Osteochondrosis disease: what is it and how is it expressed?This is a fairly common pathology that is seen most often in older people, but today it is often found among young people.To choose the right treatment for osteochondrosis, it is necessary to determine the cause of its occurrence and the degree of damage to the body.Well, to recognize this disease, you need to know what kind of disease it is and everything about osteochondrosis in general.How to get rid of osteochondrosis and alleviate the patient's condition?
What is osteochondrosis?
The diagnosis of osteochondrosis is a degenerative-destructive disorder of the spine.The basis of this disease is a change in the trophism of vertebrae and intervertebral discs, as a result of which the normal tissue structure is disturbed.The cartilage disc becomes elastic, changes its shape and consistency.The width of the intervertebral spaces narrows and the damaged part of the spine loses its stability.Damage to the proper connection between the vertebrae is associated with compression of the nerve endings extending from the spinal cord and the intensity of the back muscles.As a result, neurological symptoms of osteochondrosis and pain appear.
Dystrophic disorders in the disc cause a decrease in the fibrous ring.In this regard, the patient often develops dangerous complications (vertebral hernia, protrusion).
Subsequently, as a degenerative disorder, osteochondrosis spreads to the small joints of the spine, intervertebral ligaments and bone growths of the vertebrae are formed.The patient can hardly bend or straighten;in other words, flexibility disappears, subluxations and spinal curvatures (scoliosis, kyphosis) occur in the spine.
Depending on the location, the pathology affects:
- cervical region;
- chest;
- back
The first signs of osteochondrosis do not appear immediately, but gradually.This degenerative damage of bone and cartilage tissue leads to rapid physiological aging of the body.What is osteochondrosis and how to treat it can be seen below.
What is Dorsalgia?
Dorsalgia is a very complex syndrome that occurs in various diseases.It can be associated with both back diseases and other disorders of internal organs.
It is often caused by osteochondrosis, spondylosis, disc herniation and severe scoliosis.This syndrome is manifested by mild pain in the affected area of the back.
Causes of the disease
What causes osteochondrosis?The exact causes of osteochondrosis have not yet been determined.There are many predisposing conditions that cause osteochondrosis, some of them are:
- genetic predisposition;
- changes in metabolic processes in the body;
- intoxication, infectious pathologies;
- smoking, stress cause narrowing and spasm of blood vessels;
- foot diseases that cause overload of the spine (flat feet);
- overweight, obesity;
- microtraumas of the spine (blows, falls, sharp shocks) and macrotraumas (falls, fractures);
- age-related changes;
- hypothermia, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition cause fluid and vitamin deficiency;
- metabolic disorders;
- unique climate (high humidity, low air temperature).
There are other causes of osteochondrosis, and each of them can appear as a result of the wrong lifestyle.
There is a popular belief that many diseases originate from the nerves.Suspicious and temperamental people often suffer from diseases of the joints and spine.
Psychological causes of osteochondrosis can also be mentioned:
- insomnia, depression;
- stress, nervous breakdowns;
- feeling of loneliness, feeling of fear;
- sad mood;
- psychological pathologies;
- problems in sex life.
The psychology of this disease is not fully established.
Symptoms
In the case of osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment will depend on the location of the lesion and the stage of damage.
Symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis affecting the cervical spine appear as follows:
- pain in the parietal, occipital and temporal zones increases with turns and neck movements;
- tinnitus, hearing loss;
- dizziness, tremors in the eyes, fainting;
- visual impairment;
- changes in blood pressure;
- hoarse voice, snoring;
- numbness
Symptoms of back osteochondrosis affecting the thoracic region:
- numbness of the skin in the chest, back, abdomen;
- pain when raising your arms, taking a deep breath, as well as during exhalation;
- pain in the region of the heart, squeezing, often sharp, sharp pain;
- discomfort and difficulty when turning the body in one direction or another;
- severe pain in spine.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis in women and men with damage to the lumbar region:
- numbness, tingling, goosebumps in the legs, hips;
- excessive sweating;
- pain in the lower back, transmitted to one or both legs;
- varicose veins in the lower extremities;
- feet freeze even in warm temperatures;
- Menstruation is irregular in women and potential disorders in men.
Treatment and symptoms of osteochondrosis are already long and when the damaged vertebrae are fused, the patient suffers from the impossibility of movement in one or another area of the spine, and the pain usually decreases or disappears completely.How to treat spinal osteochondrosis?
Diagnostics
If there is osteochondrosis, what to do and how to eliminate it?Before starting the treatment of back osteochondrosis, the attending physician must correctly diagnose the patient with an initial examination and interview.And still how to recognize osteochondrosis?
To confirm the pathology, you should undergo the following examination methods:
- computed tomography, which recognizes the condition, structure, shape, compression of nerve endings, deformations of the intervertebral discs;
- MRI detects the smallest injuries in the area of the spine, it is used when CT cannot show the exact result;
- radiography determines the degree of damaged vertebrae, their location and bone appearance;
- Doppler ultrasound determines the degree of change in blood flow in the capillaries that supply the spinal cord and other organs.
Sometimes, a comprehensive examination can reveal related pathologies that arise during the aggravation of this disease (hernia, radiculitis, protrusion, kyphosis).
The diagnostic feature is of the greatest importance, because many symptoms and signs are very similar to the symptoms of other diseases, and the centers of pain can be the spinal process, as well as a damaged intervertebral disc.
How to treat spinal osteochondrosis?
Treatment of spinal osteochondrosis is a rather long process involving the complex use of drugs;you will need a special treatment regimen for osteochondrosis and an individual approach to each patient.Choosing the right treatment regimen for any patient is determined by the nature of pathological disorders, the condition of the person and the presence of complications of the disease.
An important condition for how to fight osteochondrosis is staged treatment.First of all, treatment during exacerbation of osteochondrosis is aimed at relieving pain.The patient is advised to rest, to use special collars and corsets designed for self-extraction of the spine.External and internal treatment with drugs and physical procedures will be required.
Then there will be a need for procedures that can prevent new exacerbations (therapeutic exercises, reflexology, manual therapy, massages).
Medicines
Is it possible to treat osteochondrosis with drugs?Medicines should be used during exacerbation of the disease.They help reduce symptoms and affect individual etiological factors in the development of the disease.
The most commonly used drugs in the treatment of osteochondrosis are:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.They have an analgesic effect, quickly eliminate inflammation and can reduce the increased temperature of the damaged tissues of the spine.These products are used in the form of injections, ointments, gels and tablets.
- Muscle relaxants.They often fight against the increased muscle tone that can be seen with this pathology.
- Chondroprotectors.They reduce the processes of cartilage destruction and lead to their regeneration.
- Pain relieversfor local effects (pepper patch, compresses).
- Vitamins E, B1, B2, B6.Increase metabolism, restore damaged tissues.It is better to use them in the form of injections.
- Vasodilator drugs.Designed to relieve vascular spasms.
- Glucocorticosteroids.Eliminates swelling, inflammation, increases the effect of muscle relaxants, NSAIDs.
- Angioprotectors.Restore blood flow, metabolism, capillary muscle tone.
Therapeutic exercise
In the case of spinal disease, the symptoms can be pronounced, so only a specialist can advise what to do for osteochondrosis.
Exercise therapy or physical therapy is an effective treatment for osteochondrosis, because gymnastics to strengthen the back muscles leads to the development of a muscle corset, which allows the spine to distribute the load evenly.Thanks to regular procedures, blood circulation is restored, tissue nutrition is restored, and movements become easier.
For example, special breathing exercises reduce muscle spasms and relieve pain.But swimming can significantly relax and relieve your back.
However, for the effectiveness and safety of physical therapy, exercises should be performed only after getting rid of acute symptoms of the disease.
Physiotherapy treatment
In addition to drugs, the treatment of back osteochondrosis also includes physiotherapeutic measures.They help speed up the recovery process and continue to be used throughout the remission period, except for exacerbations.There are many physiotherapy methods, and many of them are specifically applied to the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis, for example:
- Magnetotherapy- restores metabolic processes, reduces inflammation, tissue swelling and pain.
- Electrophoresis.Medicines used during this procedure promote analgesic effects, improve blood flow in damaged tissues and normalize metabolism.
- Manual therapy- reduces pain, joint mobility can occur.
- Laser therapy- normalizes blood circulation, reduces inflammation, pain, stimulates tissue regeneration.
- Acupuncture.Special needles can relieve pain, relieve inflammation and stimulate metabolic processes.
- Massage.Osteochondrosis of the spine can be treated with the help of therapeutic massage, it relieves pain, restores muscle tone, as well as nerve conduction.
- Tractionfor osteochondrosis of the spine in adults.It helps to normalize mobility, prevents the progression of the disease and the manifestation of complications.
It happens that the doctor prescribes the whole range of such procedures to a patient at once.It usually depends on how osteochondrosis manifests itself and related diseases.The duration of the course is from 10 to 15 days.It is recommended to repeat them 3-4 times a year.In this regard, it is possible to reduce the rate of progression and the frequency of complications several times.
Surgical treatment
Is osteochondrosis treated surgically?Treatment for osteochondrosis of the spine is possible in this way.The reason for this intervention may be the late arrival of the patient to the doctor, the presence of complications or the failure of conservative treatment.
Any type of surgery helps relieve pressure on the spinal cord and roots.When a person has an intervertebral hernia, the damaged disc and the hernia itself are completely removed.
The surgical method involves a certain degree of risk and is performed in emergency cases.
Of course, it is unlikely that you can get rid of osteochondrosis forever, but with the help of drugs, physiotherapeutic measures and massages, you can forget about the unpleasant symptoms of the disease for a certain period of time.