Diseases of the back and spine are one of the main problems of representatives of all ages. Probably, there is no person who does not have back pain at least sometimes. And in most cases, people either courageously endure pain, or drink painkillers. But in fact, you can not neglect your he alth and ignore back pain. The doctor must necessarily examine the patient and find out what the painful syndrome in the spine is associated with. Maybe it's just caused by fatigue or physical overexertion. Or maybe this is a sign of one of the serious diseases that require immediate medical attention.
Symptoms and causes of back pain
Modern sedentary lifestyle is the reason why those diseases, which until recently were noted only in the elderly, can now occur in very young people. The causes of back pain can be very different.
The process of spinal degeneration begins gradually. At the very beginning, intervertebral discs are exposed to it and a back disease occurs - osteochondrosis. At the same time they gochanges in the cartilaginous tissue, the height of the intervertebral disc becomes much smaller, and this leads to the fact that the nerve endings are compressed. At this stage, a person practically does not feel pain, there is only a slight discomfort at the end of the day, as well as severe fatigue even with a slight load.
After that, pathological processes such as spondylosis and spondylarthrosis begin to develop. The essence of these processes lies in the fact that osteophytes begin to grow along the ends of neighboring vertebrae of the damaged disk. Along with this, the process covers the joints of neighboring vertebrae. And this gives the patient even more severe discomfort and soreness. Diagnosis of this disease occurs precisely at this stage, because, suffering from pain, a person finally turns to a doctor.
In the event that the patient continues to ignore the symptoms of a back disease and does not seek medical help, a protrusion between the vertebrae begins, and then a hernia. The vertebrae begin to squeeze out the area of the disc changed by the pathology, a hernia protrusion occurs. In this case, serious complications such as pressure on the nerve endings of a hernia or compression of the spinal cord can occur. These complications may well lead to disability.
Absolutely all parts of the spine can be affected by such pathological processes. In most cases, the lumbar and cervical regions undergo changes.
Spinal deformity and violationposture
The position that a person usually takes in his daily activities is his posture. At a time when the growth of the spine occurs, the process of formation of posture is underway. If a person leads an incorrect, sedentary lifestyle, does not monitor his position during work, then his posture can simply deteriorate catastrophically.
As a result of the incorrect position of the spine, the muscles of the back become very tense, and this leads to the already mentioned pathologies. Therefore, parents should pay close attention to the posture of the child from childhood. This will help avoid serious back problems in the future.
Changes in the spine can be acquired. If a pathology was detected in a child in early childhood, then, of course, it was eliminated with the help of surgical intervention at that time.
Types of acquired curvature of the spine
Most often these pathologies include:
- scoliosis;
- pathological kyphosis;
- pathological lordosis.
With scoliosis, the spine curves to the side, with pathological kyphosis it deviates back, and with pathological lordosis it deviates forward.
As a result of these processes, the back muscles are constantly in tension and this leads to severe pain that is permanent. At the same time, the joints wear out ahead of time due to improper gait and excessive stress on them. Human internal organs can also be negatively affected by thispathology, which leads to the emergence of various diseases.
Development and symptoms of sciatica
Sciatica, or radiculopathy, is the result of an inflammatory process in the roots of the spinal cord emerging from the spine. Nervous tissues, due to constant pressure that they experience from a hernia, or spasmodic muscles, lead to the development of sciatica.
Symptoms of the disease can be very different. They directly depend on where the inflamed nerve endings are located. In this case, painful sensations develop in the area where the nerve exits the spinal canal, and then they spread to neighboring areas. There are also problems with tactility and muscle weakness in the inflamed areas. In no case should you ignore this back pain. Treatment must be started immediately.
Rheumatological diseases
There are a large number of ligaments and joints in the spine. Therefore, back diseases are also rheumatological disorders.
One of these pathologies is Bechterew's disease (ankylosing spondylitis). Males suffer from such an ailment at a relatively young age. This disease negatively affects the joints of the spine, which causes subsequent damage to the internal organs of a person and joints.
At the beginning of the disease, a person feels severe discomfort in the lumbar region and a partial inability to perform habitual actions. If the sick person ignores these symptoms and is in no hurryseek medical attention, they continue to evolve. The result is constant pain and complete loss of working capacity.
Osteoporosis: symptoms and development
This type of disease in most cases affects older women. Osteoporosis can also be a symptom of a disease such as hyperparathyroidism. In this disease, the parathyroid glands have an increase in the secretion of hormones. Osteoporosis causes the bone tissue to begin to lose minerals, so a woman can often suffer from bone fractures.
It often happens that a lady does not even realize that the process of demineralization has begun in her bones, since there are no pronounced symptoms. Only easily exposed to fractures even with minor stress on the bones, the patient can guess that she is developing osteoporosis. In most cases, older women suffer from hip fractures, as well as compression fractures of the spine.
Any lady, upon reaching her 50 years, it is desirable to be examined by a doctor in order to determine and control the content of the necessary trace elements in the blood. Only in this way can she protect herself from such pathologies and bone fractures.
Treatment involves taking vitamins and trace elements, and the course of therapy can last several years.
Myositis
Myositis is an infectious or aseptic inflammation of the back muscles. This disease can be acute and chronic.
In acutemyositis, pain in the inflamed area increases very quickly. Sometimes the skin at the site of pain may become red and swollen. These symptoms are joined by:
- chill;
- weakness;
- loss of appetite.
With this disease, painful nodules appear in the depths of the muscles. The main signs of the disease are absent.
The chronic process usually affects the latissimus dorsi muscle, fibers of the muscles of the neck and shoulders. Myositis can occur as a result of an injury. It can also be caused by viruses.
Tumor diseases
Cancer can also cause severe back pain. In most cases, these can be diseases such as:
- lymphoma;
- myeloma;
- lymphogranulomatosis.
The primary tumor causes a rapid growth of metastases that lead to damage to the vertebrae. A variety of malignant neoplasms can metastasize to the spine. Chemotherapy is used for treatment, but in the presence of metastases, the chances of a cure are extremely small.
Many other tumor diseases of the spine can also develop, which can only be diagnosed by a doctor based on the tests performed.
If you suddenly experience severe back pain without a clear cause, you should immediately contact a medical institution to find out the etiology of these pains.
Spine injuries
Injuries of the spine are divided into uncomplicated, in which the spinal cord is not affected, andcomplicated, in which the spinal cord is damaged.
A spinal fracture is a severe injury and requires treatment in the neurosurgery department. There are a large number of fractures:
- marginal;
- compression;
- comminuted and more. others
The development of symptoms directly depends on the site in which the fracture occurred and on the presence of spinal cord injury. So, the resulting neck injury with dysfunction of the spinal cord can lead to instant death or complete paralysis of the injured.
Prevention of back diseases and treatment
Everyone knows that diseases of the back and spine directly affect the he alth of all internal organs of a person, the quality of his life. Therefore, from an early age, it is necessary to pay close attention to it. You need to monitor the correct posture, exercise and follow a proper, he althy diet. Do not ignore the slightest signs of back pain.
If you have problems with the spine, you need to consult a doctor to find out the causes and prescribe adequate treatment. With various diseases of the back, physiotherapy exercises, as well as various massages, are of great benefit. In some cases, a course of manual therapy or other procedures is indicated.
Don't forget about such an effective preventive measure for back diseases as swimming. It helps to strengthen the spine and all muscles, forms the correct posture,has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and the whole organism as a whole.
A preventive measure for any back disease can also be hardening of the body, for example, using a contrast shower. It is necessary to ensure that the spine is not subjected to excessive physical exertion, and also try to avoid stressful situations and hypothermia.
Result
There are a huge number of back diseases that pose a potential threat to human life. Therefore, even the slightest discomfort in this area should not be ignored, since only an early diagnosis of the disease will help to get a complete healing from this ailment.
