What is lumbar spine osteochondrosis? How is lumbar osteochondrosis treated? And is it true that osteochondrosis is not curable at all? Given the statistics of morbidity, the number of cases does not decrease every year. Intervertebral osteochondrosis affects both young people and the elderly. How to treat osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine and the main symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis will be described in detail by a neurologist or osteopath.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease. The malaise refers to a change in the shape of the vertebrae and a decrease in the elasticity of the intervertebral discs due to cell malnutrition. The lumbar spine suffers for some reason. Located in the lower part of the spine, the vertebrae take the maximum load. When lifting weights, all the force acting on the body is filled with depletion of the intervertebral space and this leads to compression of the nerve roots. From here, signs of lumbar osteochondrosis begin to appear.
Causes
Every disease has predisposing factors that have a negative effect on the body. Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine also has its own causes. Doctors do not rule out the cause, the transmission of the disease at the genetic level. It is believed that if parents have problems with malnutrition of the intervertebral discs, then there is a high probability that this problem will not bypass the children. One of the most popular reasons is hard physical labor. When lifting weights, most of the load goes to the lumbosacral spine.
Obesity is an equally common cause of disease. Excess weight that accumulates in the body puts pressure on the spine and causes pain. It seems that poor posture will not lead to anything serious, but this is one of the reasons for the wear of the intervertebral discs, which turns into osteochondrosis. Back injuries are important. Injuries or the lifting of heavy objects by a poorly trained athlete or an incorrectly matched load are also adversely affected.
The most common cause of disc cell malnutrition is a sedentary lifestyle.
To keep the body healthy, a person needs a moderate load. Limited or completely absent physical activity leads to a decrease in blood circulation. As a result, the muscles of the back, without receiving the necessary nutrients, weaken and the load on the lumbar spine increases. Also, over the years, the spine becomes less mobile than in youth, the elasticity of the intervertebral discs decreases, which leads to the disease.
Infectious diseases or inflammation affecting the bones or joints lead to changes in the structure of the vertebrae. Congenital malformations of the skeleton or abnormalities in the development of the musculoskeletal system. Flatfoot, leading to destruction of segments of the spine due to lack of absorption of shocks in the limbs. Most of the load falls not on the legs, but on the lower back, which leads to deformation of the segments. Stressful situations are a common cause of various illnesses. Therefore, lumbar osteochondrosis and its symptoms are no exception. Severe nervous shock can serve as an impetus to pinch nerve endings and cause an attack of pain. More often stress is the cause of osteochondrosis in women, they are more prone to emotions than men.
Symptoms
The initial stage of the disease is rarely diagnosed by doctors. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. The onset of the disease occurs gradually. Since the main manifestation is pain in the lower back, there is a division of pain into 3 groups, which in turn characterize the symptoms and signs of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.
- Lumbago- paroxysmal pain that occurs in response to sudden movement or lifting weights. When you try to take a different position, the pain becomes even stronger, all the way to lumbago.
- Lumbodenia- the pain increases and becomes regular. Muscle fibers and intervertebral cartilage are affected. Lumbodynia is a consequence of lumbago.
- Lumboisalgia- painful sensations, cold or heat in the lumbar region and lower extremities. They occur in response to pinching of the roots of the spinal cord.
The second most important symptom in diagnosing the disease is the restriction of physical activity due to painful sensations. When trying to do work or exercise normally for oneself, one experiences increased pain that can affect the entire leg. Even while sitting, the patient experiences tingling from the lower back to the foot.
Equally important is the local lowering of the temperature and discoloration of the skin, it becomes dry and pale. Numbness, weakness in the muscles of the lower extremities, indicates the progression of the disease. The most severe phenomenon, manifested in the last degree of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, is dysfunction of the pelvic organs. Persistent debilitating pain, incontinence of stool and urine, or vice versa, is accompanied by a delay in excretion.
When diseases are diagnosed, there are four stages of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine. Each stage is characterized by symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, to which is added pain in the sacrum.
In the process of disease progression, osteochondrosis can descend to the final spine, the coccyx. The disease is called sacral osteochondrosis. Acute, paroxysmal pain occurs in the coccyx.
In this case, women suffer the most. Their anatomical structure of the body and age-related changes in it contribute to the development of intervertebral osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis in women is often complicated by other internal diseases.
The symptoms of lumbosacral osteochondrosis are somewhat different from lumbar osteochondrosis. The symptoms are manifested in disorders of the pelvic organs, which complicate the choice of proper treatment and diagnosis of the cause of the disease. Signs such as increased urination, urinary and fecal incontinence appear. 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 first, which is the initial stageof the disease, is characterized by the manifestation of pain in the lower back - lumbago, muscle spasm, local swelling of the skin.
- The second stagebegins with lumbodinia. The pain becomes regular and more intense than in the initial stage. Unusual mobility may occur in the joints of the spine, which increases the sensation of pain. The pain is felt along the sciatic nerve. Less commonly, the functions of internal organs may be impaired.
- The third stageis characterized by the appearance of intervertebral hernias. The spine is deformed, the curvature can be left or right, it is scoliosis, forward - lordosis, back - kyphosis. Therefore, a person suffers from constant sharp pain.
- Stage four,the most difficult. Due to the constant severe pain, the patient's movement is difficult. Without timely treatment, a person can be permanently disabled.
Complications
The most common complication is urogenital dysfunction. Along with incontinence, urine and feces, inflammation occurs in the urine-genitals and in the rectum. In more pronounced lesions of the vertebrae, irritation occurs in the direction of the sciatic nerve and its inflammation. Protrusion of the intervertebral discs is a very dangerous complication. Protrusion is a borderline condition of the intervertebral disc that can lead to the next complication if treatment is not started on time. This is due to a transient degenerative change in the spine.
The consequence of the protrusion is a disc herniation. Which is manifested by a change in its shape and rupture of the membrane of the intervertebral disc.
Constant compression of the nerve roots of the spinal cord and inflammation leads to such a complication as sciatica.
Complete obstruction of the spinal canal may occur. Due to the instability in the lumbosacral region, men develop congestion in the pelvis, which leads to impotence. In women, this leads to inflammatory diseases of the uterus, ovaries and appendages. On the part of the kidneys, this is renal colic that cannot be eliminated until osteochondrosis of the lower back is treated. Lower limb paralysis, which can limit a person to a wheelchair. Timely diagnosis and timely treatment of lumbar spine osteochondrosis helps prevent these complications and avoid disability.
Treatment
Let's look at lumbar osteochondrosis, its symptoms and treatment. In modern times, medicine is able to achieve recovery of a person suffering from osteochondrosis. Treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine lasts a long time. A sick person who has intervertebral osteochondrosis for the first time will still wonder if it is possible to cure osteochondrosis and how to get rid of it forever?
What should I do? Is osteochondrosis of the lower spine treatable? First you need to completely rethink your lifestyle. Draw certain conclusions. You must move toward the cherished goal of healing every day without interruption. In osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, the complex treatment of the disease is of great importance. Treatment of lumbosacral osteochondrosis involves several methods.
Conservative
Conservative treatment based on massage techniques, which, if done correctly, can relieve muscle spasm and improve muscle fiber nutrition. By improving trophism, the corset of the back muscles is strengthened. The posture occupies the correct position, which determines the appearance of various problems with the spine. Physical therapy for lumbar osteochondrosis is very useful, but you should exercise in remission, between exacerbations. Dealing with the acute period of the disease, you can only worsen the situation and harm your health.
Manual therapy also refers to conservative treatment. It must be performed by a specialist specially trained in this technique. Thanks to this therapy, the spine can be returned to the desired position. This is sometimes the most effective method. It is necessary to perform such a procedure in the subacute period.
Eating diets, 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, this is one of the causes of osteochondrosis. Physical therapy is an equally effective treatment. Magnetotherapy, UHF are able with long-term treatment to improve blood circulation in the affected area with lumbar osteochondrosis. They also have a vasodilating and analgesic effect.
Healing type of treatment. How to treat osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine with drugs? What should be the treatment, all these questions are of great interest to a sick person. The treatment is divided into two types. In the first case, during the acute period of intervertebral osteochondrosis, the drugs are aimed at eliminating pain and inflammation. Means are used that release the compressed roots of the spinal nerves. These include muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids, blockade, NSAIDs. For the second period between exacerbations, means are used to improve blood circulation, restore muscle and nerve fibers, damaged body tissues. Vitamins and preparations of plant and animal origin are used for this purpose.
Vascular preparations as well as warming and analgesic ointments are used to improve blood circulation.
Operational
Neurosurgeons perform microsurgical and endoscopic operations on the spine.
These methods are more common and are eliminated if other treatments fail. When the effect of drug therapy is not achieved and complications such as hernias occur, surgery to remove the affected disc is indicated.
Disease prevention
The prevention of lumbar spine osteochondrosis is to rule out risk factors leading to this disease. In order not to think about how to cure lumbar osteochondrosis, you need to prevent its occurrence. Eliminating the causes is the main preventive measure.
Normalized physical activity, strengthening the muscles of the back, preventing the maximum load on the lumbar spine, preventing the development of diseases leading to osteochondrosis, all these are preventive measures to prevent the symptoms of lumbosacral osteochondrosis. By adhering to these simple principles, you will maintain your health and prolong your life. After all, without treatment and prevention, you may never return to a full life