Many people associate the word "osteochondrosis" with age. There is an opinion that this is a grandparent's disease in which "urges in the lower back" and "back pain". There is only a grain of truth in this deception: in fact, osteochondrosis isdegenerative(i. e. caused by a local metabolic disorder)changes in the spinethat inevitably occur in all older people. However, osteochondrosis now affects 9 out of 10 people over the age of 45, and the first manifestations of the disease can begin as early as 25 years of age.
This disease is even referred to as"civilization disease", as the main cause of osteochondrosis is improper "exploitation" of the spine. The fact is that a modern person subjects him to undue stress, and paradoxically not when he is running or lifting weights, but when he sits for hours without getting up from a chair. This load is calledstaticand is very difficult. Because a person thinks he is resting when he is sitting. In fact, the spine works with increased stress in a sitting position.
How the spine works
To understand what osteochondrosis is, you need to understand what the human spine is. We all know that the spine is made up of vertebrae connected in series by intervertebral discs. In total, a person usually has 33-34 vertebrae: 7 of them form the neck region, 12 - the chest region, 5 (or 6 in a small percentage of people) - the lumbar spine, another 5 vertebrae that grow together, form the sacrum, and finally there isthe coccyx region has five (or four - depending on individual characteristics) vertebrae. The vertebrae are indeed bones and they are motionless, but in order for them to move freely, provide mobility to our entire body and not collapse from impact and friction, there is a layer of gelatinous substance (the so-called) between each vertebraNucleus Pulposus), surrounded by strong multilayer plates (Annulus Fibrosus). Collectively, this is referred to as theintervertebral disc.In addition, the structure of the spine contains numerous ligaments, vessels and nerves. This is a very complex organ that largely determines the work of almost all body systems, since it protects the spinal cord and interferes with its work.
The vertebrae and intervertebral discs are continuously renewed throughout a person's life. This is possible because they have a good blood supply and are always well fed. However, if for some reason food flows into the spine in insufficient quantities, the nucleus pulposus loses its properties, the intervertebral disc becomes flat and less elastic, cracks appear in the annulus, and the vertebrae themselves begin to shift in different directions and approachat each other. All of this leads to a number of dangerous deviations - most notably toInflammation both in the spine itself and in the surrounding tissue, as well as compressing the spinal cord and spinal nerves.
It is interesting that a concept like "osteochondrosis of the spine" exists mainly in the post-Soviet space. In the foreign literature the changes in the spines are referred to as"hernias", "myofascial pain", "disc injuries", "dorsopathy". So if you've heard something similar about yourself, you have osteochondrosis of the spine. Theintervertebral herniais considered one of the stages of osteochondrosis.
The disease does not have an acute course and develops gradually: first the intervertebral disc narrows, is changed degeneratively, thenprotrusionsappear - the nucleus pulposus seems to have been pushed out and mixed with the fibrous ring, breaking itbut not. If the annulus fibrosus ruptures, it is called aintervertebral fracture.In the last, most severe stage of osteochondrosis,, the intervertebral discs are completely worn out, the vertebrae begin to rub against each other and also collapse, pathological bone growth and osteophytes appear on them.. In the last stage, the spine is so to speak "petrified", ie it loses its mobility, which can lead to a handicap.
Causes of spinal diseases
For what reason do all of the abovedegenerative changes occur?As already mentioned, the main reasonis abnormal stress on the spine:For example, if a person has to sit a lot in uncomfortable positions, "bent", the neck and chest regions are tense and do not receive themrequired tensionfeeding. In addition, poor posture can lead toosteochondrosis.Sports, especially strength sports, with a violation of the exercise techniquecan, however, also lead todegenerative changes in the spine.
Another common cause is aback injury. The development of osteochondrosis can also be influenced byhereditary genetic predispositions, hormonal disorders, obesity, an unhealthy diet, insufficient water intake and, as a result, dehydration, smoking and alcohol abuse.
Women often encounter the first manifestations of osteochondrosis during pregnancy. When new mothers feed their baby for themselves in uncomfortable positions and often have to carry it in their arms, the condition of the spine deteriorates noticeably.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis
Symptoms of osteochondrosis vary and depend on the exact department in which the disorder occurred. Pain is the main manifestation of this pathology, but until therupture of the annulus fibrosusit is mild, can be lengthy and urgent, and patients may not even pay attention to it.More often, the pain worsens in the morning or after physical exertion and spreads to the arms, legs, neck, ribs and chest (in this case, osteochondrosis can easily be confused with coronary artery disease).
In addition,numbness and tingling may occur in the limbs.
With osteochondrosisin the cervical spineheadaches can occur, sometimes very severe, dizziness, nausea, whistling in the ears. The development of an inguinal hernia, which leads to compression of the nerve endings, can lead to a disruption in the work of the internal organs of the affected nerve. For example, with an inguinal hernia in the lumbar spine, there may be problems with urination, potency disappears, in the chest - indigestion, in the cervix - problems with blood supply to the brain.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
Only a doctor can distinguish osteochondrosis from other diseases of the internal organs and determine the source of pain. The most reliable method for diagnosing spinal diseases today is considered magnetic resonance imaging.
X-rays are also reliable, but less informative. On an X-ray, you can see changes in the intervertebral discs, but you cannot see a hernia, for example, and you can assess the condition of the spinal cord and the degree of its compression from dislocated vertebrae. In addition, MRI allows you to distinguish osteochondrosis from other dangerous diseases, including malignant formations and ankylosing spondylitis.
is it possible to cure osteochondrosis?
Unfortunately, it is impossible to cure osteochondrosis, but it is possible to alleviate the patient's condition andstop the further destruction of the discmassage or manual therapy, eating right and giving up bad habits. Exercise, massage, proper nutrition, and weight loss can have far greater long-term healing effects than medication.
Doctors are still arguing about the effectiveness of chondroprotectors - drugs that restore cartilage tissue and supposedly strengthen the annulus fibrosus. Their effectiveness has not been sufficiently proven, but since they definitely do no harm, they can be used to treat osteochondrosis.
If your pain is severe, your doctor may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants (drugs that relax muscles), and analgesics.
Is used to treat osteochondrosis andvitamins, as their deficiency causes further destruction of the intervertebral disc:B vitamins, for example, help to improve the protein metabolism between tissues and, since then, proteinis the main building material in the body, the normalization of the protein metabolism contributes to the restoration of nerve and cartilage tissue. Vitamin A improves blood circulation. However, as with all other medicines, you must be careful when taking vitamins, as they can cause serious side effects and can only be taken after consulting a doctor and under his supervision.
Surgical treatment of osteochondrosis is also possible, but is usually used in the case ofsignificant narrowing of the spinal canal and excessive compression of the nerves and spinal cord due to the resulting hernias. In this case, the situation is so difficult that, for example, the patient cannot walk, his internal organs begin to fail, or there is a risk of developing a stroke. In most cases, such serious consequences are caused by osteochondrosis of the cervical and lumbar spine. Degenerative changes in the thoracic spine, even with hernias, almost never require surgical treatment.
Nowadays,methods of so-called sparing surgeryare actively introduced into medical practice when doctors manage to preserve the integral structure of the vertebrae by covering part of the nucleus pulposus with a-Endoscoperemove. The device is inserted into the site of the spinal lesion through small incisions in the skin, avoiding large blood loss. Since the entire disc is not removed during the operation, the biomechanics of the spine are generally not disrupted, which shortens recovery time. Often times, patients get up within a day of the operation. However, any spinal surgery is still fraught with complications and subsequent relapses of the disease, so experienced specialists will try to delay surgical treatment to the last. And here everything depends on the patients themselves: if they follow all the recommendations of doctors and take care of their health, then even with hernias, they can do without surgery.