The ability of a person to walk upright has not only a clear advantage, but also disadvantages. Increased stress on the spine leads to the development of various diseases. Osteochondrosis is considered a common disease, which affects more than 60% of the population. This diagnosis is observed in people over the age of 35, but symptoms are often found in adolescents. One of the methods is surgery, but in the early stages, treatment with alternative methods is possible.
Causes of the disease
The defeat of the discs between the vertebrae, the tissues of the spine in medicine is called osteochondrosis. Doctors cannot name the only exact cause of the onset of the disease, and sometimes this is impossible, since the disease develops under the influence of a combination of factors. These include:
- Hereditary predisposition to the disease.
- The presence of diseases of the endocrine system - metabolic disorders.
- Development of orthopedic diseases, for example, flat feet, curvature of posture, diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
- Various injuries, spinal bruises.
- Lifestyle: lack of activity, unhealthy diet with a predominance of fast food and unhealthy foods.
- Being overweight.
- Bad habits - smoking, alcoholism.
- Stress, overwork.
- Pregnancy.
Methods for the treatment of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is a disease accompanied by pain, discomfort, and with prolonged neglect it can lead to complications. The disease is subject to treatment and for this a variety of methods can be used, 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.
- Recovery at home.
Before choosing a treatment method, you should determine the type of disease, localization and the presence of complications. There are such types, with their characteristic symptoms:
- Cervical osteochondrosis. Symptoms of the disease: pain in the shoulders, arms, neck; dizziness: tinnitus, colored spots before the eyes; headaches, numbness of the upper limbs.
- 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; dysfunction of the lower extremities.
- Common - osteochondrosis develops simultaneously in several parts of the spine, accompanied by severe pain.
Rehabilitation treatment
It is possible to restore health after osteochondrosis, the main thing is to follow all the doctor's recommendations and undergo rehabilitation treatment. This option is used only in remission of the disease, when there is no severe pain in the back. Not recommended for exacerbation. Osteochondrosis is treated with several methods:
- Physiotherapy.
- Sauna, underwater hydromassage, classes in the pool.
- Working with a psychologist.
- Compliance with the diet, nutrition correction.
- Laser treatment.
- Manual therapy.
- The use of healing mud.
- Magnetotherapy, electrophoresis.
- Massage.
Surgical intervention
Sometimes patients delay treatment and solving the problem of osteochondrosis without surgery is not possible. This is an exceptional method and is used when other treatment options fail or when exacerbations are observed, such as a hernia 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 emergency cases, since there is a significant risk of damage to the spinal nerve, which is fraught 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 a clear and unquestioning observance of all the recommendations and prescriptions of the doctor. And if there is a desire to try other methods, this should be done only after consulting a specialist. At home, it is possible to use the following methods of treating osteochondrosis: exercise, yoga; homeopathy, medicines; adherence to a diet; traditional medicine.
Drug treatment
Comprehensive treatment of osteochondrosis includes rehabilitation procedures, diet and medication. The dosage, the choice of a particular drug, should be prescribed and changed exclusively by the attending physician, focusing on the test results and general condition. All drugs used are divided into two types: to eliminate pain of varying degrees, to prevent the disease.
The first type includes:
- For mild pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are used.
- If pains torment the patient for two or more weeks, analgesics should be added to the above drugs.
- If the pain persists for more than three months, antidepressants should be added to analgesics and NSAIDs, which will help to regulate the patient's psychological state.
Medicines aimed at preventing osteochondrosis disease by regenerating cartilage and restoring metabolic processes in the human body.
It is important to know how to treat cervical osteochondrosis with medication, since this is the most common type of disease. As medicines it is worth using:
- Anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Warming ointments.
- Preparations for the restoration of cartilage tissue.
Therapeutic diet
Proper nutrition and adherence to a diet for osteochondrosis is the key to a quick and accurate disposal of the disease or prevention. Basic nutritional principles:
- The diet should be as varied as possible.
- The menu of a patient with osteochondrosis should be low-calorie.
- Dishes containing mucopolysaccharides (for example, jellied fish, jelly, jellied meat) will be useful.
- Compliance with the drinking regime - the body must receive the required amount of fluid.
- The menu of a person suffering from pain in the spine must include foods: eggs, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meat, fish.
- Limit the use of smoked meats, pickled, sour, spicy foods.
- A rice diet is useful: put 30 grams of rice in 6 half-liter jars and pour water. In the morning, rinse the contents of the first container, boil it and eat it as breakfast (salt or show nothing). Pour rice into the vacated jar and add water, placing it at the end of the row, and change the water in other containers. It costs about a month and a half to eat like this. This method of treating osteochondrosis will help remove toxins and salts.
Physiotherapy exercises
Many are looking for options on how to get rid of osteochondrosis with minimal use of medications and without surgery. A simple but effective method of treatment is physiotherapy exercises on simulators or at home. Performing simple exercises, subject to regular exercise, works great for the prevention of the disease and for the elimination of symptoms (pain, inflammation, concomitant diseases that have developed against the background of osteochondrosis).
Exercise therapy for cervical osteochondrosis:
- Lying on your stomach, legs and back straight. Raise your chest and head, leaning on your stomach, repeat the exercise for 3 minutes, 5-6 approaches.
- Lying on your back, legs are bent at the knee joints. Turn to the right, then to the left. We do 8 approaches per day, devoting 5 minutes to the lesson.
Exercise therapy for lumbar osteochondrosis:
- Standing, feet shoulder width apart. Within a few minutes, circular movements are made with the pelvis. For complication, it is possible to make a "figure eight". The lesson lasts 3-5 minutes, but it is worth repeating it several times a day.
- Standing on all fours, bend your lower back as much as possible. Repeat at least 5 times a day for 2 minutes.
Exercise for chest osteochondrosis:
- Lying on the floor, raise the upper body, leaning on your hands, arching your back, maintain the position for 10 seconds.
Folk remedies
For the treatment of osteochondrosis, traditional medicine is used, which include: compresses, tinctures, rubbing, special exercises to get rid of pain. Alternative medicine can be used only in combination with classical, medical methods of treatment, otherwise it will not bring the desired results, and in the worst case, it will cause complications. Consider how to treat osteochondrosis with folk remedies:
- In a one-to-one ratio, combine peeled potatoes, grated and honey. In the form of a compress, put in place, the focus of pain and around it, hold until a burning sensation.
- Apply the heated wax to the place where osteochondrosis develops, pains disturb, cover with a warm scarf.
- Mix vodka, aloe and honey in a ratio of 3: 1: 2, leave for several hours. From the resulting mixture, make medical compresses, preferably at night, they eliminate pain well.
- Nettle oil helps in the treatment of osteochondrosis, pain relief. For its preparation, 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 pain is felt, the oil is rubbed into the 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 for osteochondrosis. The latter method does not take much time, but it is as effective as treatment with medications, procedures, and it is possible to conduct classes at home. The main thing is to choose the right complex, calculated for a specific type of disease.
Which doctor should you contact to diagnose the disease
When identifying the main symptoms of the disease, you should not postpone a visit to a medical institution and start treatment. It is worth finding out which doctor treats osteochondrosis, how to get to him and whether additional tests and examinations are needed before the visit. You will have to visit the office of the local therapist, who will write out 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 an improper lifestyle, low activity, and other diseases. It is necessary to monitor your health and engage in disease prevention. By eating right, doing even primitive physical exercises every day, you will never feel the symptoms of osteochondrosis on yourself.