Osteochondrosis is a disease in which degenerative processes occur in the tissues of the spine.Damage to intervertebral discs, articular surfaces adjacent to them, vertebral bodies and ligaments develops.As a rule, at the beginning, pathological changes in bones and ligaments occur with osteochondrosis.Moreover, a person realizes the onset of the disease only when he begins to suffer from the complications of this condition - back pain, sensory impairment, muscle atrophy, dysfunction of internal organs.
This disease is widespread among modern people: according to various sources, up to 90% of the world's population suffers from osteochondrosis.The disease mainly affects people over 30 years old.Today, lumbar osteochondrosis is most often detected (in about half of cases).
Stages of osteochondrosis
In humans, the disease develops in stages.In the first stage of the development of the disease, the process of dehydration of the pulpous nucleus begins.As a result, the pitch of the disk decreases and cracks form in the fibrous ring.However, pathological changes do not occur outside the intervertebral disc.
In the second stage, as a result of the decrease in the height of the disc, the point of attachment of muscles and ligaments, the convergence of two adjacent vertebrae is observed.Excessive mobility of the vertebra appears due to sagging ligaments and muscles, which leads to the development of instability of the vertebral movement segment.During this period, the vertebrae can slip or slip, resulting in spondylolisthesis.
The third stage of the development of osteochondrosis is characterized by obvious morphological changes in the intervertebral discs.Disc prolapses and protrusions occur, subluxations develop in intervertebral joints and non-vertebral joints.
When the fourth stage occurs, adaptive changes are observed in the affected vertebrae.In this case, the human body adapts to the excessive mobility of the vertebra and eliminates it.As a result of immobilization of the spine, osteophytes appear - marginal bone growths on the adjacent surfaces of the vertebral bodies.An osteophyte can damage the nerve root.Fibrous changes occur gradually in intervertebral discs and joints.As a result, a kind of armor is formed in the vertebral-motor segment, and the manifestations gradually disappear.
Causes of osteochondrosis
Specialists put forward different hypotheses about the reasons contributing to the development of osteochondrosis.Such reasons include mechanical damage to the spine, disruption of the body's metabolic processes, and a predisposition to a hereditary disease.However, due to the spread of the disease, it is difficult to determine an exact cause of the development of the disease.It often occurs in young and old people;in the physically strong and the less trained.
Sometimes one hears the opinion that the symptoms of osteochondrosis arise due to the deposition of salts in the human spine.If patients hear creaking and crunching in the joints, they often talk about salt deposits.In fact, the disease develops as a result of tissue malnutrition.As a result, their structure is gradually destroyed.Bone and cartilage tissues are constantly being renewed.If a person regularly has adequate physical activity, the tissue becomes more elastic.But for people who lead a mostly sedentary lifestyle, this fabric is less durable.
In addition, the reason for the development of osteochondrosis can be excess weight, bad posture, negative environmental conditions, characteristics of the body position during work, unevenly developed musculoskeletal system, pregnancy, stress, hypothermia, infections.
Thus, the spectrum of factors leading to the development of the disease is very wide.The characteristics of blood flow and nutrition of cartilage and bone tissue play an important role in this process.Adult spinal discs do not have blood vessels, so the discs receive oxygen and all the necessary nutrients from the neighboring tissues.Therefore, for the normal nutrition of the spinal discs, blood circulation in the surrounding tissues must be constantly activated.This process can be accelerated by providing active muscle work.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis
Manifestations of the disease can be different and directly depend on the stage of development of the disease.The most obvious symptoms of the disease appear when the pathological process spreads to the back of the fibrous ring and the posterior longitudinal ligament.During the activation of the pathological process, the patient develops reflex and compression neurological syndromes.
Osteochondrosis can manifest itself in different parts of the body, so the symptoms of the disease are very wide.A patient with osteochondrosis may have pain or numbness in the limbs, sometimes pain in the chest area, sexual dysfunction, and headaches.At the same time, a person does not even realize that the cause of such manifestations is osteochondrosis.
If a patient develops osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, the symptoms are similar to the manifestations of heart disease: angina pectoris, myocardial infarction.Therefore, sometimes the wrong treatment is applied, which causes osteochondrosis to progress further.Therefore, if you suspect the development of this disease, a person should immediately consult a doctor and undergo the necessary tests.
Osteochondrosis is manifested primarily by pain and a strong feeling of discomfort in the back.In some cases, the pain is not constant, but occurs periodically.It may be gone for a while.But for every person, the occurrence of pain should be a very alarming symptom and cause concern.It is important to think about and determine what exactly is causing the pain.For example, it can be intense physical activity, lifting weights.
Another indication of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is numbness in the arms and legs, as well as pain in them.Similar symptoms are characteristic of other types of osteochondrosis.Most often, the pain develops in the left leg or arm, sometimes it spreads to the heart, under the ribs.If such symptoms appear, you should not immediately rush to take medicine for heart or other diseases, but you should listen carefully and evaluate the nature of the pain, its changes depending on what exactly the person is doing at the moment.All your observations should be explained in detail to the doctor, after which the patient is prescribed massage, gymnastics and other treatment methods.Contacting a specialist in the early stages of the disease will ensure more effective treatment.
Thus, in most cases, patients diagnosed with osteochondrosis complain of discomfort in the spine in different places, pain of different intensity and nature.They have higher fatigue, which manifests itself during both physical and mental work.Sensation can be disturbed in different parts of the body, mostly in the limbs.Patients may also feel cold in their arms and legs.Dizziness and headache are often a manifestation of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.Visual acuity can also be significantly reduced.
If a patient has osteochondrosis of the back, in this case, various disorders of the human reproductive system may appear.After the treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar-sacral region, men often note an improvement in potency.At the same time, if a woman develops osteochondrosis of the sacral spine, it can complicate the process of conception, as well as pregnancy.In addition to these symptoms, other manifestations are possible with osteochondrosis: muscle spasms, difficulty in movement, shooting pains, etc.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
The most important point in the process of diagnosing osteochondrosis is taking an anamnesis, and the most important point in this process is interviewing the patient, who should describe all complaints to the doctor in detail.If some symptoms of the disease are characteristic manifestations of osteochondrosis, there are also many symptoms that are important to distinguish from the manifestations of other diseases.Dysfunctions of many organs manifested in osteochondrosis are often similar to the symptoms of gastritis, angina pectoris and peptic ulcer.Therefore, each symptom of osteochondrosis is subject to detailed research and analysis.
During the diagnosis, the doctor takes into account the age of the patient and the development of symptoms.Additional research methods are used to clarify the diagnosis.X-ray examination is often used in this case.An X-ray of the spine is performed to determine the patient's condition.If there are more specific complaints, target X-ray directed at the site of the lesion is applied.
Myelography is considered a relatively complex diagnostic method.This examination involves the injection of contrast fluid into the spinal canal.In this case, there is a risk of damage to the spinal cord, as well as an allergic reaction.But at the same time, if it is necessary to determine the presence of a spinal hernia, this method is considered informative.
In addition, the use of computed tomography and magnetic nuclear resonance is applied.However, they are relatively expensive, so they are mainly used when it is necessary to make a differential diagnosis, as well as to determine the presence of a spinal tumor.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
In order for the treatment of spinal osteochondrosis to be effective, not only an accurate diagnosis, but also an integrated approach to the problem should be provided.The doctor, as a rule, prescribes treatment methods depending on which part of the spine is affected.The main therapeutic methods of the cervical spine, as well as the thoracic and lumbar spine are massage, manual therapy, acupuncture, electrical stimulation, therapeutic exercises, vacuum therapy, traction and other methods.Parallel treatment with folk remedies can also be applied.
The doctor prescribes the treatment in such a way as to ensure the elimination of the symptoms that disturb the patient, as well as the cause of the pathology of the spine.Relieve pain with the use of physiotherapy methods and drugs.Special exercises are also used for spinal osteochondrosis.
One of the main methods of treatment of spinal osteochondrosis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system is the use of physical therapy.Special rehabilitation equipment is used for this purpose.By regularly performing exercises individually selected by a specialist, you can improve blood circulation and activate metabolism.As a result, nutrition of the intervertebral discs improves and the load on the spine decreases.
Physiotherapy method involves the influence of various physical factors on the body.With the help of low-frequency current, magnetic field, laser, pain is effectively eliminated, inflammation decreases, and drug treatment becomes more effective in parallel.With the help of massage, you can relieve tension and muscle pain, activate blood circulation.Manual therapy allows you to relieve acute and persistent chronic pain in the joints and spine, increase the range of motion, and also has a general positive effect on the body.A spinal traction procedure is used to relieve severe pain.It is carried out in special equipment.In the process, the intervertebral space increases and the shape of the spine is restored.Drug treatment is mainly applied during the exacerbation period.
But in most cases, even effective treatment can only slow down the course of the disease and prevent exacerbations.Complete recovery is possible only in the initial stage of osteochondrosis.It should be taken into account that the duration of treatment depends on how far the disease has progressed, the methods of therapy, and how carefully the patient follows all the doctor's prescriptions and recommendations.Typically, the active treatment period lasts from one to three months.After the operation, a person recovers for about a year.If conservative therapy does not bring the expected result and there are special indications, the doctor prescribes surgical treatment.
Prevention of osteochondrosis
People who already suffer from the manifestations of osteochondrosis should try not to overload the spine and minimize the pressure on the intervertebral discs.It is advisable to always try to keep your back straight and avoid spinal injuries.A comfortable bed is important for a good night's sleep: you should choose an individual orthopedic mattress.You should not lift weights weighing more than 10 kg, and to lift an object, you must first sit down and pick up the object, and then stand up with it.Women should not wear very high heels.In addition, people who complain of back pain should do exercises to strengthen their core muscles every day.Swimming is recommended if possible.