Imagine that in the 21st century, 50-80% of the world’s population has been diagnosed with osteochondrosis. The number is not small, the most important thing is that this disease is "younger". If the early symptoms appear no earlier than 35 years of age, the first symptoms have now been diagnosed in adolescents. In most cases, susceptibility to osteochondrosis is observed in people with uneven spinal load. This may be incorrect posture, the habit of carrying a bag on one shoulder, sitting in one position for a long time, injury, excessive exercise load, and of course age-related changes.
"Most people must have heard of osteochondrosis, but not everyone knows what it is"
What is osteochondrosis?
Osteochondrosis is a pathology of the spine, manifested as degenerative damage to the intervertebral disc and adjacent bone tissues, leading to the disappearance of the vertebral body and articular surfaces.
Unfortunately, when the first pain appeared in the back, almost no one went to see the doctor, which caused the disease to be detected in the severe stage. This disease has been treated quite effectively in the early stage, because the changes in the spine are not serious, but over time, the process becomes irreversible.
The main sign that you may have osteochondrosis is neck, back, or lower back pain. In more advanced forms, the pain "radiates" to the chest, arms, shoulders, legs, and other parts of the body.
According to different parts, osteochondrosis is divided into the following types:
- Cervical osteochondrosis.
- Chest osteochondrosis.
- Lumbar osteochondrosis.
Symptoms and signs of osteochondrosis
The clinical manifestations stem from damage to nerve tissue and blood vessels near the affected area.
- Backache.
- I feel "back pain" after physical exertion.
- Poor posture, which leads to scoliosis.
- Violation of skin sensitivity in certain parts of the body.
- numbness.
- Dizziness and nausea caused by impaired blood supply.
- headache.
Osteochondrosis may have various symptoms and signs, which is why it is not always easy to detect it at the first signal. Have regular check-ups and don’t delay going to the doctor when osteochondrosis is suspected for the first time.
Causes of osteochondrosis
There may be many reasons for the development of osteochondrosis. Usually, a lack of proper respect for the spine causes this disease, and if it is not at a young age, it will definitely occur before the age of 50.
Think about your daily sitting posture, your sleep, whether you have a comfortable pillow, whether you always carry weight with one hand, whether you give the correct load during exercise, because all these will cause your spine to appear irreversibles consequence. . .
The causes of osteochondrosis may be:
- Genetic susceptibility.
- Nervous breakdown of the body.
- Poor posture during active growth.
- Wearing uncomfortable shoes.
- When I was young, I wore high heels.
- The body is overworked.
- overweight.
- Sedentary lifestyle.
- Improper load handling.
- Raise the load frequently.
- Vibration load on the body.
- Dehydrated body.
- Hypothermia of the body.
"Please note that being overweight and sedentary can cause back problems over time! "
risky:
- driver.
- office staff.
- porter.
- Pregnant woman.
- obesity.
- Professional athletes.
Take care of your health and live a healthy lifestyle.
Stages of development of osteochondrosis
No disease will happen suddenly. Osteochondrosis is no exception. There are 4 main stages in the development of osteochondrosis.
- Primary dystrophic changes in the intervertebral cartilage. Dehydration, microcracks, loss of elasticity of the intervertebral disc-all of these have occurred in your spine, and you hardly feel any changes, but they are still there and you can notice them. If you start to feel back discomfort when sitting for a long time or have slight pain after physical activity, please do not waste time and make an appointment with your doctor.
- Contraction of the intervertebral space and compression of nerve endings and pain in certain areas of the back. Pain syndrome occurs every time you make sharp turns and lean. This stage is hard to miss, and certainly not to be ignored.
- Abrasion of intervertebral cartilage tissue. Pain symptoms are obvious and may cause numbness in the limbs. It is impossible to relieve pain without medication. At this stage, strict treatment is required, adhere to the treatment plan and take medication.
- The last and most serious stage. The osteochondrosis on it has been irreversible because the intervertebral cartilage is completely destroyed. In this case, surgery is usually required.
Late cases of osteochondrosis can lead to partial or complete paralysis. In order to prevent the situation from becoming critical, it is necessary to start treatment on time during the first stage of the development of osteochondrosis.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
For the treatment of spinal osteochondrosis, it is necessary to adopt a separate treatment method for each patient. There is no standard and unified approach. Consider the patient’s age, physical condition, cause of osteochondrosis and many other factors. But of course, each treatment has common characteristics:
Drugs for treating osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis cannot be cured by taking drugs alone, but they play a key role in reducing the severity of disease symptoms, improving blood supply and tissue regeneration. In order to completely eliminate the disease, you need to take a comprehensive approach and keep your body in an appropriate state for the rest of your life. The treatment of osteochondrosis includes taking several groups of drugs.
- First, it is necessary to relieve the pain that interferes with the normal lifestyle. For these purposes, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. (Ketoprofen, Ibuprofen, Ketorolac).
- After the pain disappears, a cartilage protective agent and vitamins are prescribed to restore the cartilage tissue. Such drugs can prevent further destruction of the intervertebral disc and reduce inflammation. Such drugs include glucosamine, which, unlike its analogs, does not require injection. It is sufficient to dissolve a bag of powder in a glass of water and take it orally. This method of administration promotes better absorption of the drug and alleviates the discomfort that occurs during the injection process.
- Drugs that stimulate blood microcirculation.
- Local analgesics.
Physiotherapy for osteochondrosis
Physical therapy to treat osteochondrosis is a very effective measure. Most importantly, it is painless and has almost no contraindications. These procedures help relieve inflammation, eliminate spasms, and eliminate squeezing of nerve endings. Physical therapy includes the following procedures:
- Electrophoresis.
- Magnetic therapy.
- Phototherapy.
- Shockwave therapy.
- Mud therapy.
It is worth knowing that certain physiotherapy procedures cannot be used during the worsening of the condition. Physiotherapy treatment of osteochondrosis is completely prescribed by a doctor and combined with medication.
Physiotherapy and massage for osteochondrosis
Physical therapy exercises for osteochondrosis help to form a muscular corset, which will help support the diseased spine. Choose a set of exercises for each patient individually. For stage 3, practice only when lying down, smoothly and preferably under supervision.
Massage treatment of osteochondrosis is also a common practice. The most important thing is that the massage is done by professionals and will not harm your spine. After training, you should feel your muscles relax, relax, and relax your whole body. Manual massage can improve blood circulation. In the acute phase of the disease, it is best to refuse this treatment.
Treatment of cervical osteochondrosis
For cervical osteochondrosis, patients experience severe pain in the head, neck, arms, and shoulder straps. There may be "flies", tinnitus and flashes of spots in front of you. Usually, in the early stages, the patient will check the head and will not suspect that things are completely different. Prescribes cervical osteochondrosis.
- Anti-vertigo Agnioprotectors appear most often in the morning (pentoxifylline).
- A chondroprotective agent (glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate) that prevents further destruction of cartilage tissue, reduces inflammation, relieves pain, and restores joint mobility.
- Antidepressants, patients sometimes have to use antidepressants, because persistent pain will have an adverse effect on the psychology and lead to the development of insomnia and depression (doxylamine).
- Vitamins will improve the general condition of the body.
- Antiepileptic drugs used for headaches that interfere with the patient's entire life.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to relieve pain in the acute phase.
Treatment of chest osteochondrosis
For thoracic osteochondrosis, severe pain will occur in the chest, and breathing will become frequent and heavy. Severe pain may occur when the scapula area rotates and bends. Thoracic osteochondrosis is difficult to diagnose because the pain is not directly felt in the spine and the symptoms are more similar to diseases of the heart, lungs, or kidneys. Fortunately, this type of osteochondrosis is very rare, and its cause is scoliosis in most cases.
Lumbar osteochondrosis treatment
Lumbar osteochondrosis is currently the most common type. This is because this particular part of the spine bears the most pressure. First, there was dull pain in the waist, and then the pain began to radiate to the legs, causing numbness in the lower limbs. There is a problem with flexion and extension. In this case, it is mainly to start timely treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis and take complex measures. Several rules should be followed:
- Limit physical activity.
- Take all prescription drugs.
- Receive prescribed physical therapy.
- Take a special massage course.
- If necessary, get rid of excess weight.
Due to improper treatment and non-compliance with recommendations, the last lumbar osteochondrosis may require surgery.
Which doctor treats osteochondrosis?
If you feel pain in the spine and suspect that you have osteochondrosis, you should initially make an appointment with a therapist, who will send you to a neurologist, chiropractor, orthopedist and surgeon for examination based on your complaint.
How long is the treatment of osteochondrosis?
Many patients are concerned about how long does the treatment of osteochondrosis take? No one will give you an exact answer, but the main signs of the disease will disappear, usually within 1-3 months, and the condition needs to be further maintained.
Is it possible to get rid of osteochondrosis forever?
It all depends on the stage at which it was discovered. If the patient turns around in stages 1-2, then with proper treatment and following all the rules, you can get rid of osteochondrosis forever. Unfortunately, in the later stages, it is impossible to get rid of this disease completely.
Orthopedic Pillow
If you are diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis, you may need an orthopedic pillow. This pillow will improve your sleep quality and will not continue to deform your spine. You can contact a specialized store, where a consultant will show you all pillow choices and advise on prices.