Many people associate the word "osteochondrosis" with old age. There is a perception that this is a grandparent's illness where "shooting in the lower back" and "back pain". However, there is only one grain of truth in this fallacy: in fact, osteochondrosis isdegenerative(ie, caused by a local metabolic disorder)changes in the spine, which inevitably occur in all the elderly. However, osteochondrosis is found today in 9 out of 10 people over the age of 45, and the first manifestations of the disease can begin as early as 25 years of age.
This disorder is even called"disease of civilization", as the main cause of osteochondrosis is improper "utilization" of the spine. The fact is that a modern person exposes him to great loads, and paradoxically not when he runs or lifts weights, but when he sits without getting up from a chair for hours. This load is calledstaticand is very difficult. Because a person thinks he is resting when he is sitting. But in fact, the spine works in a sitting position with increased stress.
How the spine works
To understand what osteochondrosis is, you need to understand what the human back is. We all know that the spine is made up of vertebrae that are connected in series with intervertebral discs. In total, a person usually has 33-34 vertebrae: 7 of them form the cervical area, 12 - the chest area, 5 (or 6 in a small percentage of people) - lumbar vertebrae, 5 more vertebrae that grow together, form the sacrum and finally the coccygeal area consists more completelyfive (or four - depending on individual characteristics) vertebrae. The vertebrae are actually bones and they are immobile, but in order for them to move freely, which provides mobility to our whole body, and also so that they do not collapse from shock and friction, there is a layer of gelatinous substance between each vertebranucleus pulposus) surrounded by strong multilayer plates (annulus fibrosus). Collectively, this is called theintervertebral disc.In addition, the structure of the spine contains several ligaments, vessels, nerves. This is a very complex organ that pretty much determines the work of almost all body systems as it protects the spinal cord and affects its work.
The spines and intervertebral discs are constantly renewed throughout a person's life. This is possible because they are well supplied with blood and always get good nutrition. However, if nutrition in the spine for some reason begins to flow in insufficient amounts, the nucleus pulposus loses its properties, the intervertebral disc becomes flatter and less elastic, cracks appear in the ring fiber, and the vertebrae themselves begin to move in different directions andapproach each other. All this leads to a number of dangerous deviations - primarily toinflammation both in the spine itself and in the surrounding tissue and for compression of the spinal cord and spinal nerves.
It is interesting that such a concept as "spinal osteochondrosis" exists mainly in the post-Soviet space. In foreign literature, changes that occur in the spine are called"hernia", "myofascial pain", "injuries", "dorsopathy". So if you have heard something similar about yourself, it means that you have osteochondrosis of the spine. As forintervertebral hernia, it is considered to be one of the stages of osteochondrosis.
The disease does not have an acute course and develops gradually: first the intervertebral disc narrows, degeneratively changes, thenprotrusion appears- the nucleus pulposus appears to be squeezed out and mixed with the fibrous ring, but does not break it. When there is a fracture of the annulus fibrosus, they talk about anintervertebral hernia.At the last, most severe stage of osteochondrosis,the intervertebral discs are completely worn, the vertebrae begin to rub against each other and also collapse, pathological bone growths and osteophytes appear on them. In the last phase, the spine becomes like a "petrified", ie. it loses its mobility, which can lead to disability.
Causes of Spinal Cord Diseases
For what reason do all the abovedegenerative changes occur?As already mentioned, the main reasonis an abnormal load on the spine:for example, when a person has to sit a lot in uncomfortable positions, "bent", the cervical and thoracic regions experience tension and do not get the necessary nutrition. In addition,osteochondrosis can develop due to poor posture.However,sports, especially strength sports with a violation of the training techniquecan also lead todegenerative changes in the spine.
Another common cause is anyback injury. The development of osteochondrosis can also be affected byhereditary genetic predispositions, hormonal disorders, obesity, unhealthy diet, insufficient water intake and as a result dehydration, smoking and alcohol abuse.
Women often encounter the first manifestations of osteochondrosis during pregnancy, and when young mothers have to feed their baby in uncomfortable positions to themselves and often carry it in their arms, the condition of the spine worsens markedly.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis
Symptoms of osteochondrosis are different and depend on the exact department in which the disorders occurred. Pain is the main manifestation of this pathology, but untilfracture of the annulus fibrosusit is mild, can be dull, pressing, and patients may not even be aware of it.More often, the pain intensifies in the morning or after physical exertion, radiating to the arms, legs, neck, ribs and chest (in this case, osteochondrosis can be easily confused with coronary heart disease).
In addition,numbness and tingling may occur in the limbs.
With osteochondrosisin the cervixheadaches, sometimes very severe, dizziness, nausea, wheezing in the ears may occur. The development of a hernia leading to compression of nerve endings can lead to disruption in the work of the internal organs associated with the affected nerve. For example, with a hernia in the lumbar spine, problems with urination can occur, strength disappears, in the chest - indigestion, in the cervix - problems with blood supply to the brain.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
Only a doctor can distinguish osteochondrosis from other diseases of internal organs and determine the source of pain. Today, the most reliable method for diagnosing back disease is considered as magnetic resonance imaging.
X-rays are also reliable but less informative. On an X-ray, you can see changes in the intervertebral discs, but you can not see a hernia, for example, and assess the condition of the spinal cord and the degree of compression by displaced vertebrae. In addition, MRI allows you to distinguish osteochondrosis from other dangerous diseases, including malignant formations and ankylosing spondylitis.
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis?
Unfortunately, it is impossible to cure osteochondrosis, but it is possible to alleviate the patient's condition andstop further destruction of the intervertebral disc, but for this it is necessary tochange the lifestyle completely - takephysiotherapy, swimming, taking regular massage or manual therapy courses, starting to eat right and giving up bad habits. Sports, massage, proper nutrition and weight loss can have a significantly greater and long-term healing effect than drugs.
Doctors are still arguing over the effectiveness of chondroprotectants - drugs that restore cartilage tissue and supposedly strengthen the annulus fibrosus, their effectiveness has not been adequately proven, but as they certainly do not harm, they can be used to treat osteochondrosis.For severe pain, your doctor may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants (muscle relaxants) and analgesics.
Used to treat osteochondrosis andvitamins, as their deficiency causes further destruction of the intervertebral disc:B vitamins, for example, contribute to the improvement of protein metabolism between tissue and silk proteinis the most important building material in the body, so normalization of protein metabolism contributes to the recovery of nervous and cartilage tissue. Vitamin A improves blood circulation. If you are taking vitamins like any other medicine, you should be careful as they can cause serious side effects and they can only be taken after consultation with a doctor and under his supervision.
Surgical treatment of osteochondrosis is also possible, but is usually resorted to when there issignificant narrowing of the spinal canal and excessive compression of nerves and spinal cord by the resulting hernia. In this case, the situation is so difficult that the patient, for example, can not walk, his internal organs begin to fail, or there is a risk of developing a stroke. Most often, such severe consequences caused by osteochondrosis of the cervix and lumbar spine, degenerative changes of the thoracic spine, even in the presence of hernia, almost never require surgical treatment.
Today,methods of so-called sparse surgeryare actively introduced in medical practice when doctors manage to preserve the integrated structure of the vertebrae by removing part of the nucleus pulposus using aendoscope. The device is inserted at the site of the back injury through small incisions in the skin, which avoids large blood loss. Since the entire disc is not removed during the operation, the biomechanics of the spine are generally not disturbed and this shortens the recovery period. Often patients get up on their feet within a day after surgery. However, any back surgery is still fraught with complications and subsequent relapse of the disease, so experienced specialists will try to delay the surgical treatment to last. And here everything depends on the patients themselves: if they follow all the doctors' recommendations and take care of their health, they will be able to do without surgery even in the presence of hernia.