A person who is able to walk straight has not only clear advantages but also disadvantages. Increased spinal stress leads to the development of various diseases. Osteochondrosis is a common disease that affects more than 60% of the population. This diagnosis is observed in people over the age of 35, but adolescent symptoms are common. One method is surgery, but treatment with alternative methods is possible at an early stage.
Causes of the disease
The defeat of the intervertebral discs, the tissues of the spine, is called osteochondrosis in medicine. Doctors cannot name a single exact cause of the disease, and sometimes this is impossible because the disease is caused by a combination of factors. These include:
- Hereditary predisposition to the disease.
- Presence of diseases of the endocrine system - metabolic disorders.
- Development of orthopedic diseases such as flat legs, postural curvature, musculoskeletal disorders.
- Various injuries, spine bruises.
- Lifestyle: lack of activity, unhealthy eating with a predominance of fast food and unhealthy foods.
- To be overweight.
- Bad habits - smoking, alcoholism.
- Stress, overtime.
- Pregnancy.
Methods of treating osteochondrosis
Osteopondrosis is a disease that is accompanied by pain, discomfort, and can lead to complications if prolonged neglect. The disease is under treatment and various methods can be used for this, the choice of which depends on the localization of the disease, the degree of neglect and the general state of health. There are several treatment options:
- Surgery.
- Physiotherapy.
- Rehabilitation methods.
- Wellness at home.
Before choosing a method of treatment, you need to determine the type of disease, its location, and the presence of complications. There are these types, with their characteristic symptoms:
- Cervical osteochondrosis. Symptoms of the disease: pain in the shoulders, arms, neck; dizziness: tinnitus, colored spots in the eyes; headache, numbness of the upper extremities.
- Disease of the cartilage of the thoracic spine. The symptom is dull or shooting pain in the chest area.
- A disease that develops in the lumbosacral region. Signs include: pain in the hip joints, lower back, sacral region; lower limb dysfunction.
- Common - osteochondrosis develops simultaneously in several parts of the spine, accompanied by severe pain.
Rehabilitation treatment
There is an opportunity to restore health after osteochondrosis, the most important thing is to follow all the recommendations of the doctor and carry out rehabilitation treatment. This option is only used in remission of the disease when there is no severe back pain. Not recommended for aggravation. There are several ways to treat osteochondrosis:
- Physiotherapy.
- Sauna, underwater hydromassage, lessons in the pool.
- Working with a psychologist.
- Adherence to diet, correction of nutrition.
- Laser treatment.
- Manual therapy.
- Use of healing mud.
- Magnetotherapy, electrophoresis.
- Massage.
Surgical intervention
Sometimes patients delay treatment and it is not possible to solve the problem of osteochondrosis without surgery. This is an exceptional method that is used when other treatment options fail or exacerbations are observed, such as herniation between the vertebrae or sciatica. The main goal of the treatment is to stabilize the structure of the spine, to reduce the pressure on the spinal cord. This method of treatment is used in emergencies because of the significant risk of damage to the spinal nerve, with irreversible consequences.
How and how to treat osteochondrosis at home
Treatment of osteochondrosis is possible not only in the hospital but also at home, but with clear and unquestionable adherence to all the doctor’s recommendations and prescriptions. And if there is a desire to try other methods, this should only be done after consultation with a professional. The following methods can be used to treat osteochondrosis at home: exercise, yoga; homeopathy, medicines; adherence to the diet; traditional medicine.
Drug treatment
Comprehensive treatment of osteochondrosis includes rehabilitation procedures, diet, and medication. Dosage and drug selection should be prescribed and adjusted exclusively by the treating physician, focusing on test results and general condition. All the medicines used are divided into two types: to eliminate different degrees of pain, to prevent the disease.
The first type includes:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used for mild pain.
- If the pain torments the patient for two or more weeks, an analgesic should be added to the above medications.
- If the pain persists for more than three months, antidepressants should be added to painkillers and NSAIDs to help control the patient’s psychological condition.
Medicines to prevent osteochondrosis by regenerating cartilage and restoring the metabolic processes in the human body.
It is important to know how to treat osteochondrosis of the cervix with medication, as this is the most common type of disease. It is worth using as a medicine:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Warming ointments.
- Preparations for cartilage tissue repair.
Therapeutic diet
Adequate nutrition and adherence to an osteochondrosis diet is the key to rapid and accurate eradication or prevention of the disease. Nutrition principles:
- The diet should be as varied as possible.
- The menu of a patient with osteochondrosis should be low in calories.
- Foods containing mucopolysaccharides (e. g. , jelly fish, jelly, jelly meat) may be useful.
- Adherence to the drinking regime - the body should receive the required amount of fluids.
- The menu of a person with spinal pain should include foods: eggs, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat, fish.
- Limit the use of smoked meats, marinated, sour, spicy foods.
- The rice diet is useful: put 30 grams of rice in 6 half-liter jars and pour water on it. In the morning, rinse the contents of the first dish, bring to a boil and consume it for breakfast (show no salt or anything). Pour rice into the emptied container and add water, placed at the end of the row, and replace the water in other containers. It takes about a month and a half to eat like this. This method of treating osteochondrosis helps remove toxins and salts.
Physiotherapy exercises
Many people are looking for ways to get rid of osteochondrosis with minimal medication use and without surgery. A simple but effective method of treatment is physiotherapy exercises on simulators or at home. Performing simple exercises, along with regular exercise, is great for preventing the disease and eliminating the symptoms (pain, inflammation, concomitant diseases that have developed in the background of osteochondrosis).
Practical therapy for the treatment of cervical osteochondrosis:
- Lying straight on her belly, legs and back. Lift your chest and head, leaning on your abdomen, repeat the exercise for 3 minutes with 5-6 approaches.
- Lying on your back, legs bent at the knee joints. Turn right then left. We do 8 approaches a day, devoting 5 minutes to the lesson.
Practical therapy for the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis:
- Standing, legs shoulder-width apart. Within a few minutes, they make circular movements with the pool. Due to the complexity, it is possible to make the "eighth number". The lesson lasts 3-5 minutes, but it is worth repeating several times a day.
- While standing on all fours, bend the lower back as far as possible. Repeat at least 5 times a day for 2 minutes.
Exercise for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the chest:
- Lying on the floor, lift your upper body, lean on your hands, bend your back, and hold this position for 10 seconds.
Folk remedies
Traditional treatments are used to treat osteochondrosis, which include: compresses, tinctures, rubbing, special exercises to relieve pain. Alternative medicine can only be used in combination with classical medical treatment methods, otherwise it will not bring the desired result and in the worst case will cause complications. Consider how to treat osteochondrosis with folk remedies:
- Mix the peeled potatoes, grated and honey in some proportions. In the form of a compress, hold it in place, focus on the pain and around it until you feel a burning sensation.
- Apply the heated wax to the place where osteochondrosis develops, the pains bother you, cover with a warm scarf.
- Mix vodka, aloe and honey in a ratio of 3: 1: 2, leave for a few hours. Make a medical compress from the resulting mixture, preferably at night, to relieve pain well.
- Nettle oil helps treat osteochondrosis and relieve pain. To prepare it, 2 tablespoons of nettle seeds are poured with vegetable oil (0, 5 cups) and infused for 2 weeks, filtered and poured into a dark glass container. When you feel pain, rub the oil into your skin.
It is always easier to prevent the development of a disease than to cure it. Preventive measures include: proper, balanced nutrition; active lifestyle; regular exercise in osteochondrosis. The latter method does not take much time, but is as effective as medication, procedures, and the ability to conduct classes at home. The most important thing is to choose the right complex for a particular type of disease.
Which doctor you should see to diagnose the disease
When identifying the main symptoms of the disease, a visit to a medical institution and the start of treatment should not be postponed. It is worthwhile to find out which doctor is treating osteochondrosis, how to get to it, and whether further examinations and tests are needed before the visit. You should visit your local therapist’s office, who will post a referral for the necessary tests and send it to a neurologist for consultation. You can turn to a narrow specialist - a vertebrologist who specializes in osteochondrosis.
Osteochondrosis, a disease that affects every second person due to improper lifestyle, low activity and other diseases. It is necessary to monitor your health and participate in disease prevention. If you eat right and even do primitive physical exercises every day, you will never feel the symptoms of osteochondrosis.