What is osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine? How to treat lumbar osteochondrosis? And is it true that osteochondrosis is not treated at all?
Considering the incidence statistics, the number of cases does not decrease every year. Intervertebral osteochondrosis affects both a young organism and the elderly. The treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine and the main symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis will be described in detail by a neuropathologist or an osteopath.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disease. Discomfort refers to a change in the shape of the vertebrae and a decrease in the elasticity of the intervertebral discs due to malnutrition of the cells.
The lumbar spine is in pain for a reason. Being in the lower part of the spine, the vertebrae take the maximum load. When lifting weights, all the force acting on the body leads to exhaustion of the intervertebral space and this leads to compression of the nerve roots. From there, signs of lumbar osteochondrosis begin to appear.
Reasons
Every disease has predisposing factors that act negatively 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, there is a high probability that this problem will not bypass children. One of the most common reasons is heavy physical labor. When lifting weights, most of the load goes to the lumbosacral spine.
Obesity is also a common cause of illness. The excess weight that accumulates in the body puts pressure on the spine and causes pain. It seems that bad posture will not lead to anything serious, but it is also one of the reasons for the wear and tear of the intervertebral discs, which turns into osteochondrosis. Back injuries are significant. Bruising, or the lifting of heavy objects by an improperly trained athlete, or an improperly adapted load are also affected.
The most common cause of poor nutrition in disc cells is a sedentary lifestyle.
In order to keep the body healthy, a person needs a moderate load. Limited or totally absent physical activity leads to a decrease in the speed of blood circulation. As a result, the back muscles, without receiving the necessary nutrients, weaken and the load on the lumbar spine increases. In addition, over the years, the spine becomes less mobile than in young people, the elasticity of the intervertebral discs decreases, which leads to the disease.
Infectious diseases, or inflammation in the bones or joints, cause changes in the structure of the vertebrae. Congenital malformations of the skeleton or deviations in the development of the musculoskeletal system. Flat feet, resulting in the destruction of segments of the spine, due to the lack of shock absorption in the limbs. Most of the load does not fall 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. A strong nervous shock, can be used as an impetus to pinch the nerve endings, and cause an attack of pain. Most often, stress is the cause of osteochondrosis in women, they are more prone to emotions than men.
Symptoms
The initial stage of the disease, doctors rarely diagnose. Therefore, it is difficult to identify the main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. The manifestation of the disease occurs gradually.
Since the main manifestation is low back pain, there is a division of pain into 3 groups, which in turn characterize the symptoms and signs of low back pain.
- Lumbago- paroxysmal pain that occurs in response to sudden movement or weight lifting. When trying to take a different position, the pain becomes even stronger, up to lumbago.
- Lumbodynia- the pain increases and becomes regular. Muscle fibers and intervertebral cartilage are affected. Lumbodynia is a consequence of lumbago.
- Lumboishalgie- painful sensations, cold or heat in the lumbar region and lower limbs. They arise in response to pinching of the roots of the spinal cord.
The second most important symptom in diagnosing a disease is limitation in physical activity due to painful sensations. When trying to do a job or exercise for themselves, a person experiences increased pain, which can affect the entire leg. Even when sitting, the patient experiences tingling sensations from the lower back to the foot.
Equally important is a local decrease in temperature and discoloration of the skin, it becomes dry and pale. Numbness, weakness of the muscles of the lower extremities, indicates the progression of the disease. The most serious phenomenon, which manifests itself in the last degree of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, is dysfunction of the pelvic organs. Constant debilitating pain is accompanied by fecal and urinary incontinence, or vice versa, delayed excretion.
When diagnosing diseases, there are four stages of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine. For each stage, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine are characteristic, to which is added pain in the sacrum.
During the process of disease progression, osteochondrosis can descend to the last spine, the coccyx. The disease is called osteochondrosis of the sacral spine. Sharp, paroxysmal pain appears in the area of the tailbone. Women suffer the most in this case. Their anatomical structure of the body and age-related changes 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.
Symptoms are manifested by dysfunction of the pelvic organs, making it difficult to choose the appropriate treatment and diagnose the cause of the disease.
Signs such as frequent urination, urinary and fecal incontinence appear. If the diagnosis is not correct, complications arise.
Stages of the disease
The treatment for lumbar osteochondrosis also differs from the stage of the disease.
- The first, and this is the initial stage of the disease, is characterized by the manifestation of pain in the lower back - lumbago, muscle spasm, local swelling of the skin.
- Second step, begins with lumbodynia. The pains become regular and more intense than at the initial stage. In the joints of the spine, unusual mobility may appear, which increases pain. Pain is felt along the sciatic nerve. Less frequently, 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. Due to this, a person is tormented by constant sharp pain.
- Fourthstage, the most difficult. Due to constant severe pain, the patient's movements are difficult. Without starting treatment on time, a person can be permanently disabled.
Complications
The most common complication is dysfunction of the genitourinary system. Along with incontinence, urine and feces, inflammation occurs in the genitals and urinary tract and in the rectum. With a more pronounced lesion of the vertebrae, irritation occurs in the direction of the sciatic nerve and its inflammation. Protrusion of the intervertebral disc is a very dangerous complication. Protrusion is a borderline condition of the intervertebral disc, which can lead to the following complication if treatment is not started on time. This occurs due to a temporary degenerative change in the spine.
The consequence of the protrusion is a herniated disc. This is manifested by a change in shape, and a rupture of the membrane of the intervertebral disc.
Constant compression of the spinal nerve roots and inflammation lead to complications such as sciatica.
Complete obstruction of the spinal canal may occur. Due to the instability of the lumbosacral region, men develop congestion in the small pelvis, which leads to impotence. In women, this leads to inflammatory diseases of the uterus, ovaries and appendages. On the kidney side, it is renal colic, which cannot be eliminated until the osteochondrosis of the lower back is treated. Paralysis of the lower extremities, which can confine a person to a wheelchair. Timely diagnosis and treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine helps prevent these complications and prevent disability.
Processing
Let's analyze lumbar osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment. In modern times, medicine is able to cure a person suffering from osteochondrosis. The treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine takes a long time. A sick person, who has intervertebral osteochondrosis for the first time, will still wonder whether it is possible to cure osteochondrosis, and how to get rid of it forever?
What to do? Is osteochondrosis of the lower spine treated? First you need to completely rethink your lifestyle. Draw some conclusions. You must move closer to the cherished goal of healing every day without interruption. With osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, complex treatment of the disease is of great importance. The treatment of lumbosacral osteochondrosis includes several methods.
Conservative
Conservative treatment, based on massage techniques, which, if done correctly, can relieve muscle spasms and improve the nutrition of muscle fibers. By improving trophism, the corset of the back muscles is strengthened. The posture takes the correct position, which determines the appearance of various problems with the spine. Physiotherapy for lumbar osteochondrosis is very helpful, but you need to exercise during the period of remission, between exacerbations. Engaged in the acute period of the disease, you can only make the situation worse and harm your health.
Manual therapy also refers to conservative treatment. It must be performed by a professional specially trained in this technique. With this therapy, the spine can be brought back 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 adhering to a healthy diet will not hurt anyone. And people with such a disease will only benefit. Since being overweight, this is one of the reasons for the appearance of osteochondrosis. Physiotherapy is an equally effective means of treatment. Magnetotherapy, UHF is able, with long-term treatment, to improve blood circulation in the area affected by lumbar osteochondrosis. They also have a vasodilator and analgesic effect.
Type of drug treatment. How to cure osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine with drugs? What treatment should be, 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, drugs are aimed at eliminating pain and inflammation. Means are used to release the pinched roots of the spinal nerves. These include muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids, blockade, NSAIDs. For the second period, between exacerbations, drugs are used to improve blood circulation, restore muscle and nerve fibers, damaged body tissues. For this purpose, vitamins and preparations of plant and animal origin are used.
To improve blood circulation, vascular preparations, as well as warming and analgesic ointments, are used.
Operational
Neurosurgeons perform microsurgical and endoscopic operations on the spine.
These methods are more common and are removed when other processing fails.
When the effect of drug therapy has not been obtained and complications such as a hernia appear, surgery is indicated to remove the affected disc.
Disease prevention
The prevention of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine involves eliminating the risk factors leading to this disease. In order not to think about how to cure lumbar osteochondrosis, you need to prevent its occurrence. The elimination of the causes is the main preventive measure.
Normalized physical activity, strengthening of the back muscles, prevention of the maximum load on the lumbar spine, prevention of the development of diseases leading to osteochondrosis, all preventive measures to prevent the symptoms of lumbosacral osteochondrosis. By adhering to these simple principles, you maintain your health and extend life. After all, without observing treatment and prevention, you may never be able to return to a full life.