This disease usually refers to a systemic dystrophic disorder of articular cartilage, which manifests itself in the area between the vertebrae.According to the local location of this problem, types of cervical, thoracic and lumbar diseases are distinguished.
What is osteochondrosis?
Osteochondrosis is a complex problem, it cannot be cured quickly.The cause of the problem is considered to be an inactive lifestyle, which contributes to the onset of negative processes in the joint cartilage.Remember that when the human body develops, a strong vascular bed with diffuse nutrition is formed in the intervertebral disc.Any negative conditions and processes worsen the nutrition of the vascular bed and form a number of factors that worsen the development of pathology.
Physiological factors that contribute to the formation of osteochondrosis include poor nutrition, increased pressure on the back and its injuries, persistent abnormal posture, flat feet, and obesity.
symptoms
Symptoms of osteochondrosis look like this:
- Pain and numbness in legs/arms, severe back pain.
- Significant increase in pain during physical activity and also coughing.
- Antispasmodic condition of speaking muscles, decreased movement activity.
- Other systemic manifestations are typical in cases of damage to certain areas of the spine.
The main reason
- Age-related degenerative changes.
- Genetic predisposition and heredity.
- Heavy weight.
- Poor nutrition.
- Wounds are infectious and intoxicating.
- Metabolic imbalance.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Traumatic syndrome in the spine.
- The load on the spinal system due to active training, heavy lifting, incorrect posture, pregnancy, wearing uncomfortable shoes.
- Severe stress, excessive nervous tension, smoking.
- Poor environmental conditions for permanent residence.
- Skeletal instability, flat feet.
The main type
The main types of osteochondrosis include:
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine
Pathological transformation in the disc between the vertebrae in the cervical spine, more precisely the upper third.Often caused by incorrect posture, metabolic disorders, weak muscular skeleton, and poor lifestyle in general.Patients feel pain in the shoulders and arms and periodically experience migraines.Almost always he exhibits the so-called "vertebral artery syndrome", which is caused by his spasmodic reaction to compression - throbbing headaches, dizziness, flashes of optical defects in front of the eyes, numbness in the hands.
Thoracic osteochondrosis
The pathological condition is localized in the second third of the spine.The practical one is always accompanied by an accompanying syndrome - vague pain and discomfort in the thoracic region of the spine, aggravated by bending the body or deep breathing, as well as a sudden attack on the affected part of the spine, severe deterioration in the quality of breathing due to pain, as well as its transmission to the lower back of the chest, neck and lower back.Often this problem induces pathology in other organs - heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas.Read more about thoracic osteochondrosis.
Lumbosacral osteochondrosis
In this case, there is a pain syndrome in the specified area with "lumbago" in the included part, numbness of the legs, negative manifestations in the vascular system, and calves.Symptoms worsen with upright positions, bending over, and severe coughing.This type of osteochondrosis causes muscle weakness, pain and pelvic organ pathology, severe inflammation of the sacrum and lower back.
Prevention
It is advisable to prevent osteochondrosis from an early age, especially if a person has a hereditary predisposition to this disease.
Main points:
- Therapeutic exercise.
- Swimming.
- Self-massage potentially problematic areas.
- Compliance with recommendations to normalize posture.
- Relieves tension in the specified area.
- Morning exercise.
- Normalization of body weight and proper nutrition.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
Treatment of osteochondrosis, regardless of its stage, is complex.
Drug treatment
The main direction of drug therapy is to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of the problem and increase the positive effects of other procedures.Local and systemic preparations not only relieve pain, but also improve blood circulation, relieve inflammation, partially restore problematic cartilage tissue, and relax muscle complexes.
- Pills.Painkillers in the form of analgesics and NSAIDs.Drugs that restore cartilage tissue are also prescribed.
- Local external medicine.Often these are ointments and creams.The most in demand for osteochondrosis are steroid hormone drugs based on prednisolone or hydrocortisone, complex gels.
- Injection.Injections for osteochondrosis are usually used in the acute stage of the disease, when classic tablets and local forms of drugs do not have the desired effect on the body.A large number of injections are aimed at eliminating very severe pain syndromes.The classic scheme of use is a special block with the introduction of anesthetic subcutaneously and then intramuscularly in the region of the spinal nerves.Such injections can only be performed in a hospital setting.
Exercise (physical therapy)
Therapeutic gymnastics is an important stage in the fight against osteochondrosis.Exercise therapy is prescribed exclusively by the attending physician, taking into account the specifics of the disease and the patient's current condition, usually in the remission stage of the problem.
The main goal of such exercises is to strengthen the back muscles and develop the cartilage components of damaged joints.Exercise therapy uses various techniques, but one of the most popular is considered to be a scheme of two dozen exercises according to the best therapists known in the past.This complex usually includes general strengthening exercises, targeted treatment measures for problem areas, as well as "beacon" exercises that allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.The exact list of actions, their sequence, quantities and other preliminary data is given personally to the patient by the attending physician!
Massage for osteochondrosis
Massage procedures for osteochondrosis significantly reduce the unpleasant symptoms of the disease and at the same time help to overcome the problem in combination with other measures.
The individual elements of massage and the approach to its implementation may differ depending on the localization of osteochondrosis, its course, the presence of chronic diseases in the patient, etc., that is, it is prescribed individually based on the current clinical picture.
The most commonly used are classical therapeutic massage, acupressure, contact, hardware and cupping.The above measures are aimed at improving lymph/blood circulation, normalizing spinal disc nutrition, relieving pain syndromes, launching special fibers, relaxing muscle mass, restoring nutrition to soft tissues, etc.
The use of massage for osteochondrosis should be abandoned if the patient has aneurysms, tumors, thrombosis, osteomyelitis, blood diseases, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, problems with pelvic organs with girdle osteochondrosis, various massive skin manifestations in the form of warts, herpetic lesions.
Traditional medicine
Traditional medicine has effectively treated osteochondrosis for centuries, usually with compresses and oral tinctures.
The most popular recipes:
- Mix grated raw potato and honey in a ratio of 1 to 1. Apply to the problem area for two hours as a compress.
- Brew a tablespoon of crushed strawberry leaves in a glass of boiling water, leave for twenty minutes, and then eat on an empty stomach.Take for three months.
- Dissolve 300 grams of watermelon pulp and 200 grams of soda in a warm bath and take for half an hour.This course consists of 20 procedures.
- Pour boiling water over ten grams of thyme and take half a glass 2 times a day.