What is spinal dorsopathy, its types and treatment methods?

Types of dorsopathy

Based on the nature of the damage to the spine, diseases are divided into deforming diseases, spondylopathies and others.
Deforming pathologies lead to degradation of intervertebral discs - up to their complete destruction, displacement of the vertebrae. This group includes scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis. Spondylopathies include inflammatory and infectious lesions of the spine, arthritis, osteochondrosis, and spondylosis. The remaining diseases, including vertebrogenic dorsopathy (pathological changes in the disc with subsequent entrapment of the spinal cord) and back pain caused by other causes, are combined into a separate group. Spinal diseases are localized in different parts - cervical, thoracic or sacrolumbar. Dorsopathy of the cerebral palsy is accompanied by muscle spasms and sometimes cerebral circulatory disorders. The patient may experience dizziness and weakness in the arms. The pain may spread to the forearms and shoulders. The thoracic region suffers much less frequently than others due to its lack of mobility. This is the longest section of the spinal column, and diseases here manifest themselves in the most unexpected ways: in the form of heart pain, chest pain, coughing, weakness in the upper limbs.

The most common case of dorsopathy is damage to the sacrolumbar region. This pathology can be found in any adult. It is asymptomatic, or its signs are so weak that the patient does not pay attention to them. During exacerbations, the patient experiences pain in the lower back (lumbodynia) and lower extremities, and a malfunction of the pelvic organs occurs.

There are cases when the pathology is limited to damage to one vertebra, but polysegmental and widespread dorsopathy are more common. In the first case, the disease affects the entire spine, in the second - several vertebrae in different areas.

Sports and hernia

The first question that most worries people who lead an active lifestyle is which sports cause the greatest risk of progression of hernial protrusion, which sports activities and their types need to be said goodbye.

First of all, we are talking about all team sports, especially those with uncontrolled jumping loads. This is volleyball, basketball, football with its jumping and head kicks. These are more exotic sports, such as rugby and American football. This is hockey, in hockey sharp rotational loads have a serious impact on the intervertebral cartilage, not to mention contact wrestling - hard hockey.

Of course, the first thing that suffers is the knee joints when, during a turn, a hockey player slows down with skates at high speed, and the upper part of the body, by inertia, still continues this rotational movement. This can cause the formation of a protrusion or hernia, despite the horizontal distribution of the load on the spinal column, because it has a twisting nature. Gonarthrosis develops in the knee joints.

By analogy with this, weighted pull-ups on a horizontal bar and various hanging crunches are contraindicated. Weightlifting is prohibited, especially statistical lifting of barbells and weights from a standing position. Patients with protrusion and hernia are prohibited from contact martial arts, including oriental ones, where there are jumps, freestyle, classical, or Greco-Roman wrestling.

Many will be surprised, but the “queen of sports”, or athletics, is also contraindicated for those patients who already have protrusions or hernial protrusions, especially in the lumbar spine, which bears the greatest load. After all, athletics does not exist without running, without relay races, without hurdles and other loads. Running, including long and ultra-long distances, marathons, and half-marathons, leads to cyclic shock loads on the intervertebral discs, which quickly exhaust their resources.

Some people believe that sports without jumping and hitting do not pose any danger in principle, but this is not entirely true. Intense stretching, stretching, Pilates, exercises with a fitball or a gymnastic (Swiss) ball, which are carried out “cold”, without pre-warming the muscles, can lead not only to rupture of muscle fibers and the formation of intromuscular hematomas, but also to the progression of a hernia, and even fractures of the vertebral arches, especially in adulthood.

Of course, if you have protrusions and hernias, or progressive osteochondrosis, it is not recommended to engage in alpine skiing and snowboarding. Slalom, freestyle, ski jumping are risky sports. What sports are indicated and useful?

Useful sports for hernias

First of all, they must at least be harmless. They do no harm and are beneficial - calm types of swimming, without intense tension or bending of the spine. That is, swimming styles such as dolphin and breaststroke, butterfly can put a very risky load on the spine. What is useful? This is, first of all, backstroke swimming, freestyle. Water polo is not recommended.

If you have osteochondrosis, it is advisable to do a quiet hang on the horizontal bar, threading your hands into the belt loops. This allows you to reduce tension in the muscles of the forearm and stretch your back well. At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to use such an exercise without first consulting a doctor, and especially with weights below.

Pilates and yoga, fitness, with the exception of the treadmill, are useful after warming up, warming up. After a good stretch, it is advisable to use elliptical trainers instead of a treadmill. Try to avoid any exercise while standing.

A short Nordic (Swedish, Scandinavian) walking with poles will be very useful. At the same time, many muscles of the body are trained, the back straightens, the anatomically correct position of the vertebrae appears, but you need to perform the movements and select the poles correctly.

Cycling is very useful, with the exception of downhill, that is, downhill, freeride and bike trials. Calm cycling is recommended, and it is advisable to use a mountain bike as a bicycle, that is, a mountain bike rather than a road bike. It differs from the road one in that the cyclist has a low seat, and the spine is located diagonally so that the load is almost evenly distributed between the saddle and hands (handlebar). This allows you to safely overcome small potholes on the road and eliminate the load on large joints - the hips and knees.

Many will be surprised, but billiards, especially long games, for example, large Russian pyramid, will be a good sport for osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. During one game, a person can walk several kilometers around the table, take various poses for the right shot, lean on the table, or even put his thigh on it, which unloads individual muscle groups. At the same time, green cloth calms, a good, calm game can normalize blood pressure, it improves the eye, and develops composure. However, it is absolutely necessary to avoid bad habits that accompany billiards: drinking strong alcohol, such as whiskey, smoking cigars.

Any workout should not be accompanied by pain. If any pain occurs, you must immediately stop training and consult a doctor.

Causes of pathology

Most often, back pain occurs against the background of arthrosis and arthritis, with abnormal development of the spine, which leads to degenerative processes in the discs and vertebrae. Other causes of dorsopathy are known:

• overweight;
• bad habits: smoking, taking drugs, drinking alcohol, etc.;
• violation of the diet, errors in compiling the daily diet, poor quality of products;
• diabetes;
• heredity;
• spinal cord infection, etc.

All of these factors cause irreversible changes in the shape of the vertebrae and the height of the intervertebral discs. The paravertebral tissues become inflamed, pinched nerve fibers of the spinal cord and muscle spasms are observed.

General principles of healthy eating

Additionally, it is necessary to follow the principles of a healthy diet that will maintain normal body weight. After all, excess weight is one of the most important factors in the appearance of protrusions and hernias. This:

• drinking plenty of clean water;
• limiting fast carbohydrates, focusing on slow carbohydrates with a low glycemic index;
• the use of fiber, which has sorbing properties without nutritional value;
• the use of easily digestible foods containing calcium and phosphorus. These are seafood, fish, milk, cheese, fermented milk products, legumes.
• inclusion of sources of magnesium, manganese, and quickly digestible proteins in food;
• to improve the trophism of nerve roots, sources of B vitamins are desirable, these are whole grain bread, cereals, bran;
• ascorbic acid, vitamin P are important for capillaries. Yes, there are no capillaries in cartilage, but a well-developed capillary network of the deep back muscles allows you to quickly resolve the secondary spasm that has arisen, and ideally, prevent its occurrence;
• normal concentration in the blood of microelements such as magnesium, calcium, and the source of the same chondroitin sulfate is red fish: salmon and salmon;
• ῳ-3 unsaturated fatty acids.

It is advisable to avoid refined foods, canned food, sausages, spicy seasonings, sweet soda, fast food, and alcohol.

The food of a healthy person, in terms of its acid-base reserve, should be slightly alkaline, and improper nutrition constantly shifts the pH of the blood to the acidic side. Excess meat products leads to an increase in the concentration of purines and uric acid in the blood plasma, which causes the deposition of urate crystals in the joints, including in the small joints of the vertebrae.

Symptoms of dorsopathy

Signs of dorsopathy depend on its location. If the cervical spine is affected, the patient experiences pain in the neck and shoulders. He complains of dizziness, flashing colored spots before his eyes, tinnitus, and headache. The muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle are tense, and there is numbness in the arms.

Thoracic dorsopathy is accompanied by back pain radiating to the heart and internal organs. Pain may increase during deep breaths. All this misleads the patient, and he may waste time doing, for example, self-medication of the stomach. As thoracic dorsopathy syndrome develops, it leads to disruption of respiratory function and the functioning of the heart muscle.

The lumbar region of the spine differs from the thoracic region in greater mobility, and therefore is exposed to various lesions more often. Dorsopathy of this zone is accompanied by:

• lower back pain radiating to the buttocks, thighs, legs and feet;
• decreased sensitivity in the lower extremities - up to complete immobility;
• disruption of the functioning of organs located in the pelvic cavity. In advanced cases, the patient cannot control the rectum and bladder.

Other symptoms of spinal dorsopathy include muscle weakness, body aches, dry skin, loss of muscle mass in the arms and legs, and a feeling of fatigue that does not go away after a long period of rest.

Diagnosis of spinal dorsopathy

The initial examination of the patient is carried out by a neurologist. First, he interviews the patient and performs a neurological examination. The doctor checks the muscle strength of the limbs, evaluates the reactivity of the skin, and palpates the spine to detect pain points.

After this, the neurologist refers the patient to radiation diagnostics: radiography, MRI or CT. Depending on the results obtained, the neurologist may additionally prescribe:

• biopsy;
• lumbar puncture;
• spinal scintigraphy (study of metabolism in bone tissue), etc.

The listed studies are carried out only after studying the results of previous examinations and for special indications: with their help, the diagnosis of secondary dorsopathy is confirmed or excluded. If the cause of the pain cannot be established, it is generally accepted that it is deforming unspecified dorsopathy.

If the pathology of the spine and internal organs is not confirmed, and the patient’s back hurts, it is possible that this is muscular dorsopathy resulting from overload or hypothermia.

Nutrition at risk of developing a hernia

First of all, we need to debunk the myth that intervertebral cartilage has blood vessels. Any cartilage, as an elastic structure that allows you to change the position of the bones surrounding it, which slide over it with other cartilages, cannot be supplied with blood. Any accidental entry of a blood vessel between the articular surfaces, its stretching or rupture with a significant amplitude of movement would immediately cause hemorrhage into the joint, or hemarthrosis with its complete healing, or ankylosis. Therefore, intervertebral discs have diffuse nutrition from the surrounding synovial fluid. This means that nutrients reach them very slowly, and not at all from the bloodstream. Therefore, the “feeling of fullness” of cartilage, unlike satiety in a person, will occur not 15 minutes after lunch, but after several tens of hours, when the necessary nutrients flow from the blood into the synovial fluid. Therefore, the nutrition of the cartilages has great inertia; they begin to receive those substances that we ate so long ago that we don’t even remember this dish.

The second myth is the supposedly mandatory use of chondroprotectors with food, such as food additives containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. The use of chondroprotectors does not provide anything for the treatment of hernias, since a destroyed disc cannot recover; it is not a cut finger. Taking them for preventive purposes also does not have any advantages over natural nutrition, for example, over meat and fish aspic, jellied meats, and jellies. As a result, the same aspic will come out much cheaper and tastier. In the stomach and duodenum, food is broken down into the same amino acid and glycoprotein residues as food additives - chondroprotectors. There is no difference between these substances. Cartilage synthesizes the glycosaminoglycans it needs on its own; expensive Inoltra or Artra have no advantages over tasty jellied meat.

Treatment options

In general, spinal dorsopathy and its complications can be treated with medication. Surgical intervention is rarely used: in cases of severe pain, severe limitations in functionality and the absence of positive results from conservative treatment.

Drug treatment of dorsopathy involves taking NSAIDs: they suppress inflammatory processes in the area of ​​the affected vertebrae and help reduce pain. To relax the back muscles, the patient is prescribed muscle relaxants. When treating nonspecific dorsopathy the following is used:

1. Manual therapy and massage. With their help, blocking of the lumbosacral joints is eliminated.
2. Transcutaneous electrical neurostimulation on the paravertebral area of ​​the back.

During the period of remission, physical therapy is permitted. Classes (group or individual) are conducted under the guidance of a doctor or instructor. The task of exercise therapy is to teach the patient a rational motor regimen and return him to his usual professional and everyday motor activities. Patients with chronic pain learn to overcome their fear of movement. Special exercises strengthen the muscles of the lower back.

When dorsopathy is accompanied by psychoemotional disorders, psychological correction is carried out.

If conservative treatment does not have an effect, neurological complications of dorsopathy progress, compression myelopathy occurs, defecation and urination functions are impaired, and surgery is prescribed.

The most basic

Osteochondrosis is mainly caused by a sedentary lifestyle and metabolic disorders.
The symptoms of osteochondrosis are extremely painful, but its onset can be delayed if you monitor the condition of the spine, move correctly and consult a doctor on time. Tags:

• Metabolism
• Back
• Makarova
• Safety
• Swimming
• Joints
• Osteoporosis

2 comments • To leave a comment you must be an authorized user

• leksys Yes, everything that is written in the article is excellent, what you have to do yourself is clear. But how to find a neurologist, or just a good medical specialist who will help you consult what you can and cannot do. This is such a rarity now, an experienced and knowledgeable doctor.
• shewolf20 has anyone done gymnastics according to Bubnovsky?? What are the results?

Spinal traction

Clinical studies have shown the high effectiveness of spinal traction treatment. During the procedure, the height of the intervertebral discs increases. Negative pressure is created in the intervertebral space, retracting the protruding part of the disc. The pressure on the nerve roots decreases or disappears completely.

During traction, conditions are created that are favorable for the regeneration of the torn area of ​​the annulus fibrosus, and blood flow improves. The shock-absorbing properties of the vertebrae are restored, the load is removed from the muscles and spine.

Traction is carried out after examining the patient on MRI or CT on a multifunctional traction-massage, inversion tables and Professor Velikanov’s device. The patient is placed on the simulator, the limbs are secured with belts, and the spine is stretched using a sliding table or belt traction. All parameters of the procedure are determined by the doctor, taking into account the characteristics of the patient’s body.

You can stretch the spine yourself - using a horizontal bar. The exercise is useful, but it practically does not affect the cervical and first thoracic vertebrae.

Prevention of dorsopathy

To protect the spine from diseases, you need to move more - but without overload, dress for the weather and eat right. If acute pain occurs in the spine, it is necessary to give the body a rest. You can only lie on a hard, flat bed. Duration of rest - from one to several days.

If you already have a spinal disease, you should not lift or carry heavy objects. A healthy person needs to learn how to work with a load correctly: when lifting, you need to bend not your back, but your legs and not allow your torso to turn.

The doctors of our clinic have modern equipment for diagnosing dorsopathy and are proficient in all methods of its treatment. They are ready to give recommendations on how to prevent dorsopathy. You can make an appointment on the website or by phone.

What is osteochondrosis?

“The term “osteochondrosis” is used to describe non-inflammatory diseases in the spine,” says Marina Makarova, head of the exercise therapy department at the Center for Restorative Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center of the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development.
How to do it right

Deputy Head of the Center for Restorative Medicine and Rehabilitation of the Treatment and Rehabilitation Center of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia Marina Makarova tells: - how to sit correctly in the office, - how to do exercises in the office, - how to remain a healthy car enthusiast, - what the right shoes should be.

But “salt deposition” is in no way connected with osteochondrosis - there is no such disease at all.
Osteochondrosis
is age-related destruction of the joints and ligaments of the spine and intervertebral discs, leading to the development of chronic pain, poor posture and loss of back mobility. These changes are irreversible, but they develop at different rates for each person.