Osteochondrosis, whose symptoms and treatment are described below, is a disease of which only representatives of Homo Sapiens species suffer. Back pain is the result of the development of righteousness: due to the change in the location of the spine, intervertebral discs are compressed and erased over time, as a result of unpleasant symptoms. About 60% of the population of the planet suffers from osteochondrosis. The treatment of osteochondrosis is a fairly difficult matter, but there are methods that allow you to forget pain for a long time. What kind of disease is this, what occurs the deformation of intervertebral discs and how to treat recoil osteochondrosis? You can discover everything about osteochondrosis studying this article.
What is osteochondrosis?
Many have heard that there is a disease such as osteochondrosis. What is it? The main sign of the pathology is the deformation and inflammation of the joint cartilage. Osteochondrosis, whose signs can observe many people over 40, can affect not only the spine, but also other joints. To understand how to treat the recoil osteochondrosis and how this disease develops, you must remember the structure of the spine.
The column consists of 35 vertebrae, separated by joint cartilage. The soft cartilage ensures the flexibility of the column, as well as its stable position in space. The basis of the joint cartilage is the intervertebral discs, which in the vital activity process are subject to various types of loads. These loads can be static (long stay in a position) and dynamic (running, walking fast, jumping). Over time, due to loads, gradually abrupt intervertebral discs, as a result of which the distance between the vertebrae decreases. Because of this, a person 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 is the osteochondrosis developing?
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 lies in insufficient production of certain proteins that give resistance to the cartilage;
- Intervertebral osteochondrosis often causes metabolic disorders;
- the presence of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, for example, the curvature of the column or flat feet;
- The presence of a history of injuries in the spinal column: professional athletes often suffer from vertebratic osteochondrosis;
- lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle;
- the presence of excess weight;
- frequent tensions;
- Pregnancy: In this case, the cause of osteochondrosis is an increase in load in the spine.
These are the main causes of osteochondrosis that cause the development of the disease.
In general, it is accepted that the signs of osteochondrosis are generally manifested in adulthood. However, in recent years, the disease has been "younger": the diagnosis of osteochondrosis is often performed by adolescents, while the disease can appear for less than 15 years.
Most of the time, the osteochondrosis of the intervertebral discs affects high stature people, whose column undergoes an increase in loads. The emerging voltage leads to the fact that the intervertebral discs are deform, as a result of which the pain and the limitation of mobility occurs, intervertebral osteochondrosis develops.
Signs of osteochondrosis
Only a doctor can make a diagnosis and cure intervertebral osteochondrosis: it should not be self -medicated. But everyone should know what symptoms indicate the possibility of osteochondrosis.
The main signs of osteochondrosis:
- a feeling of heaviness and back pain;
- the periodic occurrence of "chicken skin" in the lower back area, neck or back;
- a feeling of pain that shoots in a particular column;
- pain raising your hands up;
- frequent dizziness attacks;
- nausea and noise in the ears;
- Numbness of the extremities.
In the presence of at least one of the previous symptoms, you should seek medical advice. After all, as soon as possible the treatment of back osteochondrosis begins, the easier it will be to get rid of the unpleasant manifestation of this disease. Is osteochondrosis in a late stage? The answer will be affirmative. It is true, how to defeat osteochondrosis, you will learn only after an exam in the clinic. An experienced orthopedist will advise how to deal with osteochondrosis, prescribe the necessary medications and procedures. You should not be afraid: if you diagnose osteochondrosis, the treatment will be quite long, but effective. After all, osteochondrosis, due to modern methods of therapy, can quickly get to anything and not alter the patient for a long time.
To decide how to treat the spine osteochondrosis, the doctor must determine the degree of damage to the spine. This is impossible to do without a complete diagnostic exam: the patient does not have enough osteochondrosis symptoms to make a diagnosis. In general, diagnostic procedures such as X -Ray, MRI and CT are prescribed.
Varieties of osteochondrosis
There are two most common classifications of the disease. The first of them is based on the dislocation of the lesion, the second, on the degree of development of the pathology.
Depending on the affected section, they distinguish:
- Cervical osteochondrosis. Its main symptoms are neck pain, dizziness and headaches, chest pain, which gives the hand, a sensation of cloudy in the eyes. With cervical osteochondrosis in patients, hypertension attacks are often observed;
- Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region. The thoracic region is affected low. Pain in this type of spinal disease is a rather rare occurrence. Usually, patients complain of unpleasant sensations in the chest and pain in the heart, which often take as signs and symptoms of angina pectoris. Sometimes it helps to help diagnose an ECG, which with osteochondrosis shows no heart muscle disorder. Typically, the cause of the osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is an injury or curvature of the column;
- Osteochondrosis of the lumbar region. Since the lumbosacra region resists heavy loads, the disease affects it quite frequently. The main osteochondrosis syndromes of the lumbar region are shot pains that are particularly strong in spring and autumn. Pain can be given to heels, caviar and knees. With the infraction of the sciatic nerve, patients cannot be folded in one direction. If timely treatment does not begin, the osteochondrosis of the lumbar column can be complicated by the appearance of a hernia. In men, the disease of the column-osteochondrosis of the lumbar region can be accompanied by a deteriorated power.
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, due to which the space between the vertebrae decreases. Small cracks are produced in the cartilage;
- The second stage. The distance between the vertebrae is reduced to such an extent that they begin to change each other;
- The third stage. Intervertebral discs gradually squeeze from the intervertebral space. At this stage, the symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis affect the quality of life, limit mobility and cause considerable suffering;
- The fourth stage. Bone peaks grow between the vertebrae, due to which the mobility of the spinal column decreases. The peaks injure the nerves and vessels that are close to the spine, so the symptoms of the osteochondrosis of the back become almost unbearable for humans and forced to drink large doses of analgesics. At this stage, treatment with osteochondrosis is often carried out 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 relieve the patient's condition? You will find the answers below.
Pharmacological treatment of osteochondrosis
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis? Many doctors say this is impossible. But to slow down the development of the disease, soften the symptoms and completely eliminate some signs of osteochondrosis. If the disease is found in the early stages, conservative treatment methods are usually used: special medications are used, physiotherapy, spa treatment, as well as a special diet are recommended.
Medications are used for osteochondrosis exacerbations. Medications help get rid of the patient's concerns, as well as the speed of pathology development. The main groups of drugs that are treated with intervertebral osteochondrosis include:
- Anti -inflammatory drugs. These drugs help get rid of pain and limit mobility in the spine. After the unpleasant manifestations of osteochondrosis begin to decrease, patients are written for tablets. Usually, the treatment course is approximately one month. Together with injections and tablets in the affected areas, anti -inflammatory and analgesic ointments are applied;
- Musorelaxantes. With osteochondrosis, a cross -seat muscle occurs, which does not affect the patient's condition in the best way. Musorelaxantes allow you to eliminate muscle clamps and relieve unpleasant symptoms.
- Special protectors. Preparations related to this group help to stop the cartilage deformation process, thus braking the development of the disease.
How to defeat the column osteochondrosis? The treatment in 2-4 stages is carried out through additional medications:
- Vitamin complexes that accelerate metabolism and improve tissue regeneration;
- drugs that normalize blood flow;
- Glucocorticosteroids that reduce inflammatory processes and eliminate tissue swelling;
- Stimulants that improve metabolism.
To prescribe medications and determine your dose should only the treating doctor.
Physiotherapy
Medications have a better effect if used together with physiotherapeutic measures. Very often, with osteochondrosis, it is recommended:
- ElectrophoresisIf you do not know how to cure the spine osteochondrosis, pay attention to electrophoresis. The procedure helps to relax tense muscles and save the patient from pain. Thanks to electrophoresis, blood circulation in affected tissues improves and metabolism accelerates;
- acupuncture. Acting at biologically active points using thin needles, the therapist defeats pain and inflammatory process;
- MagnetotherapyThis method allows you to reduce pain and swelling of 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 to reduce pain, as well as restore the mobility of the spine in osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis massage can only be performed by an experienced specialist: non -professional intervention can lead to the fact that the column will hurt even more, in the worst case that can damage your back. It is advisable to seek a masseuse among friends who defeated the osteochondrosis;
- Medical Physical Education. Patients suffering from osteochondrosis are recommended for physiotherapy exercises, which helps strengthen the muscle frame of the column and accelerate the process of regeneration of damaged tissues. Reviews indicate that physical education is one of the best methods for therapy for subsequent diseases. Symptoms stop appearing after a couple of regular classes. It is true that getting rid of pain, should not stop exercising, otherwise, discomfort may appear again;
- ThermotherapyThis type of intervertebral osteochondrosis treatment has a series of contraindications, therefore, before starting the thermotherapy course, it is necessary to consult your doctor. Thermotherapy has an analgesic effect and helps to quickly restore damaged tissues: it happens that after several sessions, the patient forgots for a long time on pain, and osteochondrosis manifests much less often than before;
- Mud. Thanks to the therapeutic mud applied to the patient's back, it can reduce muscle spasm, eliminate inflammation and improve blood circulation from the spine. Patient reviews indicate that osteochondrosis will stop bothering for a long time after several treatment courses.
In general, patients are prescribed the entire complex of physiotherapeutic measures. The duration of the course and the best treatment methods depend on the degree of damage to the spine. During the year, the course of the treatment of the back is recommended three to four times: as a result, the pain and symptoms of the disease will not gradually arrive.
Is it possible to cure physiotherapy osteochondrosis? Any doctor will give a negative response: it is advisable to use a set of methods to obtain the necessary result.