Osteochondrosis is a spinal problem that affects literally every fourth inhabitant on the planet, at least according to experts at the WHO Center for Statistics.
In the five most common diseases in the world, osteochondrosis occupies an "honorable" third place, only cardiovascular diseases are ahead. In 2012, the British Broadcasting Corporation's media giant, the BBC, published simply shocking medical research data: every year more than 5 million people die from diseases caused by physical inactivity, i. e. a sedentary lifestyle. A real pandemic of decreased physical activity has already covered a third of earthlings, and the latest results of scientific work prove that the culprit of many diseases that threaten health is not a genetic predisposition or a virus, but an unhealthy lifestyle. Almost all back problems - intervertebral hernias (hernias), osteoporosis, osteochondrosis, and many other conditions associated with osteochondrosis - are the result of many hours of sitting, whether in front of the TV, at the table, or in the car seat. About 80% of all the reasons why back suffers and spinal ailments develop relate to elementary degenerative changes in the muscular corset and lack of full-fledged reasonable physical activity.
Osteochondrosis and spine
The structure of the spinal column in living beings, whether animals or humans, is basically the same. However, only man has the proud title of Homo erectus, that is, Homo erectus. Until recently, upright posture was believed to be the main cause of pathological changes in the spine. As if the vertical position of the body leads to an incorrect and uneven load on the spine. Static load, most exposed in the lumbar region and sacrum, which consists of five vertebrae, is the most dangerous in terms of destructive effects on intervertebral tissues. dynamic load, which is characterized by movements, the cervical spine is affected. The structure of the spine is quite complex, it consists of many vertebrae connected by cartilaginous tissue - discs. The discs, in turn, are multilayer rings with a liquid core in the middle, which perform the function of shock absorption when the column is powered. 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 state of the spine. Simply put, the more elastic and adaptable the intervertebral discs, the more flexible and healthy the spine, the lower the risk of osteochondrosis hitting it. Today, the theory that upright posture is responsible for all degenerative diseases of the spine is being challenged. Relentless statistics convince physicians that inactivity, physical inactivity, is a factor that causes spinal diseases associated with dystrophy and degeneration of intervertebral tissues. In addition, excess weight, which actually increases the load on the discs, can also exacerbate destructive processes and provoke osteochondrosis. Conclusion: movement is life. The phrase is not new, it seems painfully banal, banal, however, it needs no proof. A striking example of the fact 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 vertebral discs are very elastic, only in the disc cores there is up to 80% of the liquid. With age, the amount of vital "lubrication" may decrease, but it can be preserved by consciously performing simple exercises and observing the elementary rules of a healthy lifestyle. Osteochondrosis is a disease of people who are forced to sit or lie down for hours, for years, for whatever reason - in service or willingly, out of obligation, laziness or simply out of ignorance.
What is osteochondrosis?
Osteochondrosis is a concept that includes all degenerative and dystrophic changes of the spine. It should be noted that in the European version of the classification of diseases there is no word on osteochondrosis, these diseases are classified as rheumatic and dorsopathic. In the ICD-10, since 1999, in fact, a group of diseases with typical manifestations in the form of pain in the spine, not associated with visceral causes, is defined as dorsopathy. Osteochondrosis, which is registered as dorsopathy, in turn, is divided into three large groups:
- Deforming diseases, dorsopathy - scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis, subluxation, spondylolisthesis.
- Spondylopathy - spondylosis, ankylosing spondylitis and other ossifying dystrophic pathologies that limit spinal mobility.
- Other, other dorsopathies are degenerative changes accompanied by hernias, protrusions.
Thus, osteochondrosis or osteochondrosis (from the Greek words - bone, cartilage and pain) is the general name for all problems in the spine that are caused by degeneration and malnutrition of the 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 deformation even more, to the point where they begin to exceed the normal limits of the spine. Nerve roots with such a pathology are compressed, inflamed, pain appears.
Osteochondrosis affects almost the entire spine, and depending on which part of the spine has suffered the most, the disease is called in clinical practice.
The most "popular", known to many, is lumbar osteochondrosis, there is also the definition of cervical, which ranks second in prevalence, there is sacral, thoracic and generalized osteochondrosis. There are also transverse pathologies - lumbosacral or, for example, cervicothoracic.
The symptoms of osteochondrosis can be very diverse, but sooner or later they all increase and manifest 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 and uncomfortable sensations in the part of the spine affected by the degenerative process.
- Chronic muscle tension (especially characteristic of cervical osteochondrosis).
- Cracks when turning the body, neck.
- Headache, including tension headache (with cervical osteochondrosis).
- Painful chest pain, often reminiscent of cardiac pain (with thoracic osteochondrosis).
Osteochondrosis in the inflammatory phase has symptoms that lead the person to see a doctor, because they cause more pronounced discomfort:
- Irradiation of pain in the limb.
- Numbness of fingers or toes.
- Radiation of pain to the fingertips of the extremities.
- Severe pain in the spine when performing simple physical activities.
- Increased pain with small jerks, tremors, for example, when traveling in transport.
- The inability to perform simple work associated with rotations or bending of the body.
- General limitation of mobility, motor activity.
The factors that can cause problems in the spine, called osteochondrosis, are very diverse, but the aforementioned hypodynamia is in the first place. Other reasons include the following:
- Functional - monotonous work, maintaining the same posture.
- Biomechanics - flat feet, congenital anomalies in the development of the spine.
- Hormonal - changes in hormone levels due to age-related changes.
- Infectious - dystrophy of the intervertebral environment caused by the inflammatory process.
- Metabolic - overweight or underweight.
Factors that cause osteochondrosis, that is, deformation and dystrophy of the intervertebral discs, as a rule, act together 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 pre-clinical stage, when the signs, if any, are very weak, unmanifested. At this stage, the fibrous ring around the disc begins to stretch or, conversely, to shrink.
- The second stage is characterized by greater disc instability, the annulus fibrosus is not only stretched, its fibers are stratified, the annulus begins to break. Due to the violation of the nerve roots, pain appears in the spine, degenerative changes progress. Collagen tissue continues to decompose, the normal height of the intervertebral distance decreases.
- The disc usually ruptures completely, this pathology is accompanied by inflammation, hernia and violation of nerve endings. The protrusion (prolapse) causes characteristic pain not only in the damaged area of the spine, but also reflected in the limbs and nearby parts of the body.
- The most difficult phase, when spondylosis and other compensatory diseases of the spine join dystrophy. Often, the vertebra is flattened to compensate for lost function, 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 school children to the elderly, suffers from one form or another of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. Osteochondrosis of the cervical region is considered a disease associated with increased dynamic loads that cause degeneration of intervertebral discs and their subsidence. The hardening and growth of cartilaginous tissue leads to a violation of the depreciating 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 development of the disease are not specific and are similar to the signs of other pathologies not related to the skeletal system. The list of manifestations of osteochondrosis, which must be differentiated and specified to determine the correct diagnosis, is as follows:
- Severe headaches that resemble migraine attacks.
- Headache that extends from the occiput to the neck.
- Headache that is aggravated by coughing, turning the head, sneezing.
- Headache radiating to 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, in particular with pain in angina pectoris - pain in the heart, extending to the cervical region or arm, under the shoulder blade. The pain may increase and is not relieved with cardiac medications.
- Pain similar to hypertension (heaviness in the back of the head).
Consequences and complications
Before treating osteochondrosis, however, like any other disease, it is necessary to discover its causes, which is very difficult when it comes to degenerative pathologies of the spine. Factors that cause the deformation of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine are associated with the anatomical specificities of this zone. The neck vertebrae almost constantly experience tension due to insufficient general motor activity. If we take into account the total "sedentary" lifestyle of more than half of the working population, the problem sometimes becomes insoluble. In addition, the cervical vertebrae are smaller than the vertebrae in other areas of the spine, and the inner canal is much narrower. A large number of nerve endings, an abundance of blood vessels, the presence of the most important artery that feeds the brain - all this makes the areaextremely vulnerable neck. Even the slightest contraction of the intervertebral space leads to violation of the nerve roots, swelling, inflammation and, accordingly, to a deterioration in the blood supply to the brain. Often, a decrease in mental activity is due to the fact that a person develops osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. There is a historical anecdote, dating back to not-so-distant times, when Margaret Hilda Thatcher chided her employee with the words: "Your problem is not a headache or your own view of the question put to the vote. The point is that your column simply It's not 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" to the head. As for "nutrition", in fact, not only the canal of the spinal cord is involved, but also the canal of the artery that passes through the transverse nervous 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 provoke or worsen the course of the vegetative-vascular syndrome. In addition to VSD, osteochondrosis of the cervical region causes typical symptoms of radicular syndrome (sciatica), when the pain radiates to the fingertips or a finger, pallor of the skin (marbling) is clearly visible. One of the most unpleasant complications caused by cervical osteochondrosis is palmar fibromatosis, also called Dupuytren's contracture. With this disease, the aponeurosis (tendon plate) of the palm is affected and the flexion function of the fingers is disturbed.
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 using radiographs, MRI and CT scans.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
A complete cure for osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is possible only in its early 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 must 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 herbal medicines, acupuncture, a therapeutic set of exercises, and sometimes surgical operations that eliminate hernias and subluxations of the vertebrae are also used. It must be recognized that osteochondrosis and treatment are two concepts that a sick person will face for a long time, sometimes for a lifetime. In addition to the initial phase, which aims to relieve the pain symptom, the therapy involves constant repairing, rehabilitative and preventive actions. Complex and 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 observance, compliance with all prescriptions often plays a decisive role. role in recovery.
What to treat?
The list of drugs most used as a remedy for osteochondrosis:
- A complex and effective homeopathic preparation that needs to be used for a long time, like any other homeopathy (in ampoules or in tablet form).
- An effective external remedy that relieves muscle and joint pain well.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent (in the form of an ointment - externally, in tablets - orally).
- Ointment of complex effects from the category of homeopathic remedies.
- The drug in tablet form from the category of NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).
- A drug of the glucocorticoid category.
- Ointment from the category of external non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents.
- Gel from the category of external non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- A drug from the category of external non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
If we summarize everything that involves the treatment of a disease such 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 and dystrophic pathologies of the bone and muscular system. The first thing these drugs do is reduce the pain symptom, the second is a significant reduction in inflammation.
- Drugs that are called myelorelaxants as they are actually able to effectively relieve muscle cramps and spasms.
- Traction therapy is a traction treatment. In this rather painful, but effective process, there is a gradual stretching of the tissues, muscles that surround the vertebrae, respectively, the intervertebral distance increases, approaching the norm.
- Biogenic preparations, vascular agents that provide nutrition to dystrophic areas of tissues, B vitamins restore well the functional abilities of a deformed spine.
- Sedative drugs that normalize the state of the nervous system. Perfectly relieves muscle tension and nerve endings acupuncture.
- Physiotherapy procedures - electrophoresis, phonophoresis, UHF, massages, mud procedures, balneotherapy, magnetotherapy.
- Correction of the spine during the recovery period is performed using manual therapy.
- The treatment of osteochondrosis involves and with the help of constant exercises in the physical therapy exercise complex.
In the most extreme cases, when the course of osteochondrosis enters the last stage, surgical intervention is also indicated, performed in the area where the inflammatory process is located. Most often, a hernia is operated on, and removal of deformed bone tissue from neighboring vertebrae is also possible.
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 healthcare structure is still in transformation. 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, as it is necessary to treat osteochondrosis only with the help of a doctor. The second stage, when independent actions do not lead to the desired and lasting result, a person thinks about a visit to the doctor, and the question arises, osteochondrosis - how to treat, how to treat, and most importantly, where to treat osteochondrosis? Firstly, you can contact a local therapist, who will likely refer the patient for examination - x-rays, blood tests, and refer to a neurologist. Secondly, you can immediately make an appointment with a neurologist, preferably before the appointment, 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, any massage, first of all, involves a preliminary scan of the state of the body, especially the state of the spine. The problem of osteochondrosis is also treated by vertebrologists and vertebroneurologists - doctors who specialize in diseases of the spine.
Osteochondrosis is a complex disease, but the examples of many people overcoming even serious spinal injuries prove that everything is doable and achievable. The main thing is that, at the first alarming signs that the back gives us, analyze our motor activity and take the appropriate measures. You can immediately go to the doctor and start treatment, or, if the disease is not advanced, start moving, because, as Aristotle, the teacher of the great Alexander the Great, who was extremely active, said: "Life demands and needs movement, otherwise it is not life".
What does history say about osteochondrosis?
The etiology of osteochondrosis is still unclear, moreover, despite the clearly ancient origins of this disease, diseases of the spine began to be seriously treated only in the 18th century. Since then, the disputes and discussions about the real "enemy" that causes degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs have not ceased. Meanwhile, a long time ago, even in the time of Hippocrates, there were treatises on cutting bones, which indicates that the ancient Hellenes also suffered from back pain. Hippocrates himself was also so interested in spinal topics that he performed medical experiments dubious from a modern point of view: his students diligently tied the patient by the arms and legs to a horizontal plane with the back up, stretching the limbs as far as possible. that possible. Then the great healer stood on the sufferer's back and began to walk on him. The founder of medicine was sincerely convinced that such fixation, stretching and massage would restore the health of the spine, which, according to the ancient Greek sages, was the key to man's happiness. Some systematization of techniques that told how to treat osteochondrosis began only at the end of the 17th century. At the same time, the terminology emerged that formalized areas applied in medicine, including bone fixation. Two centuries later, it split into chiropractic and osteopathy. The first direction was purely practical, using power techniques, osteopaths were more theorists and researchers. At the intersection of these sciences, manual therapy gradually emerged, without which the treatment of osteochondrosis is almost unthinkable today.
As for the term that defines the disease "osteochondrosis", then a typical story happened with osteochondrosis, which is typical of other diseases of uncertain etiology. So it wasn't called - and lumboischialgia, and sciatica, and Schmorl's hernia, and sciatica and spondylosis. It took nearly a century for doctors to discover osteochondrosis and come to a consensus.