Reveal 4 natural remedies for disc desiccation
Disc desiccation, also called degenerative disc disease, occurs when the spinal disc is injured or degenerated. Although it is not a fatal disease, it can make your back hurt or even lead to paralysis in the worst-case scenario. Therefore, let’s get to know more about this disease as well as how to deal with it.
What causes disc desiccation?
The spinal discs are very important parts of the body, since they are responsible to link the joints in the spine together and allow you to move your neck and back freely. Nevertheless, a spinal disc can be dehydrated and naturally degenerate due to aging. With old age, the body is less efficient in protein processing and the bones usually become more fragile. This is the reason why disc desiccation often occurs in elderly people.
Moreover, disc desiccation can be caused by poor posture, heavy lifting/heavy physical work, or accidents. Besides, overweight people are also more at risk to have disc desiccation disease.
What are the common symptoms of disc desiccation?
Firstly, you will feel discomfort and pain in some spots around your back where the disc got damaged. The symptoms could happen in your neck, upper and lower back sections, and buttocks. However, the pain is usually temporary. In other words, it means that you will feel better while standing, but it might get worse if you are in the sitting position or if you twist your body. In addition, sometimes you may feel a tingling or experience weird pins and needles sensation in your arms and legs.
What are the conventional ways to treat disc desiccation?
Since disc desiccation disease is mostly incurable, the objective of the treatment is to maintain the remaining fluid in your spinal disc and ease the symptoms. The doctor may start with prescribing ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory medicines to relieve pain. Furthermore, you may also need to have physical therapy in order to improve your neck and back muscles’ strength and flexibility.
If you are suffering from strong neck and back pain, the doctor may suggest epidural steroid injections. In case all treatments are not working, the last solution is surgery. During this last resort process, the doctor will remove the painful disc and replace it with an artificial one.
How can you treat disc desiccation in natural ways?
If you are diagnosed with disc desiccation, do not worry, you can still live your normal life. Apart from the conventional treatments, here are 4 home remedies to help alleviate the symptoms and pains. Let’s see them in detail:
Correct the posture
As the pain from degenerative disc disease is usually related to bad posture habits, it is important to be careful when moving and especially when sitting. Here is how to sit properly:
- Always keep your back straight with shoulders relaxed when seated.
- Your feet should be properly placed on the floor or a footrest
- Avoid sitting with your leg crossed.
- Lastly, you can place a cushion in the back of the chair to help support the spine.
Apply ice or warm compress
When your back starts to feel hurt, we recommend applying either a cold or warm compress on the painful area. A cold compress is good at reducing pain while the latter will make you relaxed and ease the discomfort. You can choose the one you prefer!
Eat healthy
Another important thing is to build healthy diet habits. For people suffering from disc degenerative disease, you should add anti-inflammatory foods as well as collagen into your meals. Below is the list of recommended food that is good for your spinal’s health:
- Proteins: You should consume enough proteins daily such as chicken or fish which are leaner than pork or beef. Also, salmon is a perfect choice since it is not only rich in lean protein but also provides omega-3 fatty acids.
- Fruits and vegetables: Of course, fruits and vegetables can promote your overall health thanks to their high nutritional value. Most importantly, some of them also reinforce your spine, for example, broccoli, spinach, and berries.
- Herbs: Turmeric can surprisingly improve spinal health and help the recovery process. Besides, some herbs also feature anti-inflammatory properties, for example, rosemary, basil, ginger, and much more.
- Collagen: Collagen is essential for the vertebrae and the spine, since it is used to attach the joints together. Therefore, drinking bone broth regularly can help since it is full of protein and useful nutrients for collagen production.
Apply natural painkillers
Last but not least, we suggest you try natural painkillers such as peppermint oil. The latter can efficiently alleviate muscle tension and pain. You can apply peppermint oil to your back and gently massage to relieve the soreness.
In addition, Epsom salt is another natural painkiller, best-known for bone and joint pain relief. Just add it into your bathtub and soak in warm water. After that, you will feel much better.
And these are our 4 techniques that help relieve the symptoms of disc desiccation. The key is to take care of yourself, your bones are vital to your well-being. Thus, let’s start a healthy lifestyle and do not forget to follow the doctor’s instructions.
