Osteochondrosis is a medical term that describes violations of the integrity of bone cartilage surfaces.Most of the time, the disease is associated with damage to intervertebral discs.
Intervertebral discs are a kind of shock absorbers who soften the pressure in the spine on the load.Osteochondrosis worsens the quality of life, causing back pain, neck, head, noise in the ears.
There are two points of view on the diagnosis.Outer experts include a disorder in children and adolescence.It is believed to be more common in children, as their bones are at the stage of development.Diagnostic doctors of osteochondrosis mainly in patients aged 25 to 55.Signs, causes and types of disease in two cases are equal.
How to determine osteochondrosis?
- Are there constant or periodic back pain or muscle tension?
- Is there "outdoor shiver" in the lower back or neck?
- Do you feel "shooting" on the back?
- Does the pain appear as you lift your hands or swing your head to the sides?
- Is there a periodic dizziness?
- Are there noise crises, nausea?
If at least one answer is affirmative, you should contact a specialist to do a study.If the diagnosis reveals violations, the doctor will prescribe treatment and help protect themselves from more serious and painful symptoms.
What causes osteochondrosis
The mass incidence of osteochondrosis is due to the fact that people are in a vertical position most of the time.In this case, the column and the discs experiment with increased load.If it is wrong to sit, lie and stand, the records lose their depreciation skills.
Over time, the shell of the cracks on disk and the hernial protrusion appear.They begin to transmit blood vessels, spinal cord roots or the brain itself.As a result, the pain, the reflex tension in the muscles appears.
The risk group includes medium and elderly people.Office workers, professional drivers, people of high growth most often face this disease.Risk factors for the appearance of pronounced symptoms of violations can become:
- Smooth feet;
- heredity;
- overweight body weight;
- Hypodinamia.
Causes of violations in joint cartilage:
- Working with heavy load
- Incorrect pose in a sitting position, standing or lying down.
- Lesions, overwhelmed.
- Excessive loads when playing sports.
- Increased air humidity and low temperature.
- Activities related to a frequent change in the body's position
Types of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis can develop in any spine.According to the location, the disease is divided into: cervical, chest and lumbar.In 50% of cases, the last type is found.
Lumbar osteochondrosis
A similar diagnosis is established for men and women.The reason for this is an increased load that appears when walking, running, physical exertion, prolonged seat.The lumbar spine consists of 5 vertebrae, including discs that give elasticity.If the exchange process does not occur, intervertebral discs lose their properties and pain occurs.
Symptoms:
- Dumb or sharp pain in the lower back, which intensifies when moving.
- Pain in the legs, pelvis body, the sacred.
- Violation of mobility or sensitivity.
- Atrophy of the leg muscles in the acute course of the disease.
Lumbar osteochondrosis should be treated.In the absence of therapy, dangerous complications may occur: Ishias, hernia, protrusion.As a result, the natural blood supply to the spinal cord is disturbed, which leads to paralysis of the lower ends.
Cervical osteochondrosis
"Be sure to turn your head," call the doctors.Thus, you can avoid a dangerous diagnosis of cervical spine osteochondrosis.The neck is the most mobile part of the spine column.The department consists of 7 vertebrae.The disease appears as a result of a violation of metabolic processes in the body, in the presence of salts in the neck or due to the uncomfortable position of the head.
Symptoms:
- Headaches
- Heart pain
- "Flies" flashing before my eyes
- Hearing impairment
- Cryst in the Neck
- Hand pain or shoulder joint
- Dormancy of the members
Experts observe that this type of disease is one of the most dangerous, because, for its reason, there may be a violation of blood circulation in the brain, migraine, dystonia and more severe diseases.
Thoracic
Blackbill violations occur less frequently, as vertebrae are inactive.The pains that appear in this area are experienced by many people involved in heavy physical work or have a sedentary profession.The cause of osteochondrosis can be a disturbed exchange process, an increase in load on intervertebral discs.
Symptoms:
- Pain or sensation of compression in the chest area.
- Pain between the shoulder blades when lifting your hands.
- Skin sensitivity disorders.
In acute violation, two symptoms may occur: dorsago and dorsalgia.Dorsago is accompanied by acute chest pain, shortness of breath.With dorsalgia, the vertebra pain of the department is not very strong, but gradually grows.The disease is often confused with other thoracic pathologies: heart attack, pneumonia, angina pectoris, etc.The diagnosis is made only by an expert based on inspection and research.
Osteochondrosis stages
In the first stage, obvious symptoms are absent.Frequently, discomfort in the spine appears, which is associated with fatigue or excessive physical exertion.The disease can be detected during preventive examination, radius -x or CT.
The second stage is accompanied by pain, since the process of destruction of the cartilage fabric begins and the gap between the discs decreases.Pain at this stage is removed with medications prescribed by a doctor.
In the third stage, the deformations of the spine begin: a fibrous ring is disturbed, an intervertebral hernia appears.With the help of treatment prescribed correctly, you can still improve the condition of the spine.
The fourth stage are irreversible changes in the spine where it is difficult to change to a person.Among the vertebrae, the bone tissue that connects the vertebrae grows.Most of the time, a similar form of osteochondrosis leads to disability.
Diagnostic methods
To determine the degree of disease, sensitivity verification and reflexes, the doctor performs a physical examination.In addition, blood and urine tests are performed, calcium metabolism indicators are studied.
To make a precise diagnosis, diagnostic methods are used:
- Ultrasound of the vessels.Determination of the degree of blood flow harmed in the vertebral arteries.
- X -Mar of the spine.
- CT.The construction of a three -dimensional image of the studied area to identify small vertebral displacements.
- Magnetic resonance imaging.Studying the state of soft tissues to evaluate the state of the spinal cord and view the internal structure of the discs.
Treatment
Osteochondrosis is treated broadly.The main objective of therapy is to suppress pain, the elimination of muscle tension and the restriction of movements that appeared due to pain.It is important not to self -afford, but to follow advice with a specialist and follow the recommendations.
- Drug therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Surgical treatment
For the treatment of the spine, the doctor prescribes non -steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs that help relieve inflammation and swelling.MUSODORAXIDES are responsible for reducing cramps in the muscles.Ointments are used to reduce pain.To protect nerve tissues, antioxidants and vitamins can be prescribed: they decrease bone tissue destruction and reduce calcium loss.
The effectiveness of treatment is possible with a combination of medications with physiotherapeutic procedures: electrophoresis, laser, magnetotherapy, mud and current treatment.In addition, massage, manual therapy can be prescribed.The set of procedures is determined taking into account the condition of the patient, as there are against -indications.
Surgical intervention for osteochondrosis is necessary in extremely rare cases.There are many nerve endings in the spine that are responsible for body work as a whole.The risk is great, therefore, surgical treatment can be prescribed when conservative methods do not bring proper effectiveness.
Prevention
It is possible to maintain the health of the spine and prevent the appearance of symptoms or complications of osteochondrosis, adhering to prevention methods:
- sufficient water consumption;
- Body weight control;
- consumption of collagen -rich foods;
- the choice of an orthopedic mattress supporting the body;
- Regular sports.
You can try alternative methods: acupuncture, qigong or massage.Before you start any procedure, you should consult a doctor to ensure maintaining the health of the musculoskeletal system.