Osteochondrosis is an injury to the interarticular and intervertebral cartilage.Osteochondrosis is diagnosed in all joints without exception, but according to medical statistics, these injuries are most common in the intervertebral discs.
Functions of the intervertebral discs.
The main function of the intervertebral discs is to absorb shock when walking and running.Few people think about the load placed on the spine during movement.Each step gives a push to the vertebrae.If there were no discs between them, the bones would wear out very quickly and the nerve endings in the spine would continually become trapped between the vertebrae.
Its shock absorption capacity depends on the quality of the intervertebral disc.The younger the person, the more elastic the discs are.In newborns, articular cartilage and intervertebral discs are made up of almost 80% water, which gives them the ability to be as elastic as possible, like a sponge.With age, fabrics deteriorate, dry out, become less flexible and lose their shock absorption properties.The older a person is, the greater the risk of developing complications of osteochondrosis, which is manifested by:
- hernias;
- radiculitis;
- stands out.
Symptoms of intervertebral disc disease.
There is osteochondrosis of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions.At the same time, problems in the cervical region may not be accompanied by any characteristic pain, while problems in the thoracic region may be reflected in pain not in the spine, but in the chest, which is why patients often confuse them with pain in the heart or bronchi.
Sometimes osteochondrosis of the cervical spine manifests itself as pain in the arm.If there were no obvious injuries that could cause pain in the arm, such a symptom should be a reason to examine the cervical spine.
If the pain, concentrated in the sacral area, flows down the leg and buttocks (usually only on one side), this indicates damage to the intervertebral disc in the lumbar region.After putting pressure on the damaged area, you may experience numbness in your leg, arm, or tingling in one of your extremities.The main striking symptoms of osteochondrosis of the intervertebral space are:
- Pain in the sacral area that prevents sitting.
- Back pain that prevents you from bending over.
- Pain that subsides when walking.
At the first signs of damage to the intervertebral discs, intense physical activity on the back should be avoided, that is, do not lift anything heavy.
Why does osteochondrosis occur?
There are several reasons that affect the condition of disks.These include smoking and excessive exercise, especially when daily activities involve heavy lifting.On the other hand, a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition are a sure path to disc destruction.Also, the risk of developing osteochondrosis is a specific job that forces you to keep your torso in an uncomfortable position, a constant load on only one shoulder and sleep on an incorrectly selected mattress.
Sleep correctly on mattresses of moderate hardness so that the spine is in a natural and uniform position during rest.Soft feather beds just look comfortable.Lying for a long time in a soft bed causes morning back pain.This happens because the back muscles stretch when the back bends under its own weight.Stretching of the back muscles, which continues throughout the night, causes pain not only in the lower back, but throughout the entire spine.
Flat feet pose a risk of developing osteochondrosis, because such a foot cannot fully perform its shock-absorbing functions.The spine, because of this, supports greater loads and the discs wear out faster.
In addition, overweight people put more pressure on their spine than those whose body mass index is close to the ideal.You must control your shape so that the weight-to-height ratio does not put additional stress on the skeleton.
However, completely healthy people who lead a sports lifestyle may have osteochondrosis.The main reason for this is injuries.An unfortunate fall or blow to the spine often leads to hernias, protrusions and osteochondrosis.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis.
A surgeon, orthopedist, or neurologist can make a diagnosis.Due to the fact that pain in the lumbar region often becomes a reason for contacting a neurologist, these patients are first examined by a doctor of this particular specialty.First, the patient is examined.To diagnose, you need to evaluate the patient's ability to turn the body, bend, sit, walk and bend the legs.After which the spine is palpated.Thanks to the manual examination, the doctor will be able to identify pain points and feel compactions and even hernias between the vertebrae.
To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes an x-ray of the spine.This is the simplest test that can be performed even in a rural clinic.X-rays have long been available in medical practice and are an integral element of every trauma department.If the x-ray does not confirm the diagnosis, or when a more detailed study is required, a CT scan or MRI of the spine is prescribed.With the help of such an examination, it will be possible to find out the quality of the discs, evaluate their elasticity and integrity, and also identify hidden pathologies.
How to treat osteochondrosis
As a conservative treatment, treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be prescribed.If there are no serious disc injuries and the doctor noticed on the images that the cause of the pain lies in the pinching of the nerve by the inflamed muscle, then the treatment will be reduced to relieving the inflammatory process.Additionally, warming therapy may be prescribed, which will reduce swelling, relax the muscle, and release the pinched nerve.
In the case of protrusion or herniation of the intervertebral disc, the problem of back pain can be solved through surgery.Badly worn vertebrae can be replaced with prosthetics.