Unfortunately, osteochondrosis is already a familiar phenomenon for people over 30 years old.Degenerative-dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs and bones of the spinal column most often occur due to a passive lifestyle, malnutrition, extra pounds, heavy physical work, etc. The disease is manifested by pronounced symptoms at 2 to 4 stages, when the structure of the cartilage tissue will not work out completely.Complications of osteochondrosis (protrusion, disc hernia, osteophytes, etc.) can lead to a decrease in the quality of life, disability.
Timely treatment of osteochondrosis increases the chances of a person to a full life.It is recommended to start therapy in the early stages of its development.In order to stop the development of pathology and improve the general state of health, you need to carry out a whole range of measures: taking medications, exercise therapy, physiotherapy, manual exposure.Surgical treatment is carried out only in advanced cases, when complications are already present.
Characteristic of the disease
The back osteochondrosis begins with the destruction of the intervertebral discs.Under the influence of negative factors, the discs compress the cartilage gasket, violating the integrity of its outer shell.The height of the disc is reduced, it is gradually destroying, then the pathology spreads to the vertebral tissue.
There are a lot factors affecting the development of osteochondrosis of the spine:
- Long -term sitting in the wrong position.
- Passive lifestyle.
- Excess body weight.
- Hard physical work.
- Back injuries.
- Frequent nervous disorders.
- Improper nutrition.
- Hypothermia.
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Wearing shoes in heels, pregnancy in women, etc.
Reference.At 1 - 2 stages, osteochondrosis can still be cured.
Doctors distinguish 4 stages of osteochondrosis:
- 1 degree - cracks appear on the fibrous ring, the height of the disk decreases.There is discomfort in the affected area, the back is tired faster.
- 2 degree - the height of the disk continues to decrease, the muscles, the ligaments sag, the mobility of the vertebrae increases.Pain appears, especially after physical exertion.
- 3 degree - discs are slightly shifted, protrusions appear, the likelihood of subluxation or arthrosis of the spine of the spine is increased.A pronounced pain syndrome appears, mobility is limited, sensitivity in the damaged area is disturbed.
- 4 degree - osteophytes appear on the vertebrae, so the body stabilizes the spine.Bone growths compress the nerves, injure the vertebrae, the risk of fibrous ankylosis (fusion of the joints of the spine) increases.
Important.Osteochondrosis can affect the cervical, chest, lumbar segments of the spine.
The disease of the cervical region is manifested by pain in the neck, upper extremities, cephalgia (headache).In addition, dizziness, hearing disorders, vision, etc. may occur.
Thoracic osteochondrosis is easy to confuse with diseases of the heart, since pain is localized in the chest area.
Symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis - aching pain, restriction of mobility, aches, impaired sensitivity of the lower body.
The clinical picture for osteochondrosis is diverse, so you should not make a diagnosis on your own.If suspicious symptoms appear, visit a doctor.
The treatment regimen of osteochondrosis
In most cases, conservative methods are used when osteochondrosis.It is important to carry out comprehensive treatment in order to get rid of pain, normalize the functionality of the spine and prevent complications.
The treatment regimen for osteochondrosis is this:
- Limiting physical activity.
- Taking drugs.
- Physiotherapeutic procedures.
- Medical physical education.
- Massage.
- Manual therapy.
- Spine traction.
You can cure osteochondrosis only by combining the above methods.The treatment plan for each patient is a doctor separately, taking into account the degree of illness, age, characteristics of the body.
Effective treatment will help get rid of symptoms of osteochondrosis in 1 - 3 months.Then supportive therapy is carried out for 12 months.This will help consolidate the results, prevent relapses.
You can treat back chondrosis (1st stage of osteochondrosis) without medication.The patient can perform physiotherapy exercises, reduce the load on the damaged part of the back, use the applicators (Blapko roller, Kuznetsov's applicator), establish power, and abandon bad habits.
Medications
It is treated with medicines is recommended for exacerbation of osteochondrosis.Medicines will help stop pain, inflammation, improve blood supply in the affected area, normalize motor activity.
For osteochondrosis, the following medicines are used:
- NSAIDs get rid of pain, inflammation.
- Preparations with vasodilating effect.Due to muscle tension, blood vessels narrow to expand their lumen and improve blood circulation.
- Musodorelaxants relax the spasmodic muscles, normalize blood flow, weaken pain, improve mobility, accelerate tissue restoration.
- Chondroprotectors stop the destruction of cartilage laying.
- Psycholeptics based on plant or synthetic components soothe or reduce emotional stress, without causing a sleeping effect.
- Preparations based on B vitamins accelerate the restoration of damaged nerve fibers.
All these medications help to fight chronic osteochondrosis, only they can be taken according to medical reasons.
To relieve severe pain in the acute period of the disease, opioid non -narcotic analgesics are used.For the same purpose, glucocorticoids are used.However, these medications negatively affect the body, so they can be taken as a last resort.
In addition to pills and injections, creams and gels with local -growing and warming effects are used to exacerbate osteochondrosis.
Therapeutic gymnastics
Complex therapy of osteochondrosis is always complemented by therapeutic gymnastics.However, exercises for different parts of the spine are different.
In order not to overload the neck, during classes, other muscle groups need to be involved.Training starts with a warm -up, and ends with exercises for relaxation.
Complex for cervical osteochondrosis:
- Lie on your back, raise your head, fix it for 5-7 seconds.
- Do not change the starting position (IP), put your hands on your shoulders, rotate with your elbows in different directions.
- IP is the same, raise your arms over your head alternately, tearing one, and then the second spatula from the floor.
- Press the back of the head to the floor, fix for 4 seconds.
- Connect the shoulder blades, linger for 5 seconds.
- Turn over to your side, put your head in hand, raise your free limb with your head, fix it for 4 seconds.Repeat for the other side.
- Lie on your stomach, put your arms on the back of the head, raise your head, fix it for 4 seconds.
If severe pain and dizziness appear, stop the classes and visit the doctor.
Reference.Thoracic osteochondrosis is less common than cervical or lumbar, since this is the least mobile.In addition, it is strengthened by muscles and ribs.
Exercises for damage to the chest segment of the spine:
- Lie on your back, bend your knees, press them to your chest with your hands, slightly tear off your lower back from the floor, tighten the press muscles, linger for 5 seconds.
- IP is the same, raise your arms, straighten your legs, understand the opposite hand and leg, fix it.Repeat for other limbs.
- Turn over on the stomach, spread your hands to the sides.Tear your arms and head from the floor, fix it for 3 seconds.
- Stand on all fours, raise your head, beat your back when inhalation, drop your head during exhalation, round your back.
Move smoothly, avoid sudden movements.
The following exercises are used for the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis:
- Lie on your back, alternately pull your knees to your chest.
- IP is the same, take your right hand and leg aside, and then the left limbs.
- Put your hands behind your head, tear it off the floor, simultaneously pull the socks to you.
- Bend your legs at the knees, stretch your right knee to the left foot, and then vice versa.
- Perform the “bicycle” exercise back and forth.
- Turn over to your side, make swing your foot up.
- IP is the same, pull your knees to your chest.
- Stand on all fours, take your arms to the sides in turn.
These exercises help stretch and relax tense muscles, enhance blood circulation and lymph flow.
There are still many exercises.To make a complex suitable for you, consult a doctor.
Physiotherapeutic procedures
Physiotherapy helps to weaken pain, reduces inflammation, improves blood supply and trophic.
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, such physiotherapeutic procedures are used:
- Electrophoresis with drugs helps to stop the pain syndrome in the presence of neurological disorders.
- Electrotherapy enhances blood circulation, tissue nutrition.
- Laser therapy relieves inflammation, anesthesia, accelerates tissue healing, activates biological processes in nerve tissues.
- Shock wave therapy improves local blood circulation, metabolic processes, reduces swelling, pain.
- Dutenzor therapy-spinal traction under the weight of its own body weight.Helps get rid of painful pain syndrome.
- Balneotherapy is a set of procedures using fresh, mineral or sea water.After the course of treatment, pain weakens, blood microcirculation improves.
In addition, with osteochondrosis, diadime therapy, amplipulsterrapy, ultrasound, magnetotherapy, vibration method can be used.
Reference.Osteochondrosis is treated with bees, this technique is called apitherapy.During the procedure, bee venom is introduced into biologically active points to increase the effect of complex treatment.The poison of the insect relieves pain, improves mobility, blood microcirculation, conductivity in the nervous pathways, and increases the elasticity of the intervertebral discs.
Manual therapy
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, the patient is indicated not only by massage, but also by manual exposure (soft and hard).
With the help of massage, the specialist normalizes muscle tone, improves blood circulation, restores the activity of nerve cells.They begin a session from kneading and rubbing, these techniques help prepare the body for further exposure.
After a warming massage, the doctor proceeds to mobilization and authors.During the procedure, it carefully affects the joints of the spine, gradually increasing the amplitude.Authorization consists in performing movements by the patient himself under the supervision of a doctor.These procedures help to increase the inter -muddy gap, reduce blood stagnation in veins, and improve trophic.
To restore the correct position of displaced vertebrae, the doctor proceeds to the manipulation technique.It performs sharp and quick movements in the affected areas, installing the vertebrae in the usual place.This helps relieve pain, muscle spasm, improve mobility.
Attention.Manual therapy for osteochondrosis can cause serious complications (fracture, displacement of the vertebra, damage to nerves, blood vessels, ligaments or muscles).To prevent this from happening, you need to find an experienced specialist.
Hardware treatment and orthopedic devices
Devices for the treatment of osteochondrosis can be used at home, but only after the approval of the doctor.For this purpose, you can use, for example, a quantum therapy device that affects the affected area of the spine with laser, pulsed, magnetic rays, accelerating its recovery.Suitable for the treatment of cervical and breast osteochondrosis.
In addition, orthopedic devices can use the patient for the health of the patient.A special pillow or roller helps to unload the neck and lower back, it is used during rest or in transport.To support the physiological bends of the neck, a healing collar is used.Moster proofiers, corsets improve posture, unload the chest, lumbosacral segment of the spine.
Reference.You can wear corsets and proofreaders no longer than 2 - 3 hours per day.This mode will help to avoid muscle weakening.
A special belt is used for the lower back.It can be worn at work, during sports.
Folk remedies
Complex therapy can be supplemented with effective folk remedies.However, the cervical, thoracic and lumbar osteochondrosis is accompanied by different symptoms, therefore, different recipes are used to treat them.
Folk remedies for the treatment of the neck:
- Hold the burdock leaves above the steam for 5 - 10 minutes, attach them to the neck, fix them with a bandage.You can also moisten gauze in a decoction of pharmacy burdock and use as a compress.
- Make a decoction of birch leaves, attach the compress to the affected area.
- Clean the root root, squeeze the juice, mix with vodka (1: 1), rub your neck.
- Pour 250 g of needles 1 liter of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes.Drink twice a day after the meal.
Also, with cervical osteochondrosis, you can take baths with coniferous decoction.
If the thoracic region is affected, use the following recipes:
- Mix dandelion root, mint, birch buds, coriander in equal proportions.Pour 100 ml of boiling water 3 tbsp.l.Collection, cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.Add 75 g of butter and sunflower oil to a warm mixture, cook for another 20 minutes.Righten warm ointment into the back.
- Get black radish or horseradish, squeeze the juice, rub the affected area.
- Press the wormwood or linen seeds, place them in a bag of fabric, apply to the thoracic back.
At home, you can knead your back with a tape massager.
In case of damage to the lumbosacral department, use the following funds:
- Drink decoctions of lingonberry leaves, thyme, hop cones, saberfish.
- Apply a compress from horseradish juice or raw potatoes.
- Rub the lower back with an ointment of 200 g of ghee, mixed with beeswax and the roots of Altey.
Also, with lumbar osteochondrosis, you can wear a woolen belt that has a warming effect.
Before using any folk remedies, consult your doctor.
Surgical intervention
The operation is prescribed in the presence of complications that are accompanied by numbness of the limbs, severe long pain, involuntary urination or defecation.Surgical treatment is also necessary for the horse tail syndrome (compression of the nerve end of the lower spinal cord).
Operational methods will help eliminate the cause of pain and stabilize the spine:
- Fassetectomy - removal of facet joints that compress the nerve bundles.
- Fominotomy - an increase in the lumen of the radicular canal due to the removal of osteophytes.After the procedure, the nerve is freed from infringement.
- Laminectomy - removal of the rear of the deformed vertebra, which compresses the spinal cord.
- Laminotomy is used to expand the hole through which nerve roots pass.
- Discoctomy - removal of the affected disk or part of the intervertebral hernia.This is a minimally invasive endoscopic surgery, after which the patient is restored faster.
- Corpectomy is the removal of the entire vertebra and disks that adjacent to it.Then the free space is filled with a bone transplant.
To avoid destabilization of the spine, spondylodeza is performed (mergers).Also, special screws, rods, plates are used to fix the vertebrae.
Attention.After the operation, there is a risk of complications: damage to the spinal cord, nerve beams, infection of the effect of exposure, urination disorders, etc. Therefore, surgical intervention is carried out only in extreme cases.
Rehabilitation after surgery may take several months.During this period, the patient should abandon physical exertion, bad habits, follow the recommendations of doctors.
The most important thing
As you can see, osteochondrosis requires prolonged treatment and self -discipline.Therapy should be complex: medicines (in the acute period), exercise therapy, physiotherapy, massage, manual exposure.The patient must change the lifestyle, regularly perform gymnastics, abandon bad habits, eat right, use orthopedic devices.You can supplement therapy with medical devices and folk remedies, but only after the approval of the doctor.In the presence of complications, an operation is performed, after which prolonged rehabilitation follows.The patient must strictly comply with the recommendations of doctors in order to accelerate recovery.