What is osteochondrosis and how to treat it? It is these issues that we will devote today's article. In addition, information will be presented to your attention why such a disease occurs, what are its symptoms and severity.
What is osteochondrosis and how to treat it?
The word "osteochondrosis" came from two Greek - Osteo and Chondros, which literally translates as "bone" and "cartilage", respectively. Thus, this disease is characterized by dystrophic disorders in articular cartilage. Such a deviation can develop in any part of the body. However, most often it affects intervertebral discs.
Types of diseases
Depending on where dystrophic disorders are localized, in medical practice it is customary to distinguish lumbar, chest or cervical osteochondrosis. It should also be noted that in the English -language literature on medicine, the term OSTEOCHONDROSIS means completely different orthopedic diseases, which in our country are called Osteochondropathy.
Pathogenesis
In the process of growing up in intervertebral discs, people physiologically reduced the vascular direction. In this regard, their nutrition occurs diffusely, as a result of which the restoration of the patient after stress and injuries is significantly complicated. It should also be noted that the inferiority of the nutrition diet affects the OSTEOCHONDROMATOSIS processes. At the same time, cartilage begins to lose their strength and elasticity, their consistency and form are changing.
The adymmetric and irrational muscle work affects the intervertebral discs. This usually occurs with insufficient warm -up, irregular usual poses, wearing heavy bags on the shoulder, using too soft mattresses and pillows. In addition, flat feet can serve as a stimulant of such a pathology. After all, if the foot is unable to provide proper depreciation during interaction with the support, then this function has to be carried out by the spine.
Excess weight also contributes to osteochondrosis. This is due to the fact that the large fat mass, accumulating in various places of the body, begins to greatly complicate the support of equilibrium, which subsequently leads to overload of the intervertebral joints.
The main causes of osteochondrosis
The reasons that cause pathological changes in the intervertebral discs are currently not fully studied. Most often, people begin to observe the first malaise after the onset of the age of 35.
Exacerbation of osteochondrosis and its development arise against the background of various injuries of the back, dynamic and static overloads, as well as vibrations. The older a person becomes, the more he has such manifestations. However, it should be noted that in recent decades, more and more young people (18-30 years old) have been treating doctors with complaints of severe back pain. There are many reasons for such an early manifestation of this disease. This can be weak physical training, and curvature of the spine, and violation of posture, and excess weight, and flat feet, etc. , among other things, osteochondrosis of the lumbar, cervical or thoracic may occur due to:
- hereditary predisposition;
- smoking;
- metabolic disorders, infection or intoxication;
- nervous overstrain, stressful situations;
- overweight;
- sharp cessation of regular training by professional athletes;
- improper nutrition (deficiency of trace elements and liquid);
- age -related changes;
- spine injuries (fractures or bruises);
- violations of posture, curvature of the spine, hypermobility (or instability) of the segments of the spinal column, flat feet;
- pregnancy;
- unevenly developed bone muscular system;
- adverse environmental conditions;
- spine overloads associated with diseases of the feet, as well as after wearing uncomfortable shoes (for example, in high heels);
- sedentary lifestyle;
- excessive physical exertion;
- lifting and transferring weights, as well as due to other work, in which the load on the spine and pressure in the disks significantly increases;
- prolonged exposure to uncomfortable poses in a sitting position, standing or lying;
- work related to lifting weights, frequent changes in the positions of the body (sudden movements, turns, flexions).
Spine osteochondrosis: severity of the disease
To know what degrees of osteochondrosis exist is very important. Indeed, thanks to this, you can recognize the disease in time and immediately begin to treat it.
In medical practice, 4 degrees of this pathological state are distinguished
- The first degree - the intervertebral disc is slightly, but is compacted. At the same time, the patient has a slight increase in Camur processes, as well as the presence of small ExoStosis. The lumbar lordosis itself can be straightened.
- The second degree is the condition of the spine is unstable. The patient has a narrowing of the holes between the vertebrae and the spinal canal itself. All these factors lead to a decrease in the height of the disks.
- The third degree is the most difficult. More serious changes are observed: a strong narrowing of the intervertebral holes and spinal canal. As a result of such pathologies, hernia may form.
- The fourth degree is a consequence of treatment of 3 degrees, that is, a restorative. The patient has only a spondylolist.
Symptoms of the disease
Osteochondrosis of the lumbar, cervical or breast has quite pronounced symptoms, namely such as:
- constant pain in the back, shoulders, chest, lower back and hands, which are aching;
- a feeling of aches and numbness in the limbs;
- decrease in reflexes;
- hypotrophy;
- noise in the head;
- hypotension;
- increased soreness when lifting weights, physical activity, sudden movements, sneezing and coughing;
- muscle cramps and so on.
Diagnosis of the disease
As a rule, a preliminary diagnosis of such a disease is made at the first examination of the patient. It should be carried out only by an experienced neurologist. Typically, the patient’s spine is examined in sitting sitting, standing and lying both in motion and at rest. When examining the back of the patient, special attention is paid to his posture and the structural features of the body. In addition, the tension of the muscles that are located next to the spine is noted.
To make the correct diagnosis, experts use not only external examination, but also radiography, as well as computed or magnetic resonance imaging. Using them, you can determine the level of defeat and hidden pathologies.
Treatment of the disease
What is osteochondrosis and how to treat it? As a rule, the therapy of this disease is carried out at home. For example, the patient is very useful for massage. In addition, osteochondrosis of any spine is treated using conservative methods that are aimed at eliminating soreness, disorders of the spinal roots, as well as to prevent the progress of dystrophic changes. If conservative therapy is ineffective, then the operation is performed.
It should be especially noted that the duration of the treatment of this disease depends on its degree, the age of the patient, the methods used and the conscientious fulfillment of the doctor’s recommendations and prescriptions.
The main methods of therapy
A conservative complex for osteochondrosis includes physiotherapy exercises, massage, physiotherapy, spinal extract, reflexology, as well as manual and drug therapy. To understand what actions each method implies, we will consider them in more detail.
Medical physical education
Physical education for osteochondrosis is the main method of conservative therapy of this disease. It consists in creating dosed loads that are aimed at strengthening and correcting the muscle corset, decompression of nerve roots, developing a certain stereotype of movements and increasing their volume.
Physiotherapy
With this treatment method, low -frequency currents, ultrasound, magnetic fields, laser, etc. are used. As a rule, they are used to relieve pain and inflammatory processes.
Massage
This method effectively relieves muscle pain, tension, improves blood circulation, and also has a general strengthening effect. Only an experienced specialist should be carried out.
Manual therapy
The manual effect on the muscle-bone system is aimed at removing chronic and acute pains in the joints and spine, as well as the correction of posture and an increase in the volume of movements.
Excellency spine
This is a fairly effective method of treating and eliminating joint pain and spine. It is carried out by means of individually selected load using special equipment. This procedure is aimed at relieving pain, increasing the intervertebral space and restoring the correct shape of the spine.
Reflexology
This treatment method includes various techniques and methods, thanks to which exposure to reflexogenic zones and acupuncture points occurs. Reflexotherapy in combination with other methods of therapy significantly increases their effectiveness.
Drug treatment
This method is shown during the period of exacerbation of the disease and is aimed at stopping unpleasant symptoms, removing inflammation and increasing metabolic processes by administering or taking drugs.