Osteochondrosis is a problem of the spine, which affects literally one in four inhabitants of the planet, at least according to experts from the WHO Center for Statistics.
Among the five most common diseases in the world, osteochondrosis takes an "honorable" third place, only cardiovascular diseases are ahead. In 2012, the media giant of the British Broadcasting Corporation, the BBC, published medical research data that is simply shocking: each year more than 5 million people die from diseases caused by physical inactivity, that is, sedentary lifestyle. A veritable pandemic of decreased physical activity has already covered a third of earthlings, and the latest results of scientific work show that the culprit for many health-threatening ailments is not at all a genetic predisposition or virus, but a lifestyle. unhealthy life. Almost all back problems - intervertebral hernias (hernias), osteoporosis, osteochondrosis and many other diseases associated with osteochondrosis - are the result of many hours of sitting, whether in front of the television, at the desk or in the car seat . About 80% of all the reasons why the back suffers and spinal ailments develop are related to elementary degenerative changes in the muscle corset and lack of full-fledged reasonable physical activity.
osteochondrosis and spine
The structure of the spinal column in living beings, whether animals or humans, is basically the same. However, only man bears the proud title of Homo erectus, that is, Homo erectus. Until recently, upright posture was believed to be the main cause of pathological changes in the spine. As if the vertical position of the body leads to an incorrect and uneven load on the spine. Static load, which is most exposed to the lumbar and sacrum, consisting of five vertebrae, is the most dangerous in terms of destructive effects on intervertebral tissues. dynamic load, whichcharacterized by movements, the columncervical is affected. The structure of the spine is quite complex, it consists of many vertebrae connected by cartilage tissue - discs. The discs, in turn, are multilayered rings with a liquid core in the middle, which perform the function of shock absorption when the spinal column is put into motion. In addition, the vertebrae are connected by a large number of muscles and other tissues. The elasticity of this entire connection system ensures the normal state of the spine. Simply put, the more elastic and adaptable the intervertebral discs, the more flexible and healthy the spine, the lower the risk of osteochondrosis hitting it. Today, the theory that upright posture is responsible for all degenerative diseases of the spine is questioned. Relentless statistics convince doctors that more than inactivity, physical inactivity is a factor in causing spinal diseases associated with dystrophy and degeneration of intervertebral tissues. In addition, excess weight, which actually increases the load on the discs, can also aggravate destructive processes and lead to osteochondrosis. Conclusion: movement is life. The phrase is not new, it seems painfully hackneyed, banal, however, it does not require proof. A striking example of the fact that physical activity and flexibility can serve as a foundation for spinal health are the 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 children's spinal discs are very elastic, only in the nuclei of the discs there is up to 80% of the fluid. With age, the amount of life-giving "lubrication" may decrease, but it can be preserved by conscientiously 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 down for hours, for years, regardless of the reason: because of work or of their own free will, obligations, laziness or simply 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 no word about osteochondrosis, such diseases are classified as rheumatic and dorsopathic. In the ICD-10, since 1999, in fact, back pain is defined as a group of diseases with typical manifestations in the form of pain in the spine, not associated with visceral causes. Osteochondrosis, which is classified as dorsopathy, is in turn divided into three large groups:
- Deforming diseases, dorsopathy - scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis, subluxation, spondylolisthesis.
- Spondylopathy: spondylosis, ankylosing spondylitis and other ossifying dystrophic pathologies that limit the mobility of the spine.
- Others, other dorsopathies are degenerative changes accompanied by hernias, bulges.
Thus, osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis (from the Greek words - bone, cartilage and pain) is the general name for all problems in the spine that are caused by degeneration and malnutrition of paravertebral tissues (degeneration and dystrophy). When deformed, the intervertebral damping disc becomes thinner, becomes flat, which leads to overloading of the vertebrae and their further deformation to the point that they begin to go beyond the normal limits of the spine. Nerve roots with such a pathology are pinched, inflamed, pain appears.
Osteochondrosis affects almost the entire back, and depending on which part of the spine has suffered the most, the disease is called in clinical practice.
The most "popular", known to many, is lumbar osteochondrosis, there is also a definition of cervical, which ranks second in prevalence, there is sacral, thoracic and generalized osteochondrosis. There are also crossed 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 noted:
- Pain, dull aching sensations in the part of the spine affected by the degenerative process.
- Chronic muscle tension (especially characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis).
- Crunches when turning the body, neck.
- Headache, including tension headache (with cervical osteochondrosis).
- Aching pain in the chest, often reminiscent of cardiological pain (with thoracic osteochondrosis).
Osteochondrosis in the inflammatory stage has symptoms that make a person consult a doctor, because they cause more pronounced discomfort:
- Irradiation of pain in the extremity.
- Numbness of the fingers or toes.
- Radiation of pain to the tips of the fingers of the extremities.
- Intense pain in the spine when performing simple physical activities.
- Increased pain with small pushes, jerks, for example, when traveling in transport.
- The inability to perform simple work associated with rotations or tilts of the body.
- General limitation of mobility, motor activity.
The factors that can cause problems in the spine, called osteochondrosis, are very diverse, but in the first place there is the already mentioned hypodynamia. Other reasons include the following:
- Functional: monotonous work maintaining the same posture.
- Biomechanics - 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 environment 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, they do not manifest. At this stage, the annulus fibrosus surrounding the disc begins to stretch or, conversely, to contract.
- The second stage is characterized by increased disc instability, the annulus fibrosis is not only stretched, its fibers are stratified, the annulus begins to break. Due to the infringement of the nerve roots, pain appears in the spine, degenerative changes progress. Collagen tissue continues to break down, the normal height of the intervertebral distance decreases.
- The disc often ruptures completely, this pathology is accompanied by inflammation, herniation and infringement of the nerve endings. The bulge (prolapse) causes a characteristic pain not only in the damaged area of the spine, but is also reflected in 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 lost functions, and the elastic tissue of the annulus fibrosus is gradually replaced by scars and bony growths.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Almost everyone who is associated with intellectual activity, from schoolchildren to the elderly, suffers in one form or another from osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is considered a disease associated with increased dynamic loads that provoke degeneration of the intervertebral discs and their sagging. Hardening and growth of cartilage tissue lead to a violation of the depreciation properties of this part of the spine, movements of the head - tilts, circular movements, turns become difficult and are accompanied by characteristic signs of osteochondrosis.
Symptoms that can cause osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in the early stages of the development of the disease are non-specific and are similar to signs of other pathologies not related to the skeletal system. The list of manifestations of osteochondrosis, which must be differentiated and specified in order to determine the correct diagnosis, is as follows:
- Severe headaches that resemble migraine attacks.
- Headache extending from the occiput to the neck.
- Headache aggravated by coughing, turning the head, sneezing.
- Headache that radiates to the chest or shoulder.
- Dizziness, sensory disturbances - double vision, difficulty focusing. Noise in the ears, in advanced cases, impaired coordination of movements.
- Symptoms that are similar to cardiological pain, in particular with pain in angina pectoris: pain in the heart, spreading to the cervical region or to 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
However, before treating osteochondrosis, like any other disease, it is necessary to find out its causes, which is very difficult when it comes to degenerative pathologies of the spine. The factors that cause the deformation of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine are associated with the anatomical specificities of this area. The vertebrae of the neck experience almost constant tension due to insufficient general motor activity. If we take into account the total "sedentary" lifestyle of more than half of the working population, the problem sometimes becomes intractable. Also, the cervical vertebrae are smaller than the vertebrae in other areas of the spine, and the internal canal is much narrower. A large number of nerve endings, a large number of blood vessels, the presence of the most important artery that feeds the brain - all this makes the cervical area extremely vulnerable. Even the slightest contraction of the intervertebral spaceleads to infringement of the nerve roots, swelling, inflammation and, consequently, to a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain. Often, the decrease in mental activity is due to the fact that a person develops osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. There is a historical anecdote, dating from not so distant times, when Margaret Hilda Thatcherhe rebuked his employee with the words, "Your problem isn't a headache or your own view of the issue being voted on. It's just that your spine isn't wired into your brain, John. "This famous quote from the "iron" lady perfectly characterizes the condition that causes osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, when it sometimes happens: the spine does not provide adequate "nutrition" to the head. As for "nutrition", in fact, not only the canal of the spinal cord is involved, 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 disturbance of blood flow through these channels can provoke or aggravate the course of vegetative-vascular syndrome. In addition to VSD, osteochondrosis of the cervical region causes the typical symptoms of radicular syndrome (sciatica), when the pain radiates to the fingertips or to one finger, paleness of the skin (marbling) is clearly visible. One of the most unpleasant complications caused by cervical osteochondrosis is palmar fibromatosis, also called Dupuytren's contracture. With this disease, the aponeurosis (tendinous plate) of the palm is affected, and the flexing function of the fingers is disturbed.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is diagnosed by a specialist based on the patient's complaints, and can be confirmed and specified by X-ray, MRI and CT scan.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
A complete cure for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is possible only in its initial stages, however, it is possible to save a person from the painful symptoms of this disease, prevent exacerbations and eliminate some pathological changes in the spine. Therefore, we must not forget about 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 fully as possible, including all the means available to modern medicine. In addition to conservative drug treatment, proven phytotherapeutic drugs, acupuncture, a therapeutic set of exercises, and sometimes surgical operations that eliminate hernias and subluxations of the vertebrae are also used. It must be recognized that osteochondrosis and treatment are two concepts that a sick person will face for quite a long time, sometimes his whole life. In addition to the initial stage, which is aimed at relieving the symptom of pain, the therapy involves constant actions of restoration, rehabilitation and prevention. Complex and multicomponent diseases are always treated for a long time. If a diagnosis is made (osteochondrosis, how to treat), 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, compliance with all prescriptions often play a role. decisive. role in recovery.
What to treat?
The list of drugs that are most often used as a remedy for osteochondrosis:
- A complex and effective homeopathic preparation that must be used for a long time, like any other homeopathy (in ampoules or in the form of tablets).
- An effective external remedy that relieves muscle and joint pain well.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent (in the form of an ointment, externally, in tablets, orally).
- Complex effect ointment from the category of homeopathic remedies.
- The drug in the form of tablets from the category of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
- A drug from the category of glucocorticoids.
- Ointment from the category of external nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory 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, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, is considered the gold standard in the treatment of all degenerative and dystrophic pathologies of the bone and muscle systems. The first thing these drugs do is reduce the pain symptom, the second is a significant reduction in inflammation.
- Drugs that are called myelorelaxants, since they are really capable of effectively relieving contractures and muscle spasms.
- Traction therapy is a traction treatment. In this rather painful, but effective process, there is a gradual stretching of the tissues, the muscles surrounding the vertebrae, respectively, the intervertebral distance increases, approaching the norm.
- Biogenic preparations, vascular agents that supply nutrition to dystrophic areas of tissues, B vitamins well restore the functional capabilities of a deformed spine.
- Sedative drugs that normalize the state of the nervous system. Perfectly relieves muscle tension and acupuncture of nerve endings.
- Physiotherapy procedures: electrophoresis, phonophoresis, UHF, massage, mud procedures, balneotherapy, magnetotherapy.
- Correction of the spine during the recovery period is carried out using manual therapy.
- Treatment of osteochondrosis involves and with the help of constant exercise of the complex of physiotherapy exercises.
In the most extreme cases, when the course of osteochondrosis enters the last stage, surgical intervention is also indicated, which is performed in the area of localization of the inflammatory process. In most cases, a hernia is operated on, and removal of deformed bone tissue from neighboring vertebrae is also possible.
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 healthcare structure is still undergoing changes. Confused by innovations, often simply out of ignorance, many of us try to cope with back, neck or lower back pain on our own. You can call this time the first stage of treatment, although not very effective, 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 and lasting result, a person thinks about a visit to the doctor and the question arises, osteochondrosis: how to treat, how to treat, and most importantly, where to treat osteochondrosis? First of all, you can contact a local therapist, who, most likely, will refer the patient for examination: X-rays, blood tests, and refer him to a neurologist. Secondly, 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 masseur, any massage, first of all, implies a preliminary scan of the state of the body, especially the state of the spine. The problem of osteochondrosis is also treated by vertebrologists and vertebroneurologists - doctors who specialize in diseases of the spine.
Osteochondrosis is a complex disease, but the examples of many people who overcome even serious spinal injuries show that everything is feasible and achievable. The main thing is that at the first alarm signals that turn our backs on us, we analyze our motor activity and take the appropriate measures. You can go to the doctor immediately and start treatment, or, if the disease is not advanced, start moving, because as Aristotle said, the teacher of the great Alexander the Great, who was extremely active, "Life requires and needs movement. Otherwise it's not life. "
What does history say about osteochondrosis?
The etiology of osteochondrosis is still unclear, moreover, despite the clearly ancient origins of this disease, serious treatment of spinal diseases began only in the 18th century. Since then, the disputes and discussions about the real "enemy" that causes degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs have not ceased. Meanwhile, long ago, even in the time of Hippocrates, there were treatises on bone cutting, indicating that the ancient Hellenes also suffered from back pain. Hippocrates himselfhe was also so interested in spinal issues that he performed medical experiments that were dubious from a modern point of view: his students diligently tied the patient by the arms and legs to a horizontal plane with the back facing up, stretching the limbs as much as possible. as possible. Then the great healer climbed on the back of the sufferer and began to walk on him. The founding father 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 man's happiness. Some systematization of techniques explaining how to treat osteochondrosis began only at the end of the 17th century. At the same time, a terminology appeared that formalized applied areas in medicine, among which was the placement of bones. Two centuries later, it was divided into chiropractic and osteopathy. The first direction was purely practical, using power techniques, osteopaths were more theoretical and investigative. At the intersection of these sciences, manual therapy gradually emerged, without which the treatment of osteochondrosis is almost unthinkable today.
As for the term that defines the disease "osteochondrosis", then a typical story happened with osteochondrosis, which is typical of other ailments of unclear etiology. As soon as it was not called, and lumboischialgia, sciatica, Schmorl's hernia, sciatica and spondylosis. Doctors took almost a century to discover osteochondrosis and reach a consensus.