A headache in case of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

It is necessary to limit physical activity maximally in case of acute pains in the occiput and/or the back of the neck which increase in motion and are connected with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.

In case of an acute pain in the neck, you must not take a hot bath and rub irritating ointments on your skin because this may increase pain syndrome.
You can use only dry heat.

During the acute period, it is effective to treat osteochondrosis at home, using methods of Chinese medicine. First of all, these are acupressure, electroacupuncture (manipulating the Chinese points by an electric current with the help of a portable apparatus) and superficial acupuncture.

The first session

1. You should find a painful point in the projection of the backbone on the auricle (in the area of 5-6-7 segments in the picture) and massage it intensely with a toothpick, a match or some other suitable object during 2-3 minutes.

2. Massage Shen Men point (10 in the picture) during 1-2 minutes.  

3. Massage the point UB 60 (Kun Lun) on the both legs (it is located in a fossa between the tip of the external malleolus and the achilles tendon) during 3-5 minutes.  

The second session

We use the points that are already known to us (massage it for 3-5 minutes).

LI 11 (Qu Chi) is on the top of the elbow fold (at its outer end) when the elbow is maximally bent.  

GV 14 (Da Zhui) is between the seventh cervical vertebra (that has a distinctive long and prominent spinous process) and the first thoracic vertebra.  

The third session

ST 36 (Zusanli) is 3 cun (the width of four fingers side-by-side) below the lower edge of the kneecap, one finger width lateral from the anterior border of the tibia, in a fossa.  

Shen Men is located in the triangular fossa (1 in the picture). Massage it for 1-2 minutes.  

The fourth session

Point GV 20 (Bai Hui) is located in the parietal region of the scalp in the pit where the crown cowlick is. The middle line of the head and the line that connects the tops of the ears are crossed there.  

Point GV 16 (Feng Fu) is on the midline of the head, directly under the occipital protuberance (2-3 centimeters above the posterior hairline). Massage it for 3-5 minutes.  

The fifth and the following sessions

1. You should use a combination of points of systemic effect on arms and legs along with the local most painful points that are located on the scalp and the back of the neck.

2. You can stick buckwheat seeds with the pieces of the plaster on the painful (when palpating) points of auricle (and Shen Men as well) for 2-3 days and massage these places once or twice a day.

3. Superficial acupuncture can be used (you should put a special applicator with the needles on the neck and collar zone, on the projection of the thoracic spine for 20-30 minutes).

4. You can apply cupping massage to the neck area, and paravertebrally in the cervical and thoracic spine.