The criterion for the readiness of the product is brown. You will be treated for 21 days and take 1 teaspoon of the drug.
- Bath. A steam bath will help get rid of osteochondrosis. Warm up in the steam room with breaks. You go in 3 times for 5 minutes. The procedure is carried out every other day. The duration of treatment is 10 sessions. The bath 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 steep for 14 days. The oil is filtered and poured into a dark glass bottle. Rubbing is done with oil. The procedure relieves pain.
- Tincture of vodka, honey, and aloe is another popular way to relieve pain from osteochondrosis. For cooking, take vodka, honey and aloe in a ratio of 3: 2: 1. Let the components steep for several hours, combining them. This tool is used to make compresses at night.
- Medicinal baths suppress pain, remove toxins, increase blood flow, and reduce inflammation. Salt, turpentine, and mustard baths are used to treat osteochondrosis. Baths with pine needles, oak bark, sage, juniper help against the disease.
Hardware methods of treating osteochondrosis at home
Despite this wide variety of home methods of treating osteochondrosis, before you start fighting the disease on your own, you should consult a doctor!
The pharmaceutical industry makes devices for treating osteochondrosis at home. The devices act on the diseased areas with an impulse or vibration generated by electrical currents or a magnetic field. The devices allow you to perform medical interventions at home.
In addition to drug therapy, folk methods and hardware techniques, osteochondrosis is treated at home, therapeutic exercises are performed, and massages (classic, cupping, acupressure) are performed. Symptoms pass quickly and treatment is effective when therapeutic and traditional methods are combined with diet.
The diet must 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 will help get rid of osteochondrosis, forget about pain. Follow your doctor's advice to restore spine function and health.