Osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment of which are described below, is a disease that only representatives of the species Homo sapiens suffer. Back pain is the result of the development of density: due to the change in the location of the spine, the intervertebral discs are compressed and wiped over time, resulting in unpleasant symptoms. About 60% of the planet's population suffers from osteochondrosis. Treatment for osteochondrosis is quite difficult matter, but there are methods that allow you to forget about the pain for a long time. What is the disease, what arises the deformity of the intervertebral discs and how to treat osteochondrosis on the back? You can understand everything about osteochondrosis by studying this article.What is osteochondrosis?
Many have heard that there is a disease as osteochondrosis. What is it? The leading sign of pathology is the deformity and inflammation of the joint cartilage. Osteochondrosis, the signs of which many over 40 can observe, can affect not only the spine but also other joints. To find out how to treat osteochondrosis and how this disease develops, you need to recall the structure of the spine.
The spine consists of 35 vertebrae, separated by joint cartilage. The soft cartilage guarantees the flexibility of the spine as well as its stable position in space. The base of the articular cartilage is the intervertebral discs, which in the process of vital activity are subjected to different types of loads. These loads can be either static (long stays in one position) and dynamic (running, fast walking, jumping). Over time, due to the loads, the intervertebral discs gradually decide sharply, resulting in the distance between the vertebrae decreases. Therefore, one begins to experience signs of osteochondrosis, for example, pain cannot make certain movements or remain in some poses for a long time, etc. For what reasons does osteochondrosis develop?
There is no single cause of osteochondrosis: the disease develops due to a combination of several factors, among which the main ones can be distinguished:Hereditary predisposition. Of course, not the disease itself is inherited by osteochondrosis, but in the characteristics of the bone structure: very often the causes of osteochondrosis are in the lack of production of certain proteins that give cartilage strength;The interior osteochondrosis often provokes metabolic disorders;The presence of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, for example, curvature of the spine or flat feet;The presence of a history of spinal injuries: professional athletes often suffer from spinal osteochondrosis;lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle;the presence of excess weight;frequent tensions;Pregnancy: In this case, the cause of osteochondrosis is an increased load of the spine.
These are the main causes of osteochondrosis that provoke the development of the disease.
It is generally accepted that the signs of osteochondrosis are usually manifested in adulthood. However, in recent years the disease has been "younger": the diagnosis of osteochondrosis is often made by adolescents, while the disease can occur under the age of 15.
Most often, osteochondrosis of the intervertebral discs affects people with high height whose spine is subjected to increased loads. The emerging tension leads to the fact that the intervertebral discs are deformed, resulting in pain and limitation of mobility, developing intervertebral osteochondrosis. Signs of osteochondrosis
Only a doctor can diagnose and treat intervertebral osteochondrosis: you should not cultivate yourself. But everyone should know what symptoms indicate the possibility of osteochondrosis.
The main signs of osteochondrosis:feeling of heaviness and back pain;the periodic occurrence of "goosebumps" in the area of the lower back, neck or back;feeling of pain that shoots in a particular spine;Pain when lifting the arms up;frequent attacks of dizziness;nausea and tinnitus;Tingling of the limbs.
In the presence of at least one of the above symptoms, you should seek medical advice. After all, the earlier the treatment of osteochondrosis on the back is started, the easier it will be to get rid of the unpleasant manifestation of this disease. Is osteochondrosis treated at a late stage? The answer will be affirmative. True, how to beat osteochondrosis, you will only learn after a clinic examination. An experienced orthopedist will advise how to deal with osteochondrosis, prescribe the necessary medicines and procedures. You should not be afraid: if you are diagnosed with osteochondrosis, the treatment will be quite long but effective. After all, osteochondrosis, due to modern methods of therapy, can quickly reach nothing and not disturb the patient for a long time.
In order to decide how to treat osteochondrosis of the spine, the doctor must determine the degree of damage to the spine. This is impossible to do without a thorough diagnostic examination: the patient does not have enough symptoms of osteochondrosis to make a diagnosis. Diagnostic procedures such as X -ray, MRI and CT are usually prescribed. Varieties of osteochondrosis
There are two most common classifications of the disease. The first of these is based on the dislocation of the lesion, the second - the degree of development of the pathology.
Depending on the affected section, they distinguish:Cervical osteochondrosis. Its main symptoms are neck pain, dizziness and headache, chest pain that gives in the hand, a feeling of blurring in the eyes. Cervical osteochondrosis in patients often experiences hypertension attacks;Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region. The thoracic area is relatively rare. Pain in this type of spinal disease is a very rare occurrence. Usually patients complain of unpleasant sensations in the chest and heart pain, which often take as signs and symptoms of angina. Sometimes he is helped to diagnose an ECG, which with osteochondrosis does not indicate any disorders of the heart muscle. Usually the cause of osteochondrosis of the thoracic area is the injury or curvature of the spine;Osteochondrosis of the lumbar region. Because the lumbosacral region withstands heavy loads, the disease affects it quite often. The main syndromes of lumbar osteochondrosis are pain shootings that are particularly strong in the spring and autumn. The pain can be applied in heels, caviar and knees. With disturbance of the sciatic nerve, patients cannot bend in one direction. If you do not start timely treatment, osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine may be complicated by the onset of hernia. In men, spinal disease- osteochondrosis of the lumbar region- can be accompanied by impaired potency.
Depending on how osteochondrosis manifests, four stages of development of this pathology are distinguished. Naturally, the effective treatment of osteochondrosis with conservative methods is only possible in the initial stages. Spinal osteochondrosis develops in four stages:The first stage. The intervertebral discs are flattened, which is why the space between the vertebrae decreases. Cartilage occurs small cracks;The second stage. The distance between the vertebrae is reduced to such an extent that they begin to shift against each other;Third stage. The intervertebral discs are gradually removed from the intervertebral space. At this stage, the symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis affect the quality of life, limiting mobility and causing significant suffering;The fourth stage. Bone spikes grow between the vertebrae, which causes the spinal motility. The spikes injure the nerves and vessels that are located near the spine, which is why the symptoms of osteochondrosis on the back become almost unbearable to humans and forced to take large doses of painkillers. At this stage, osteochondrosis treatment is often performed by surgical methods.
What to do with osteochondrosis? Is it possible to get rid of the unpleasant symptoms of intervertebral osteochondrosis forever and what procedures can alleviate the patient's condition? You will find the answers below.Treatment of osteochondrosis drugs
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis? Many doctors say this is impossible. But to slow the development of the disease, it softens the symptoms and completely eliminates some signs of osteochondrosis. If the disease is in the early stage, conservative treatment methods are usually used: special medicines, physiotherapy, spa treatment, and a special diet are used.
Medicines are used to exacerbate osteochondrosis. Medicines help to get rid of the patient's worries as well as slow down the development of the pathology. The main groups of medicines that are treated with intervertebral osteochondrosis include:Anti -inflammatory drugs. These drugs help to get rid of pain and restriction of mobility in the spine. Once the unpleasant manifestations of osteochondrosis begin to decrease, patients are prescribed for tablets. Usually the course of treatment is about one month. Together with injections and tablets on the affected areas, anti -inflammatory and analgesic ointments are administered;Mussorelaxants. In osteochondrosis, cross muscles appear, which does not affect the patient's condition in the best way. Mussorelaxants allow you to eliminate muscle brackets and relieve unpleasant symptoms.Special protectors. The preparations associated with this group help to slow down the process of cartilage deformity, thus delaying the development of the disease.
How to beat osteochondrosis of the spine? Treatment of 2-4 stages is done through additional medicines:Vitamin complexes that accelerate metabolism and enhance tissue regeneration;medicines that normalize blood flow;Glucocorticosteroids, which reduce inflammatory processes and eliminate tissue swelling; Stimulants that enhance metabolism.
To prescribe medicines and to determine their dosage, only the attending physician needs to be.Physiotherapy
Medicines have a better effect if used in conjunction with physiotherapy measures. Most often with osteochondrosis is recommended:Electrophoresis. If you do not know how to cure osteochondrosis of the spine, pay attention to electrophoresis. The procedure helps to relax the tense muscles and save the patient from pain. Thanks to the electrophoresis, blood circulation in the affected tissues improves and metabolism is accelerated;Acupuncture. By acting on biologically active points using thin needles, the therapist defeats the pain and the inflammatory process;Magnetotherapy. This method allows you to reduce the pain and swelling of the tissues. In addition, with the help of magnetotherapy it is possible to normalize the metabolic processes in the affected tissues of the body;Massage. The massage course is an excellent tool for reducing pain as well as for restoring spinal mobility in osteochondrosis. Massage with osteochondrosis can only be performed by an experienced specialist: non -professional intervention can lead to the fact that the spine will harm even more, in the least case you can damage the back. It is advisable to look for a massage therapist among friends who have defeated osteochondrosis;Medical physical education. Patients suffering from osteochondrosis are recommended for physiotherapy exercises, which helps to strengthen the muscle frame of the spine and accelerate the process of regeneration of damaged tissues. Reviews show that physical education is one of the best methods for therapy for the posterior disease. Symptoms cease to appear after a few months of regular classes. It is true that you get rid of the pain, you should not stop exercising, otherwise the discomfort may reappear; Thermotherapy. This type of treatment for intervertebral osteochondrosis has a number of contraindications, therefore, before starting the thermotherapy course, it is necessary to consult your doctor. Thermotherapy has an analgesic effect and helps to quickly repair the damaged tissues: it happens after several sessions that the patient can forget about the pain for a long time, and osteochondrosis manifests itself much more than before;Mud. Thanks to the therapeutic mud applied to the patient's back, you can reduce muscle spasm, eliminate inflammation and improve blood circulation of the spine. Patients' examinations show that osteochondrosis will cease to worry for a long time after several courses for treatment.
Usually patients are prescribed the entire complex of physiotherapy measures. The duration of the course and the best treatments depend on the degree of damage to the spine. During the year, the course of treatment for osteochondrosis on the back is recommended from three to four times: as a result, the pain and symptoms of the disease will gradually reach nothing.
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis without physiotherapy? Each doctor will give a negative answer: it is advisable to use a set of methods to get the necessary result.
