Osteochondrosis

If your back, back or neck hurts, it's hard to run, your spine suppressing - many people automatically diagnose themselves: "Of course - osteochondrosis!"The reasons for this "disease" seem to be extremely clear: we live in the twenty -first century, we move a little, we don't eat properly ...

However, in reality everything is a little more complicated.

What is it - spinal osteochondrosis?How appropriate is such a diagnosis?And what happens in the spinal column?

Scientifically, osteochondrosis is a degenerative disease (that is, leading to premature "aging", "clothing and tears") of the spine (by the way, it can also affect other joints).The pathological process begins with the intervertebral discs and gradually spreads to the beads.

Spinal osteochondrosis - is there such a diagnosis?

In English -speaking medicine, this term indicates a completely different group of diseases that have nothing to do with our "native" osteochondrosis.In the international classification of diseases, a book that all neurologists should refer to when they show a diagnosis, there are terms such as "spinal osteochondrosis in adults", "osteochondrosis of the spinal juveniles", and "osteochondrosis of the spinal, unspecified."

However, sometimes this diagnosis has not become fully reasonable, when the doctor actually cannot fully understand what is happening to the patient.This term can cover diseases such as:

• Myofasic pain syndrome- a condition in which spasm occurs constantly in the same muscles.
• Muscle injuries.After an injury, the pain begins to disturb you, and after a while it leaves.
• Otolithiasis- a condition in which calcium salt crystals accumulate in the inner ear.They lead to dizziness - sometimes they are mistaken for a manifestation of spinal diseases.
• Headaches.They are often associated with degenerative changes in the cervical spine.In fact, most often they have other reasons.

The treatment of spinal osteochondrosis

The standard group of treatment measures to worsen the disease looks like this:

• Anti-inflammatory and soothing soothing..
• If the pain is too severe and does not go away- Novokaine blockages are used.The doctor, armed with a needle and syringe, injects anesthesia into special places where it blocks the transmission of nerve impulses of pain.
• Physiotherapy helps:Medicinal electrophoresis with anesthesia, ultrasound, ultraviolet radiation, diadeal currents.
• If the pain forces you to be constantly in nervous tension,Determine medication to help you calm down.
• In the pain areaDry Heat is applied.
• In order to discharge the spine,Different types of traction are used.The patient can be placed on a separate bed with a table raised and provided with rings from the armpits.Underwater traction is also used in the pool.
• Your doctor may recommendYou should visit a chiropractor, acupuncture sessions.
• During an irritationWear special orthopedic devices that help relieve muscle and support the spine - corset, collar shades.

When the irritation passes, you need to take measures to help prevent a new one.Therapeutic exercises and massage help strengthen the muscles that support the spine.Physiotherapy courses are prescribed.Swimming is good for you.All methods of treatment for osteochondrosis have contraindications, they should be used wisely, so self-medication is not the best solution.Visit your doctor.

Sometimes the symptoms of the disease, regardless of treatment, continue to increase, and the patient's condition worsens.In this case, the neurologist may raise the issue of surgical treatment.

Why should you visit a doctor soon?First, "true" osteochondrosis is not such a harmless disease.Over time, it can make a person disabled if left untreated.Second, symptoms can be caused by the same myophassic pain syndrome - a neurologist will be able to quickly detect the cause of the pain and eliminate it. 

Back pain is a symptom that, according to statistics, more than 90% of people experience at least once in their lives.It is most often attributed to osteochondrosis.Not all people who experience back pain go to doctors.Many people treat themselves with medicines that can be taken without a prescription at the pharmacy, or with popular remedies.Sometimes such a "treatment" brings temporary relief - but in the meantime the disease can continue to progress and, perhaps the next time the back or backpack will "twist" much more strongly.

An experienced neurologist will be able to accurately assess the symptoms of osteochondrosis, understand their causes, and prescribe correct treatment for osteochondrosis.

Pain, the main manifestation of osteochondrosis, can be fought more or less successfully for a long time with the help of sedatives and anti-inflammatory medicines, and some popular remedies.But that does not solve the main problem;The pathological changes in the back continue to increase.

Over time, this is fraught with compression of the spinal cord and arteries that supply it, and the development of serious neurological complications: severe weakening, even complete loss, movements and sensitivity, loss of control over the bladder and rectum.

What symptoms usually manifest as spinal osteochondrosis?

A typical manifestation of the disease is pain.As a rule, they are hurting, constantly disturbing, accompanied by a feeling of numbness, hurting in the arms and legs.Typically, the pain intensifies during sudden movements, severe elevation, physical labor, sneezing, coughing and prolonged stay in an unpleasant monotonous position.

The muscles surrounding the spine respond to the pain.The tension arises in them.Because of this, the patient can be in an antalgic position - one in which the pain does not bother so much.Gradually this leads to the curvature of the spine.

Over time, if the disease is not treated, the pain intensifies and becomes exciting.Other signs of osteochondrosis occur:

• Sensitivity is damaged, a feeling of numbness, tingling and "crawling" occurs in the arms and legs.
• The limb muscles weaken and decrease in size over time - their atrophy develops.
• With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, patients complain of headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, "spots" and bright spots in front of the eyes.
• With thoracic osteochondrosis, heart pain is annoying.The person may suffer a sensation "as if a peg had been driven to the chest."
• If the compression of the nerve roots of the spine occurs (for example, during the formation of a hernia disc, bone outflows in the beads), severe filming pain occurs.

Accurate treatment of spinal osteochondrosis symptoms

The effective treatment Theller is the correct and timely diagnosis.During a neurological examination at the clinic, a specialized doctor will evaluate your symptoms and the degree of damage to certain nerve functions.

Here you can undergo an examination using new, modern equipment - this will help you understand in detail what is happening to your spinal column, nerve roots, surrounding tissue and muscles.

Treatment should be directed not only against the symptoms of osteochondrosis.You should try to eliminate the cause, and if this is not possible, understand how you can keep the disease under control more effectively and prevent it from progressing.The neurologist will design the appropriate treatment program and fix it taking into account changes in your condition.

To defeat the enemy, you need to know it from sight.This is the case with any disease: a careful examination by a physician, modern instrumental studies and laboratory tests help create an accurate diagnosis, understand what is happening in the patient's body and prescribe effective treatment for osteochondrosis.

The main manifestation of osteochondrosis is back pain, a symptom that can occur with many other diseases.To establish the correct cause and to cope with it, you need the help of a specialist. 

Neurological examination in the diagnosis of osteochondrosis: how is the appointment to the neurologist's office?

During your meeting, your doctor will ask you some questions:

• What complaints are you bothering you?
• Where does the pain usually occur?
• How long does the pain last?How strong is it?
• What is the nature of the pain: are they stabbing, shooting, hurting, pulling?
• When do your symptoms usually occur?What provokes them?
• When and after what do you feel better?

Then the doctor will perform a neurological examination, checking the sensitivity of your skin, strength and muscle tone, reflexes, feeling of balance and coordination of movements.The neurologist can suppress specific points near the spine to determine the pain.After that, to clarify the diagnosis, an exam program will be described.

Our neurologists work according to the same standards: they will examine you carefully, lose nothing and describe all the necessary tests.

What diagnostic methods are used for osteochondrosis?

Most often, the following diagnostic methods are described for osteochondrosis:

• Radiography.Is performed in at least two projections: frontal and profile.If necessary, the pictures are taken in other positions.
• X -ray contrast studies.To better examine pathological changes in the spinal column, you can be injected with a solution of the contrast agent in the spinal canal (myelography), the intervertebral disk and blood vessels (angiography).These studies are carried out only for specific indications.
• Calculated tomography.It helps to examine bone structures in more detail, compared to radiography, to detect a decrease in the height of the intervertebral disc and bone growth in the beads.
• Magnetic resonance imaging.It helps to detect changes in soft tissue with high accuracy.

Your doctor may also prescribe other diagnostic methods for osteochondrosis.The specialist will make sure you get an appointment with the right doctor and undergo all the necessary tests so that you do not need to pay for unnecessary procedures.

Prevention of osteochondrosis

To keep your back healthy, follow the following recommendations:

• Your food should be complete.
• You need regular physical activity.If you have chronic illness, consult your doctor and ask them to recommend a suitable gymnastics complex.
• Keep a normal weight - this will help prevent not only osteochondrosis but also many other "wounds".
• If you have a sitting job, take a break more often to walk and stretch.
• Lift weights correctly.Do not bend at the waist.Hold your back straight - your feet should do the job.

Osteochondrosis belongs to a group of diseases that are scientifically called "degenerative pathology".In other words, these are diseases in which beads, intervertebral discs and joints themselves prematurely "wear", "age" (this is not a completely accurate explanation, but generally helps to imagine what is happening to the spinal column).But what causes this outfit and premature tears?

Why does osteochondrosis occur?

Spinal osteochondrosis is a disease that does not have a specific cause.Various factors lead to its appearance:

• Injuries.Osteochondrosis can become a loud echo of a previous fracture or ligament damage.
• Microtraumas.They can be caused by frequent similar movements in the spinal column, prolonged stay in an unpleasant monotonous position.
• Congenital spine abnormalities.They are different: non-fusion of vertebral arches, changes in the number of vertebrae in the lumbar and sacral region, inaccurate location of articular processes in the Lumbar region.A person may not doubt his entire life that he has one of these conditions, and then, when his "sick" back, the anomaly is detected during an exam.
• Autoimmunein which immune cells appear on the intervertebral discs, attacking its body tissues.
• Circulatory disorders.The spine tissue stops to receive the required amount of blood rich in oxygen.

Who often experiences osteochondrosis?

Some conditions contribute to spinal problems:

• Sitting life of life, low physical activity.Office workers are in increased risk.
• Overweight.Each extra pound adds stress to the spinal column.
• Excessive physical activity.Overloads while training in athletes.
• Poor food.In order for the vertebrae, ligaments and muscles to be strong and resist the loads, they must take the necessary substances - "building materials".
• Previous injuries to the neck, spine, spine.
• Untreated postural disorders, scoliosis.
• Constant stay, work in a forced unpleasant position, when you often have to stay or sit bent for a long time.
• If you have close relatives who have osteochondrosis, your risks have also increased.

Happens what happens with the spine during osteochondrosis?

The development of osteochondrosis is mainly based on the "wear and tears" of the intervertebral disc.Its structure varies at the molecular level.At first, the intervertebral disk swells, then "dries", its height decreases, it begins to last beyond the vertebral body, and the cracks and tears appear on its outer part.Through them, the boats grow inside, the disk becomes denser and calcification begins in it.Vertebra becomes loose.

Next, the degenerative process spreads to the vertebrae and intervertebral joints themselves.The muscles surrounding the affected part of the spine are constantly under tension, and compression appears in them.

To offset the added load on the beads, bone results (osteophytes) appear on them, increasing their surface.

Depending on where the pathological changes occur, cervical, thoracic and lumbar osteochondrosis is distinguished.Two or all three sections can be affected at the same time.