Spinal condyle

Osteochondrosis is a disease characterized by degenerative changes in spinal cartilage tissue. Lack of adequate treatment can lead to structural and dysfunction of the intervertebral disc, and deformity of the spine. According to the location of the pathological process, there are the following types of osteochondrosis: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. Statistics show that more than half of the world’s population over the age of 35 suffer from this disease. The main reasons for its development are injuries, systemic uneven loading of the spine and legs.

What's this

When it comes to osteochondrosis, it must be said that this disease destroys the tissue structure of the intervertebral disc itself, reduces its elasticity and changes its shape. At the same time, the distance between them decreases, eventually leading to loss of spinal stability.

As the intervertebral space contracts, the nerve endings from the spinal cord are squeezed. This can lead to increased muscle tone and pain.

Reduced elasticity can lead to the formation of intervertebral hernias and the development of herniation (a disease in which the vertebrae begin to bulge into the spinal canal without rupture of the annulus). If the treatment is incorrect or not done at all, this will cause the spinal joints and ligaments to degenerate, further forming osteophytes (bone process).

The development of osteochondrosis causes the violation of motor function. The person began to suffer from persistent pain in the pathological focal area, which increased during back flexion/extension. Subluxation, the possibility of back bending is high.

Usually, the first symptoms of the disease appear during the physiological aging of the human body. But in some cases, pathology begins to develop earlier. The reason for this is often the wrong way of life.

In medicine, there is also rickets, and its symptoms and causes are also very similar. What is the difference between rickets and osteochondrosis? this is very simple. Chondrosis is the initial stage of the development of osteochondrosis. At this time, the process of replacing damaged tissue and forming osteophytes with fibrosis in the spine has not yet begun. When the spine deforms significantly and forms new protrusions, we are talking about osteochondrosis.

Predisposing factors

What is rickets and osteochondrosis-figured out. Now we should talk about the reasons for their development. After all, if you do not eliminate them, the treatment of the disease will not achieve positive motivation. As already pointed out at the beginning, the main cause of pathology is uneven load on the spine. It can be stimulated in the following ways:

• Carry a heavy bag on one shoulder or one hand;
• Improper sitting posture;
• Sleep on soft mattresses and high pillows;
• Wearing uncomfortable and anatomically incorrect shoes.

Osteochondrosis of the spine can also develop in the context of:

• Decreased physical strength (accompanied by impaired blood circulation, decreased muscle tone, shortness of breath);
• Passive lifestyle
• obesity;
• Injuries (fractures, sprains, bruises);
• flatfoot;
• Other degenerative diseases that cause poor spinal circulation.

To highlight the causes of osteochondrosis of the spine, you should also pay attention to:

• Frequent physical stress;
• Neuroemotional exhaustion;
• Metabolic disorders;
• Poisoning (drugs, chemicals);
• Pathology of the digestive tract;
• Genetic predisposition;
• Scoliosis;
• Vitamin deficiency;
• Pregnant;
• smokes;
• Drinking alcoholic beverages;
• Long-term/frequent dehydration.

There are many reasons for the development of back osteochondrosis. In most cases, it occurs immediately under the influence of multiple factors (for example, trauma, passive lifestyle, smoking, maintaining the wrong posture for a long time). It can only be determined through thorough diagnosis and medical history research.

development stage

Before talking about what to do if rickets start to develop, it is necessary to talk about the stage of its development, because not only the severity of symptoms, but also the treatment strategy directly depends on them. A total of 4 degrees:

• The first stage. At this stage, a pathological process occurs in the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc. Dehydration (dehydration) is noted therein, which eventually leads to a reduction in its height and the formation of cracks in the annulus. There are no pictures of symptoms at this stage of the disease. A person may only feel slight discomfort in the back after intense physical exertion, prolonged uncomfortable posture, etc.
• second stage. It is accompanied by a decrease in the intervertebral space and sagging of vertebral muscles and ligaments. This change leads to increased mobility of the vertebrae. Any provocative factor may cause them to move or slip. As for the symptoms, at this stage, the patient already has back discomfort and pain, accompanied by some type of load, pos.
• The third phase. It is characterized by prolapse and protrusion of intervertebral joints, subluxation, and arthropathy. At this stage, the disease usually causes stiffness in movement, tingling and numbness in the pathological area. Pain syndrome has obvious characteristics, and it occurs regularly even when there is no heavy load, even at rest.
• The fourth stage. At this stage, the body is trying to adapt to the disease that has already appeared. His task is to do everything possible to improve the fixation of the spine. In order to do this, he began to form osteophytes-replacing bone formation in the voids in the spine. However, this way the body not only saves itself, but is also harmful. After all, osteophytes can cause nervousness and damage healthy vertebrae. This is the cause of fibrous rigidity (increased fibrous tissue volume and fusion with cartilage remnants) in joints and intervertebral discs. If a person has both microtrauma and infringement, the severity of the pain syndrome will increase. In their absence, the clinical situation will subside.

symptom

Speaking of what osteochondrosis is and how to get rid of it, we can’t help but talk about the symptoms it can show. The main sign of its development is discomfort or pain in the neck, chest, and lower back. The severity of the sensation directly depends on the degree of disease progression.

The patient's visual examination revealed curvature of the spine in a lateral or longitudinal plane. In most cases, they are observed on the lower back or neck, and are less common in the chest area.

If we talk about the patient's personal feelings, there will be periodic or continuous fatigue and pain in the back area. Depending on the severity of the pathological process, the pain may gradually disappear and become obvious. It can be localized:

• neck,
• Shoulder straps;
• Chest;
• Lumbar spine area;
• perineum.

In this case, stiffness may occur, making it difficult to perform housework. It most often occurs in the upper limbs. Symptom pictures can be supplemented by other signs. It all depends on the location, severity, and characteristics of the organism. If the patient has intervertebral disc displacement, herniation, hernia, osteophyte, then this often leads to impaired blood circulation, spinal dysfunction, edema, fibrosis, and compression. All of these can cause symptoms, complicate the diagnosis and lead to misdiagnosis.

When it comes to how osteochondrosis manifests itself, it is necessary to emphasize the most common symptoms complained by patients. These include:

• Pain in the neck, waist, shoulder straps, and ribs;
• Exercise stiffness, discomfort after getting up in the morning, bending, turning around;
• Numbness in arms, legs, and neck;
• Joint and back muscle discomfort;
• Frequent dizziness, migraine;
• Rapid fatigue
• Heartache
• Violation of upper limb sensitivity;
• Muscle tone is reduced.

The signs of osteochondrosis directly depend on the location of the pathological focus:

• Cervical department. In this case, the pain is located in the neck, arms, and shoulder straps. She can give shoulder blades and shoulders. Cervical osteochondrosis can also manifest as headache, tinnitus, "goose bumps" and dizziness.
• The chest part. In this pathological condition, chest pain will appear. It can be placed on the shoulders and underarms. It usually causes discomfort and soreness in the heart area. It can cause respiratory dysfunction and shortness of breath.
• Lumbosacral area. Lumbar pain syndrome predominates. It also manifests as discomfort in the legs, buttocks, and pelvic organs. Often cause sexual dysfunction.

Any discomfort in the spine is an important reason to see a doctor.

The presence of signs of back fatigue, pain, etc. can not only indicate the onset of the disease in question, but also an increase in other diseases that have nothing to do with the changes in the dystrophy of the intervertebral disc. The diagnosis of osteochondrosis or rickets can only be made by an experienced doctor after a thorough diagnosis.

diagnosis

We talked about what causes osteochondrosis and how it manifests. But I must say that it is not feasible to make a correct diagnosis based on visual inspection and the patient's own feelings. To do this, you must undergo a thorough inspection, which must include:

• X-rays of cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine (depending on the discomfort area);
• Myelography
• Nervous system check sensitivity and reflex.

When using other diagnostic methods:

• Computer tomography
• Nuclear magnetic resonance
• Nuclear magnetic resonance.

In order to rule out the presence of inflammation or infectious diseases, laboratory tests are also prescribed:

• Operation and maintenance;
• Uniform Advisory Committee;
• Blood chemistry.

If necessary, a narrow range of experts will be appointed for consultation.

Approach

Unlike osteochondrosis, osteochondrosis in the spine will undergo a chronic process and cannot be eliminated by conservative methods. But this does not mean that there is no need to fight with it. Lack of adequate treatment can lead to serious consequences-deformity of the spine, fibrous tissue will appear in the position of the bone structure, unable to perform necessary functions, and people will become disabled.

Conservative treatment

What to do with osteochondrosis, the doctor will tell you. Generally, for this disease, the following methods are used:

• medical treatement. In this case, drugs are used to eliminate pain, relieve inflammation, and restore metabolism. If the patient has severe pain, use drug blockers, which, in addition to analgesia, can also help reduce the severity of myotonia syndrome. The following types of blockers are used for osteochondrosis: trigger point blockers, intraosseous blockers, facet joint blockers, paravertebral blockers, epidural blockers.
• Physiotherapy activities. They are also used to relieve pain and increase the effectiveness of medications. In most cases, for osteochondrosis, ultrasound therapy, magnetic fields, low-frequency currents, laser beams, etc. are used.
• Physical therapy and exercise therapy. Without exception, all patients received exercise therapy. It is carried out under the supervision of experts. Provide posture correction, increase muscle tone and relieve nervous tension. The systematic completion of special exercises also helps increase the gap between the intervertebral discs to evenly distribute the load on the musculoskeletal system.
• massage. Manual massage helps to normalize blood circulation, relieve muscle spasms and pinch. If the patient has a neurological disease, hydromassage is required.
• Manipulative therapy. It is individually selected for each patient. Provides the normalization of lymphatic drainage, blood circulation, metabolism, and spinal mobility. Prevent the development of complications and strengthen the immune system.
• Spinal traction. This method involves the use of special equipment to stretch the spine. Therefore, it is possible to achieve an increase in the intervertebral space and reduce the manifestations of osteochondrosis.

operation treatment

If conservative treatment does not help eliminate the signs of osteochondrosis and does not generate any positive motivation at all, they will turn to surgical intervention. Its indications are:

• Cauda equina syndrome, which occurs in the presence of a large number of hernias;
• Spinal stenosis, compression of the brain and neurovascular bundles;
• Osteochondrosis combined with severe spondylolisthesis with severe segmental instability;
• Compress the root at the L5 level of the waist;
• Cervical osteochondrosis, accompanied by vertebral artery disc syndrome.

Surgical treatment of osteochondrosis can be performed in the following ways:

• Laminectomy. This type of surgery involves removing fragments of bone structure and ligamentum flavum.
• Laminectomy. During this period, most of the spine that restricts the spinal canal is removed.
• Hole disease. The purpose of surgery is to enlarge the root canal.
• Discectomy. In this operation, the intervertebral disc is partially or completely removed.
• Laser vaporization of the core. It is carried out with the participation of special LEDs, which can ensure partial destruction of the intervertebral disc, leading to the reverse development of the hernia.

How to get rid of osteochondrosis, only a doctor can decide. It is necessary to understand that each case is individualized, and the choice of one or another surgical intervention method depends on the location, severity of the pathology, and whether the patient has other diseases.

Traditional method

At home, you can treat spinal diseases. But this should only be done if there are still symptoms of rickets (the initial stage of disease development) and after initial consultation with a doctor.

When talking about what helps rickets, the following alternative medicine formulations should be emphasized:

1. You need to take 1 kg of coarse salt and mix it with 3 tablespoons. Dried mustard, add 100 ml of water, mix everything thoroughly. The resulting porridge must be placed on a small fire and heated to a temperature of 50 degrees. Apply the mixture to the painful area, put a thin film on it, and then a warm handkerchief. With this compression, the patient needs to lie down until it is completely cooled. After the operation, it needs to be kept warm for another 2 hours.
2. Pour 1. 5 liters of water into a saucepan, add 3 handfuls of sawdust there, boil the resulting mixture, and then filter. Sawdust was spread on the plastic wrap, and a sheet was spread on the bed before the plastic wrap. Place the gauze napkins on the sawdust, then put them back on top and cover them with a warm blanket. Therefore, lie down for 30 to 40 minutes.
3. Take 200 grams of five-leaf clover, 100 potatoes, and 100 grams of Elecampane. The herbs are placed in a 3-liter jar and filled with vodka. The resulting composition was left in the dark for 3 weeks and then filtered. Take 1 tablespoon 3 times a day before meals. Lake all month. Then rest for 10 days and repeat the course.

Osteochondrosis is difficult to treat. It is difficult to respond to conservative treatments. But if you combine them with proper nutrition, home treatment, exercise therapy and all doctors’ recommendations, then the patient has the opportunity to get rid of the pain that tortures him and prevent the development of complications.