What is osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine? How to treat lumbar osteochondrosis? And is it true that osteochondrosis is not treated at all?
Given the disease statistics, the number of diseases does not decrease every year. Intervertebral osteochondrosis affects both young and old people. How to treat the main symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis and lumbar osteochondrosis will be explained in detail by a neurologist or osteopath.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease. Malaise means a change in the shape of the vertebrae and a decrease in the elasticity of the intervertebral discs due to malnutrition of cells.
The pancreas suffers for a reason. The vertebrae in the lower part of the spine carry the maximum load. When lifting weights, all the forces acting on the body are filled with depletion of the intervertebral space, which leads to compression of the nerve roots. This is where the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the spine begin to appear.
Reasons
Every disease has predisposing factors that negatively affect the body. Lumbar osteochondrosis also has its causes. Doctors do not rule out the cause of the disease, the genetic transmission of the disease. If parents have a problem feeding the intervertebral discs, it is believed that children are more likely to have this problem. One of the most common reasons is heavy physical labor. When lifting weights, most of the load goes to the lumbosacral spine.
Obesity is an equally common disease. Excess weight accumulates in the body puts pressure on the spine and causes pain. Poor posture does not seem to cause anything serious, but it is one of the causes of intervertebral disc wear, which can lead to osteochondrosis. Back injuries are important. Lifting heavy objects by a contusion or poorly trained athlete, or a load that fits incorrectly, also has a negative effect.
The most common cause of disc cell malnutrition is a sedentary lifestyle.
A person needs a moderate load to keep the body healthy. Limited or no physical activity reduces the speed of blood circulation. As a result, the lumbar muscles weaken without getting the necessary nutrients, and the load on the lumbar spine increases. In addition, over the years, the spine is not as mobile as in youth, and the elasticity of the intervertebral discs decreases, which leads to disease.
Infectious diseases or inflammation affecting the bones or joints can cause changes in the structure of the vertebrae. Congenital defects of the skeleton or abnormalities in the development of the musculoskeletal system. Straight legs cause the destruction of spinal segments due to the lack of shock absorption in the limbs. Most of the load falls under the waist, not on the legs, causing deformation of these segments. Stress is a common cause of various diseases. Therefore, symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis are not excluded. A strong nerve shock can be a stimulus to squeeze the nerve endings and can cause a pain attack. More stress is the cause of osteochondrosis in women, who are more prone to emotions than men.
symptoms
In the early stages of the disease, doctors rarely make a diagnosis. Therefore, it is difficult to determine the initial symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis. The manifestation of the disease occurs gradually.
Since the main manifestation is back pain, there are 3 groups of pain, which in turn characterize the signs and symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis.
- Lumbago- paroxysmal pain that occurs in response to a sudden movement or weight lifting. When trying to take a different position, the pain intensifies to the lumbar spine.
- Lumbodynia- pain increases and becomes regular. Muscle fibers and intervertebral cartilage are affected. Lumbodinia is a result of lumbago.
- Lumboishalgia- pain, cold or heat in the lower back and lower extremities. Occurs in response to compression of the spinal cord roots.
The second most important symptom in the diagnosis of the disease is the restriction of physical activity due to painful sensations. When trying to do something for himself or do a routine, a person experiences increasing pain that can affect the whole leg. Even when sitting, the patient has tingling sensations from the waist to the feet.
It is equally important that the local decrease in temperature and discoloration of the skin leads to dryness and paleness. Indicates numbness, weakness in the muscles of the lower extremities, the development of the disease. The most severe phenomenon in severe osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is dysfunction of the pelvic organs. Constant debilitating pain is associated with fecal and urinary incontinence or, conversely, delayed secretion.
There are four stages of the lumbosacral spine when diagnosing diseases. Each stage is characterized by symptoms of osteochondrosis in the lumbar region, accompanied by pain in the sacrum.
In the process of developing the disease, osteochondrosis can descend to the last spine, tailbone. The disease is called sacral osteochondrosis. There is acute, paroxysmal pain in the coccyx. Most women suffer in this situation. Changes in the anatomical structure of the body and age contribute to the development of intervertebral osteochondrosis. In women, osteochondrosis is often complicated by other internal diseases.
The symptoms of lumbosacral osteochondrosis are slightly different from lumbar osteochondrosis.
Symptoms are manifested by dysfunction of the pelvic organs, which makes it difficult to choose the right treatment and determine the cause of the disease.
Symptoms often include urination, urinary incontinence, and constipation. If the diagnosis is incorrect, complications occur.
Stages of the disease
The treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis also differs from the stage of the disease.
- The firstis the initial stage of the disease, characterized by low back pain - lumbago, muscle spasms, local swelling of the skin.
- The second phasebegins with lumbodynia. The pain is regular and more intense than in the first stage. Abnormal mobility may appear in the spinal joints, which increases the sensation of pain. The pain is felt along the sciatic nerve. Less common, the functions of internal organs may be impaired.
- The thirdstage is characterized by the appearance of intervertebral hernias. The spine is deformed, the curve can be left or right, it is scoliosis, forward - lordosis, back - kyphosis. Therefore, a person suffers from constant sharp pains.
- The fourthstage is the most difficult. The patient has difficulty moving due to constant severe pain. A person can become permanently disabled without starting treatment on time.
Complications
The most common complication is dysfunction of the genitourinary system. Incontinence, inflammation of the urogenital organs and rectum, along with urine and feces. With a more pronounced lesion of the vertebrae, irritation occurs in the direction of the sciatic nerve and its inflammation. Intervertebral disc protrusion is a very dangerous complication. Protrusion is a borderline condition of the intervertebral disc that can lead to further complications if treatment is not started on time. Occurs due to degenerative changes in the spine.
The result of the protrusion is a torn disc. It manifests itself with a change in shape and rupture of the membrane of the intervertebral disc.
Continuous compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots of inflammation causes a complication such as radiculitis.
Complete blockage of the spinal canal can occur. Due to the instability in the lumbosacral region, men form a blockage in the small pelvis, which leads to impotence. In women, it causes inflammatory diseases of the uterus, ovaries and appendages. On the renal side, this is renal colic that cannot be eliminated until lumbar osteochondrosis is treated. Paralysis of the lower extremities, which can confine a person to a wheelchair. Timely diagnosis and timely treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis can help prevent these complications and prevent disability.
Treatment
Let's look at osteochondrosis of the spine, its symptoms and treatment. In modern times, medicine can cure a person suffering from osteochondrosis. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine is often time consuming. A person who is diagnosed with intervertebral osteochondrosis for the first time still thinks that osteochondrosis can be cured and how can we get rid of it forever?
What to do? Is osteochondrosis of the spine treated? First, you need to change your lifestyle completely. Draw certain conclusions. You need to move forward toward the goal of healing that you cherish every day. Complex treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis is of great importance. Treatment of lumbosacral osteochondrosis involves several methods.
Conservative
Conservative treatment based on massage techniques, if performed correctly, will eliminate muscle spasms and improve the nutrition of muscle fibers. By improving trophism, the corset of the back muscles is strengthened. Posture occupies the correct position, which determines the appearance of various problems of the spine. Physical therapy for lumbar osteochondrosis is very helpful, but during remission, you should exercise between exacerbations. Dealing with the acute phase of the disease can only aggravate the situation and damage your health.
Manual therapy is also a conservative treatment. This technique should be performed by a specialist with special training. Thanks to this therapy, the spine can be brought to the desired position. This is sometimes the most effective method. Such a procedure should be performed in the subacute period.
Eating a diet, obese people, leading a healthy lifestyle and following a healthy diet will not hurt anyone. And people with such a disease will only benefit. Being overweight is one of the causes of osteochondrosis. Physical therapy is an equally effective treatment. Magnetotherapy, UHF is capable of long-term treatment, improves blood circulation in the area affected by lumbar osteochondrosis. In addition, they have a vasodilating and analgesic effect.
Type of treatment. How to treat lumbar osteochondrosis with medication? How to treat, all these questions are of great interest to a sick person. Treatment is divided into two types. In the first case, in the acute period of intervertebral osteochondrosis, drugs are aimed at relieving pain and inflammation. Means are used to release the compressed roots of the spinal nerves. These include muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids, blockers, and NSAIDs. In the second period, substances are used to improve blood circulation between the flares, to restore muscle and nerve fibers, damaged body tissues. Vitamins and preparations of plant and animal origin are used for this purpose.
Vascular drugs are used to improve blood circulation, as well as warming and anesthetic ointments.
Operation
Neurosurgeons perform microsurgery and endoscopic operations on the spine.
These methods are more common and are eliminated if other treatments fail.
If the effect of drug treatment is not achieved and complications such as a hernia occur, surgery is indicated to remove the affected disc.
Disease prevention
Prevention of lumbar osteochondrosis involves eliminating the risk factors that cause the disease. To avoid thinking about how to treat lumbar osteochondrosis, you need to prevent it from occurring. Elimination of the causes is the main preventive measure.
Normalized physical activity, strengthening the lumbar muscles, preventing the maximum load on the lumbar spine, preventing the development of diseases that cause osteochondrosis, all of which are preventive measures to prevent the symptoms of lumbosacral osteochondrosis. By following these simple principles, you will protect your health and prolong your life. After all, without treatment and prevention, you can never return to full life.