Osteochondrosis disease: what is it and how does it express itself?This is a fairly common pathology, appearing more frequently in elderly people, but today the incidence is frequently observed among young people.To select the correct treatment for osteochondrosis, it is necessary to establish the cause of its occurrence and the stage of damage to the body.Well, to recognize this disease you need to have an idea of what type of disease it is and everything about osteochondrosis in general.And 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 the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, resulting in a disturbance of the normal tissue structure.The cartilaginous disc becomes inelastic, changing its shape and consistency.The width of the intervertebral spaces decreases and the damaged section of the spine loses its stability.Damage to the correct relationship 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 lead to a decrease in the fibrous ring.In this regard, the patient often develops dangerous complications (vertebral hernia, protrusion).
Subsequently, osteochondrosis as a degenerative disorder spreads to the small joints of the spinal crest, intervertebral ligaments form and bone growths of the vertebrae grow.The patient can barely bend or straighten;in other words, flexibility disappears, vertebral subluxations and curvatures of the spine (scoliosis, kyphosis) occur.
Depending on the location, the pathology affects:
- cervical region;
- chest;
- lumbar.
The first signs of osteochondrosis do not awaken immediately, but gradually.This degenerative damage to bone and cartilage tissue quickly leads to physiological aging of the body.What osteochondrosis is and how to treat it can be seen below.
What is back pain?
Dorsalgia is a very complex syndrome that occurs in several diseases.It may be associated with back disease and other disorders of internal organs.
Most often, it is formed as a result of osteochondrosis, spondylosis, herniated discs and severe scoliosis.This syndrome is manifested by slight pain in the damaged area of the back.
Causes of the disease
What causes osteochondrosis?The exact causes of osteochondrosis have not yet been established.There are many predisposing circumstances that cause osteochondrosis, some of them are:
- genetic predisposition;
- changes in the body's metabolic flow;
- intoxication, infectious pathologies;
- smoking and stress lead to narrowing and spasm of blood vessels;
- foot diseases that cause spinal overload (flat feet);
- overweight, obesity;
- microtraumas of the spine (bumps, falls, sudden jolts) and macrotraumas (bruises, fractures);
- age-related changes;
- hypothermia, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition lead to a lack of fluid and vitamins;
- metabolic disorders;
- unique climate (high humidity, low air temperatures).
Osteochondrosis has other causes, and each of them can arise as a result of an incorrect lifestyle.
There is a popular belief that many diseases arise from the nerves.Suspicious and temperamental people often suffer from joint and spinal diseases.
Psychological causes of osteochondrosis can also be noted:
- insomnia, depression;
- stress, nervous breakdowns;
- feeling of loneliness, feeling of fear;
- sad mood;
- psychological pathologies;
- problems in sexual life.
The psychology of this disease has not been fully established.
Symptoms
In the case of osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment will depend on the location of the injury and the stage of the damage.
Symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis affecting the cervical spine appear as follows:
- pain in the parietal, occipital and temporal areas, increasing with turns and movements of the neck;
- tinnitus, hearing loss;
- dizziness, twinkling in the eyes, fainting;
- visual impairment;
- changes in blood pressure;
- hoarse voice, snoring;
- dormancy.
Symptoms of back osteochondrosis affecting the thoracic region:
- numbness of the skin on the chest, back, abdomen;
- pain when raising your arms, taking a deep breath and also exhaling;
- aching, oppressive, often sharp, sharp pain in the region of the heart;
- discomfort and difficulty when turning the body in one direction or another;
- intense pain in the spine.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis in women and men with lower back injuries:
- feeling of numbness, tingling, goosebumps in the legs, buttocks;
- intense sweating;
- pain in the lower back, transmitted to one or both legs;
- varicose veins in the lower extremities;
- feet freeze even in hot temperatures;
- Women have irregular menstruation, men have potency disorders.
When the treatment of osteochondrosis and symptoms are already long and advanced, the damaged vertebrae fuse, the patient is tormented by 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?
Diagnosis
If you have osteochondrosis, what should you do and how to overcome it?Before starting treatment for osteochondrosis of the back, the attending physician must correctly establish the diagnosis by initially examining and interviewing the patient.And yet, how to recognize osteochondrosis?
To confirm the pathology, you must go through the following examination methods:
- computed tomography, which recognizes the state of the intervertebral discs, their structure, their shape, compression of nerve endings, deformations;
- Magnetic resonance imaging, which reveals the smallest lesions in the spinal region, is used when computed tomography cannot reveal the exact result;
- X-ray, establishes the degree of injury to the vertebrae, their location and bone appearance;
- Doppler ultrasound detects the degree of change in blood flow through the capillaries that saturate the spinal cord and other organs.
Sometimes a thorough examination can reveal associated pathologies that arise in the case of a complication of this disease (hernia, radiculitis, protrusion, kyphosis).
The diagnostic feature is of greatest importance, since many symptoms and signs are very similar to the symptoms of other diseases, and the pain centers can be the spinal process and also a damaged intervertebral disc.
How to cure spinal osteochondrosis?
Treatment of spinal osteochondrosis is a rather lengthy process that involves the complex use of medications;you will also need a specific treatment regimen for osteochondrosis and an individual attitude to each patient.The selection of the necessary 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.
Also an important condition for dealing with osteochondrosis is staged treatment.First of all, during an exacerbation of osteochondrosis, treatment is aimed at eliminating pain.The patient is recommended to rest, use special collars and corsets designed to self-unload the spine.External and internal treatment with medications and physical procedures will be necessary.
Then procedures will be needed that can prevent the formation of new exacerbations (therapeutic exercises, reflexology, manual therapy, massages).
Medicines
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis with medication?Medications should be used at the time of disease exacerbation.They help reduce symptoms and influence individual etiological factors in the development of the disease.
The most common medications used to treat osteochondrosis are:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.They have an analgesic effect, quickly relieve inflammation and can reduce the increase in temperature of damaged spinal tissues.These products are used in the form of injections, ointments, gels and tablets.
- Muscle relaxants.They fight against increased muscle tone, which can often arise with this pathology.
- Chondroprotectors.They reduce the processes of cartilage destruction and lead to its restoration.
- Painkillersfor local effects (pepper patch, compresses).
- Vitamins E, B1, B2, B6.Increase metabolism, restore damaged tissue.It is best to use them in the form of injections.
- Vasodilator medications.Designed to remove vascular spasms.
- Glucocorticosteroids.Relieves swelling, inflammation, enhances the effect of muscle relaxants, NSAIDs.
- Angioprotectors.Restore blood flow, metabolism and muscle tone in capillaries.
Therapeutic exercise
In the case of spinal disease, the symptoms can be pronounced, so only a specialist can advise what to do with osteochondrosis.
Physiotherapy or physiotherapy is an effective treatment for osteochondrosis, since gymnastics to strengthen the back muscles leads to the development of a muscular corset, which makes it possible to evenly distribute the load on the spine.Thanks to constant 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 soothe the spine.
However, for the effectiveness and safety of physiotherapy, exercises should be performed only after the acute symptoms of the disease have been eliminated.
Physiotherapy treatment
In addition to medications, the treatment of back osteochondrosis also involves physiotherapeutic measures.They help speed up the recovery process and continue to be used throughout the period of remission outside of exacerbations.There are many physiotherapy methods and many of them are practiced specifically for osteochondrosis and back treatment, for example:
- Magnetotherapy– restores metabolic processes, reduces inflammation, tissue swelling and pain.
- Electrophoresis.The medications used during this procedure promote analgesic results, improve blood flow in damaged tissues and normalize metabolism.
- Manual therapy– reduces pain, mobility in joints may 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.Spinal osteochondrosis can be cured with the help of therapeutic massage, which eliminates pain, restores muscle tone and also nerve conduction.
- Tractionfor the disease osteochondrosis of the spine in adults.It helps to normalize mobility, blocks the progression of the disease and the manifestation of complications.
It happens that a doctor prescribes a number of such procedures to a patient at once.This usually depends on how osteochondrosis manifests itself and the associated diseases.The duration of the course is 10 to 15 days.It is advisable to repeat them 3-4 times throughout the 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?For osteochondrosis of the spine, treatment is possible in this way.The reason for this intervention may be the patient's late visit to the doctor, the presence of complications or the failure of conservative treatment.
Any type of surgical intervention helps eliminate 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 situations.
Of course, it is unlikely that you will be able to get rid of osteochondrosis forever, but with the help of medications, physiotherapeutic measures and massage, you can forget about the unpleasant symptoms of the disease for a certain period of time.