Many people associate the word "osteochondrosis" with old age. There is an opinion that it is a disease of grandparents, in which "shoots in the lower back" and "back pain". However, there is only a grain of truth in this illusion: in fact, osteochondrosis isdegenerative(that is, caused by a local metabolic disorder)spinal changes, which inevitablyappear in all elderly people. However, osteochondrosis is now found 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 disease is even called“the disease of civilization”, since the main cause of osteochondrosis is the inadequate “exploration” of the spine. The fact is that modern man subjects him to excessive loads and, paradoxically, not when he runs or lifts weights, but when he sits for hours without getting up from his chair. This load is calledstaticand is very complicated. Because a person thinks he is resting when he is sitting. But in fact, the spine in a sitting position works with greater stress.
How the column works
To understand what osteochondrosis is, you need to understand what the human spine is. We all know that the spine consists of vertebrae connected in series by intervertebral discs. In total, a person usually has 33-34 vertebrae: 7 of them form the cervical region, 12 - the thoracic region, 5 (or 6 in a small percentage of people) - the lumbar, plus 5 vertebrae, growing together, form the sacrumand finally, the coccygeal region consists of another five (or four - depending on individual characteristics) vertebrae. The vertebrae are, in fact, bones, and remain immobile, but so that they can move freely, providing mobility to our entire body, and also so that they do not collapse with impacts and frictions, there is a layer of gelatinous substance between each vertebra (the callspulposus nucleus) surrounded by strong multilayer plates (fibrous annulus). Collectively, this is called theintervertebral disc.In addition, the structure of the spine contains numerous ligaments, vessels, nerves. It is a very complex organ that largely determines the functioning of almost all body systems, as it protects the spinal cord and affects its functioning.
Vertebrae and intervertebral discs are continually renewed throughout a person's life. This is possible because they are well supplied with blood and always with good nutrition. However, if, for some reason, nutrition begins to flow to the spine in insufficient quantities, the pulposus nucleus loses its properties, the intervertebral disc becomes flat and less elastic, cracks appear in the ring and the vertebrae themselves begin to becomemove in different directions and get closer. All of this leads to a series of dangerous diversions - mainly forinflammation in the spine itself and in the surrounding tissues and compression of the spinal cord and spinal nerves.
It is interesting that a concept like “spinal osteochondrosis” exists mainly in the post-Soviet space. In foreign literature, changes that occur in the spine are called“hernias”, “myofascial pain”, “disc injuries”, “dorsopathy”. So if you have heard something similar about yourself, it means that you have osteochondrosis of the spine.intervertebral herniais considered one of the stages of osteochondrosis.
The disease does not have an acute course and develops gradually: first, the intervertebral disc narrows, becomes degeneratively altered, thenprotrusions appear- the pulpy nucleus appears to be squeezed and mixed with thefibrous ring, but does not break it. When there is a rupture of the fibrous ring, they speak of an intervertebral hernia.In the last most severe stage of osteochondrosis,the intervertebral discs are completely worn out, the vertebrae start rubbing against each other and also collapse, pathological bone growth and osteophytes appear in them. In the last stage, the spine is, so to speak, "petrified", that is, it loses mobility, which can lead to disability.
Causes of spinal diseases
Why do all thedegenerative changes above occur?As already mentioned, the main reason isan abnormal load on the spine:for example, when a person has to sit very uncomfortably, "bent", the cervical and thoracic regions arestrained and do not receive the necessary nutrition. In addition,osteochondrosis may develop due to poor posture.However,sports, especially strength sports, with a violation of the exercise technique, can also lead todegenerative changes in the spine.
Another common cause is anyback injury. The development of osteochondrosis can also be influenced byhereditary genetic predispositions, hormonal disorders, overweight, unhealthy diet, insufficient water intake and, as a result, dehydration, smoking and alcohol abuse.
Women usually have the first manifestations of osteochondrosis during pregnancy; so when young mothers need to feed the baby in uncomfortable positions for themselves and often carry the baby in their arms, the condition of the spine deteriorates noticeably.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis
The symptoms of osteochondrosis are varied and depend on the exact department where the illnesses occurred. Pain is the main manifestation of this pathology, however, untilrupture of the fibrous ringit is mild, can be tedious, urgent and patients may not even pay attention to it.More often, the pain intensifies in the morning or after physical efforts, radiates to the arms, legs, neck, ribs and chest (in this case, osteochondrosis can easily be confused with coronary heart disease).
In addition,numbness and tingling may appear in the limbs.
With osteochondrosisin the cervical spine, headaches, sometimes very severe, dizziness, nausea, hissing in the ears, may appear. The development of a hernia, leading to compression of the nerve endings, can lead to the interruption of the functioning of Organs internal organs associated with the affected nerve. For example, with a hernia in the lumbar spine, problems with urination may appear, the potency may disappear, in the chest - indigestion, in the cervix - problems with the blood supply to the brain.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
Only a doctor can distinguish osteochondrosis from other diseases of Organs internal organs and determine the source of the pain. Today, the most reliable method for diagnosing spinal diseases is considered to be MRI.
X-rays are also reliable, but less informative. On an X-ray, you can see changes in the intervertebral discs, but you cannot, for example, see a hernia and assess the condition of the spinal cord and the degree of compression by displaced vertebrae. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging allows osteochondrosis to be distinguished from other dangerous diseases, including malignant tumors and Bechterew's disease.
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis?
Unfortunately, it is impossible to cure osteochondrosis, but it is possible to relieve the patient's condition andstop the destruction of the intervertebral disc, however, it is necessary tocompletely change the way of life- do physiotherapy, swimming, take courses regularly, massage or manual therapy, start eating well and give up bad habits. Sports, massage, proper nutrition and weight loss can have a significantly greater and longer-term healing effect than drugs.
Doctors still argue about the effectiveness of chondroprotectors - drugs that restore cartilage tissue and supposedly strengthen the fibrous ring, its effectiveness has not been sufficiently proven, but as it definitely does not harm it, it can be used to treatosteochondrosis.
For severe pain, your doctor may prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), muscle relaxants (drugs that relax muscles) and pain relievers.
Used in the treatment of osteochondrosis andvitamins, since its lack causes greater destruction of the intervertebral disc:B vitamins, for example, contribute to improving the metabolism ofproteins between tissues, and since then protein is the main building material of the body, so the normalization of protein metabolism contributes to the restoration of nervous and cartilaginous tissue. Vitamin A improves blood circulation. However, when taking vitamins, like any other medication, you need to be careful, as they can cause serious side reactions, and can only be taken after consulting a doctor and under his supervision.
Surgical treatment of osteochondrosis is also possible, but, as a rule, it is used whenthere is significant narrowing of the spinal canal and excessive compression of the nerves and spinal cord by the resulting hernias. In this case, the situation is so difficult that the patient, for example, cannot walk, his internal organs begin to fail or there is a risk of developing a stroke. Most of the time, these serious consequences are caused by osteochondrosis of the cervical and lumbar spine, degenerative changes in the thoracic spine, even in the presence of hernias, almost never require surgical treatment.
Today, themethods of so-called sparing surgeryare being actively introduced into medical practice, when doctors are able to preserve the integral structure of the vertebrae by removing a part of the nucleus pulposus using anendoscope. The device is inserted into the spinal injury site through small skin incisions, which prevents large blood loss. Since the entire disk is not removed during operation, the biomechanics of the spine are generally not disturbed and this shortens the recovery period. Often, patients get up the day after the operation. However, any spine surgery still has complications and subsequent recurrences of the disease, so experienced specialists will try to delay surgical treatment until the end. And here everything depends on the patient himself: if you follow all the doctors' recommendations and take care of your health, even in the presence of hernias you can do without surgery.