Cervical chondrosis in the initial stage rarely manifests itself with any negative symptoms. According to statistics, only 10% of people experience degenerative processes with all existing signs, so it is difficult to recognize and start treatment of osteochondrosis at the right time. Traditional medicine can slow down the course of the disease in stages 1 and 2, so it is recommended to use it as an auxiliary method.
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis
To choose home treatment, you need to know exactly the cause of the pain. Hardware diagnostics will help: X-ray, MRI, ultrasound.
The main danger of cervical osteochondrosis is for the brain, since due to damage to the vertebral arteries, the nerve tissue experiences a lack of oxygen. Dizziness and even very strong pain with loss of consciousness are possible.
In addition to hypoxia, osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifests itself:
- numbness of the arms, as well as the muscles of the shoulder girdle, shoulder blades;
- lack of coordination, unsteady gait;
- if hypoxia affects the cerebellum, hearing and vision may be impaired;
- weakness, fatigue.
Poor cerebral circulation is associated with nervousness. If osteochondrosis is not treated, a person can experience an ischemic stroke.
When you turn and tilt your head, a clicking sound is heard. This happens due to bone growths - osteophytes, located along the edges of the vertebrae.
Pain sometimes appears not only in the neck, but also in the chest. Such symptoms can easily be confused with an angina attack.
How to treat cervical osteochondrosis using traditional methods
There are several reasons that can cause degenerative changes in the intervertebral disc. Depending on the provoking factor, folk remedies are chosen.
Reasons that lead to disc deformation:
- Obesity. The load on the spine and all joints in the body increases. Taking herbal tinctures will help normalize metabolism and rid a person of extra pounds.
- Thick blood and lymph. There are herbal infusions that cleanse the blood of toxins and salts, as well as rubs that stimulate the movement of lymph. As a result, salts stop being deposited in the intervertebral discs and their elasticity is restored.
- Due to changes in hormonal levels, women may experience osteoporosis of the bones in adulthood. Herbal supplements containing estrogen-like substances can compensate for hormone deficiency.
Traditional methods can be used to treat after a spinal cord injury, to increase immunity and to regulate endocrine disorders.
Doctors do not recommend self-diagnosis and use folk recipes at your discretion. It is necessary to conduct an examination, determine the cause of the disease, and only then begin the targeted treatment. In the initial stage, it is advisable to use all available methods - traditional medicine, medications, physiotherapy, massage, exercise therapy. You can maintain the achieved effect with the help of herbs, home-made ointments, water treatments and physical exercises.
It is rubbed and bandaged
There are many options for preparing a rub for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the neck. These can be alcohol-based medications or oil rubs.
Alcohol-based recipes:
- Chopped radish and alcohol diluted to 40 degrees (vodka will do). Mix both ingredients and leave for 2-3 days. Rub the painful area for 2 weeks, then take a break for a week and repeat the course again.
- 200 g of crushed calendula flowers and the same amount of alcohol or vodka. Leave it for 2 weeks, then rub it on the back of the neck. Course - 2 weeks.
- For 200 ml of vodka, take 10 drops of iodine and camphor, mix everything. Grind 10 tablets of metamizole sodium into powder and add to the grind. Use as a pain reliever during exacerbation of osteochondrosis.
- Rub with honey, vodka, aloe juice. Take enough vodka and aloe juice for 2 tablespoons of honey to make a thick mixture. It can be rubbed on the neck at night, then washed off. It is also used as a compress.
- 100 ml of vodka or alcohol, 3 egg whites, 1 tablespoon of mustard powder. Mix everything, rub into the skin and then rinse.
It is not recommended to use 96% alcohol, as it can cause burns to the skin. Rubbing alcohol should be used with caution if there are moles on the neck.
Rubbing without alcohol:
- Half a glass of salt-free minced lard, 30 g of propolis. Combine the ingredients, then apply to the skin before going to bed, wrap in a warm cloth.
- Prepare 1 tablespoon of sage and plantain leaves. Melt 40 g of petroleum jelly and mix with 50 ml of olive oil. Discard the herbs. Leave it for 2 weeks. Rub the skin of the neck 3 times a day, then wrap it with a scarf.
- A teaspoon of red chili pepper, a glass of camphor, a glass of medical bile. Mix everything and rub the neck after lubricating the skin with vegetable oil.
The simplest but most effective recipe is to mix 3 tablespoons of sea salt in a glass of warm water. Apply wet gauze to the affected area. Relieves pain, improves mobility. With regular use, the symptoms of osteochondrosis are eliminated.
Compresses can be made from the following substances:
- Refined kerosene. Wet the gauze, apply it to the neck, wrap it with film and a warm scarf. The procedure is carried out at night for 2 weeks.
- 2 spoons of honey for 1 fresh grated potato. The mixture is applied to the neck under a heating cloth. The course is one week.
Whole horseradish and burdock leaves should be washed with boiling water or steamed, then applied to the neck and wrapped with a scarf.
Herbal tinctures and decoctions
The effectiveness of tinctures is higher than that of tea, because substances from medicinal plants undergo long-term extraction from several hours to several days:
- Anesthetic infusion of pine buds. The raw materials should be collected in April, then finely chopped and covered with granulated sugar in a ratio of 1/2 - a cup of kidneys with 2 cups of sugar. Within 14 days the mixture should turn brown. Take 5 ml three times a day; hold the mixture in your mouth before swallowing. To completely eliminate neck pain, it is recommended to take the drug for 21 days, but most often the pain in the vertebrae goes away after 2-3 days.
- Parsley root is boiled for an hour and a half, then taken three times a day on an empty stomach, one tablespoon. The product helps to remove salts from the body. At first, a negative reaction from the kidneys is possible, as the excess will be excreted through them.
- Garlic in lemon juice is a means to stimulate the immune system and improve the protective properties of the body. Grind 200 g of peeled garlic, squeeze the juice of 4 lemons, mix everything and add a glass of water. Leave it for 2 hours, after which you can drink half a glass after meals once a day.
- A drug against inflammation and relief of swelling in the neck with osteochondrosis. Boil a tablespoon of mint and chamomile in 300 ml of water for 10 minutes. Drink half a glass on an empty stomach twice a day for 21 days.
- Pour boiling water over 1 tablespoon of foam - 1 cup. Leave it for an hour. Helps with rheumatism and osteochondrosis. The course of treatment is 2 weeks or until the symptoms of inflammation disappear.
An allergic reaction can occur when you consume certain herbs. In this case, stop taking the tincture. It is recommended to try another drug.
Therapeutic baths
For osteochondrosis of the neck, hot baths with additives help well. Such procedures help to relax the muscles. They should be performed 2-3 times a week. Duration at least 15 minutes.
Before taking a shower, you can make concentrated supplements:
- Dissolve 2 kg of sea salt in 2 liters of hot water and pour into the bath.
- To relieve inflammation in the acute period, add 50 ml of turpentine to water. Immerse completely, including the neck area.
- A bottle of pine extract should be diluted in water. Sometimes fresh pine needles are collected and boiled in a large pot for an hour, then filtered and poured into a bath.
- Chamomile concentrate helps relieve inflammation and relax muscles. To do this, boil a pack of dried flowers in 2 liters of water for half an hour, leave for an hour, filter and add to the water.
If you have cancer, herbs and hot baths should not be taken. The same applies to hypertension and the tendency to allergic skin reactions.
Warm up
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine at home can be carried out using heating procedures. However, you need to make sure that there is no inflammatory process. You can try using a heating pad. If the pain has subsided, then warmth will be helpful. Some people find cold compresses helpful during an exacerbation, while warm compresses only make the pain worse.
The opposite procedures are not recommended, for example, immersion in ice water after a steam bath.
Warm procedures work especially well in autumn and winter, as people with osteochondrosis are sensitive to cold and weather changes.
Homemade ointments
Homemade ointments are just as effective as those bought at the pharmacy. It is recommended to try making a mixture of hop cones and grated lard. To do this, the collected cones must be crushed and the fat heated to a liquid state. Mix pine cones and fat in a 2/1 ratio.
If you can find juniper nearby, you should collect needles from it and grind it using a coffee grinder. You will need 1 teaspoon.
Next, grind the dried bay leaf - you need 6 teaspoons. Mix the two powders and add 100 g of homemade butter. The ointment acts quickly after application, eliminating pain in the neck or other parts of the spine.
Sea salt
Sea salt has a rich mineral composition, so it helps restore the cartilage lining between the vertebrae.
Recipes with sea salt are the simplest and cheapest:
- For 3 spoons of salt, take 2 spoons of dry mustard powder, add half a glass of water and heat the mixture on the stove. Dip a small waffle towel in the liquid and apply to the sore spot on the spine. While the compress is working, the person should be covered with a warm blanket. The duration of the treatment is 1 month, but the compresses should be done 3 times a week for 30 minutes.
- Mix 3 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of sea salt, add water and knead the dough to form a flat cake. Apply it on the neck and wrap it with a scarf for 3 hours. Apply the compress every day before going to bed for a week.
Three times a week, sea salt can be added to the bath or you can use special preparations based on salt with chondroitin and glucosamine. In this case, the active substances will penetrate the skin.
What else can help?
In addition to herbs, tinctures, ointments and compresses, it is necessary to increase the mobility of the cervical spine to increase muscle tone. Through them, all substances will penetrate the cartilage tissue and regenerate it.
If a person leads a sedentary lifestyle, osteochondrosis will progress and traditional medicine will be powerless.
Massage for cervical chondrosis can be done, but it is advisable to entrust this to specialists in order not to worsen the situation, especially if there are protrusions or hernias of the cervical spine. Before going to a massage therapist, you will need to take an X-ray or get a recommendation from a vertebrologist, neurologist or orthopedist.
Osteochondrosis is a long-term developing disease, so if it is detected at an advanced stage, one cannot hope for a quick recovery with the help of traditional medicine. Thus, the patient loses time, and the disease progresses at this moment. In the initial stage, the symptoms of chondrosis can be eliminated within 1-2 years, using all available methods, including traditional ones. It will take much more time to handle an advanced process.