Osteochondrosis- This is a spine disease or rather its ligamentous appliances.
In short, a violation of metabolism in intervertebral cartilage.
The name osteochondrosis comes from the Greek words osteon - "bones" and chondros - "cartilage". The essence of osteochondrosis is a dystrophic process in bones and cartilage, followed by their aging. Osteocondrosis of the spine in the classic medical sense is a degenerative lesion of cartilage on the intervertebral disc and reactive changes from the spine. It is generally accepted that it all starts with malfunctioning on the disk, but the pain syndrome already occurs due to the neurological complications of this process.
There is a perception that osteocondrosis is a disease, it occurs as a result of the effects of many factors - both hereditary and the profession. People begin to feel manifestations of osteochondrosis most often after 35 years. The development and worsening of osteochondrosis of the spine is relieved by its macro and microtrauma, static and dynamic overloads and vibrations.
A useful, optimal load on vertebrae and intervertebral disks is when we hold the spine in its natural position, which is devised for us by nature. As this position changes, there is a incorrect distribution of the load on the spine, leading to a change in cartilage in places for excess pressure.
This may be caused:
- work associated with frequent changes in the body's position;
- lifting heavy load;
- Forced pose for a long time (for example, among schoolchildren and students)
- The wrong pose in the standing position that sits, lies and when they carry weights;
- Physical education and sports without taking into account the impact of great physical exertion;
- injury, heavy physical work
Most often, several factors lead to the development of osteochondrosis. A particular place among them is possessed by stress, hypothermia, adverse weather conditions (low temperature in combination with high humidity), various chemicals that come into the body with food and breathing. People with an excess body mass. The causes of the development of osteocondrosis may be congenital lack of connective tissue (weakness of the ligamentous apparatus), an exchange hormonal, autoimmune diseases, trophic disorders of the joints, etc.
Osteochondrosis degradation and Destruction of the Intervertebral Disks. It is osteocondrosis that is the cause of back pain in 80% of cases.
The mechanism of the appearance of pain can simplify in this way: the intervertebral disk does not resist the load and its projections are formed. Around the intervertebral slice are nervous processes, vessels and spinal cord. The disc's hernia, which affects any of the nervous processes, causes its inflammation, leading to pain.
Cervical spine osteocondrosis is characterized by a variety of symptoms. There is an unpleasant sensation in the hand that spreads from the shoulder and forearm to the outer surface of the shoulder and forearm to the fingers, numbness in this zone, an increase or decrease in sensitivity, sometimes you have to stand up at night and knead the muscles of your hands. Pain can be acute, cut and accompanied by a feeling of electric current. Often, the pain is intensified with a minimum load on the arm; Some patients are unable to walk in a coat - it presses on their shoulders and seems exorbitant heavy. The pain is intensified with coughing, sneezing, straining and especially when we are tilted to the healthy side. Motor disorders can occur, more often in the hands, especially in the fingers. As a rule, 2-3 lower spine is affected by the spine.
Sometimes numbness, burning, tingling in the hands or legs that limit the mobility of the upper or lower extremities and decreased sensitivity. The appearance of "cervical migraine" indicates the lesion in the spine. Blood circulation in the trunk and occipital parts of the brain are disturbed. A constant symptom is a headache. Usually the pain occurs at the back of the head and spreads to the parietal october region. The pain is constant and intensifies with movements in the neck, more often in the morning. Elderly people often lose consciousness with a sharp turn of the head, which is prior to dizziness, noise in the ears, a decrease in visual acuity and hearing, nausea and vomiting.
Sometimes there is pain in the heart - prolonged, urgent. With osteocondrosis of the spine of the cervix, especially in old and senile age, there are often changes in soft tissue in the form of seals. These seals are determined in the muscles of the neck, in the area of the processes of the cervical vertebrae (often vii ridge vertebrae), the wrist, the elbow joints, in the supra and subclavian fossa. With age, cicatricial seals in the palm are increasingly revealed due to a change in the tendon structure.
The manifestations of osteocondrosis of the thoracic back are extremely different, but not one of the symptoms is strictly specific. Basically, the symptoms of the location (location) are determined by the painful process and the degree of its severity. Pain in the thoracic back is the biggest symptom. After physical exertion or a long stay in a position, the pain intensifies, forcing patients to change the position even at night. A burning, tender or dull pain in scapula and space space is very characteristic. Patients complain about the feeling of "iron tikes". It is painful to drink on the processes of the spine. Pain can spread to different internal organs.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis is performed by a neuropathologist, orthopedist. To confirm the diagnosis of osteocondrosis, the doctor finds out the symptoms of the disease, the history of the development of the disease and examines the patient. When examining patients with osteocondrosis, the curvature of the spine (scoliosis) is detected, the presence of painful points and tense muscles on the sides of the spine.
To clarify the diagnosis of osteocondrosis, a radiological examination of the spine, computed tomography or nuclear magnetic resonance of the spine is performed.
How to treat osteocondrosis
Currently, there are many ways to treat osteocondrosis, from taking medication and ending with surgery. Of course, there are many controversy about these methods and their effect on the body. When choosing a treatment method, pay attention to some points.
For example, if you need to be treated with drugs, pay attention to the fact that most of them affect the stomach and liver, so it is only important to contact experienced specialists who choose the most sparse drug therapy.
When choosing a manual therapist, it is desirable to be closer, as a non -professional who is now a great deal can bring you to a wheelchair. When choosing therapeutic exercises, it is necessary to be aware to ensure that the exercises do not cause strain on the spine but only develop the back on your back. Try to perform all exercises slowly without sudden movements.
For the prevention of osteocondrosis and the exclusion of its aggravations, it is advised to comply with more rules that will reduce the load on the spine:
- Always keep your back exactly
- Try not to lift heavy objects. If necessary, raise them then curly and not leaned
- Move more often, don't let the back muscles atrophy
- Hang on the horizontal beam as often as possible and swim
But not everything is so scary. For those who do not have this disease yet, there are a number of preventive measures, the rest has a whole arsenal of agents to treat this disease.
Prevention of osteocondrosis
As you know, it is easier to prevent the disease than to treat it. Prevention of osteocondrosis is necessary for everyone - both children and adults. In addition, there is nothing complicated in it and the prevention of osteochondrosis does not require any special effort. The first and perhaps the most important point is the care of the spine. To do this, the counseling is constantly advising playing sports or at least gymnastics, which will help develop the spinal cord and improve blood circulation. The next one is constantly monitoring the attitude and the hallway, not to pour and not bend.
The ideal attitude is when the head and back are on the same vertical, the shoulders are straightened, the shoulder blades do not stick out, the chest is raised and the stomach is pulled. My yoga teacher once said that the stomach is not noticeable not because we eat much but because we go wrong. How is it right? Imagine being pulled off the top of the head and you hardly touch the socks on the floor. Practice such an exercise for a few weeks and soon you will not notice that they have become the owner of an excellent attitude.
It is also advisable to hang as often as possible on the horizontal beam, stretch the spine and let it relax. Give yourself such a dream where your spine will take the right position. Studies of researchers have shown that the ideal position for the spine in the back on the back. But at the same time, the mattress must be hard enough for the spine to take a practical natural position. To do this, put an elastic roll under your feet. We advise you to buy an orthopedic mattress and a pillow and eventually throw the grandmother to the spring bed.
If you have a monotonous sedentary work, always every two hours (the more often, the better) takes breaks. Relax, get something to move your head and shoulders, go. If possible, go out into the fresh air. Incidentally, such breaks are legalized and in the work code they are allowed for people who are constantly working on the computer.
We include a balanced, vitaminized nutrition for prevention. Try eating seafood, nuts, legumes and various dairy products. Take a regular complex vitamins. With this you do not allow a metabolic violation. Excess weight is a destructive load for the spine, so try not to recover.
Well, a few words about prevention in children. It is necessary to monitor the child's attitude, perform gymnastics or morning exercises (it will be more effective if you do it together). And yet, you should prefer the school's backpacks and not bags because it is backpacks that balance the load on the back.