Osteochondrosis is a degenerative process that occurs in articular cartilage and adjacent bone tissue.Doctors define this disease as a degenerative-destructive damage to the vertebrae and intervertebral discs: they lose moisture, height and elasticity decrease.
Osteochondrosis "looked young"
If only a few decades ago, articular cartilage began to deteriorate in people over 40 years old, today the disease occurs even in adolescence.
Doctors name many reasons for this unpleasant trend.Unhealthy lifestyle, together with unfavorable environmental conditions and deteriorating standard of living, lead to premature wear and deformation of bone and cartilage structures.
Constantly being in an unnatural state, sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition accompanies every person.Few people think about the prevention of osteochondrosis, neglecting physical exercises, a balanced diet and an approach to protecting one's health in general.The result of such unconsciousness is usually sad.
The main causes of osteochondrosis
Experts still argue about how many real factors are involved in the development of the disease.Unconditional causes include:
- individual inclination;
- segmental circulatory disorders;
- age-related changes;
- damage to the fibrous ring;
- overweight;
- constant loads;
- poor nutrition;
- bad habits;
- failure of the body during menopause;
- sedentary work.
Stages of development of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is classified by stages, taking into account clinical signs, the degree of tissue damage and the patient's level of discomfort.The pathological process occurs in four stages:
- Preclinical.First, the basic nutritional level of the intervertebral discs decreases, their flexibility and strength deteriorate.X-ray shows no changes.The patient may feel mild fatigue, mild anxiety, stiffness, dizziness, headache;
- Stage of discogenic radiculitis.The fibrous ring begins to slowly deform (cracks and protrusions appear).The pain becomes sharper and more immediate, the discomfort is more noticeable.a symptom like "lumbago" appears, the limbs begin to go numb;
- Vascular-radicular stage.The fibrin ring completely loses its shape.From this moment, hernias can form.X-rays are very informative.Subjective feelings of patients are pronounced (pain, acute pain attacks, constant anxiety).Muscle spasms often appear and performance decreases sharply.If the nerve fibers suffer, the first signs of dysfunction of the internal systems are inevitable;
- As the height of the vertebrae decreases, friction begins between them.Osteophytes may appear as a compensatory mechanism.These are special osteogrowths that help strengthen the area where friction is most intense.However, osteophytes can cause inflammatory processes in the surrounding soft tissues, aggravating the pathological picture.
Disease symptoms: an emphasis on patient well-being
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a whole galaxy of very different symptoms.This is due to the extent of the pathological process itself and its effect on most organs of the human body.There are several main syndromes that manifest themselves in patients suffering from osteochondrosis:
- Static syndrome.When your vertebrae are out of shape, your posture inevitably changes.Signs of kyphosis, scoliosis and lordosis appear.Anxiety is accompanied by a feeling of stiffness;
- Neurological syndrome.Nerve tissue damage leads to paresthesia (disorder of sensitivity) of various zones, accompanied by numbness, tingling, "creeping" feeling;
- Vascular syndrome.Due to compression (squeezing) of large vessels and capillaries by the deformed vertebra, blood circulation is disturbed.Result: nausea, dizziness, pallor, signs of oxygen starvation;
- A symptom of trophism.Trophic ulcers may appear on the surface of the skin as tissue nutrition is disrupted (due to compression of small vessels).
Cervical osteochondrosis
The first manifestation of cervical osteochondrosis is a headache.Analgesics do not relieve pain.Typically, the pain begins in the parietal zone, smoothly flows to the temporal region.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 experience dizziness, nausea and increased tinnitus.If the nutrition of the optic zone is disturbed, the visual acuity is usually sharply reduced.
Elderly people may suddenly lose consciousness and have difficulty with memory and coordination.Rare symptoms include shortness of breath, restlessness, and hiccups.
Thoracic osteochondrosis
The thoracic region is the least affected.One of the main reasons for the appearance of pathology is scoliosis and improper work at a desk (meaning sitting work).The patient experiences dull aching pain from the beginning of the development of the disease.As the disease progresses, it provokes other symptoms: chest pain, numbness, paresthesia, painful pain in the area of the liver and kidneys.
In differential diagnosis, deformation processes in the thoracic region can be confused with myocardial infarction and intercostal neuralgia.This ECG and a more comprehensive examination (absence of cyanosis, pallor, paleness of the skin) allow to accurately determine the diagnosis.
Lumbosacral osteochondrosis
The most common type of osteochondrosis.This is due to the fact that this area of the spine carries the most load.Hernias occur here most often, complicating the clinical picture.
Main symptoms: long-term pain, muscle aches, anxiety, rare lumbago, paresthesia, periodically stops and then resumes.The degree of sensitivity of the skin on the legs, feet and thighs may vary.
The common cause of osteochondrosis in this department is trauma, mechanical compression and heavy physical activity.One of the most unpleasant consequences of lumbar-sacral deformities is "slipping" of the vertebra and problems with the work of nearby organs.
What pain in osteochondrosis will tell you
The nature and specificity of the pain depends on the place where the deformation processes occur most intensively.The main feature: the damaged vertebra compresses the nerve roots, causing pain in the area where the nerve plexus is responsible.
Problems can be distributed as follows:
- Cervical region - headaches, stiffness in the neck and shoulders, vision, breathing and other important functions;
- Thoracic region - pain in the heart, lumbago in the arm and internal organs, digestive dysfunction, arrhythmia, problems in the work of the endocrine system.The pain is always strong and sharp;
- Lower back - pain, constant pain, malfunction of the genitourinary system, obstruction in the pelvis, reproductive dysfunction.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
The doctor should collect as complete an anamnesis as possible.During the examination, the specialist palpates the most painful places.
X-ray examination will be informative.Especially in the last stages of the disease.
Modern diagnostic methods include MRI and CT, which allow to check the processes of destruction of cartilage and bone tissue in the most accurate way.Also, using this technique, it is convenient to diagnose hernias and other soft tissue defects close to the source of the disease.
ECG is used for differential diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region.The patient should undergo a general blood and urine test.
Working at the computer and the development of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is an insidious disease.It affects both the "office plankton" who constantly sits behind the computer, and amateur workers who expose their health to unusual stress.Irrational work, neglecting the rules for the prevention of osteochondrosis and an unhealthy lifestyle lead to the rapid destruction of bone and cartilage tissue.
The generation of modern youth is extremely "computerized".Many medical experts point to this as one of the main reasons why osteochondrosis is so common and affects so many young people.Key tips from experts:
- You need 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 can't stand the discomfort while sitting at the computer.The body, especially the back, should be comfortable;
- Active lifestyle.Work or leisure time at the computer should be replaced by sports recreation or light gymnastics.
Wrong lifestyle
An unbalanced diet provokes osteochondrosis.Harmful food attacks several "fronts" at once.First of all, obesity caused by fast food and similar snacks is one of the main causes of spine dysfunction.Salts and other harmful elements accumulated in the bones only accelerate the destructive processes and aggravate the problem.
Alcohol and smoking have a similar effect.Harmful substances affect the cellular level, have a devastating effect on bone tissue and cartilage surfaces, which are most sensitive to nicotine.
By reviewing your lifestyle, diet and eliminating bad habits, you can prevent the appearance or development of osteochondrosis.The ability to move easily and freely is a real luxury for every person, a gift of nature.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.