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Cervical Spondylosis Home Remedies

Posted , 17 users are following.

Gerry_the_neck
Gerry_the_neck

This is a new page strictly for useful tips for managing cervical spondylosis. Please don't clutter with anything else.

My first tip is:

To shift a headache or muggy head, try taking a nap on a sofa with a soft pillow (Ikea tubular neck support pillow good here) and your head leaning on the sofa arm (as long as it's not too high).

2 likes, 42 replies

42 Replies

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  • Gerry_the_neck
    Gerry_the_neck

    Posted

    Hi Em,

    Sounds really good. If I were you I'd stick to the new pillow. Plenty of time before making comparisons. Enjoy the moment...but I know what you mean about feeling weird. You've been so used to having achy days, the whole body system takes time to readjust, and you might find you have more time on your hands than you know what to do with. From where I'm sitting, it still looks a whole lot better and I really hope it continues.

    Gerry

  • Aunty_Em
    Aunty_Em

    Posted

    [quote:45df71a744=\"Gerry the neck\"]Hi Em,

    Sounds really good. If I were you I'd stick to the new pillow. Plenty of time before making comparisons. Enjoy the moment...but I know what you mean about feeling weird. You've been so used to having achy days, the whole body system takes time to readjust, and you might find you have more time on your hands than you know what to do with. From where I'm sitting, it still looks a whole lot better and I really hope it continues.

    Gerry[/quote:45df71a744]

    Hiya Gerry, smile

    Thank You

    You're a darling on the qt aren't you :D

    I really don't want to make too much of the pillow, as it is such a non-descript thing I'm finding it hard to believe that it is responsible for my present state.

    I'll take your advice and stay with it.

    Emxx smile

  • Stephys
    Stephys

    Posted

    Hi iv just been diagnosed with diagnosed with cervical spondylosis and Labyrinthitis. I have weekly physio on my neck and shoulders, which at first I thought was useless but now I'm seeing results. I used to suffer a lot with a foggy headed feeling which has now all but disappeared. My physio told me to lie over the end of my bed and let the blood rush to my brain, stay for at least ten minuets and no more than fifteen, then put ice packs on my trigger areas. (Sides of my neck near my ears/chin area) this is meant to help with headaches, but might cause one first. I also take a vitamin,fish oil,manuka honey (aldi £4.04) and a probiotic. He advised no swimming as it could aggravate it. GP is useless no X-ray's nothing!

  • chrisw10
    chrisw10

    Posted

    I would try a microwavable wheat bag rather than a hot water bottle, much more effective and easier to hold in position. Some people find alternating between ice and heat especially helpful.

    Would also like to add my support to the TENS machine, but I agree it seems to work for some people and not others. Also a bit of self-massage of the neck and shoulder muscles usually works wonders for me, making sleep alot easier.

    Then a few other common sense strategies such as breaking up long car journeys with regular breaks and avoiding too much time in front of the PC on TV without a break.

  • frank_65849
    frank_65849 Gerry_the_neck

    Posted

    Am just some six hours into pain in the neck and shoulder. Tried your suggestion to rotate the arms horizontally clockwise and anti-clockwise. It gave me some relief immediately. It's early days yet, of course, but I'm hoping some heat therapy and stretching exercises will stop the onset of a full-blown case of cs pain. Thanks for the tip
    • Gerry_the_neck
      Gerry_the_neck frank_65849

      Posted

      And thanks for the feedback.  The arm rotating only seems to work when the stiffness is beginning to ease off....it helps loosen the joints (shoulder and neck).  For me,  it doesn't have the same effect in the middle of a flare up.....I'm more inclined towards 'propped up' sleeping or napping on a sofa to deal with full-on flare up,  and then do the rotating when I sense the stiffness is becoming more flexible.  THe 'propped-up' sleeping posture can relieve the worst symptoms, thus opening the door to more energetic re-hab therapies.
    • alan_c_spondy
      alan_c_spondy Gerry_the_neck

      Posted

      I have to agree with the sofa, I never thought about it before because I just started sleeping on the sofa since living on my own. I find it gives me the most comfort and relief as I can make the sofa very comfortable with the aid of pillow support etc, that I can't manage in bed. Also I've experienced both extremes of heat and cold. I find I can't cope when it gets cold and the pain is worse than ever, then I guess I'm lucky but I visit a relative in a hot climate often and the difference is very noticable, less pain and I'm able to move around somewhat better.
    • Gerry_the_neck
      Gerry_the_neck alan_c_spondy

      Posted

      Hi Alan

      Glad you agree with the sofa sleeping option....it has done more for my symptoms than all the therapies and meds over 30 years put together. I haven't needed to see a professional for over 2 years,  and that visit was with a Neurosurgeon to consider surgery.  I'm really glad I postponed any decision and opted for ewxploring different methods to ease symptoms. Can't vouch that it would work beneficially for everyone with C/S,  but at the same time,  I wouldn't be surprised if it did.  At this stage I consider it a bit of a duty to give the sofa sleeping option as much of an e-airing as I can muster.  

      Re the 'cold' issue.....have you thought about making your sleerping area completely draught proof  (seal windows, seal airvents, use door insulation,  cover exposed floorboards with gaps).  Draughts can be spotted using a lighted candle (watch the flame or smoke) .  Check all around the room you sleep in, and insulate as necessary.  Plastic film on single glazed windows really ups the heat retained in a room.  Any room can be insulated for less than £50,  and the comfort and less aggravation of symptoms is usually worth it.  Some rooms (usually where there are two outside walls which never get warm) create their own cold microclimate....but this can be overcome by lining the vwalls with insulating linng paper (with polystyrene backing) at £10 a roll.  Maybe worth checking out.  Cold is probably our worst enemy (alongside looking upwards) because it demands increased protection, which in turn increases the protective symptoms.  Most of the symptoms we experience result from stiffening which happens because a theatened nerve needs protecting.

  • Ducksoup
    Ducksoup Gerry_the_neck

    Posted

    I wonder if the heat will help with my difficulty walking?
    • alan_c_spondy
      alan_c_spondy Ducksoup

      Posted

      Hi Ducksoup

      The way I look at the heat is firstly the number and condition of bones, discs and trapped nerves in my neck will be different to others. Also may be more or less acute pain etc, so what works for me may not work for you.

      For me the heat helps quite a bit, although some days nothing seems to work. Dry heat seems to work best, not very good on humid days, but also I've found that too much heat makes me feel worse than ever. Saying that, some days I can hardly move at all no matter what I do and just end up resting. Certainly if I do try to do too much of any activity on one day, I find I have to rest for several days. I hope this helps, I'm not normally very good at writing much due to the headaches, I start off fine then after 5 minutes confusion sets in, I'm getting used to it now though and just laugh it off. What a hard and difficult condition this is to cope with, and for sure only those of us who suffer from c.spondylosis understand what we have to go through.

  • carole51114
    carole51114 Gerry_the_neck

    Posted

    I use a water pillow (bought from Amazon), you can fill it with enough water to suit your best neck position, definitely the best sleep I've had since I bought it.

    Also, from a headache point of view, a MIGRACAP is wonderful.  It's a full head of gel packs that are positioned just at the right places which is kept cool in the fridge until you need it. 

    I've also got a plug in neck and back heat jacket which was advertised as a sports injury device.  I sit for an hour or so with it on at bed time which definitely helps prevent the pain and those dreaded numb pins and needles arms and hands.

    Lastly, TIGER BALM is lovely to rub at the back of your neck at bedtime, it's got a pleasant relaxing smell too! 

  • Gerry_the_neck
    Gerry_the_neck

    Posted

    Trial and error/success seems to be best way forward.  Adjusting to sleeping on a sofa when needed, works for me.  It changes , or eases the symptoms,  and makes the whole thing more bearable....and , most importantly,  has a big impact on the headache issue.  The sleeping postures we assume when in bed,  on sofa,  or wherever,  seems to me to be the key to having some control over whatever symptoms are likely to occur.
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