Osteochondrosis disease: what is it and how is it expressed?This is a fairly common pathology, it most often appears in older people, but nowadays it is often observed among young people.In order to choose the appropriate treatment for osteochondrosis, it is necessary to determine the cause of its occurrence and the stage of damage to the body.Well, in order to recognize this disease, you need to recognize what kind 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 spinal column.The basis of this disease is a change in the trophism of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs, which results in the breakdown of the normal tissue structure.The disc becomes inelastic, changes its shape and consistency.The width of the intervertebral spaces narrows, and the damaged section of the spinal column loses its stability.Damage to the proper connection between the vertebrae is associated with the 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 of the disc lead to a decrease in the annulus fibrosus.In this regard, the patient often develops dangerous complications (vertebral hernia, protrusion).
After that, osteochondrosis, as a degenerative disorder, spreads in the small joints of the spinal column, intervertebral ligaments and bone growth of the vertebrae are formed.The patient can hardly bend or straighten;that is, flexibility ceases, vertebral subluxations, spinal curvatures (scoliosis, kyphosis) occur.
Depending on the location, the pathology affects:
- neck region;
- chest;
- lumbar.
The first signs of osteochondrosis do not appear immediately, but gradually.Degenerative damage to bone and cartilage tissue quickly leads to physiological aging of the body.What is osteochondrosis and how to treat it below.
What is dorsalgia?
Dorsalgia is a rather complex syndrome that occurs in various diseases.It can be associated with both back diseases and other disorders of internal organs.
It most often develops as a result of osteochondrosis, spondylosis, disc herniation and severe scoliosis.This syndrome manifests itself in mild pain in the injured 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 conditions for the development of osteochondrosis, some of them are:
- genetic predisposition;
- changes in the body's metabolism;
- poisoning, infectious pathologies;
- smoking, stress leads to narrowing and spasm of blood vessels;
- foot diseases that cause an overload of the spine (flat feet);
- overweight, obesity;
- microtraumas of the spine (blows, falls, sharp pushes) and macrotraumas (bruises, fractures);
- age-related changes;
- hypothermia, sedentary lifestyle, improper diet lead to fluid and vitamin deficiency;
- metabolic disorders;
- unique climate (high humidity, low air temperature).
Osteochondrosis has other causes, and all of them can occur as a result of an incorrect lifestyle.
It is a common belief that many diseases originate 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 breakdown;
- the feeling of loneliness, the feeling of fear;
- sad mood;
- psychological pathologies;
- problems in sex life.
The psychology of this disease is not fully understood.
Symptoms
In the case of osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment depend on the location of the lesion and the stage of the damage.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the spine affecting the cervical spine include:
- pain in the parietal, occipital and temporal zones, increasing with turns and neck movements;
- tinnitus, hearing loss;
- dizziness, flickering in the eyes, fainting;
- visual impairment;
- changes in blood pressure;
- hoarse voice, snoring;
- numbness.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the back affecting the chest region:
- numbness of the skin in the chest, back, abdomen;
- pain when raising the arms, taking a deep breath, and exhaling;
- aching, pressing, often sharp, sharp pain in the region of the heart;
- discomfort and difficulty turning the body in one direction or another;
- severe pain in the spine.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis in women and men injured in the lumbar region:
- numbness, tingling, goosebumps in the legs, buttocks;
- excessive sweating;
- pain in the lumbar region, transmitted to one or both legs;
- varicose veins on the lower limbs;
- feet freeze even in warm temperatures;
- Menstruation is irregular in women, potency disorders in men.
When the treatment and symptoms of osteochondrosis are already long and advanced, the damaged vertebrae fuse together, the patient is tormented by the impossibility of movements in one or another area of the spine, and the pain usually decreases or disappears completely.How to treat osteochondrosis of the spine?
Diagnostics
If you have osteochondrosis, what to do and how to overcome it?Before starting the treatment of osteochondrosis of the back, the attending physician must correctly establish the diagnosis through the initial examination and interview of the patient.And yet, how to recognize osteochondrosis?
To confirm the pathology, the following test methods should be performed:
- computerized tomography, which detects the condition, structure and shape of the intervertebral discs, the compression and deformations of the nerve endings;
- MRI, which reveals the smallest injuries in the area of the spinal column, is used when CT could not reveal the exact result;
- radiography, determines the extent, location and appearance of the damaged vertebrae;
- Doppler ultrasound detects changes in blood flow through the capillaries that saturate the spinal cord and other organs.
Sometimes a thorough examination can reveal the related pathologies that appear in the case of complications of this disease (hernia, radiculitis, protrusion, kyphosis).
The diagnostic feature is of the greatest importance, since many signs and symptoms are very similar to those of other diseases, and the center of pain may be the spinal process or the damaged intervertebral disc.
How can osteochondrosis of the spine be cured?
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine is a rather lengthy process, which involves the complex use of drugs;You will also need a special treatment regimen for osteochondrosis and an individual approach 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.
An important condition for the treatment of osteochondrosis is intermittent treatment.First of all, during exacerbation of osteochondrosis, treatment is aimed at eliminating pain.The patient is recommended to rest, to use special collars and corsets, which aim to relieve the spine independently.You will need external and internal treatment with medication and physical procedures.
Then procedures will be needed that can prevent the development of new exacerbations (therapeutic exercises, reflexology, manual therapy, massages).
Medicines
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis with drugs?Medicines should be used during the aggravation of the disease.They help reduce symptoms and influence individual etiological factors in the development of the disease.
The most common drugs used to treat osteochondrosis are:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.They have an analgesic effect, quickly relieve inflammation and can reduce the increased temperature of damaged tissues of the spinal column.These products are used in the form of injections, ointments, gels and tablets.
- Muscle relaxants.They fight against increased muscle tone, which can often appear with this pathology.
- Chondroprotectors.They reduce the processes of cartilage destruction and restore it.
- Pain relieversfor local effects (pepper patch, poultice).
- Vitamin E, B1, B2, B6.Increases metabolism, restores damaged tissues.It is better to use them in the form of injections.
- Vasodilator drugs.It is designed to remove vasospasm.
- Glucocorticosteroids.Reduces swelling and inflammation, enhances the effect of muscle relaxants and NSAIDs.
- Angioprotectors.Restore blood flow, metabolism, capillaries of muscle tone.
Therapeutic practice
In the case of spinal disease, the symptoms are pronounced, so only a specialist can advise what to do in the case of osteochondrosis.
Gymnastics therapy or physical therapy is an effective treatment for osteochondrosis, as gymnastics aimed at strengthening the back muscles leads to the formation of muscle ligaments, which allows for an equal distribution of the load on the spine.Thanks to the 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 the spine.
However, for the sake of the effectiveness and safety of physical therapy, the exercises should only be performed after the acute symptoms of the disease have been relieved.
Physiotherapy treatment
In addition to drugs, the treatment of back osteochondrosis also includes physiotherapy measures.They help speed up the recovery process and continue to be used for the entire period of remission, except for exacerbations.There are many physical therapy methods, and many of them are specifically used for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the back, such as:
- Magnetotherapy– restores metabolic processes, reduces inflammation, tissue swelling and pain.
- Electrophoresis.Medicines used during the procedure promote pain relief, improve blood flow in damaged tissues and normalize metabolism.
- Manual therapy– reduces pain, mobility can occur in the joints.
- Laser therapy– normalizes blood circulation, reduces inflammation, pain, and stimulates tissue regeneration.
- Acupuncture.Special needles relieve pain, relieve inflammation and stimulate metabolic processes.
- Massage.Osteochondrosis of the spine can be cured with the help of therapeutic massage, which eliminates pain, restores muscle tone and nerve conduction.
- Tractionfor the disease of 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 series of such procedures to a patient at the same time.It usually depends on the manifestation of osteochondrosis and related diseases.The duration of the course is 10-15 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
Surgical treatment of osteochondrosis?In 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 surgical procedure helps to remove pressure on the spinal cord and roots.If a person has an intervertebral hernia, then 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 can get rid of osteochondrosis forever, but with the help of medicines, physiotherapy measures and massages, you can forget the unpleasant symptoms of the disease for a certain time.