Almost every fourth inhabitant of our planet suffers from osteochondrosis. This problem affects the spine and ranks second in the top five most common diseases after cardiovascular pathologies.
Typically, patients come to the doctor's office after they have persistent back or neck pain. However, in order to avoid dangerous complications of osteochondrosis, a visit to a specialist should be made as early as possible. And for this, each person should know what osteochondrosis is, its causes and symptoms.
Historical information
Mankind has known osteochondrosis since ancient times. Hippocrates' treatises on bone-cutting testify to this. They confirm the fact that people suffered from back pain in ancient times. The great healer saved his patients from this disease by walking on their backs. The person was laid on a flat surface and his arms and legs were tied, stretching them as much as possible. The founder of medicine was convinced of what stretching, fixation andMassage restores back he alth. After that, for many centuries, osteochondrosis was treated by healers in a variety of ways. These were punches, and rubbing with natural means, and spells, and cauterization, and acupuncture. Even bees and snakes were involved, the bites of which were supposed to remove back pain. And only from the end of the 17th century. the systematization of the available methods of treatment of osteochondrosis began.
As for the name of the disease, it also did not come immediately. The reason for this was the unclear etiology of the disease. They called back pain in different ways. And spondylosis, and sciatica, and sciatica, and lumboischialgia. At present, doctors have already come to a consensus and have begun to call all pathomorphological changes and disorders in the spine only osteochondrosis. At the same time, certain varieties of the disease are distinguished in medicine.
Spine and its pathologies
All living beings on our planet have some similarities in the structure of the body. This also applies to the spinal column. Both in humans and in animals, its structure is almost the same. However, only humans have the ability to walk upright.
Until recently, many experts believed that this fact leads to the development of pathological changes in the spine due to the occurrence of an incorrect and uneven load. However, this theory is now being questioned. After all, according to statistics, the main factor that affects the development of spinal diseases is a person’s inactivity, which provokes dystrophy and degeneration.vertebral tissues. Significantly increases the load on the disks and excess weight. It also aggravates destructive processes, provoking osteochondrosis.
It has already been proven that the most dangerous in terms of its destructive actions is precisely the static load. In today's world, it affects a person the most.
The spinal column has a rather complex structure. It is a set of vertebrae that are interconnected by cartilage, or discs. The latter are multilayer rings, in the middle of which there is a liquid core. When the spine is in motion, the discs have a cushioning function.
In addition to cartilage tissue, the vertebrae are also interconnected by muscles, as well as other structures. It turns out quite a solid system. It is designed to ensure the normal condition of the spinal column. At the same time, the more flexible disks, the stronger and he althier the entire system.
The concept of pathology
What is osteochondrosis? This concept includes dystrophic and degenerative changes occurring in the spine. They are caused by the degeneration of paravertebral tissues and a violation of their nutrition. Such phenomena cause deformation of the shock-absorbing discs, which become thinner and gradually become flat. This process leads to a significant overload of the vertebrae. In this case, the degree of deformation increases even more. As a result, the discs begin to go beyond the boundaries of the spine. This, in turn, causessqueezing the nerve roots, which become inflamed and cause pain to a person.
Types of pathology
Osteochondrosis can affect almost the entire back. But most often it is found in separate areas. Depending on the location of the pathology, the disease is classified in medical practice.
The most known to many patients is lumbar osteochondrosis. There is also a cervical ailment, which ranks second in its prevalence. The classification also includes thoracic, sacral and common osteochondrosis. In addition, there are also cross pathologies. For example, among them are the cervicothoracic or lumbosacral.
Stages of osteochondrosis
The development of pathology occurs with the passage of the following stages:
- Occurrence of changes affecting the biomechanics of discs as a result of dystrophic changes and tissue degeneration. This stage is preclinical. Its symptoms are very weak. At this stage, the annulus fibrosus surrounding the disc begins to stretch or, conversely, shrink.
- In the second stage, disk instability increases even more. There is not just a stretching of the fibrous ring, but a stratification of its fibers. Because of this, they break. This injures the nerve roots. Pain occurs in the spine, and degenerative changes continue to progress. All this leads to the destruction of collagen tissue and a decrease in the height of the intervertebral distance.
- At the third stage, the disk ruptures. Concerningpathology is accompanied by prolapse of a hernia. Inflammation and infringement of nerve endings are observed. Protrusion (that is, prolapse) leads to the appearance of characteristic pain not only in the area of the damaged area of \u200b\u200bthe spine. Discomfort is observed in the limbs and closely spaced areas of the body.
- The fourth stage is considered the most difficult. At this stage, spondylosis, as well as other compensatory ailments of the spine, also joins the dystrophy. The body seeks to somehow compensate for the lost depreciation functions. This leads to the fact that the fibrous tissue begins to gradually be replaced by scar and bone formations.
Common causes of pathology
Why does spinal disease develop? The causes of osteochondrosis are very different. Their list contains more than three dozen provoking factors. At the same time, the causes of osteochondrosis, regardless of the type of disease, are approximately the same. That is, they provoke the development of pathology both in the cervical and in the thoracic and lumbar spine.
In addition to direct factors, there are also predisposing ones. These include, for example, the age of a person. Against the background of such changes in the body, the likelihood of developing diseases, including the spine, greatly increases. In addition, women are more likely to suffer from osteochondrosis. This is due to their physiological characteristics.
What are the causes of osteochondrosis? To the fundamental factors, that is, predisposing to the developmentpathologies include:
- Age. Over the years, the human spine undergoes destruction. In this case, its tissues atrophy, causing dystrophy. This process, unfortunately, is inevitable, but it can be slowed down.
- Inactivity. Unfortunately, the more economic progress a state achieves, the less mobile its population leads. Today, not only work, but also leisure are associated, as a rule, with a long stay in a sitting position.
- Injuries. A common cause for all types of osteochondrosis is frequent back injury. This factor significantly increases the chance of spinal pathology. A particularly common cause of the development of the disease are injuries to the lower back or neck.
- Unbalanced and irrational nutrition. Today, this factor is the scourge of mankind. In megacities, people are constantly in a hurry, which is why a full meal becomes simply impossible for them due to lack of time. A person has to be content with fast food, which causes the development of osteochondrosis. Arise due to malnutrition and many other diseases.
What causes cervical osteochondrosis?
This area of the spine is the most vulnerable to pathology, as well as to any diseases of a degenerative-dystrophic nature. What are the causes of cervical osteochondrosis? The disease in this area is most often formed in people leading a sedentary lifestyle. Based on statistics, office buildings are most affected by it.workers.
In terms of the incidence of spinal pathology, the cervical region is second only to the lumbar region. Indeed, in the last of them, the development of the disease is promoted not only by inactivity, but also by excessive loads.
Among the causes of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, injuries are often found. Getting out is pretty easy. Indeed, for this, sometimes only a sloppy movement of the head is enough. It could be, for example, a sharp nod. Especially often, such an injury occurs in the cold season and is caused by muscle spasm.
Cervical osteochondrosis can also be caused by various diseases. For example, spondylosis and scoliosis. Sometimes the pathology develops due to spondiolisthesis (vertebral prolapse).
Among the causes of cervical osteochondrosis is also called the instability of the first vertebra C1. Due to this factor, pathology develops quite rarely, but, nevertheless, such cases also occur in medical practice.
To the list of causes of cervical osteochondrosis, you can add a weak muscular corset of the back. This condition also provokes pathology.
Causes of cervical osteochondrosis sometimes lie in the wrong exercise for the neck. Everyone involved in physical culture should pay attention to this.
According to statistics, from the pathology that occurs in the lumbar region, suffer, as a rule, people over forty years old. As for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, the causes of the pathology provoke its development in20-30 years old. But children rarely suffer from this type of disease.
What causes osteochondrosis of the thoracic region?
This part of the spine is the most resistant to various negative factors. The fact is that this segment of the back is the most motionless and has a fairly large margin of safety. Nevertheless, the disease sometimes affects him too. It is noted that osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is isolated only in rare cases. Most often, pathology occurs in the cervicothoracic region. It may be an independent disease. But sometimes the main factor in its development is cervical osteochondrosis. The causes of the pathology in this case lie in the progression of the disease. The disease affects the spinal column, spreading to neighboring vertebrae.
The causes of thoracic osteochondrosis are sometimes severe injuries. They may be straight. This is, for example, a blow delivered directly to the chest area. In addition, indirect injuries are also distinguished among the causes of thoracic osteochondrosis. In particular, these are cases of falling from a great height. Of the causes of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, injuries resulting from an accident can be distinguished. In this case, the pathology is usually quite difficult.
Much less often, the causes of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine are past infectious diseases. They can be, for example, syphilis and tuberculosis. In such cases, osteochondrosis is not the most dangerous and not at all the only complication of the disease.
Sometimes a disease develops and treatment of osteochondrosis is required for reasons related to the patient's diet. This occurs, as a rule, with a deficiency of vitamin D and calcium in the daily diet. In such patients, in addition to osteochondrosis, osteoporosis also develops.
The clinical picture of the pathology of the spine, affecting its thoracic segment, as a rule, is not pronounced. Pain in this case occurs not only in the back. They are observed in the thoracic segment, provoking the development of intercostal neuralgia.
What causes lumbar osteochondrosis?
This area of the spine is very vulnerable to the development of the disease. The causes of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine lie in exhausting physical labor. That is why this type of ailment in 90% of cases is observed in those people who have to lift weights at work. With such physical exertion, the main impact falls on the lumbar zone of the spine.
However, the causes of lumbar osteochondrosis are not only physical activity. Pathology can also occur due to inactivity. Against the background of hypodynamia, the muscular corset of the back gradually atrophies. It ceases to play the role of a depreciation system. In addition, one of the functions of the muscular corset is to unload the back. Nature has provided that this system will take on part of the received load (30-40%).
What if the muscles stop working properly? Then the entire load falls completely on the spinal column. And he is on thisimpact is not calculated at all. This is one of the causes of lumbar osteochondrosis. At the same time, doctors say that lying is more harmful for a person than sitting. Of course, at first glance, this seems paradoxical. However, modern medicine is fully convinced of this. The fact is that over thousands of years of evolution, the human body has already managed to some extent to adapt to prolonged sitting. But to adapt to long-term lying - not yet. Doctors do not recommend standing for a long time. This can also be called one of the causes of osteochondrosis of the lumbar. Confirmation is the growing percentage of morbidity among consultants and security guards in stores, as well as representatives of other similar professions. In addition, this condition carries the risk of developing varicose veins and phlebitis.
Psychological causes of osteochondrosis
Recently, scientists have begun to identify the causes of the pathology of the spine and in the field of psychosomatics. However, it should be noted that no major studies on this topic have yet been conducted.
However, it has been established that chronic stress has a depressing effect on the immune and autonomic systems. This is already one of the causes of osteochondrosis. In addition, people, living in constant stress, often “seize” it, which is why malnutrition is increasingly present in their lives. In this regard, degenerative-dystrophic changes in the spine also occur, causing the development of osteochondrosis.
Still suchproblems are considered only indirect provocateurs of pathology. Doctors recommend focusing on scientifically proven and serious reasons, the description of which is given above.
Risk group
Any person can develop a disease. However, the degree of risk for each of us is still different. So, someone who follows a he althy lifestyle is less likely to get spinal disease than, say, a gamer.
At risk for the occurrence of osteochondrosis are those people who are characterized by:
- Being sedentary. It is not so important whether they are busy reading constantly, lying in bed, or working in one place, such as watchmen, accountants, etc.
- Being overly active. Such a person experiences huge physical loads that negatively affect the spine. This is observed in athletes, loaders, builders and stuntmen.
- Obtaining frequent back injuries, including the spine. This problem, as a rule, concerns athletes, especially those involved in various martial arts. Moreover, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and wrestling are considered the most traumatic.
- Presence of hypovitaminosis, iron deficiency or other anemia. The development of osteochondrosis occurs due to a lack of substances that support normal life. The regenerative system suffers from this, preventing the destruction of the spine.
- Obesity 2nd or 3rd stage. Moreover, if it is already harmful for the bodya dozen extra pounds, then such a mass is not critical for the spine. But with obesity, the risk of developing the disease increases significantly.
Signs of pathology and its diagnosis
We have already found out what osteochondrosis is and its causes. The symptoms of the same pathology should indicate to each person the need to see a doctor for the treatment of the disease.
How to identify osteochondrosis? You can do it yourself. However, first you need to familiarize yourself with how the disease manifests itself. The symptoms of the pathology differ depending on the localization of the disease.
So, based on provoking causes, treatment of cervical osteochondrosis, as a rule, should be started after the appearance of such signs as visual impairment, fainting, loss of balance and headaches. Such manifestations indicate that the vertebral artery is pinched. This phenomenon causes nutritional deficiencies in the brain. The resulting lack of oxygen and circulatory disorders contribute to arterial hypertension and nausea and vomiting.
Cervical osteochondrosis can also be recognized by such symptoms as pain in the upper limbs, in the neck and in the shoulder area. Patients are worried about tinnitus, loss of sensation in the hands, as well as discomfort in the throat.
Very often the deformation of the intervertebral discs in the cervical segment is manifested by both typical and atypical signs, namely:
- snoring;
- tachycardia;
- hoarseness or change in voice;
- destructionteeth;
- numbness of the face and neck.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is manifested by pain in the chest area, which is especially aggravated at night, as well as during physical activity, exhalation and inhalation, hypothermia and walking. If such a person raises his hands, then discomfort immediately arises between his shoulder blades.
A characteristic symptom of this type of osteochondrosis is discomfort in the sternum. The patient has a feeling that his ribs are squeezed by an iron hoop. In the event of an exacerbation of the disease, the pain does not go away within 2-3 weeks.
Signs of thoracic osteochondrosis can be:
- disturbances in the digestive system;
- discomfort in the esophagus and throat;
- loss of sensation in the abdomen, back and chest;
- brittle nails;
- skin peeling;
- Sensations of cold, itching and burning in the lower extremities.
As for the lumbar region, the leading symptom of the pathological condition in this case is pain, which occurs in the lower segment of the spinal column. Uncomfortable sensations appear, as a rule, immediately after physical activity. Often the pain radiates to the leg. Moreover, their intensity sometimes increases in case of a change in body position, for example, when sneezing and coughing, as well as lifting heavy loads.
For self-identification of lumbar osteochondrosis, a person needs to pay attention to such signs of illness as:
- varicose veins;
- pallor of the skin on the legs;
- constant back muscle tension;
- excessive sweating;
- tingling and goosebumps in the legs, as well as chilliness in them;
- drying of the skin and loss of its sensitivity in the area of pain localization;
- stop spasms.
Lumbar osteochondrosis is accompanied by severe pain due to pinched nerve endings. In addition, there is a limitation of the patient's mobility and numbness of the limbs.
Regardless of the causes and symptoms of osteochondrosis, the treatment of which should be started already at the first stages of the development of the disease, is detected using methods such as radiography, as well as magnetic resonance or computed tomography. They are used to clarify the diagnosis after the initial examination of the patient by a doctor.
The easiest and most affordable way is x-rays. It allows you to see the condition in which the intervertebral discs, bone canals and cartilage are located, as well as to determine the pinched nerves.
Diagnose osteochondrosis with the help of computed tomography. This is a modern and fairly accurate method, in which the doctor makes high-quality and clear 3D images of the spine. Their study allows you to determine the condition of the ligaments, joints and cartilage, the stage of development of the pathology and identify hernias. In this case, the patient receives a minimal dose of radioactive radiation.
The most modern method for diagnosing osteochondrosis is MRI. Magnetic resonance therapy allows you to get a clear picture due to the effect of a large magnet onatoms of body cells. Thanks to MRI, the presence of displaced vertebrae and discs, the condition of blood vessels and nerve tissues, intervertebral hernia and the degree of joint damage are determined.
Troubleshooting
How to get rid of spinal pathology? Regardless of the causes of osteochondrosis, treatment should be comprehensive. It necessarily includes all the means that modern medicine has at its disposal. At the same time, in addition to conservative treatment with pharmacological drugs, doctors use physiotherapeutic procedures, acupuncture, and also recommend exercise therapy to their patients. In the most severe cases, surgery is performed. With their help, subluxations of the vertebrae and hernia are eliminated.
The patient should be aware that, regardless of the causes of osteochondrosis, the treatment of pathology can be long, and sometimes continue for the rest of your life. In addition to the initial stage of therapy aimed at eliminating the pain syndrome, constant restorative, rehabilitation and preventive procedures are supposed to be carried out.
Doctors advice
Often, patients, having identified symptoms of osteochondrosis, begin to treat it on their own. Many people try to eliminate back, lower back or neck pain on their own. However, doctors note that this stage of treatment is far from the most effective. To eliminate osteochondrosis, you need to contact a specialist. The first step is to visit a local therapist. He will refer the patient for x-rays and blood tests. You can also immediately after detectionsymptoms of spinal pathology go to a neurologist. Doctors do not recommend their patients to go to extremes and start looking for an experienced massage therapist. The fact is that such an impact must be carried out only after an accurate determination of the state of the body.
Regarding the treatment of osteochondrosis, you can contact a vertebrologist and a vertebroneurologist. These specialists also deal with pathologies of the spinal column.
