Osteocondrosis is a medical term that describes the violations of the integrity of the surfaces of the cartilage of the bones.Very often, the disease is associated with damage to intervertebral discs.
Intervertebral discs are a sort of shock absorbers that soften the pressure on the spine of the load.Osteochondosis worsens the quality of life, causing back pain, neck, head, noise in the ears.
There are two points of view on diagnosis.Specialists abroad include a disturbance in child and adolescence.It is believed that it is more common in children, since their bones are in the development phase.Doctors diagnose osteochondrosis mainly in patients with an age of 25-55.Signs, causes and types of disease in two cases are the same.
How to determine osteochondrosis?
- Are there pain in constant or periodic back pain or muscle tension?
- Is there "Gooseb Outdoor" in the lower back or neck part?
- Do you feel "shooting" in the back?
- Does pain appears when you raise your hands or sway your head on the sides?
- Is there a periodic vertigo?
- Are there noise attacks, nausea?
If at least one answer is affirmative, you need to contact a specialist to conduct a study.If the diagnosis reveals violations, the doctor prescribes the treatment and help protect himself from more serious and painful symptoms.
What does osteochondrosis cause
The mass incidence of the osteochondrosis is due to the fact that people are in a vertical position for the most of the time.In this case, the spine and the discs experience an increase in the load.If it is wrong to sit, lie and stand, the records lose their amortization skills.
Over time, the shell of the disc appears and the hernial protrusion appears.They begin to transmit blood vessels, roots of the spinal cord or brain itself.As a result, pain appears, the tension reflected in the muscles.
The risk group includes people of central and elderly age.Employees, professional drivers, high growth people often face this disease.Risk factors for the appearance of pronounced symptoms of violations can become:
- flat feet;
- inheritance;
- Excess body weight;
- Hypodynamia.
Causes of violations in the joint cartilage:
- Work with heavy load
- Wrong laying in a sitting position, standing or lying down.
- Accidents, overwritten.
- Excessive loads when playing sports.
- Increase in the humidity of the air and low temperature.
- Activities relating to a frequent change in the position of the body
Types of osteochondrosis
Osteocondrosis can develop in any spine.According to location, the disease is divided into: cervical, chest and lumbar.In 50% of cases, there is the last type.
Lumbar osteochondrosis
A similar diagnosis is established for both men and women.The reason for this is an increased load that appears when walking, running, physical effort, prolonged seat.The lumbar column consists of 5 vertebrae, among which there are records that give elasticity.If the exchange process does not occur, the intervertebral discs lose their properties and pain occur.
Symptoms:
- Stupid or acute pain in the lower back, who intensify when they move.
- Leg pain, the body of the pelvis, sacred.
- Violation of mobility or sensitivity.
- Atrophy of the leg muscles in the acute course of the disease.
The lumbar osteochondrosis must be treated.In the absence of therapy, dangerous complications may occur: Isia, Hernia, protrusion.Consequently, the flow of natural blood to the spinal cord is disturbed, which leads to the paralysis of the lower limbs.
Cervical osteochondrosis
"Make sure to turn your head," they call the doctors.So you can avoid a dangerous diagnosis of osteochondosis of the cervical column.The neck is the most mobile part of the spinal column.The department consists of 7 vertebrae.The disease appears due to a violation of metabolic processes in the body, in the presence of salts in the neck or due to the frequent uncomfortable position of the head.
Symptoms:
- Heachache
- Pain in the heart
- Trepy "flies" in front of my eyes
- Impromptu of hearing
- Crystal in the neck
- Pain in hand or shoulder
- Numbness of the limbs
Experts note that this type of disease is one of the most dangerous, since for its reason there could be a violation of blood circulation in the brain, migraine, dystonia and more serious diseases.
Thoracic osteochondosis
Violations in the thoracic spine occur less often, since the vertebrae are inactive.The pains that appear in this area are experienced by many people who are engaged in heavy physical work or have a sedentary profession.The cause of osteochdrosis can be a disturbed exchange process, an increase in loading on intervertebral discs.
Symptoms:
- Pain or sensation of compression in the chest area.
- Pain between the shoulder blades when they raise their hands.
- Skin sensitivity disorders.
In acute violation, two symptoms can occur: Dorsago and Dorsalgia.Dorsago is accompanied by acute chest pain, lack of breath.With the dorsalgia, the pain in the vertebrae of the department is not too 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 a specialist based on inspection and research.
Osteochondrosis phase
In the first phase, the obvious symptoms are absent.With the frequency, the discomfort in the spine appears, which is associated with difficulty or excessive physical effort.The disease can be detected during a preventive examination, x -raggio or coach.
The second stage is accompanied by pain, since the process of destruction of the cartilage tissue begins and the gap between the discs decreases.The pain in this phase is removed with drugs as prescribed by a doctor.
In the third phase, spinal deformations begin: a fibrous ring is disturbed, an intervertebral hernia appears.With the help of a correctly prescribed treatment, it is still possible to improve the conditions of the spine.
The fourth phase are irreversible changes in the spine in which it is difficult to switch to a person.Among the vertebrae, the bone tissue grows that connects the vertebrae.Very often, a similar form of osteochondrosis leads to disability.
Diagnostic methods
To determine the degree of illness, the control of sensitivity and reflections, the doctor leads a physical examination.In addition, blood and urine tests are provided, calcium metabolism indicators are studied.
To make an accurate diagnosis, diagnostic methods are used:
- Ultrasound of ships.Determination of the degree of blood flow compromised in the vertebral arteries.
- X -Reggio of the spine.
- Ct.The construction of a three -dimensional image of the area designed to identify small vertebral movements.
- Mri.Study the status of soft tissues to evaluate the status of the spinal cord and view the internal structure of the discs.
Treatment
Osteocondrosis is treated completely.The main objective of therapy is to suppress pain, the elimination of tension in the muscles and the constraint of movements that have appeared because of the pain.It is important not to be self -proclaimed, but take advice with a specialist and follow the recommendations.
- Drug therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Surgical treatment
For the treatment of the vertebral column, the doctor prescribes anti -inflammatory drugs non -pounds that help to relieve inflammation and swelling.The Museorelaxants are responsible for reducing cramps in the muscles.Ointments are used to reduce pain.To protect nervous tissues, antioxidant and vitamins can be prescribed: they slow down the destruction of bone tissue and reduce calcium loss.
The effectiveness of the treatment is possible with a combination of medicines with physiotherapy procedures: electrophoresis, laser, magnetotherapy, mud treatment and current.In addition, it is possible to prescribe massages, manual therapy.The set of procedures is determined taking into account the patient's conditions, since there are contraindications.
Osteochondrosis surgery is necessary in extremely rare cases.There are many nerve finals in the spine that are responsible for the work of the body as a whole.The risk is exceptional, therefore surgical treatment can be prescribed when conservative methods do not bring adequate effectiveness.
Prevention
It is possible to maintain the health of the spine and prevent the appearance of symptoms or complications of the osteocondrosis by adhering to the prevention methods:
- consumption of enough water;
- body weight control;
- Consumption of food rich in collagen;
- the choice of a orthopedic mattress that supports the body;
- Regular sports.
You can try alternative methods: acupuncture, qigong or massage.Before starting any procedure, you need to consult a doctor to guarantee the health of the musculoskeletal system.