Osteochondrosis- It is a disease of the spine or more recently its ligamentum apparatus.
The most, a violation of metabolism in the intervertebral cartilage.
The name osteochondrosis comes from the Greek words osteon - "bone" and chondros - "cartilage". The essence of osteochondrosis is a dystrophic process in bones and cartilage, followed by aging. The osteochondrosis of the spine in the classic medical sense is a degenerative lesion of the cartilage of the intervertebral disc and reactive changes from the adjacent bodies of the spine. It is generally accepted that it all starts with malfunctions in the disc, but the pain syndrome is already due to the neurological complications of this process.
It is believed that osteochondrosis is a disease, it occurs as a result of the effects of many factors - both hereditary and acquired. People begin to experience osteochondrosis most often after 35 years. The development and exacerbation of osteochondrosis of the spine is facilitated by its macro and microtrauma, static and dynamic overloads, as well as vibrations.
A useful, optimum load of vertebrae and intervertebral discs is when we hold the spine in its natural position, which is designed for us by nature. When this position changes, there is an incorrect distribution of spinal load, which leads to a change in cartilage at excess pressure.
This can be caused:
- work related to frequent changes in body position;
- lifting heavy loads;
- Forced posture for a long time (for example among students and students)
- wrong posture in the upright position, sitting, lying down and when wearing weights;
- physical education and sports, without taking into account the impact of high physical activity;
- injury, heavy physical labor
Most often, several factors lead to the development of osteochondrosis. A certain place among them is occupied by stress, hypothermia, adverse weather conditions (low temperature in combination with high humidity), various chemicals that enter the body with food and breathing. People with excess weight. The causes of the development of osteochondrosis may be a congenital deficiency of connective tissue (weakness of the ligamentary apparatus), metabolism-hormonal, autoimmune diseases, trophic disorders in the joints, etc.
Osteochondrosis- degradation and destruction of intervertebral discs. It is osteochondrosis that is the cause of back pain in 80% of cases.
The mechanism of pain can simplify in this way: the intervertebral disc does not withstand the load and its convexity is formed. Around the intervertebral disc is nerve processes, vessels and spinal cord. The hernia of the disc affecting any of the nerve processes causes its inflammation, which leads to pain.
Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine is distinguished by different symptoms. There is an unpleasant sensation in the hand, spreading from the shoulder and forearm to the outer surface of the shoulder and the forearm to the fingers, numbness of this area, enlarge or decrease the sensitivity, sometimes you have to get up at night and mix the muscles of the hands. The pain can be acute, cutting and accompanied by a feeling of electric current. Often the pain is exacerbated by a minimum load on the arm; Some patients are not able to walk in a coat - it presses their shoulders and looks extremely heavy. The pain is exacerbated by coughing, sneezing, tension, and especially when it tilts to the healthy side. Motor disorders may occur, more often in the hands, especially in the fingers. As a rule, 2-3 lower spine of the spine are affected.
Sometimes numbness, burning, numbness in the hands or feet, limiting the mobility of the upper or lower limbs, and impaired sensitivity are noted. The appearance of "cervical migraine" shows the lesion of the spinal artery. The blood circulation in the stem and the back of the brain is impaired. The constant symptom is a headache. Usually the pain occurs in the back of the head and spreads in the area of the Parietal-Octum. The pain is constant and increases with neck movements, more often in the morning. Older people often lose consciousness with a sharp turn of their heads, which is preceded by dizziness, tinnitus, reduction of visual acuity and hearing, nausea and vomiting.
Sometimes there is heartache - prolonged, squeezing. With osteochondrosis of the cervical spine, especially in old and senile era, changes in soft tissues in the form of seals are often found. These seals are determined in the muscles of the neck, in the area of the processes of the cervical vertebrae (often VII vertebrae), wrist, elbow joints, in the sub-classic pit. With age, cicatrial seals are increasingly revealed in the palm of your hand due to a change in the structure of the tendons.
The manifestations of osteochondrosis of the chest spine are extremely diverse, but none of the symptoms are strictly specific. In general, the symptoms are determined by the location (location) of the painful process and the degree of its severity. Chest pain is the main symptom. After exercise or long stay in one position, the pain intensifies, forcing patients to change the posture even at night. Very characteristic is a burning, sick or dull pain in the scapula and interpretation. Patients complain about the feeling of "iron ticks". Drinking vertebrae processes is painful. The pain can spread to different internal organs.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
The diagnosis of osteochondrosis is performed by a neuropathologist, an orthopedist. To confirm the diagnosis of osteochondrosis, the doctor detects the symptoms of the disease, the history of the development of the disease and examines the patient. In the study of patients with osteochondrosis, the curvature of the spine (scoliosis), the presence of painful points and tense muscles from the sides of the spine are found usually found.
To clarify the diagnosis of osteochondrosis, a radiological examination of the spine, computed tomography or nuclear magnetic resonance imaging is performed.
How to treat osteochondrosis
There are currently many ways to treat osteochondrosis, from taking medication and completing surgery. Of course, there are many disputes over these methods and their effect on the body. When choosing a treatment method, you should pay attention to some points.
For example, if you are being treated with medication, you should pay attention to the fact that most of them adversely affect the stomach and liver, so it is important to just contact experienced specialists who will choose the most sparing therapy.
When choosing a manual therapist, it is advisable to be more closely, since the unprofessional, which is now much, can lead you to a wheelchair. When choosing therapeutic exercises, it is necessary to pay attention to the guarantee that the exercises do not cause the spine, but only develop the muscles of the back. Try to do all the exercises slowly, without sudden movements.
In order to prevent osteochondrosis and exclude its exacerbations, it is advisable to follow several rules that will reduce the load on the spine:
- Always keep your back right
- Try not to lift heavy objects. If necessary, then lift them slices and do not tilt
- Move more often, do not allow the back muscles to atrophy
- Hold on the horizontal bar as often as possible and swim
But not everything is so scary. For those who do not yet have this disease, there are a number of preventative measures, the rest have a whole arsenal of remedies for the treatment of this disease.
Prevention of osteochondrosis
As you know, it is easier to prevent the disease than to cure. The prevention of osteochondrosis is required for all - both children and adults. In addition, there is nothing complicated and preventing osteochondrosis does not require special effort. The first and perhaps the most important moment is the care for the health of the spine. To do this, the world of advice advises constantly sports or at least gymnastics, which will help to develop the spinal muscular corset and will improve blood circulation. The next is to constantly monitor the stand and the gait, not to hug, not to bend.
The ideal stand is when the head and back are on the same vertical, the shoulders straighten, the shoulder blades do not protrude, the chest is lifted and the stomach is pulled. My yoga teacher once said that the stomach is noticeable not because we eat a lot, but because we go wrong. How is it right? Imagine being pulled from the top of your head and barely touching the socks on the floor. Practice such an exercise for a few weeks and soon you will not notice that they have become the owner of an excellent posture.
It is also advisable to hang as often as possible on the horizontal band, stretching the spine and allowing it to relax. Get yourself a dream in which your spine will take the right position. Studies by scientists show that the ideal posture for the spine in lying on the back. But at the same time, the mattress should be difficult enough for the spine to take a comfortable natural pose. To do this, place an elastic roller under your feet. We advise you to buy an orthopedic mattress and pillow and finally throw the grandmother on the pen on the pen.
If you have a monotonous stuck work, always every two hours (the more, the better) you take breaks. Relax, make you move your head and shoulders a little, go. If possible, go out into the fresh air. By the way, such vacations are legalized and in the Labor Code is allowed for people who work constantly on the computer.
We include a balanced, vitamin diet for prevention. Try to eat fish and seafood, nuts, legumes and various dairy products. Periodically take complex vitamins. This way you will not commit a metabolic disorder. Excess weight is a destructive load on the spine, so try not to recover.
Well, a few words about prevention in children. You need to monitor your child's posture, do gymnastics or morning exercises (it will be more effective if you do it together). However, give preference to school backpacks, not bags, because it is the backpacks that balance the load on the back.