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Osteochondrosis of the spine - symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Osteochondrosis of the spine

Osteochondrosis of the spine is a degenerative-dystrophic destruction caused by gradual thinning of the cartilage tissue in the intervertebral discs.All people are susceptible to this disease, because due to the upright posture, a person experiences large loads on the back.Taking into account harmful factors, up to the age of 40-50, osteochondrosis of the back occurs in almost everyone.The pathology cannot be completely cured.The age-related degenerative process cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed down with proper treatment.You need to learn how to properly deal with the symptoms of osteochondrosis.





General features of pathology

The disease occurs in three parts of the spine - cervical, thoracic and lumbar.Cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis are diagnosed more often, because the mobility of these areas is increased.The more active movements a person can make in the joints, the more prone to intervertebral discs and degeneration.Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region occurs less often, but is more severe.

Pathology is insidious, contributing to the appearance of other degenerative diseases in the body, including intervertebral hernia.In the initial stages, the patient does not feel pain, but persistent metabolic changes in calcium-phosphorus metabolism, which disrupt the bone structure of the spine, are already visible.Blood circulation in the affected area deteriorates, which leads to premature degeneration.

The intervertebral disc has a fibrous ring covered with microspheres.On the surface of the damage, a single-core pulposus is visible - its parts gradually begin to leak.Against the background of degenerative processes, the fibrous ring begins to weaken and stretch, which leads to an increase in the area of mycoram.When the annulus fibrosus ruptures, the nucleus pulposus protrudes.What does an intervertebral hernia of the spinal cord look like?

If you slow down the process of degeneration, which causes osteochondrosis, hernias and protrusions to appear later.The earlier treatment is started, the easier it is to deal with worsening symptoms.Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the back depend on the location of the ridge and the effect of diseases on the body.

Causes of osteochondrosis of the spine

In most cases, the disease is hereditary.In other cases, the disease occurs against the background of increasingly common adverse conditions, including:

  1. Previous back injuries, including damage to bones, joints and tendons.
  2. Musculoskeletal problems, including poor posture and flat feet.
  3. History of metabolic disorders, including endocrine pathologies.People with uncorrected hypothyroidism and diabetes are at risk of developing bone problems.These problems have a negative effect on calcium absorption.
  4. Being overweight.A person with obesity and a high body mass index experiences premature wear of the joints.Heavy weight puts pressure on the musculoskeletal system, which negatively affects the health of the spine.
  5. Poor nutrition.A daily diet with nutrition and trace elements causes hypovitaminosis, which causes hypovitaminosis in which the body of the human body can negatively affect the condition of the spine.
  6. Physical inactivity.A sedentary lifestyle has been proven to lead to brittle bones.Moderate physical activity is beneficial.
  7. Weights.As with muscle activity, overexertion causes microtraumas and damage, diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
  8. Previous viral or bacterial infections.Examples: osteomyelitis, poliomyelitis.
  9. He has bad habits.Abuse of alcohol and nicotine causes deterioration of blood circulation, which negatively affects the condition of the skeletal system.

Factors affecting the occurrence of the disease:

  1. Congenital spine defects.
  2. Poor posture.
  3. Having straight legs.
  4. Staying seated or lying down in a standing position.
  5. Belongs to the female gender.Women experience increased bone loss during pregnancy and menopause.With a long-term deficiency of calcium and other minerals, a degenerative process occurs in the spine, which contributes to the appearance of osteochondrosis.
  6. Hypogonadism.With a lack of steroid hormones in both sexes, calcium is practically not stable in bone tissue.As a result, the patient suffers from age-related osteochondrosis.Such conditions occur very rarely at a young age.In this case, we are talking about mutations.

Considering the above risk factors, you should try to maintain a slim lifestyle.

Stages of disease development

The disease has 4 stages of the disease, including the following picture:

  1. The initial stage is the stage of degenerative metabolic processes.The patient has no symptoms because the cartilage tissue has not begun to actively deteriorate.Intervertebral disc deformation begins.Since there is no protrusion yet, the patient does not feel pain in the back.Usually, in the initial stage of osteochondrosis, the disease is rarely detected, mostly by accident.Not every specialist can feel the first signs of degeneration.In rare cases, the patient may experience minimal discomfort associated with overwork.The patient's back starts to hurt when standing or sitting for a long time.Also, this type of pain is associated with overuse and weakness of the muscle frame.
  2. In the second stage, the active destruction of the fibrous ring begins, which leads to a decrease in the height of the intervertebral disc.At this stage, the attentive patient becomes an expert as he already notices more vivid symptoms.The head may often begin to hurt and an unexplained increase in pressure may occur.It often affects the lower back, neck or shoulder blades.The patient can no longer continue for a long time and cannot tire easily.At this stage, osteochondrosis was detected by X-ray.
  3. In the third stage, the disease causes the annulus fibrosus to protrude.During the diagnosis, a patient is diagnosed with a protrusion or a small intervertebral hernia that causes serious problems in everyday life.The cartilage is already weakening and the patient feels very bad.The third stage is the transition in terms of treatment.At this stage, it is still possible to use conservative treatment to make the patient feel better and slow down the development of hernias.
  4. Stage 4 - Terminal.Vertebrae lose flexibility and mobility.The patient suffers from pain not only during movements, but also at night and during the day.Anxiety and neurological symptoms appear because anxiety is chronic.Chronic fatigue syndrome worsens.At this stage, a significant hernia is diagnosed, interfering with the patient's normal life.In this case, surgical intervention is indicated to remove osteophytes.In advanced cases, conservative treatment does not bring relief.

The sooner osteochondrosis is detected, the easier it will be to fight it.In stages 1-2, if you follow the medical prescriptions unconditionally, it is still possible to cancel the development of the pathology.

Types of spinal osteochondrosis

It consists of 3 parts including the spine, lower back, thoracic region and neck.Depending on the individual situation, degenerative lesions occur more often in one of the departments.Less often, the pathology affects several segments of the spine.Cervical and lumbar regions are most affected because increased mobility is observed in these places.If the thoracic spine is affected, the pathology is more severe due to the anatomical features of the ridge in this area.

Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is the most common.The spread of pathology is associated with an increased load on the lower body.Also, this part of the back is most prone to the formation of hernias and protrusions.If a patient with such a history develops complications, problems with motility, bowel movements, and urination appear.Advanced cases require serious correction and surgical intervention.

With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, severe pain and fever occur in the head.Often, the disease occurs against prolonged sedentary work and increased physical activity.Patients with this disease also require an integrated approach to therapy.Cervical spine damage is also associated with increased mobility in the shoulders and head.

Thoracic osteochondrosis occurs less often, because due to developed muscles and mobility, this area is the least sensitive to such a pathological process.It is difficult to diagnose this type of osteochondrosis, because the symptoms of the pathology are similar to heart, lung or stomach diseases.With thoracic osteochondrosis, pain radiating to the region of the ribs and heart is more often observed, so the disease is confused with symptoms of ischemic heart disease and heart attack.An important diagnostic criterion is that if heart problems are not detected while complaining of chest pain, you should visit a neurologist or traumatologist.

The patient is elderly, and there is a high risk that spinal joint degeneration will affect more than one part of the spine.

Symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis

Symptoms can be divided into general and specific.The second option is typical for osteochondrosis of any part, depending on the location.Common symptoms of degenerative back disease include:

  1. Pain, malaise and discomfort.Taking into account the degree and localization of the pathological process, the patient lives in different stages.In the initial stages, there is little anxiety, pressure.Anxiety at night is temporarily subsidized.As spinal degeneration progresses, pain becomes more frequent.In the worst case, the pain does not stop and prevents you from sleeping at night.
  2. Weakness, constant fatigue.Spinal problems are often associated with impaired nerve conduction and poor blood flow.If a patient actively develops osteochondrosis, chronic fatigue syndrome occurs over time.The patient is increasingly unable to perform work duties and the person does not get enough sleep.The more advanced the pathology, the worse the patient feels.
  3. Mobility in a certain part of the spine is reduced.Not only is there no constant pain during the screen period, but the mobility of the affected area of the back is significantly limited.This phenomenon is associated not only with the inflammatory process, but with muscle spasticity.
  4. Muscle spasm in the affected part of the spine.Osteochondrosis is only the result of natural degenerative processes in the body.Physical inactivity often triggers the disease.In the absence of motor activity, the muscles atrophy and cannot adequately remove the load from the spine.As a result, there is constant tension, which is fraught with severe deterioration.The patient experiences numerous spasms that must be relieved with medication.
  5. Radicular syndrome.This phenomenon is typical for all types of osteochondrosis without exception.When the pathology is complicated by the appearance of hernias, there is an increased pressure of the nucleus pulposus protruding from the nerve segments.As a result, negative effects occur - limited mobility, pain, lumbago, paresthesia, and in severe cases - loss of sensation in the fingers and lower extremities.
  6. Other vegetative manifestations.These include symptoms reminiscent of vegetative-vascular dystonia, neurological disorders, heart, lung and stomach symptoms.

Different symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are:

  1. Headache.It happens suddenly and the attack itself turns into a migraine, accompanied by dizziness, nausea, loss of consciousness and pressure.The condition is often associated with persistent poor circulation in the affected area, and nerve roots are compressed.
  2. Pain in the neck, trapezius or upper back.This symptom is associated with increased muscle spasticity.The spine cannot withstand the load, so these muscles are overloaded.Also, this situation occurs more often among office workers.The nature of the pain is bare, limited, painful.
  3. Increased pressure.If an intervertebral hernia compresses the vascular bed, the patient experiences an attack of hypertension unrelated to the problems of the cardiovascular system.
  4. The appearance of tightness in the neck and throat.The phenomenon is also associated with muscle spasticity caused by pinching of vessels in the neck.
  5. Shooting on the fingers, collars and arms.This is a purely neurological symptom related to nerve roots.
  6. Shortness of breath, pain in the heart and throat are less common.

Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis look like this:

  1. A feeling of tightness in the chest.
  2. Appearance of attacks of intercostal neuralgia.
  3. Pain in the heart area is not related to heart pathology.
  4. Shortness of breath, pain deep in the chest.
  5. Cough not associated with respiratory problems.
  6. Discomfort in the stomach or esophagus.
  7. Pain in the intersection area.It is characterized by a chronic course.It occurs more often against the background of static muscle overload.
  8. Numbness in arms, collars and fingers.Less often - in the lower back.

How do the symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis manifest themselves:

  1. Lower back pain.
  2. Throbbing sensations in the kidney area or lower abdomen.
  3. Formation of pinches of the sciatic nerve.
  4. A view of a tight piriformis muscle.When this muscle spasms, it compresses the sciatic nerve, which causes specific symptoms, including burning and fever, starting in the gluteal region and running down your leg and ending in your thigh and lower leg.This neurological symptom most often indicates a spinal problem.
  5. Problems with bowel movements and urination.When a hernia or protrusion compresses the lower parts of the nerve endings, the force of contraction of the smooth muscles of the intestines and bladder weakens significantly over time.As a result, intestinal atony and urinary retention develop.Such conditions are extremely dangerous and require qualified medical care.
  6. Over time, the patient's gait changes and darkness appears in one leg.The condition is also associated with pinched nerve endings.

If a patient has several symptoms in a certain part of the back, reminiscent of advanced osteochondrosis, it is necessary to consult a doctor as soon as possible.There is no specific diagnostic criterion that allows you to detect the disease yourself.It is necessary to undergo a comprehensive diagnosis, after which the exact cause of the disease will be determined.

Diagnosis of back osteochondrosis

Primary diagnosis consists of taking an anamnesis.A neurologist or traumatologist asks about complaints and examines the patient's back.If the patient is unsure whether to see these specialists specifically, they should visit a therapist first.A general clinical practitioner will examine the patient, record complaints on a card, and a specialist can be referred.

The main problem with the diagnosis of spinal osteochondrosis is that the pathology gives many false symptoms indicating other diseases.Therefore, it is necessary to visit specialists several times to make sure that there are no pathologies related to the cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems.

What types of diagnostics are generally prescribed:

  1. Radiography.This type of examination is quick and does not require large financial costs.If the patient undergoes the procedure in the clinic at the place of registration, the image can be obtained free of charge.An X-ray image can assess the condition of the ridge superficially.If there are general defects or signs in the distance of the intervertebral spaces, the patient will be referred to other procedures to clarify the diagnosis.
  2. MRI or CT.These types of studies clearly see soft tissues, so they are the main diagnostic methods for recognizing various degenerative processes - displacements, disc herniations, protrusions.With the help of such diagnostics, not only osteochondrosis is not detected, but also tears, protrusions and nerves.
  3. Laboratory tests.Sometimes it is necessary to undergo a series of blood tests that will help to find hidden diseases that negatively affect the course of the disease.Usually tests are combined - OBC, OAM, Sugar, Calcium-phosphorus metabolism regulators, rheumatological tests.

Based on the obtained information, the doctor makes the final diagnosis.After receiving the result, you should follow the recommendations of the specialist to continue the course of the spinal disease with less bitterness.There are pathologies that cannot be completely treated.These include osteochondrosis.

Treatment of osteochondrosis

There are many treatment options for this spinal disease.It is used depending on the level of complexity.If the pathology is at an early stage, the best remedies are drugs and conservative treatment.In advanced cases, in rare cases, when the drugs do not help and the patient loses sensation in his limbs, it may be required when he is disabled.

What is used among medical products:

  1. NSAIDs or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.These drugs quickly relieve pain associated with inflammation or irritation.The therapeutic effect is achieved quickly within a day.Therefore, such drugs are the first line of choice.Disadvantages of NSAIDS - you can not shoot them for more than two days.In oral form, some types of drugs are used for no more than three weeks.This limitation of use is explained by high gastrotoxicity of drugs.People suffering from peptic ulcers or gastritis are additionally prescribed drugs to protect the gastric mucosa.
  2. Corticosteroids are hormonal pain relievers.In the case of severe pain and degenerative processes, special drugs are administered intra-regaricularly to eliminate local inflammation.It is recommended to use long-term components.The active ingredient lasts up to 3-4 weeks.For some patients, one injection is enough to forget the pain for a long time.
  3. Chondroprotectors are drugs used to strengthen and nourish cartilage tissue.Many patients suffering from spinal osteochondrosis have weak cartilage and bone tissue, so it needs to be strengthened.Chondroprotectors do not stop the development of the disease and do not repair the cartilage tissue, but they help to slow down the degenerative processes.They withdraw from a long course.
  4. Muscle discharge.Medicines used to relax tight muscles.The duration of therapy is 2 to 4 weeks.
  5. B vitamins.Neurotropic substances - B1, B6 and B12, help with sciatica or sciatica.In large doses, these substances have an analgesic effect and nourish damaged nerve fibers.

Conservative treatment methods include:

  1. Manual therapy.The method allows you to relax tight muscles with the work of a specialist's hand.Such treatment should not be used during an exacerbation.
  2. Exercise therapy.You can strengthen your muscles with the help of physical therapy.It has been proven that back pain is mostly associated with muscle weakness, because the spine cannot withstand the load, so fatigue and discomfort appear.In order for the patient to feel comfortable, it is necessary to perform the exercises 2-3 times a week in a row.Physical education improves posture and relieves pain.
  3. Massage.With the help of a massage therapist, it is possible to improve the blood flow in the injured muscles, which has a positive effect on their well-being.Increased blood flow nourishes and relaxes tissues that fight spasms.The procedure is contraindicated in the acute period and is performed only during rehabilitation.
  4. Physiotherapy.Conservative treatment is aimed at improving blood flow in damaged tissues using a hardware method.Using current or magnetic radiation, muscle communication is improved, which combats spasms and chronic pain.Physiotherapy allows the use of systemic drugs that penetrate well under the skin.

Prevention of diseases

Osteochondrosis of the spine can be prevented if you follow a healthy lifestyle, including fighting against bad habits, proper nutrition and physical inactivity.You should also monitor your body weight.Obese patients experience more stress not only in the back, but also in the whole body.It is recommended to wear orthopedic shoes and monitor your posture.