Osteochondrosis is a family pathology for 40% of the population under 35 to 40 years and almost 90% in old age. Even in adolescents, signs of osteochondrosis are revealed: a decrease in discs height, pain, discomfort in the spine. If the treatment of the disease begins in the first stage, before the destruction of the disk, the opportunity to stop the progression is very high.
What is osteochondrosis?
With the osteochondrosis of the spine, there are one or more intervertebral discs. The disease can occur in any department:
- Thoracic;
- Shein;
- Lumbar (lumbosacral).
In severe cases, the degeneration of vertebrates in the context of osteochondrosis is observed throughout the pillar, which causes human disability. So what is this disease: osteochondrosis? The pathology is associated with a gradual, stable and progressive violation of the hyaline cartilage nutrition located in the intervertebral discs, as a result of which change their position, form, crack. A person experiences a severe pain syndrome, the functions of the entire musculoskeletal system are affected.
What is osteochondrosis regarding its consequences? If you do not perform treatment, the vertebrae will be compressed, the cracks between them will decrease and the discs will seem to crumble. This will cause damage to nerve roots, the damage to the spinal cord and the deteriorated work of the internal organs. Bone osteophytes appear along the edges of the discs, growths that cause even more pain. The consequences of this spinal disease are very serious.
The main causes of osteochondrosis
The scientists reached conclusions, studying the osteochondrosis that this disease is a consequence of the righteousness of a person, so most people are subject to it. Daily high loads in the column, the deterioration related to the age of vascular functions, the inferiority of nutrition and aging of the body are the main causes of osteochondrosis. The following factors are affected by the situation:
- Frequent body position (for example, curved sitting on the desk, with a bag on the shoulder);
- Sleep in soft mattresses, pillows;
- Flat feet, leg deformation;
- Metabolic diseases;
- Excess weight creating improved loads in the spine;
- Hypodinamia;
- Posture disorders;
- Multiple pregnancy;
- Long experience of smoking;
- The instability of the vertebrae.
Injuries, heavy physical activity greatly exacerbate the development of spine osteochondrosis. Therefore, athletes, physical work employees, low back osteochondrosis, a very "popular" problem. The inheritance also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the syndrome: if the parents at an early age had serious back problems, the child has a high risk of contracting the disease of the spine.
Psychosomatic osteochondrosis
The psychosomatic causes of pathology are a new direction in the search for previous requirements for their formation. Psychosomatic implies the influence of psychological factors in the development and course of physical disease. The connection between bodily and mental problems is really narrow, and in appearance a healthy person can suffer regular pain. With osteochondrosis, some people have no objective causes of pathology, but continue to progress.
Up to 30% of patients after a medical visit indicate problems such as:
- Constant stress;
- Chronic experiences;
- Nervous overload;
- Family problems;
- Conflicts;
- Moral breakdown.
Stages of the disease
The intervertebral disc consists of liquid and solid pieces. The first is in the center, which represents a nucleus that gives elasticity. The nucleus is surrounded by a strong ring from above. It is with the liquid structure that all the pathological changes in the disc begin, which then extend to their shell.
In medicine, four stages of osteochondrosis development are distinguished. This refers to the Pathology Conditional Unit for the severity of violations in the spine:
- The first stage of osteochondrosis. The amount of moisture on the disc falls, is dehydrated. The destruction does not happen yet, but after severe dehydration of the nucleus in the fibrous ring, microcks begin to appear. Symptoms at this stage of the disease are usually absent.
- The second stage of osteochondrosis. The disco height begins to decrease, which means the gradual union of symptoms and the progression of pathology. In the spine, the distance decreases between its individual segments, so the ligaments sink. At this stage, in several patients, the disease causes a sliding of the vertebrae: spondylolists. Pain, discomfort occurs with exacerbations, painful pain may even be present in remission.
- The third stage. The osteochondrosis of the column at this stage provides a severe pain syndrome, because complications begin to form. Most of the time, this is a protuberance of the disc, less frequently: osteoarthritis (degeneration) of the vertebral joints, subluxation of the vertebrae. The pain is complemented by a limitation of the mobility of the affected spine segment.
- The fourth stage of osteochondrosis. The spinal column begins to adapt to the new conditions of existence, tries to fix the vertebrae to protect from the final destruction. For this, osteophytes grow. Pain can be hard due to nerve endings.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis
The first signs of osteochondrosis generally begin in the initial stage when there is still no pain. In the neck, in the lower back, less frequently, in the thoracic region when moving, you can listen to a crunch (it means a violation of the discussion of the disc, its dehydration). In addition, during overloads, working in an awkward position, a person can notice the stiffness of the back or neck muscles. They become "stone" on one or two sides, which is uncomfortable, cause burning, irritation.
Subsequently, the symptoms of osteochondrosis become more obvious. At rest, a person can feel normal, but work, lift weights, a dream in an uncomfortable pillow can cause such phenomena:
- Pain pain;
- Dolores;
- Numbness of the hands (with damage to the neck);
- Feeling of rigidity;
- Forced decrease in movements;
- Muscle spasm;
- Parties;
- Greater pressure;
- Posture violation.
When overloading the patient's column, osteochondrosis gives more pronounced signs and symptoms. The pain occurs on the shoulders, it gives it to his hands, to the elbows, headaches appear. With the osteochondrosis of the cervical column, there is noise in the ears, the dizziness, the vertebral artery syndrome develops and the vision is altered. Over time, muscle atrophy is not produced without the treatment of osteochondrosis, the skin becomes pale. The course of heart pathologies can be aggravated, liver work, gallbladder and gastrointestinal tract.
What does pathology lead to?
The consequences of this disease are always unpleasant, they cause an increase in pain. With osteochondrosis, there are:
- Disk protuberance;
- Prolapse and album hernia;
- Episodes of Radiculitis, Ishias, Lumbago;
- Ciposis, scoliosis.
The danger to a person depends largely on the type of hernia for the spine osteochondrosis. They are front, rear, side and the most dangerous are rear hernias: they can squeeze the spinal cord. In the lumbar segment of the spine, hernias are more common, mainly between 4-5 vertebrae.
Lumbar osteochondrosis can cause very unpleasant symptoms: shelters (lumbago). Lumbago's pain is burning, sharp, unbearable, it is very difficult to endure. The cause pinches the nerve, because the patient is damaged by a neuromusive package. Especially dangerous for the osteochondrosis of the horse's tail syndrome, when a person has a pinch of a large package of spinal nerves. As a result, the functions of the intestines, the bladder, can even occur even leg paralysis.
Osteochondrosis signs are often reduced to severe muscle atrophy. If the muscles do not participate in the body for a long time, the movements of the column are limited, then the individual fibers weaken. As a result, the patient can become a disabled person chained to bed. Cervical osteochondrosis is also very dangerous, because a hernia in this segment can cause a violation of the blood supply to the brain. At this stage there is a risk of visual disability, drink, speech and other brain functions.
Disease diagnosis
By independently recognizing the signs of osteochondrosis, you must think about your treatment. Since the column injury can reach different stages, the treatment of osteochondrosis will also be unequal. It is important to make the correct diagnosis for therapy to be selected correctly.
Due to the generalized prevalence of the disease and the presence of characteristic symptoms, the doctor may assume a diagnosis in a preliminary examination. But for the differentiation of the osteochondrosis of other back diseases and the internal organs, the following diagnosis is made:
- X -Ray of the spine. It will help identify the height of the discs, the degree of their thinning, as well as the presence of osteophytes.
- CT, MRI. More preferable in the exam. With this disease, the severity of nerve damage, soft tissues and find the smallest protuberances will allow to determine.
With osteochondrosis, laboratory tests do not play a primary role, but the delivery of general analysis, biochemistry is required to exclude the inflammatory process, rheumatoid lesions of the bones, the joints. To study muscle function, the doctor performs a series of physical tests and to clarify the work of blood vessels and nerves, they make duplex electromyography.
Osteochondrosis medication treatment
If with the symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis they are determined, it is not worth delaying with therapy: the disease progresses rapidly. At an early stage, gymnastics, massage to strengthen muscles; This will be enough. In the remaining stages of osteochondrosis, pharmacological treatment will be needed and sometimes surgery.
Reluring pain is the most unpleasant sign of the disease: you can use non -steroidal anti -inflammatory medications. They cannot cure osteochondrosis, but they are always prescribed before exercise therapy to relieve symptoms. In severe cases, medications are administered in injections, but more frequently is recommended by a 7-14-day course on tablets and locally, in the form of ointments.
If a person has a strong painful syndrome in the backbone, glucocortic conjection is injected directly into the damage zone.
The treatment of osteochondrosis is also carried out using the following means:
- B Vitamins of B. Help improve the nerve conductivity of the spine.
- Condroprotectors. They nourish intervertebral cartilage, strengthen discs.
- Musorelaxantes. Reduce the strength of muscle cramps for osteochondrosis.
- Vascular drugsOptimize blood circulation in the spine.
If osteochondrosis has been developed, only condroproprotectors give anesthesia and pathogenetic treatment, they are taken in courses for 3-6 months. The rest of the medications have the symptomatic effect and do not affect the course of osteochondrosis itself.
Physiotherapy and osteochondrosis
In the list of measures to treat osteochondrosis, physiotherapeutic techniques necessarily include. Thanks to physiotherapy, the treatment of osteochondrosis will be more effective, because the action extends directly to the inflammation approach. Physiotherapy will relieve painful syndrome, eliminate spasms, improve blood microcirculation, will help eliminate nerve clips. The most popular methods are the following:
- ElectrophoresisThe treatment of osteochondrosis in this way will allow to administer relaxing and anti -inflammatory and anesthetic substances directly in the area of vertebrae, muscles, ligaments.
- Ultrasound. It relieves unpleasant symptoms, anesthesia, creates the effect of vibration massage, activates metabolism at the local level.
- MagnetotherapySeveral or constant magnetic fields eliminate the inflammatory process.
All types of physiotherapy must be carried out through courses of 10-15 procedures, while individual contraindications are necessarily taken into account.
Gymnastics and massage
Exercise therapy in the treatment of osteochondrosis plays a dominant role. Without exercise therapy, it will not be possible to form a strong muscle corset, and the latter is very necessary to maintain a sick spine. In addition, gymnastics improves blood circulation in the backbone, improves metabolic processes and helps quickly eliminate decomposition products.
How to cure osteochondrosis with gymnastics? The complex is selected only individually, and only in 1-2 stages can be carried out without the control of a doctor. In the posterior stages, unnecessary and stronger movements can cause a disc and strengthen the problem. In 3 stages, all exercises are performed only in a liar position.
For the treatment of osteochondrosis, massage is required. In the acute stage, they do not, this will cause an emotion. But the massage done correctly in the chronic stage with osteochondrosis is indispensable. After the course of the sessions, the muscles relax, the clamps, nerves and blood vessels are eliminated to function normally. The massage is carried out only in soft mode, without sudden movements.
Pathology prevention
In order not to lead to surgery for osteochondrosis, it is important to carefully consider prevention measures:
- Do not allow hypodinamia. This disease can progress with energy loads, but swimming, skis, load will only benefit and help strengthen muscles and health in general.
- Follow the posture. At work and at home, it is important to sit correctly, not be hunched and from childhood.
- Sleep in comfortable pillows. There are preventive pillows, with existing osteochondrosis, several other therapeutics are used.
- Do not lift weights. If necessary, you must sit, get up with the object, keeping your back straight.
- Regularly make classes to strengthen the muscles. This is important for neck muscles, back, pressure, lower back.
- Wear comfortable shoes. Orthopedic shoes will not allow the risk factor to defeat vertebrae.
It is also important to eat well, not smoking, enriching the diet with vitamins, consuming more liquids, so the probability of pathology will decrease.