Osteochondrosis is a spine problem that affects literally every fourth inhabitant of the planet, at least according to experts from the WHO Statistical Center.
In the top five most common diseases in the world, osteochondrosis takes the "honorable" third place, ahead of it only cardiovascular diseases. In 2012, the media giant British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, published medical research data that are simply shocking: every year more than 5 millionpeople die from diseases caused by physical inactivity, i. e. a sedentary lifestyle. A real pandemic of reduced physical activity has already affected a third of the population, and the latest results of scientific work prove that the culprit for many health-threatening diseases is not genetic predisposition or viruses at all, but an unhealthy lifestyle. Almost all back problems - intervertebral hernias (hernias), osteoporosis, osteochondrosis and many other diseases related to osteochondrosis - are the result of sitting for hours, whether in front of the TV, at the table or in the car seat. About 80% of all reasons for back pain and diseasesthe spine refers to elementary degenerative muscle changesleg corset and lack of full-fledged reasonable physical activity.
Osteochondrosis and spine
The structure of the spinal column in living things, whether animal or human, is basically the same. However, only man holds the proud title of Homo erectus, i. e. Homo erectus. Until recently, it was believed that upright posture was the main cause of pathological changes in the spine. As if the vertical position of the body leads to an irregular, uneven load on the spinal column. Static load, to which the lower back and sacrum, which consists of five vertebrae, is most exposed, is the most dangerous in terms of destructive effects on intervertebral tissues. dynamic load, which is characterizedmovements, the cervical spine is affected. The structure of the spine is quite complex, it consists of many vertebrae connected by cartilaginous tissue - discs. Discs, on the other hand, are multi-layered rings with a liquid core in the middle, which perform the function of shock absorption when the spine is moved. In addition, the vertebrae are connected by a large number of muscles and other tissues. The elasticity of this entire connection system ensures the normal condition of the spine. Simply put, the more elastic and adaptable the intervertebral discs are, the more flexible and healthy the spine is, the lower the risk that osteochondrosis will affect it. Today, the theory that upright posture is responsible for all degenerative diseases of the spine is being questioned. Relentless statistics convince clinicians that inactivity, physical inactivity is a factor that causes spinal diseases associated with dystrophy and degeneration of intervertebral tissue. In addition, excess weight, which really increases the load on the discs, can also aggravate the destructive processes and cause osteochondrosis. Conclusion: movement is life. The phrase is not new, it seems painfully screwed up, banal, but it does not require proof. A striking example that physical activity and flexibility can serve as a foundation for spinal health are examples of people who regularly do gymnastics, yoga and other types of body training. Nature itself gives children the opportunity to be flexible, because children's vertebrae are very elastic, only in the cores of the discs there is up to 80% fluid. With age, the amount of life-giving "lubrication" can decrease, but it can be preserved by consciously performing simple exercises and following the elementary rules of a healthy lifestyle. Osteochondrosis is a disease of people who are forced to sit or lie down for hours, years, for whatever reason - on duty or of their own free will, due to obligations, laziness or simply out of ignorance.
What is osteochondrosis?
Osteochondrosis is a term that includes all degenerative and dystrophic changes in the spine. It should be noted that in the European version of the classification of diseases there is not even a word about osteochondrosis, there such diseases are classified as rheumatic and dorsopathic. In ICD-10, since 1999, indeed, a group of diseases with typical manifestations in the form of pain in the spine, which is not related to visceral causes, is defined as dorsopathy. Osteochondrosis, which is recorded as dorsopathy, is in turn divided into three large groups:
- Deforming diseases, dorsopathy - scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis, subluxation, spondylolisthesis.
- Spondylopathy - spondylosis, ankylosing spondylitis and other ossifying dystrophic pathologies that limit the mobility of the spine.
- Other, other dorsopathies are degenerative changes accompanied by hernias, protrusions.
So, osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis (from the Greek words - bone, cartilage and pain) is a general name for all problems in the spine that are caused by degeneration and malnutrition of paravertebral tissues (degeneration and dystrophy). When deformed, the shock-absorbing intervertebral disc becomes thinner, becomes flat, which leads to overloading of the vertebrae and their even greater deformation to the point that they begin to go beyond the normal limits of the spine. Nerve roots with such pathology are pinched, inflamed, pain appears.
Osteochondrosis affects almost the entire back, and depending on which part of the spine is more affected, the disease is called in clinical practice.
The most popular, known to many, is lumbar osteochondrosis, there is also a definition of cervical, which is second in frequency, there is sacral, thoracic and widespread osteochondrosis. There are also cross pathologies - lumbosacral or, for example, cervicothoracic.
The symptoms of osteochondrosis can be very diverse, but sooner or later they all intensify and manifest themselves clinically. Of course, it is much easier and faster to treat osteochondrosis in the early stages of its development, when the following signs are noticeable:
- Painful, dull painful sensations in the part of the spine affected by the degenerative process.
- Chronic muscle tension (especially characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis).
- Cracking when turning body, neck.
- Headache, including tension headache (with cervical osteochondrosis).
- Chest pain often resembles cardiac pain (with thoracic osteochondrosis).
Osteochondrosis in the inflammatory phase has symptoms that force a person to consult a doctor, because they cause more pronounced discomfort:
- Radiating pain in the extremity.
- Numbness in fingers or toes.
- Irradiation of pain to the tips of the fingers of the extremity.
- Severe pain in the spine when performing simple physical activities.
- Intensification of pain with small pushes, shocks, for example, when traveling in transport.
- Inability to perform simple work associated with rotations or tilts of the body.
- General limitation of mobility, motor activity.
The factors that can cause problems with the spine, which are called osteochondrosis, are very diverse, but the first place is the already mentioned hypodynamia. Other reasons include the following:
- Functional - monotonous work while maintaining the same posture.
- Biomechanical - flat feet, congenital anomalies in the development of the spine.
- Hormonal - changes in hormonal levels due to age changes.
- Infectious - dystrophy of the intervertebral environment caused by an inflammatory process.
- Metabolic - overweight or underweight.
The factors that cause osteochondrosis, i. e. deformation and dystrophy of the intervertebral discs, usually act in combination and are almost never isolated.
The development of osteochondrosis is divided into the following stages:
- Changes in disc biomechanics as a result of tissue degeneration and dystrophic changes. This is the preclinical stage, when the signs, if any, are very weak, unmanifested. At this stage, the fibrous ring surrounding the disc begins to stretch or, conversely, contract.
- The second stage is characterized by greater instability of the disc, the fibrous ring is not only stretched, its fibers are stratified, the ring begins to crack. Due to nerve root injury, pain occurs in the spine, degenerative changes progress. Collagen tissue continues to break down, the normal height of the intervertebral distance decreases.
- The disc often ruptures completely, this pathology is accompanied by inflammation, herniation and damage to nerve endings. Protrusion (prolapse) causes characteristic pain not only in the damaged part of the spine, but is also reflected in the limbs and nearby parts of the body.
- The most difficult phase, when dystrophy is joined by spondylosis and other compensatory diseases of the spine. Often the vertebra flattens to compensate for the lost functions, and the elastic tissue of the annulus fibrosus is gradually replaced by scars and bony growths.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Almost everyone who is associated with intellectual activity, from schoolchildren to the elderly, suffers from one or another form of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is considered a disease associated with increased dynamic loads that cause degeneration of the intervertebral discs and their subsidence. Hardening and growth of cartilaginous tissue leads to a violation of the cushioning properties of this part of the spine, head movements - tilts, circular movements, turns become difficult and are accompanied by characteristic signs of osteochondrosis.
The symptoms that can cause osteochondrosis of the cervical spine in the early stages of the disease are not specific and are similar to the signs of other pathologies that are not related to the bone system. The list of manifestations of osteochondrosis, which must be distinguished and specified in order to establish the correct diagnosis, is as follows:
- Intense headaches that resemble migraine attacks.
- Headache extending from nape to neck.
- Headache that worsens with coughing, turning the head, sneezing.
- Headache that spreads to the chest or shoulder.
- Dizziness, sensory disturbances - double vision, difficulty focusing. Noise in the ears, in advanced cases, impaired coordination of movements.
- Symptoms similar to cardiac pain, especially in angina pectoris pain - pain in the heart, extending to the cervical region or arm, below the shoulder blade. The pain may increase and is not relieved by taking heart medications.
- Pain similar to that of hypertension (heaviness in the back of the head).
Consequences and complications
Before treating osteochondrosis, however, like any other disease, it is necessary to find out its causes, which is very difficult when it comes to degenerative pathologies of the spinal column. The factors that cause the deformation of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine are related to the anatomical specificities of this zone. The cervical vertebrae are almost constantly experiencing tension due to insufficient general motor activity. If we take into account the overall "sedentary" lifestyle of more than half of the working population, then the problem sometimes becomes intractable. In addition, the cervical vertebrae are smaller than the vertebrae of other areas of the spine, and the internal canal is much narrower. A huge number of nerve endings, an abundance of blood vessels, the presence of the most important artery that feeds the brain - all this makes the cervical area extremely vulnerable. Even the smallest contraction of the intervertebral space leads to injury of the nerve roots, swelling, inflammation and, consequently, to the deterioration of the blood supply to the brain. Often, a decrease in mental activity is a consequence of the fact that a person develops osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. There is a historical anecdote, which dates back to not so long agothe time when Margaret Hilda Thatcher reprimanded her staffer with the words: "Your problem is not your headache or your own view of the issue that has been put to the vote. "The thing is, your spine just isn't connected to your brain, John. "This famous quote from the "iron" lady perfectly characterizes the condition that causes osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, when it sometimes happens - the spine does not provide adequate "nutrition" for the head. As for "nutrition", in fact, it includes not only the canal of the spinal cord, but also the channel of the artery that passes through the transverse nerve processes. The vertebral artery goes to the skull to feed the cerebellum, and this artery also supplies nutrients and oxygen to the vestibular apparatus. The slightest disturbance of blood flow through these channels can either cause or worsen the course of vegetative-vascularsyndrome. In addition to VSD, osteochondrosis of the cervical region causes typical symptoms of radicular syndrome (sciatica), when the pain radiates to the fingertips or one finger, pallor of the skin is clearly visible (marbling). One of the most unpleasant complications caused by cervical osteochondrosis is palmar fibromatosis, which is also called Dupuytren's contracture. In this disease, the aponeurosis (tendon plate) of the palm is affected and disruptson the flexion function of the fingers.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is diagnosed by a specialist based on the patient's complaints, and can be confirmed and specified by X-ray, magnetic resonance and computer tomography.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Complete healing of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is possible only in the initial stages, however, it is possible to save a person from the painful symptoms of this disease, prevent exacerbations and get rid of some pathological changes in the spine. Therefore, we should not forget about the importance of timely treatment of the disease.
How to treat osteochondrosis?
Osteochondrosis is not easy to treat, as a rule, therapy is prescribed as comprehensively as possible, including all means available to modern medicine. In addition to conservative drug treatment, proven phytotherapeutic drugs, acupuncture, a therapeutic set of exercises, and sometimes surgical operations that remove hernias and subluxations of the vertebrae are also used. It should be recognized that osteochondrosis and treatment are two terms that a sick person will have to deal with for a long time, sometimes for a lifetime. In addition to the initial phase, which is aimed at alleviating pain symptoms, the therapy includes constant restorative, rehabilitative and preventive actions. Complex, multicomponent diseases are always treated for a long time. If a diagnosis is made - osteochondrosis, how to treat it - this is the first question that is decided not only by the doctor, but also by the patient himself, since his direct participation and responsible compliance, fulfillment of all regulations often play a decisive role. role in recovery.
What to treat?
List of drugs most often used as a treatment for osteochondrosis:
- A complex, effective homeopathic preparation that needs to be used for a long time, like any other homeopathy (in ampoules or tablets).
- An effective external medicine that relieves muscle and joint pain well.
- Anti-inflammatory non-steroidal agent (in the form of ointment - externally, in tablets - orally).
- Ointment with complex action from the category of homeopathic medicines.
- Medicine in the form of tablets from the category NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
- A drug from the category of glucocorticoids.
- Ointment from the category of external anti-inflammatory non-steroidal agents.
- Gel from the category of external non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- A drug from the category of external anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs.
If we summarize everything that involves the treatment of such a disease as osteochondrosis, the treatment can be divided into the following stages and types:
- The use of NSAIDs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - is considered the gold standard in the treatment of all degenerative, dystrophic pathologies of the bone and muscle system. The first thing these drugs do is reduce pain symptoms, the second is a significant reduction in inflammation.
- Medicines called myelorelaxants, because they are really able to effectively relieve muscle contractions and spasms.
- Traction therapy is traction treatment. In this rather painful but effective process, there is a gradual stretching of the tissues and muscles surrounding the vertebrae, that is, the intervertebral distance increases, approaching the norm.
- Biogenic preparations, vascular agents that nourish dystrophic tissue areas, B vitamins well restore the functional abilities of the deformed spine.
- Sedative drugs that normalize the state of the nervous system. It perfectly relieves muscle tension and acupuncture of nerve endings.
- Physiotherapy procedures - electrophoresis, phonophoresis, UHF, massages, mud procedures, balneotherapy, magnetotherapy.
- Correction of the spine during the recovery period is carried out by manual therapy.
- Treatment of osteochondrosis includes constant exercises from a complex of physiotherapy exercises.
In the most extreme cases, when the course of osteochondrosis enters the last stage, surgical intervention is indicated, which is performed in the area of localization of the inflammatory process. Most often, a hernia is operated on, and it is also possible to remove the deformed bone tissue of the adjacent vertebrae.
Where to treat osteochondrosis?
Self-treatment of almost all diseases is a trend observed in almost all countries, but it is especially characteristic of post-Soviet countries, where the traditional health structure is still changing. Confused by innovations, often simply out of ignorance, many of us try to deal with back, neck or lower back pain on our own. You can call this time the first, although not very effective, stage of treatment, because osteochondrosis should be treated only with the help of a doctor. The second stage, when independent actions do not lead to the desired, permanent result, a person thinks about visiting a doctor and the question arises, osteochondrosis - how to treat, how to treat and, most importantly, where to treat osteochondrosis? First, you can contact a local therapist, who will most likely refer the patient for an examination - X-rays, blood tests and give a referral to a neurologist. Second, you can immediately schedule an examination with a neurologist, preferably before the consultation, at least undergo an X-ray examination of the entire spine. In no case should you go to extremes and look for an experienced massage therapist, every massage, first of all, implies a preliminary scan of the state of the body, especially the state of the spinal column. The problem of osteochondrosis is dealt with by vertebrologists and vertebroneurologists - doctors specializing in diseases of the spinal column.
Osteochondrosis is a complex disease, but the examples of many people who overcome even severe spinal injuries prove that everything is feasible and achievable. The main thing is to analyze our motor activity and take appropriate measures at the first alarming signals that our back gives us. You can immediately go to the doctor and start treatment, or, if the disease has not progressed, go, because, as Aristotle, the teacher of the great Alexander the Great, who was extremely active, said, "Life requires and needs movement. , otherwise it's not life".
What does the history say about osteochondrosis?
The etiology of osteochondrosis is still not clear, moreover, despite the clearly ancient origin of this disease, diseases of the spine began to be seriously dealt with only in the 18th century. Since then, disputes and discussions about the real "enemy" that causes degenerative changes on the intervertebral discs have not stopped. Meanwhile, long ago, back in the time of Hippocrates, there were discussions about cutting bones, which indicates that the ancient Hellenes also suffered from back pain. Hippocrates himself was so interested in topics about the spine that he conducted medical experiments that were dubious from a modern point of view: his students diligently tied the patient by the hands and feet to a horizontal plane with the back up, equally stretching the limbs. as possible. Then the great healer stood on the patient's back and began to walk on him. The founder of medicine was sincerely convinced that such fixation, stretching and massage would restore health to the spine, which, according to ancient Greek sages, was the key to a happy human destiny. Some systematization of the techniques used to treat osteochondrosis began only at the end of the 17th century. At the same time, a terminology appeared that formalized applied areas in medicine, among which was bone fixation. Two centuries later, it split into chiropractic and osteopathy. The first direction was purely practical, using techniques of power, osteopaths were more theoreticians and researchers. At the intersection of these sciences, manual therapy gradually appeared, without which the treatment of osteochondrosis is almost unthinkable today.
As for the term that defines the disease "osteochondrosis", then a typical story happened for osteochondrosis that is typical for other diseases of unclear etiology. As soon as it was not called - and lumboischialgia, and sciatica, and Schmorl's hernia, and sciatica, and spondylosis. It took almost a century until doctors discovered osteochondrosis and reached a consensus.