Osteochondrosis, whose symptoms and treatment are described below, is a disease of which only representatives of Homo sapiens species suffer. Back pain is the result of the development of the board: Due to the change in spine spine location, intervertebral discs are compressed and erased over time as a result of which unpleasant symptoms occur. About 60% of the planet's population suffers from osteochondrosis. Treatment of osteochondrosis is a very difficult question, but there are methods that allow you to forget the pain for a long time. What kind of disease is this, what occurs the deformation of intervertebral discs and how to treat osteochondrosis back? You can find out all about osteochondrosis studying this article.
What is osteochondrosis?
Many have heard that there is a disease like osteochondrosis. What is it? The main sign of pathology is the deformation and inflammation of the joint cartilage. Osteochondrosis, whose signs that many people over 40 may observe can affect not only the spine, but also other joints. To understand how to treat osteochondrosis back and how this disease develops, you need to remember the structure of the spine spine.
The spine consists of 35 vertebrae, separated by the joint cartilage. Soft cartilage ensures the flexibility of the spine as well as its stable position in space. The base of the joint cartilage is intervertebral discs, which in the vital activity process are subjected to various types of loads. These loads can be static (long stay in one position) and dynamic (running, fast walk, heels). Over time, due to loads, the intervertebral discs gradually abruptly, as a result of which the distance between the vertebrae decreases. For this reason, a person begins to experience signs of osteochondrosis, for example, pain, cannot make certain movements or stay in some poses for a long time, etc.
Why is reasons osteochondrosis under development?
There is no single cause of osteochondrosis: the disease develops due to a combination of several factors, among which the main ones can be distinguished:
- Hereditary predisposition. Obviously, the disease itself is inherited by osteochondrosis, but in the characteristics of bone structure: often the causes of osteochondrosis are in the insufficient production of certain proteins that give the cartilage strength;
- Intervertebral osteochondrosis often caused metabolic disorders;
- The presence of musculoskeletal diseases, for example, curvature of the spine or flat feet;
- The presence of a history of lesions in the spine of the spine: professional athletes usually suffer from vertebetic osteochondrosis;
- Lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle;
- the presence of overweight;
- Frequent tensions;
- Pregnancy: In this case, the cause of osteochondrosis is an increase in the load in the spine.
These are the main causes of osteochondrosis that cause the development of the disease.
It is generally accepted that signs of osteochondrosis usually manifest in adulthood. However, in recent years, the disease has been "younger": the diagnosis of osteochondrosis is often done by adolescents, while the disease may appear under 15 years.
Most of the time, intervertebral disks osteochondrosis affects high stature people, whose spine is subjected to increased loads. The emerging tension leads to the fact that intervertebral discs are deformed as a result of pain and limitation of mobility, intervertebral osteochondrosis develops.
Signs of osteochondrosis
Only a doctor can make a diagnosis and cure intervertebral osteochondrosis: you should not self -assemble. But everyone should know which symptoms indicate the possibility of osteochondrosis.
The main signs of osteochondrosis:
- a sensation of weight and back pain;
- the periodic occurrence of "goose bumps" in the area of the lower back, neck or back;
- a feeling of pain that fires on a specific spine;
- pain as you lift your hands up;
- the frequent dizziness attacks;
- nausea and noise in the ears;
- Dormancy of the members.
In the presence of at least one of the above symptoms, you should seek medical advice. After all, the sooner the treatment of back osteochondrosis is started, the easier it will be to get rid of the unpleasant manifestation of this disease. Is osteochondrosis treated at a late stage? The answer will be affirmative. It is true that like defeating osteochondrosis, you will learn only after an examination at the clinic. An experienced orthopedist will advise how to deal with osteochondrosis, will prescribe the necessary drugs and procedures. You should not be afraid: if you are diagnosed with osteochondrosis, the treatment will be quite long but effective. After all, osteochondrosis, due to modern therapy methods, can quickly reach nothing and not disturb the patient for a long time.
To decide how to treat spine osteochondrosis, the doctor must determine the degree of damage to the spine of the spine. This is impossible to do without a complete diagnostic examination: the patient does not have sufficient symptoms of osteochondrosis to make a diagnosis. Normally, diagnostic procedures such as X -raio, RM and CT are prescribed.
Varieties of osteochondrosis
There are two most common classifications of the disease. The first of these is based on the dislocation of the lesion, the second - on the degree of development of the pathology.
Depending on the affected section, they distinguish:
- Cervical osteochondrosis. Its main symptoms are neck pain, dizziness and headaches, chest pain, which delivers in hand, a cloudy feel in the eyes. With cervical osteochondrosis in patients, hypertension attacks are often observed;
- Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region. The thoracic region is affected relatively with little frequency. Pain in this type of spinal disease is a rather rare occurrence. Usually, patients complain of unpleasant chest and heart pain, which usually take as signs and symptoms of chest angina. Sometimes it is helped to help diagnose an ECG, which with osteochondrosis shows no heart muscle disorder. Normally, the cause of thoracic region osteochondrosis is an injury or curvature of the spine;
- Osteochondrosis of the lower back. As the lumbosacra region supports heavy loads, the disease affects it quite often. The main syndromes of osteochondrosis in the lower back are pain that are particularly strong in spring and fall. Pain can be given in jumps, caviar and knees. With the sciatic nerve violation, patients cannot bend in one direction. If you do not start the timely treatment, lumbar spine osteochondrosis may be complicated by the onset of a hernia. In men, lumbar spine disease- may be accompanied by impaired power.
Depending on how osteochondrosis manifests itself, four stages of development of this pathology are distinguished. Naturally, effective treatment of osteochondrosis with conservative methods is possible only in the early stages. Spinal osteochondrosis develops in four steps:
- The first step. The intervertebral discs are flat, because the space between the vertebrae decreases. Small cracks occur in the cartilage;
- The second stage. The distance between the vertebrae is reduced to such an extent that they begin to change in relation to each other;
- The third stage. Intervertebral discs are gradually squeezed in the intervertebral space. At this stage, the symptoms of spinal osteochondrosis affect quality of life, limiting mobility and causing considerable suffering;
- The fourth step. Bone peaks grow between the vertebrae, because the mobility of the spine spine decreases. Peaks harm the nerves and vessels located near the spine, which is why the symptoms of back osteochondrosis become almost unbearable for humans and forced to take large doses of painkillers. At this stage, treatment with osteochondrosis is often performed by surgical methods.
What to do with osteochondrosis? It is possible to get rid of unpleasant symptoms of intervertebral osteochondrosis forever, and what procedures can alleviate the patient's condition? You will find the answers below.
Drug treatment of osteochondrosis
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis? Many doctors say this is impossible. But to reduce the development of the disease, soften symptoms and completely eliminate some signs of osteochondrosis. If the disease is in the early stages, conservative treatment methods are usually used: special medications, physiotherapy, spa treatment and a special diet are recommended.
Medicines are used for osteochondrosis exacerbations. Medicines help to get rid of the patient's concerns, as well as decrease the development of the pathology. The main groups of medicines that are treated with intervertebral osteochondrosis include:
- Anti -inflammatory drugs. These medications help to get rid of pain and limit mobility in the spine of the spine. After the unpleasant manifestations of osteochondrosis begin to decrease, patients are written for tablets. Usually the course of treatment is about a month. Together with injections and tablets in the affected areas, anti -inflammatory and analgesic ointments are applied;
- Muslaxantes. With osteochondrosis, a cross muscle occurs, which does not affect the patient's condition in the best way. The muslaxes allow you to remove muscle staples and relieve unpleasant symptoms.
- Special protectors. Preparations related to this group help delay the cartilage deformation process, thus reducing the development of the disease.
How to defeat osteochondrosis of the spine? Treatment in 2-4 stages is performed by additional medicines:
- Vitamin complexes that accelerate metabolism and increase tissue regeneration;
- Drugs that normalize blood flow;
- Glucocosteroids that reduce inflammatory processes and remove tissue swelling;
- stimulants that increase metabolism.
Prescribing medications and determining your dosage should only the assistant doctor.
Physiotherapy
Medicines have a better effect if used in conjunction with physical therapy measures. Most of the time, with osteochondrosis, it is recommended:
- Electrophoresis. If you don't know how to cure spinal osteochondrosis, pay attention to electrophoresis. The procedure helps relax tense muscles and save the patient from pain. Thanks to electrophoresis, blood circulation in affected tissues improves and metabolism accelerates;
- acupuncture. Acting at biologically active points using thin needles, the therapist defeats pain and the inflammatory process;
- Magnetotherapy. This method allows to reduce tissue pain and swelling. In addition, with the help of magnetotherapy, it is possible to normalize metabolic processes in the affected tissues of the body;
- massage. The massage course is an excellent tool for reducing pain as well as restoring spine mobility in osteochondrosis. Massage with osteochondrosis can only be performed by an experienced specialist: non -professional intervention can lead to the fact that the spine will harm further, at worst, you can damage your back. It is advisable to look for a masseuse among friends who defeated osteochondrosis;
- Medical Physical Education. Patients suffering from osteochondrosis are recommended for physical therapy exercises, which helps strengthen the muscle structure of the spine and accelerate the process of damaged tissue regeneration. Reviews indicate that Physical Education is one of the best methods of therapy for back disease. Symptoms cease to appear after a few months of regular classes. It is true that getting rid of pain, you should not stop exercising; Otherwise, discomfort may appear again;
- Thermotherapy. This type of intervertebral osteochondrosis treatment has several against -indications; Therefore, before starting the thermotherapy course, you need to consult your doctor. Thermotherapy has an analgesic effect and helps to quickly restore damaged tissues: after several sessions, the patient forgets for a long time on pain, and osteochondrosis manifests much less than before;
- Mud. Thanks to the therapeutic mud applied to the patient's back, you can reduce muscle spasm, eliminate inflammation and improve blood circulation from the spine. Patient revisions indicate that osteochondrosis will no longer worry for a long time after several treatment courses.
Usually, patients receive the entire complex of physiotherapeutic measures. The duration of the course and the best treatment methods depend on the degree of damage to the spine. During the year, the course of the treatment of back osteochondrosis is recommended three to four times: as a result, the pain and symptoms of the disease will gradually come to nothing.
Is it possible to cure osteochondrosis without physical therapy? Any doctor will give a negative answer: it is advisable to use a set of methods to get the result required.