Osteochondrosis is a medical term that describes violations of the integrity of the cartilage surfaces of the bones.Most of the time, the disease is associated with damage to the intervertebral discs.
Intervertebral discs are a kind of shock absorber that soften the pressure on the spine in the load.Osteochondrosis worsens the quality of life and causes pain in the back, neck, head and noise in the ears.
There are two perspectives regarding the diagnosis.Specialists abroad include a disorder in child and youth.It is believed that children are more common because their bones are in the development stage.The doctors diagnose osteochondrosis mainly in patients with the age of 25 to 55 years.Signs, causes and types of illness in two cases are the same.
How can you determine osteochondrosis?
- Are there constant or periodic back pain or muscle tension?
- Is there "geese outdoor" in the lower back or in the lower back or in the throat?
- Do you feel "shoot" in your back?
- Does the pain appear when you lift your hands or fluctuate your head to the sides?
- Is there a periodic dizziness?
- Are there any noise, nausea?
If at least one answer is positive, you should contact a specialist to carry out a study.If the diagnosis has violations, the doctor prescribes treatment and helps to protect itself from more serious and more painful symptoms.
What causes osteochondrosis
The mass incidence of osteochondrosis is due to the fact that people are in an upright position most of the time.In this case, the spine and discs experience an increased load.If it is wrong to sit, lie and stand, the discs lose their depreciation skills.
Over time, the shell of the windscreen tears and the hernial lead appears.They begin to transmit blood vessels, roots of the spinal cord or the brain themselves.As a result, pain, reflex stresses occur in the muscles.
The risk group comprises people with medium and older people.Office employees, professional drivers, people with high growth are most often exposed to this disease.Risk factors for the appearance of pronounced violation symptoms can be:
- flat feet;
- Inheritance;
- excess body weight;
- Hypodynamics.
Causes of violations in common cartilage:
- Working with heavy freight
- Wrong pose in a seat, standing or lying position.
- Injuries, over -trainer.
- Excessive loads in sports.
- Increased humidity and low temperature.
- Activities in connection with a frequent change in the body position
Types of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis can develop on any spine.After localization, the disease is divided into: cervix, chest and lumbar vertebrae.The last type is found in 50% of cases.
Lumbale osteochondrosis
A similar diagnosis is set for both men and women.The reason for this is an increased load that appears when walking, running, physical exertion and longer seat.The lumbar spine consists of 5 vertebrae between which there are windows that give elasticity.If the exchange process does not occur, the intervertebral discs lose their properties and pain.
Symptoms:
- Stupid or sharp pain in the lower back that intensifies when moving.
- Pain in the legs, body of the pelvis, the sacrum.
- Violation of mobility or sensitivity.
- Atrophy of the legs of the legs in the acute course of the disease.
The osteochondrosis lumbar must be treated.In the absence of therapy, dangerous complications can occur: Ishias, hernia, lead.As a result, the natural blood supply to the spinal cord is disturbed, which leads to paralysis of the lower extremities.
Cervical osteochondrosis
"Pay attention to turning your head," the doctors call.So you can avoid a dangerous diagnosis of an osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.The neck is the mobile part of the spine.The department consists of 7 vertebrae.The disease appears as a result of a violation of the metabolic processes in the body, in the presence of salts in the neck or due to the frequent unpleasant position of the head.
Symptoms:
- Headache
- Pain in the heart
- Flackers "fly" in front of my eyes
- Hearing impairment
- Crystal in the neck
- Pain in the hand or shoulder joint
- Dustiness of the limbs
Experts find that this type of illness is one of the most dangerous, since for their reason there may be a violation of blood circulation in the brain, migraine, in dystonia and more serious diseases.
Thoracic osteochondrosis
Violations in the thoracic spine occur less frequently because the vertebrae are inactive.The pain that occurs in this area is experienced by many people who do serious physical work or have a seated profession.The cause of osteochondrosis can be a disturbed exchange process, an increased load on the intervertebral discs.
Symptoms:
- Pain or compression in the chest area.
- Pain between the shoulder blades when lifting the hands.
- Skin sensitivity disorders.
Two symptoms can occur in acute injury: Dorsago and dorsalgy.Dorsago is of acute breast pain, shortness of breath.In dorsalgy, pain in the dwelling of the department is not too strong, but gradually.The disease is often confused with other breastpathologies: heart attack, pneumonia, angina pectoris, etc. The diagnosis is only made by a specialist based on inspection and research.
Stadiums of osteochondrosis
There are no obvious symptoms in the first stage.Complaints in the spine appear at the frequency, which is associated with fatigue or excessive physical exertion.The disease can be detected during a preventive examination, X -Ray or CT.
The second stage is accompanied by pain because the process of destroying cartilage tissue begins and the gap decreases between the slices.The pain at this stage is removed with medication, as prescribed by a doctor.
In the third stage, the spine begins: a fiber ring is disturbed, an intermediate writing appears.With the help of the correctly prescribed treatment, you can still improve the condition of the spine.
The fourth stage are irreversible changes in the spine, in which it is difficult to switch to one person.The bone tissue that connects the vertebrae grows between the vertebrae.Most of the time, a similar form of osteochondrosis leads to a disability.
Diagnostic methods
In order to determine the degree of the disease, to check sensitivity and reflexes, the doctor carries out a physical examination.In addition, blood and urine tests are given, calcium metabolic indicators are examined.
Diagnostic methods are used to make a precise diagnosis:
- Ultrasound of the vessels.Determination of the degree of impaired blood flow in the vertebral arteries.
- X -Ray of the spine.
- Ct.The construction of a three -dimensional image of the examined area to identify small vertebral shifts.
- MRI.Investigation of the condition of soft tissues to evaluate the condition of the spinal cord and visualize the internal structure of the windows.
Treatment
Osteochondrosis is treated comprehensively.The main goal of the therapy is to suppress the pain, the removal of tensions in the muscles and the restriction of movements that appeared due to pain.It is important not to process yourself, but to advise yourself with a specialist and to follow the recommendations.
- Pharmaceutical therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Surgical treatment
For the treatment of the spine, the doctor prescribes non -steroid antoiding medication that help to alleviate inflammation and swelling.Musodorelaxants are responsible for reducing cramps in the muscles.Ointments are used to reduce pain.To protect nerve tissue, antioxidants and vitamins can be prescribed: they slow down the destruction of bone tissue and reduce loss of calcium.
The effectiveness of the treatment is possible with a combination of medicinal products using physiotherapy methods: electrophoresis, laser, magnetic therapy, treatment with mud and electricity.In addition, a massage, manual therapy can be prescribed.The procedure is determined taking into account the condition of the patient because there are contraindications.
In extreme rare cases, surgical intervention for osteochondrosis is required.There are many nerve endings in the spine that are responsible for the work of the body as a whole.The risk is great, so surgical treatment can be prescribed if conservative methods do not achieve proper effectiveness.
prevention
It is possible to maintain the health of the spine and prevent the occurrence of symptoms or complications of osteochondrosis by compliance with the prevention methods:
- Consumption of sufficient water;
- Body weight control;
- Consumption of food that is rich in collagen;
- the choice of an orthopedic mattress that supports the body;
- Regular sport.
You can try alternative methods: acupuncture, Qigong or massage.Before the procedure begins, you should consult a doctor to ensure the health of the musculoskeletal system.