Osteochondrosis is a spine problem that affects literally every fourth inhabitant of the planet, at least according to experts from the WHO Statistical Center.
In the top five most common diseases in the world, osteochondrosis takes an "honorable" third place, only cardiovascular diseases are ahead of it. In 2012, the media giant of the British Broadcasting Corporation BBC published medical research data that is simply shocking: every yearmore than 5 million people die due to diseases caused by lack of physical activity, that is, a sedentary lifestyle. A real pandemic of reduced physical activity has already covered a third of the earth, and the latest results of scientific work prove that the culprit of many health-threatening diseasesIt is not a genetic predisposition or viruses at all, but an unhealthy lifestyle. Almost all back problems - intervertebral hernias (hernias), osteoporosis, osteochondrosis and many other diseases associated with osteochondrosis - are the result of sitting for many hours, whether in front of the TV, onthe desk or on the car seat About 80% of all reasons why backand suffers and develops diseases of the spine, are associated with elementary degenerative changes in the muscle corset and the lack of full-fledged reasonable physical activity.
Osteochondrosis and spine
The structure of the spine in living things, whether animals or humans, is essentially the same. But only man holds the proud title of Homo erectus, that is, Homo erectus. Until recently, it was believed that the upright posture was the main cause of the pathological changes in the spine. As if the vertical position of the body leads to an incorrect, uneven load on the spine. Static loading, which is most exposed to the lower back and the sacrum, which consists of five vertebrae, is the most dangerous in terms of destructive effects on the intervertebral tissues. dynamic loading, characterized by movements, affects the cervical spinepillar. The structure of the spine is quite complex, it consists of many vertebrae connected by cartilaginous tissue - discs. The discs, on the other hand, are multi-layered rings with a liquid core in the middle, which perform the function of shock absorption when the spine moves. In addition, the vertebrae are connected to a large number of muscles and other tissues. The elasticity of this entire connective system ensures the normal condition of the spine. Simply put, the more elastic and adaptable the intervertebral discs, the more flexible and strong the spine, the lower the risk of osteochondrosis hitting it. Today, the theory that the upright posture is responsible for all degenerative diseases of the spine is being challenged. Ruthless statistics convince clinicians that rather inactivity, lack of physical activity is a factor provoking spinal diseases associated with dystrophy and degeneration of intervertebral tissues. In addition, excess weight, which really increases the load on the discs, can also aggravate the destructive processes and provoke osteochondrosis. Conclusion: movement is life. The phrase is not new, it seems painfully worn, trite, but does not require evidence. A vivid example of how physical activity and flexibility can serve as a basis for spinal health are examples of people who regularly engage in gymnastics, yoga and other types of body training. Nature itself gives children the opportunity to be flexible, because the spinal discs of children are very elastic, only in the disc cores there is up to 80% of the liquid. As we age, the amount of life-giving "lubricant" may decrease, but it can be preserved by consciously performing simple exercises and observing the elementary rules of a healthy lifestyle. Osteochondrosis is a disease of people who are forced to sit or lie for hours, for years, regardless of what reason - by obligation or by their own desire, due to obligations, laziness or simply out of ignorance.
What is osteochondrosis?
Osteochondrosis is a concept that includes all degenerative and dystrophic changes in the spine. It should be noted that in the European version of the classification of diseases there is not a word about osteochondrosis, there such diseases are classified as rheumatic and dorsopathic. In the ICD-10 of 1999, indeed, a group of diseases with typical manifestations in the form of pain in the spine, which are not associated with visceral causes, are defined as dorsopathy. Osteochondrosis, which is recorded as dorsopathy, is in turn divided into three large groups:
- Deforming diseases, dorsopathies - scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis, subluxation, spondylolisthesis.
- Spondylopathy - spondylosis, ankylosing spondylitis and other ossifying dystrophic pathologies that limit the mobility of the spine.
- Other, other dorsopathies are degenerative changes accompanied by hernias, protrusions.
So, osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis (from the Greek words - bone, cartilage and pain) is the general name for all problems in the spine caused by degeneration and malnutrition of the paravertebral tissues (degeneration and dystrophy). When it deforms, the intervertebral cushioning disc thins, becomes flat, which causes the vertebrae to become overloaded and even more deformed to the point that they begin to deviate from the normal limits of the spine. Nerve roots with such pathology are pressed, inflamed, pain appears.
Osteochondrosis affects almost the entire back, and depending on which part of the spine is more affected, the disease is called in clinical practice.
The most popular, known to many, is lumbar osteochondrosis, there is also a definition of cervical, which is second in prevalence, there is sacral, thoracic and widespread osteochondrosis. There are also cross pathologies - lumbosacral or, for example, cervicothoracic.
The symptoms of osteochondrosis can be very diverse, but sooner or later they all increase and manifest themselves clinically. Of course, it is much easier and faster to treat osteochondrosis in the early stages of its development, when the following signs are noticed:
- Painful, dull painful sensations in the part of the spine affected by the degenerative process.
- Chronic muscle tension (especially characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis).
- Cracking when turning the body, neck.
- Headache, including tension headache (with cervical osteochondrosis).
- Chest pain, often reminiscent of cardiac pain (with thoracic osteochondrosis).
Osteochondrosis in the inflammatory stage has symptoms that make a person go to the doctor, because they cause more pronounced discomfort:
- Irradiation of pain in the limb.
- Numbness in the fingers or toes.
- Pain radiating to the tips of the fingers of the limbs.
- Severe pain in the spine when performing simple physical activities.
- Increasing pain with small pushes, shaking, for example, when traveling in transport.
- The inability to perform simple work involving rotation or tilting of the body.
- General limitation of mobility, motor activity.
The factors that can provoke problems with the spine, called osteochondrosis, are very diverse, but in the first place is the already mentioned hypodynamia. Other reasons include the following:
- Functional - monotonous work while maintaining the same posture.
- Biomechanical - flat feet, congenital anomalies in the development of the spine.
- Hormonal - changes in hormone levels due to age-related changes.
- Infectious - dystrophy of the intervertebral medium caused by the inflammatory process.
- Metabolic - overweight or underweight.
The factors that provoke osteochondrosis, that is, deformation and dystrophy of the intervertebral discs, as a rule, act in combination and are almost never isolated.
The development of osteochondrosis is divided into the following stages:
- Changes in disc biomechanics as a result of tissue degeneration and dystrophic changes. This is the preclinical stage, when the signs, if any, are very weak, inconspicuous. At this stage, the fibrous ring surrounding the disc begins to stretch or, conversely, shrink.
- The second stage is characterized by a greater instability of the disc, the fibrous ring is not simply stretched, its fibers are delaminated, the ring begins to break. Due to damage to the nerve roots, pain appears in the spine, degenerative changes progress. Collagen tissue continues to break down, the normal height of the intervertebral space decreases.
- The disc often ruptures completely, this pathology is accompanied by inflammation, herniation and damage to nerve endings. Protrusion (prolapse) causes characteristic pain not only in the damaged area of the spine, but also affects the limbs and nearby parts of the body.
- The most difficult stage, when spondylosis and other compensatory diseases of the spine join dystrophy. Often the vertebra flattens to compensate for the lost functions, and the elastic tissue of the annulus fibrosus is gradually replaced by scar tissue and bony growths.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae
Almost everyone who is associated with intellectual activity, from students to the elderly, suffers from one or another form of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae. Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is considered a disease associated with increased dynamic loads that cause degeneration of the intervertebral discs and their sedimentation. The hardening and growth of cartilage tissue leads to a violation of the cushioning properties of this part of the spine, head movements - tilts, circular movements, turns become difficult and are accompanied by characteristic signs of osteochondrosis.
The symptoms that can cause osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in the early stages of the development of the disease are not specific and are similar to signs of other pathologies that are not related to the skeletal system. The list of manifestations of osteochondrosis that must be differentiated and specified in order to make the correct diagnosis is as follows:
- Intense headache resembling migraine attacks.
- Headache extending from nape to neck.
- Headache that is aggravated by coughing, turning the head, sneezing.
- Headache radiating to chest or shoulder.
- Dizziness, sensory disturbances - double vision, difficulty focusing. Tinnitus, in advanced cases, impaired coordination of movements.
- Symptoms that are similar to cardiac pain, in particular with angina pectoris pain - pain in the heart extending to the cervical region or the arm, below the shoulder blade. The pain may increase and is not relieved by taking heart medications.
- Pain similar to that of hypertension (heaviness in the back of the head).
Consequences and complications
But before treating osteochondrosis, like any other disease, it is necessary to find out the causes of its occurrence, which is very difficult when it comes to degenerative pathologies of the spine. The factors provoking the deformation of the intervertebral discs of the cervical vertebrae are related to the anatomical features of this area. The vertebrae of the neck almost constantly experience tension due to insufficient general motor activity. If we take into account the general "sedentary" lifestyle of more than half of the working population, then the problem sometimes becomes intractable. In addition, the cervical vertebrae are smaller than the vertebrae of other areas of the spine, and the internal canal is much narrower. A huge number of nerve endings, an abundance of blood vessels, the presence of the most important artery that feeds the brain - all this makes the cervical region extremely vulnerable. Even the smallestcompression of the intervertebral space leads to damage to the nerve roots, swelling, inflammation and, accordingly, to the deterioration of the blood supply to the brain. Often, a decrease in mental activity is due to the fact that a person develops osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. There is a historical anecdote dating back to not-so-distant times when Margaret Hilda Thatcher reprimanded her official by saying: "Your problem is not a headache or your own view on the question put to a vote. The thing is, your spine just isn't connected to your brain, John. "This famous quote from the "iron" lady perfectly characterizes the condition that causes osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae, when it sometimes happens - the spine does not provide the proper "nutrition" to the head. As for "nutrition", in fact, it involves not onlythe canal of the spinal cord, but also the canal of the artery passing through the transverse nerve processes. The vertebral artery goes to the skull to feed the cerebellum, and this artery also supplies nutrients and oxygen to the vestibular apparatus. The slightest violation of blood flow through these channels can either provoke or worsen the course of the vegetative-vascular syndrome. In addition to VSD, osteochondrosis of the cervical region causes typical symptoms of radicular syndrome (sciatica), when pain radiates to the tips of the fingers or one finger, pallor of the skin (marbling) is clearly visible. One of the most unpleasant complications provoked by cervical osteochondrosis is palmar fibromatosis, also called Dupuytren's contracture. In this disease, the aponeurosis (tendon plate) of the palm is affected and the flexion function of the fingers is impaired.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is diagnosed by a specialist based on the patient's complaints and can be confirmed and specified with X-rays, nuclear magnetic resonance and computed tomography.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae
Complete healing of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is possible only in the initial stages, but it is possible to save a person from the painful symptoms of this disease, prevent exacerbations and get rid of some pathological changes in the spine. That is why we should not forget the importance of timely treatment of the disease.
How to treat osteochondrosis?
Osteochondrosis is not easy to treat, as a rule, therapy is prescribed as comprehensively as possible, including all means available to modern medicine. In addition to conservative treatment with drugs, proven phytotherapeutic drugs, acupuncture, a therapeutic complex of exercises and sometimes surgical operations are used to eliminate hernia and subluxation of the vertebrae. It must be recognized that osteochondrosis and treatment are two concepts that a sick person will face for quite a long time, sometimes throughout his life. In addition to the initial stage, which is aimed at relieving the pain symptom, the therapy includes constant restorative, rehabilitative and preventive actions. Complex, multicomponent diseases are always treated for a long time. If a diagnosis is made - osteochondrosis, how to treat it - this is the first question that is decided not only by the doctor, but also by the patient himself, since his direct participation and responsible compliance, the fulfillment of all prescriptions often play a decisive role inrecovery.
What to treat?
The list of drugs that are most often used as a drug for osteochondrosis:
- A complex, effective homeopathic preparation, which should be used for a long time, like any other homeopathy (in ampoules or in the form of tablets).
- An effective external remedy that well relieves muscle and joint pain.
- Anti-inflammatory non-steroidal agent (in the form of an ointment - externally, in tablets - orally).
- Ointment with complex effects from the category of homeopathic medicines.
- The drug in the form of tablets from the category of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
- A drug from the class of glucocorticoids.
- Ointment from the category of external anti-inflammatory non-steroidal agents.
- Gel from the category of external non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- A drug from the category of external anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs.
If we summarize everything that involves the treatment of such a disease as osteochondrosis, the treatment can be divided into the following stages and types:
- The use of NSAIDs - nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - is considered the gold standard in the treatment of all degenerative, dystrophic pathologies of the bone and muscle system. The first thing these drugs do is to reduce the symptom of pain, the second is to significantly reduce inflammation.
- Medicines that are called myelorelaxants, because they are really able to effectively relieve muscle cramps and spasms.
- Traction therapy is a traction treatment. In this rather painful but effective process, there is a gradual stretching of the tissues, muscles that surround the vertebrae, respectively, the intervertebral distance increases, approaching the norm.
- Biogenic preparations, vascular agents that supply food to the dystrophic areas of the tissues, vitamins of group B well restore the functional abilities of the deformed spine.
- Sedative drugs that normalize the state of the nervous system. It perfectly relieves muscle tension and acupuncture of nerve endings.
- Physiotherapy procedures - electrophoresis, phonophoresis, UHF, massages, mud therapy, balneotherapy, magnetotherapy.
- Correction of the spine during the recovery period is done with manual therapy.
- The treatment of osteochondrosis also includes using constant exercises from the complex of physiotherapy exercises.
In the most extreme cases, when the course of osteochondrosis has entered the final stage, surgical intervention is also indicated, which is performed in the area of localization of the inflammatory process. Most often, a hernia is operated on, and it is also possible to remove the deformed bone tissue of adjacent vertebrae.
Where to treat osteochondrosis?
Self-treatment of almost all diseases is a trend that is observed in almost all countries, but it is especially characteristic of post-Soviet countries, where the traditional structure of health care is still undergoing changes. Confused by innovation, often simply due to ignorance, many of us try to deal with back, neck or lower back pain on our own. You can call this time the first, although not very effective stage of treatment, since it is necessary to treat osteochondrosis only with the help of a doctor. The second stage, when independent actions do not lead to the desired, lasting result, a person thinks about visiting a doctor and the question arises: osteochondrosis - how to treat it, how to treat it, and most importantly, where to treat osteochondrosis? First, you can contact a local therapist who will most likely refer the patient for an examination - X-rays, blood tests and give a referral to a neurologist. Second, you can immediately make an appointment with a neurologist, preferably before the consultation, at least undergo an X-ray examination of the entire spine. In no case should you go to extremes and look for an experienced massage therapist, every massage, first of all, includes a preliminary scan of the condition of the body, especially the condition of the spine. The problem of osteochondrosis is also dealt with by vertebrologists and vertebroneurologists - doctors who deal with diseases of the spine.
Osteochondrosis is a complex disease, but the examples of many people who overcome even severe spine injuries prove that everything is possible and achievable. The main thing is that at the first alarm signals that the back gives us, analyze your motor activity and take appropriate measures. You can immediately go to the doctor and start treatment or, if the disease is not advanced, start moving because, as Aristotle, the teacher of the great Alexander the Great, who was extremely active, said, "Life requires and needsmovement, otherwise it is not life".
What does the story tell about osteochondrosis?
The etiology of osteochondrosis has not yet been clarified, moreover, despite the apparently ancient origin of this disease, diseases of the spine began to be seriously dealt with only in the 18th century. Since then, arguments and discussions about the real "enemy" that provokes degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs have not stopped. Meanwhile, long ago, as early as the time of Hippocrates, there were treatises on bone carving, indicating that the ancient Greeks also suffered from back pain. Hippocrates himself was also so interested in the topics of the spine that he conducted medical experiments that were dubious from a modern point of view: his students painstakingly tied the patient's hands and feet to a horizontal plane with his back up, stretching the limbs as much as possible. Then the great healer stood on the sufferer's back and began to walk on him. The founder of medicine was sincerely convinced that such fixation, stretching and massage would restore the health of the spine, which, according to the ancient Greek sages, was the key to a person's happy destiny. Some systematization of techniques that tell how to treat osteochondrosis began only at the end of the 17th century. At the same time, a terminology appears that formalizes applied fields in medicine, among which is osteoplasty. Two centuries later, it split into chiropractic and osteopathy. The first direction was purely practical, using power techniques, osteopaths were more theoreticians and researchers. At the intersection of these sciences, manual therapy gradually emerged, without which today the treatment of osteochondrosis is almost unthinkable.
As for the term that defines the disease "osteochondrosis", then a typical story happened with osteochondrosis, which is typical for other diseases of unclear etiology. As long as it was not called - and lumboschialgia, and sciatica, and Schmorl's hernia, and sciatica, and spondylosis. It took almost a century for doctors to understand osteochondrosis and reach a consensus.