Osteocondrosis is a family pathology at 40% of the population under the age of 35-40 years and almost 90% in old age. Even in teenagers, they are sometimes revealed signs of osteocondrosis: a decrease in the height of the discs, pain, discomfort in the spine. If the treatment of the disease is started in the first phase, before the destruction of the disc, the possibility of stopping the progression is very high.
What is osteochondrosis?
With the osteochondrosis of the spine, one or more intervertebral discs occurs. The disease can occur in any department:
- Thoracic;
- Shein;
- Lumbar (lumbosacral).
In severe cases, the degeneration of vertebrates against the background of the osteocondrosis is observed throughout the pillar, which causes human disability. So what is this disease - osteochondrosis? The pathology is associated with a gradual, constant and progressive violation of the nutrition of Ialin cartilage located on the intervertebral discs, due to which they change their position, form, crack. A person experiences a serious pain syndrome, the functions of the entire musculoskeletal system are compromised.
What is osteochondrosis regarding its consequences? If you do not perform a treatment, the vertebrae will be compressed, the cracks will decrease and the discs will seem to crumble. This will lead to damage to the nerve roots, damage to the spinal cord and alteration of the internal organs. Bone osteophytes appear along the edges of the records - growths that cause even more pain. The consequences of this spinal disease are very serious.
The main causes of osteochondosis
Scientists came to conclusions, studying osteochondosis according to which this disease is a consequence of the ease of a person, therefore most people are subject to it. Daily loads on the spine, 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 weighed down by the situation:
- Frequent improper position of the body (for example, curved sitting at the desk, wearing a bag on the shoulder);
- Sleep on soft mattresses, cushions;
- Plates, deformation of the legs;
- Metabolic diseases;
- Excess weight by creating improved loads on the spine;
- Hypodynamia;
- Posture disorders;
- Multiple pregnancy;
- Long experience of smoke;
- The instability of the vertebrae.
Injurias, strong physical activity greatly aggravates the development of the osteochondosis of the spine. Therefore, athletes, employees of physical work, osteochondrosis of the lower back - a very "popular" problem. The inheritance also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the syndrome: if the parents at a young age had serious problems with their shoulders, the child has a high risk of obtaining the disease of the spine.
Psychosomatic of osteocondrosis
The psychosomatic causes of the pathology are a new direction in the search for prerequisites for his training. Psychosomatic implies the influence of psychological factors on the development and course of physical diseases. The connection between bodily and mental problems is really narrow and apparently a healthy person can suffer from regular pain. With osteochondrosis, some people have no objective causes of pathology, but continues to progress.
Up to 30% of patients after a visit to the doctor indicate problems such as:
- Constant stress;
- Chronic experiences;
- Nervous overstrain;
- Family problems;
- Conflicts;
- Moral breakdown.
Disease phase
The intervertebral disc is made up of liquid and solid parts. 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, that they later spread to its shell.
In medicine, four phases of osteochondrosis development are distinguished. This refers to the conditional unit of pathology by gravity of violations in the spine:
- The first stadium of the osteocondrosis. The amount of humidity in the disc falls, is dehydrated. Destruction does not yet occur, but after a serious dehydration of the nucleus on the fibrous ring, microocracks begin to appear. The symptoms at this stage of the disease are generally absent.
- The second stage of the osteochondrosis. The height of the disc begins to decrease, which means the gradual attachment of the symptoms and the progression of the pathology. In the spine, the distance decreases between its individual segments, which is why the ligaments are falling. At this stage, in a number of patients, the disease causes a postponement of the vertebrae - spondilolistz. Pain, discomfort occur with exacerbations, painful pain can also be present in remission.
- The third phase. The osteochondrosis of the spine in this phase provides a serious pain syndrome, because complications begin to form. Very often, this is a ledge of the disc, less often - arthrosis (degeneration) of the vertebral joints, subluxation of the vertebrae. The pain is integrated by a limitation of the mobility of the spine of the spine concerned.
- The fourth stadium of the osteochondrosis. The spinal column begins to adapt to the new conditions of existence, tries to fix the vertebrae in order to protect against final destruction. For this, osteophytes grow. The pain can be hard due to the injury to nerve endings.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis
The first signs of osteochondrosis usually begin in the initial phase when there is still no pain. In the neck, in the lower back of the back, less often - in the thoracic region when you move, you can feel a crunch (it means a violation of the power of the disc, its dehydration). In addition, during overloads, working in an uncomfortable position, a person can see the rigidity of the back or neck muscles. They become "stone" on one or two sides, which is uncomfortable, causes irritation, irritation.
Subsequently, the symptoms of osteochondrosis become more evident. At rest, a person can feel normal, but the work, lifting weights, a dream on a discomfort cushion can cause these phenomena:
- Painful pains;
- Pain;
- Numbness of the hands (with damage to the neck);
- Feeling of rigidity;
- Forced decrease in movements;
- Muscle spasm;
- Parties;
- Increase in pressure;
- Violation of posture.
When overloading the patient's vertebral column, osteochondrosis provides more pronounced signs and symptoms. The pain occurs in the shoulders, it gives it with hands, elbows, headache. With the osteochondrosis of the cervical column, there is noise in the ears, dizziness, the vertebral artery syndrome develops and the vision is disturbed. Over time, no muscle atrophy occurs without the treatment of osteocondrosis, the skin becomes pale. The course of cardiac pathologies can be aggravated, the work of the liver, the girlfe and the gastrointestinal tract is interrupted.
What does the pathology lead to?
The consequences of this disease are always unpleasant, cause an increase in pain. With osteochondrosis, there are:
- Protrusion of the disc;
- Prolapse and hernia of the disc;
- Radicolite attacks, ISHIAS, LUMBAGO;
- Cifosis, scoliosis.
The danger for a person depends largely on the type of hernia for osteochondosis of the spine. They are front, rear, lateral and the most dangerous are the rear hernias: they can squeeze the spinal cord. In the lumbar segment of the spine, the hernias are more common, mainly between 4-5 vertebrae.
Lumbar osteochondrosis can cause very unpleasant symptoms - shelters (lumbago). Lumbago's pain is burning, acute, unbearable, it is very difficult to bear. The cause is pinched of the nerve, because the patient is damaged by a neuromous bundle. Particularly dangerous for osteochondrosis of horse's tail syndrome, when a person has a pinch of a large bundle of spinal nerves. Consequently, the functions of the intestine, the bladder, can even happen even the paralysis of the legs.
The signs of osteochondrosis often reduce to severe muscle atrophy. If the muscles do not participate in the body for a long time, the movements of the spine are bound, then the individual fibers weaken. As a result, the patient can become a disabled person chained in bed. Cervical osteochondrosis is also very dangerous, because an hernia in this segment can cause a violation of the blood supply to the brain. At this stage there is the risk of visual impairment, swallowing, language and other brain functions.
Diagnosis of the disease
By independently recognizing the signs of osteocondrosis, you have to think about its treatment. Since the spinning of the spine can reach different phases, the treatment of osteochondrosis will also be unequal. It is important to make the correct diagnosis so that the therapy is selected correctly.
Due to the widespread prevalence of the disease and the presence of characteristic symptoms, the doctor will be able to assume a diagnosis of a preliminary examination. But for the differentiation of the osteocondrosis from other diseases of the back and internal organs, the following diagnosis is performed:
- X -Reggio of the spine. It will help identify the height of the discs, the degree of their thinning and the presence of osteophytes.
- CT, MRI. Most preferable in the exam. With this disease, the severity of the damage to the nerves, to the soft tissues and find the smallest protrusions will allow to determine.
With osteochondrosis, laboratory tests do not play a fundamental role, but general analysis is necessary, biochemistry is necessary to exclude the inflammatory process, rheumatoid lesions of bones, joints. To study muscle function, the doctor leads a series of physical tests and to clarify the work of the blood vessels and nerves, they produce a duplex, electromyography.
Treatment of osteochondrosis medicines
If with the symptoms and treatment of osteocondrosis and the treatment is not worth delaying with therapy: the disease progresses quickly. In an initial phase, gymnastics is usually recommended to strengthen the muscles: this will be enough. In the remaining stages of the osteochondrosis, pharmacological treatment and sometimes surgery will be necessary.
Pain relief is the most unpleasant sign of the disease: it is possible to use non -pounded anti -inflammatory drugs. Osteocondrosis cannot be cured, but are always prescribed before operating therapy to relieve symptoms. In serious cases, drugs are administered in injections, but more often they are recommended by a 7-14 days in tablets and locally, in the form of ointments.
If a person has a strong painful syndrome in the spine, it is injected with glucocorticosteroid injections directly in the damage area.
The treatment of osteocondrosis is also carried out using the following means:
- B. 's vitamins help to improve the nervous conductivity of the spine.
- Condroprotectors. They nourish the intervertebral cartilage, strengthen the discs.
- Musorelassanti. Reduce the strength of muscle cramps for osteochondrosis.
- Vascular drugs. Optimize blood circulation in the spine.
If osteochondrosis has developed, only chondropropruptioners provide anesthesia and pathogenetic treatment, they are followed in courses for 3-6 months. The rest of the drugs has the symptomatic effect and does not affect the course of the osteocondrosis itself.
Physiotherapy and osteochondrosis
In the list of measures that for the treatment of osteochondrosis, physiotherapy techniques necessarily include. Thanks to physiotherapy, the treatment of osteocondrosis will be more effective, since the action extends directly to the focus of inflammation. Physiotherapy relieves painful syndrome, will eliminate spasms, improve blood microcirculation, will help to remove clips from the nerves. The most popular methods are as follows:
- Electrophoresis. In this way, the treatment of osteocondrosis will allow to provide relaxing and anti -inflammatory and anesthetic substances directly in the vertebrae area, muscles, ligaments.
- Ultrasound. It relieves unpleasant symptoms, anesthesia, creates the effect of the massage of vibrations, activates the metabolism at the local level.
- Magnetotherapy. Varves or constant magnetic fields eliminate the inflammatory process.
All types of physiotherapy must be performed by courses of 10-15 procedures, while individual contraindications are necessarily taken into consideration.
Gymnastics and massage
The exercise therapy in the treatment of osteocondrosis plays a dominant role. Without operating therapy, it will not be possible to form a strong muscle corset and the latter is acutely necessary to maintain a sick vertebral column. In addition, gymnastics improves blood circulation in the vertebral area, improves metabolic processes and helps to quickly remove decay products.
How to cure osteochondrosis with gymnastics? The complex is selected only individually and only in 1-2 internships can it be performed without checking a doctor. In the subsequent stages, unnecessary and stronger movements can cause a disk dispersed and strengthen the problem. In 3 phases, all exercises are performed only in a liar position.
For the treatment of osteocondrosis, a massage is required. In the acute phase, they do not do it - this will cause a shiver. But the massage correctly performed in the chronic phase with osteochondrosis is essential. After the course of the sessions, the muscles relax, the terminals are removed, the nerves and the blood vessels begin to function normally. The massage is performed only in delicate mode, without sudden movements.
Prevention of pathology
In order not to bring to osteochondrosis surgery, it is important to carefully consider prevention measures:
- Do not allow hypodynamia. This disease can progress with power loads, but swimming, skiing, recharge will benefit and help only strengthen the muscles and health as a whole.
- Follow the posture. At work and home, it is important to sit properly, not to support and from childhood.
- Sleep on comfortable cushions. There are preventive cushions, with existing osteochondrosis, many other therapeutic are used.
- Do not raise weights. If necessary, you should sit, get up with the object, holding your back straight.
- Regularly make lessons to strengthen the muscles. This is important for the muscles of the neck, back, pressure, of the lower back.
- Wear comfortable shoes. Orthopedic shoes will not allow the risk factor to defeat the vertebrae.
It is also important to eat well, I don't smoke, enrich the diet with vitamins, consume more liquid, so the probability of pathology will decrease.