Osteochondrosis is a degenerative process that occurs in the articular cartilage and adjacent bone tissues.Doctors define this disease as degenerative-destructive damage to the vertebrae and intervertebral discs: they lose moisture, height and elasticity decrease.
Osteochondrosis "looked younger"
If only a few decades ago the articular cartilage began to deteriorate in people who crossed the 40-year mark, today the disease occurs even in adolescence.
Doctors point to many reasons for this unpleasant trend.An unhealthy lifestyle, together with an unfavorable environmental situation and the deterioration of the standard of living, provokes premature wear and deformation of bone and cartilage structures.
Constantly staying in an unnatural posture, a sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition accompany every person.Few people think about the prevention of osteochondrosis, neglecting physical exercises, a balanced diet and the approach to maintaining one's own health in general.The result of such unconsciousness is usually sad.
The main causes of osteochondrosis
Experts still argue about how many real factors for the formation of the disease exist.Unconditional causes include:
- individual predisposition;
- segmental circulatory disorders;
- acquired changes with age;
- damage to the fibrous ring;
- overweight;
- permanent loads;
- poor nutrition;
- bad habits;
- malfunction of the body during menopause;
- sedentary work.
Stages of development of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is classified into stages, taking into account clinical signs, the degree of tissue damage and the patient's level of discomfort.The pathological process takes place in four stages:
- Preclinical.First, the basic level of nutrition of the intervertebral discs decreases, their elasticity and stiffness deteriorate.X-ray examination showed no changes.The patient may feel slight fatigue, slight discomfort, stiffness, dizziness, headache;
- Stage of discogenic radiculitis.The fibrous ring begins to slowly deform (cracks and protrusions appear).The pain becomes sharper and sudden, the discomfort becomes more palpable.A symptom such as "lumbago" appears, the limbs begin to go numb;
- Vascular-radicular stage.The fibrinous ring completely loses its shape.From this point on, hernias can form.X-rays are very informative.Subjective sensations of patients are expressed (pain, acute attacks of pain, constant discomfort).Frequent muscle spasms appear and efficiency drops sharply.If the nerve fibers suffer, then the first signs of dysfunction of the internal systems are inevitable;
- As the height of the vertebrae decreases, friction begins between them.Osteophytes may occur as a compensatory mechanism.These are specific bone growths that help strengthen the area where the friction is most intense.But osteophytes can provoke inflammatory processes in the surrounding soft tissues, worsening the pathological picture.
Disease symptoms: a focus on patient well-being
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a whole constellation of very different symptoms.This is due to the immensity of the pathological process itself and its influence on most organs of the human body.There are several main syndromes that occur in patients suffering from osteochondrosis:
- Static syndrome.When the vertebrae lose their shape, your posture inevitably changes.Signs of kyphosis, scoliosis and lordosis appear.Discomfort is accompanied by a feeling of stiffness;
- Neurological syndrome.Damage to the nerve tissue leads to paresthesia (impaired sensitivity) in various areas, accompanied by a feeling of numbness, tingling, "creeping";
- Vascular syndrome.Due to compression (squeezing) of large vessels and capillaries from deformed vertebrae, blood circulation is disturbed.Result: nausea, dizziness, pallor, signs of oxygen starvation;
- Symptom of trophism.Since tissue nutrition is disturbed (due to compression of small vessels), trophic ulcers may appear on the surface of the skin.
Cervical osteochondrosis
The first manifestation of cervical osteochondrosis is a headache.Analgesics do not relieve pain.Usually, the pain begins in the parietal area, smoothly moving to the temporal area.Over time, the patient begins to feel discomfort and numbness in the shoulder girdle.
Due to impaired blood supply to the brain, a person may feel dizziness, nausea and increasing tinnitus.If the nutrition of the optic zone is disturbed, the visual acuity usually decreases sharply.
Elderly people may suddenly lose consciousness and have difficulty with memory and coordination.Rare symptoms include shortness of breath, anxiety and hiccups.
Thoracic osteochondrosis
The thoracic region is least commonly affected.One of the main causes of the appearance of pathology is considered to be scoliosis and incorrect work at a desk (i.e. sedentary work).The patient experiences dull pain from the very beginning of the development of the disease.As the disease progresses, it provokes other symptoms: chest pain, numbness, paresthesia, pain in the liver and kidneys.
In differential diagnosis, deformation processes in the chest area can be confused with myocardial infarction and intercostal neuralgia.This ECG and a more thorough examination (absence of cyanosis, pallor, pallor of the skin) make it possible to accurately specify the diagnosis.
Lumbosacral osteochondrosis
The most common type of osteochondrosis.This is due to the fact that this area of the spine bears the greatest load.Hernias most often occur here, complicating the clinical picture.
The main symptoms: persistent pain, a feeling of muscle pain, discomfort, rarely lumbago, paresthesia, which from time to time stops and then resumes.The degree of sensitivity of the skin on the feet, legs and thighs may change.
A common cause of osteochondrosis in this department is trauma, mechanical compression and heavy physical exertion.One of the most unpleasant consequences of lumbosacral deformities is the "slipping" of the vertebrae and problems in the functioning of nearby organs.
What the pain in osteochondrosis will tell you about
Depending on where the deformation processes take place most intensively, the nature and specificity of the pain depends.The main feature: the damaged vertebrae press on the nerve roots, causing pain in the area for which the nerve plexuses are responsible.
The problems can be broken down as follows:
- Cervical region - headache, neck and shoulder stiffness, disturbances in vision, breathing and other important functions;
- Chest area - pain in the heart, lumbago in the arm and internal organs, impaired digestive function, arrhythmias, problems with the functioning of the endocrine system.The pain is always strong and sharp;
- Lower back - pain, constant pain, malfunction of the genitourinary system, congestion in the pelvis, reproductive dysfunction.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
The doctor should take as complete an anamnesis as possible.During the examination, the specialist palpates the areas where the pain is most pronounced.
X-ray examination will be informative.Especially in the last stages of the disease.
Modern diagnostic methods include MRI and CT, which allow the most accurate study of the processes of destruction of cartilage and bone tissue.Also, with the help of this technique, it is convenient to diagnose hernias and other soft tissue defects near the source of the disease.
An ECG is used for the differential diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the chest.The patient must pass a general blood and urine test.
Computer work and development of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is an insidious disease.It affects both the "office plankton" who constantly sits in front of the computer, and hardened workers who put their health under extreme stress.Irrational work, neglect of the rules for the prevention of osteochondrosis and an unhealthy lifestyle provoke the rapid destruction of bone and cartilage tissue.
The generation of today's youth is too "computerized".Many medical professionals point to this as one of the main reasons why osteochondrosis has become so common and affects many young people.Top tips from experts:
- It is necessary to monitor your posture and position at your desk;
- Even during hard work, it is important to take a break and "stretch" the body;
- You cannot tolerate discomfort while sitting in front of the computer.The body, especially the back, should be comfortable;
- Active lifestyle.Work or free time in front of the computer should be alternated with sports rest or light gymnastics.
Wrong way of life
An unbalanced diet provokes osteochondrosis.Junk food attacks on several "fronts" at the same time.First of all, obesity caused by fast food and similar snacks is one of the main causes of spinal dysfunction.And deposited salts and other harmful elements in the bones only worsen the problem, accelerating the destructive processes.
Alcohol and smoking have similar effects.Harmful substances affect the cellular level, having a destructive effect on bone tissue and cartilage surfaces, which are most sensitive to nicotine.
By revising your lifestyle, diet and eliminating bad habits, you can prevent the onset or progression of osteochondrosis.The ability to move easily and freely is a real luxury, a gift from nature for every person.Unfortunately, the value of painless movements becomes clear only when the pathological process immobilizes the human body.
Taking care of your health today means a happy, fulfilling life in the future.