Osteochondrosis - what is it, causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention - how to treat spinal osteochondrosis? The doctors of the MEDSI clinic will tell you

Osteochondrosis is one of those diseases for which almost every person becomes a patient at a certain period of life. About 80% of the world's population suffers from osteochondrosis, and many often do not even know about it. Every year this disease is becoming “younger” due to the spread of a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle. Its danger is difficult diagnosis in the early stages and difficult treatment in the later stages. We tell you how to identify the symptoms of the disease in time, carry out prevention and therapy, and whether the sanatorium will help with osteochondrosis of the spine.

Causes

People aged 40+ are at risk. But some factors influence the appearance of the problem even in young years. The list of causes of the disease includes:

• obesity;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• suffered spinal injuries with displacement;
• scoliosis and flat feet;
• pregnancy;
• constant load on the spine.

Congenital anomalies of the spinal ridge, oncology in this area, and prolonged stress contribute to the development of the disease. Regardless of the factor, our clinic’s specialists will select the optimal treatment plan for spinal osteochondrosis and help you get rid of the disease.

Causes of osteochondrosis

Strange as it may sound, the main reason for the development of osteochondrosis is evolution. It led to upright posture, which means an increase in the load on the spinal column. Indirectly, upright walking led to the development of civilization, including an increase in the level of comfort of life. We wake up on a soft bed, sit in the transport, go to work, where we also sit all day, and upon returning home we lie on a comfortable sofa. The spine and back muscles, weakened by this way of life, experience stress even from slight physical activity in everyday life.

Many are ruined by the sudden desire to start leading a healthy lifestyle: for example, doing strength training in the gym with heavy weights without prior preparation. Osteochondrosis is a disease of young and old, but most often it occurs at the age of 30–35 years. Osteochondrosis or dorsopathy can also occur in adolescence as a result of injury, wearing uncomfortable shoes or heavy backpacks, especially if they are worn on one shoulder.

There are other risk factors for the development of osteochondrosis:

• Excess weight;
• Heavy lifting, including excessive loads or improper technique;
• Physical inactivity;
• Injuries;
• Sports: contact martial arts, weightlifting, figure skating, hockey;
• Heredity;
• Infections;
• Metabolic disorders;
• Hypothermia;
• Nervous tension, frequent stress;
• Hormonal imbalances.

Other diseases can also lead to the development or intensification of the symptoms of osteochondrosis. Among them are flat feet, Perthes disease, scoliosis, connective tissue dysplasia, etc.

It would be more correct to say that in the presence of unpleasant symptoms, we are dealing with complications of the disease, since osteochondrosis itself is a natural process of disc aging. Over time, cartilage tissue naturally wears out, becomes thinner, and dehydrates. But since there are no nerves in the discs, with osteochondrosis it is not the discs themselves that hurt, but the parts of the body that have suffered complications.

If you monitor your physical fitness until old age, reduce risk factors and prevent osteochondrosis, complications may not occur. In this case, in fact, there will be changes in the intervertebral discs: in the pictures they can be detected in any thirty-year-old.

Stages of development

Initially, changes in the spine do not cause problems, but over time, the functioning of all body systems occurs. The disease has 4 stages:

1. The standing height of the diseased intervertebral disc decreases. Cracks in the annulus fibrosus occur. Pathology does not go beyond one component.

2. The muscles and ligaments attached to the disc come closer together. They lose tone and sag. The defect affects nearby vertebrae. They gain extra mobility. The vertebral segment becomes increasingly less stable. The vertebrae can shift and slip, causing spondylolisthesis.

3. Unnatural protrusion occurs, the development of arthrosis and dislocations in the intervertebral discs.

4. The affected parts try to adapt to new conditions, get rid of excess mobility using the body’s strength and protect the spine. As a result, osteophytes are formed - bone growths. They injure the nerve roots of the spinal cord.

The last stage, in the absence of treatment for spinal osteochondrosis, manifests itself in the form of severe aching pain in the problem area, but then the pathology takes on a hidden form. And the patient stops feeling discomfort. A bone shell is formed on the vertebrae, which “walls up” the entire motor segment.

What is osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine that is associated with degenerative-dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs. A person has 12 thoracic, 3–4 coccygeal, 7 cervical, 5 lumbar and sacral vertebrae, between which there are 23 intervertebral discs. These discs provide mobility and flexibility to the spine, absorb shock when jumping, running and walking, and also help withstand vertical loads. In general, they make sure that we can be mobile and flexible without experiencing pain.

Dystrophy is a violation of metabolic processes, that is, the nutrition of the discs, and degeneration is a change in the structure of the spine and its properties. That is, due to the influence of external factors, lifestyle, and internal processes of the body, the vertebral discs change over time and no longer perform their functions so well.

The edges of the vertebral discs swell and rupture - protrusions and hernias appear, osteophytes hypertrophy (grow). Cartilage tissue degenerates into something like bone tissue, which is why the disc decreases in size. This leads to the fact that the shock-absorbing properties of the intervertebral discs are reduced - pain appears. These disorders, which appear in combination or partially, are called osteochondrosis.

Interesting fact: although in Russia the term “osteochondrosis” is used everywhere and probably even children have heard about this disease, it is not included in the international classification of diseases.
Abroad, the term “dorsopathy” is more often used, and osteochondrosis is often understood as a whole group of diagnoses related to the musculoskeletal system. However, in many scientific works of domestic doctors, the opinion is defended that the disease of spinal osteochondrosis objectively exists, since not all of its symptoms can be included in the sections of the current ICD-10 and ICD-11, which comes into force in 2022.

Cost of treatment for spinal osteochondrosis

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Symptoms of osteochondrosis

With degenerative-dystrophic tissue damage, abrasion of the vertebrae themselves, articular surfaces and intervertebral discs occurs. The disease manifests itself as back pain, but it can spread to other parts of the body. There are discomfort in the legs, numbness in the fingers and hands, pain in the genital area, head, and heart.

More often in women, the disease manifests itself as pain in the lumbar region. But often a problem is diagnosed in the neck, chest, or several areas at the same time. Activity decreases and fatigue increases, both mental and physical. The sensitivity of the upper and lower extremities is impaired.

With pathology of the cervical spine, the most common symptoms are headache, a sharp drop in vision and eye fatigue. Damage to the lumbosacral region threatens dysfunction of the reproductive system.

Prevention of osteochondrosis

Prevention of osteochondrosis is an option that can be safely recommended to most people, regardless of their gender, age and place of work. It is suitable for both those who have not yet noticed the unpleasant symptoms of this disease, and those who have already been diagnosed with it.

The best option is a moderately active sport, such as swimming or Pilates. This will help strengthen the muscle corset, normalize metabolic processes and avoid excess weight. You should also avoid excessive physical exertion, hypothermia, falls and injuries, sleep on an orthopedic or semi-rigid mattress, change your body position more often in any situation - be it at home on the couch, at work or during a long trip.

Everyone who leads a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle needs mini-warm-ups that can easily be done even at the workplace. For example, every 20-30 minutes, get up and take at least a 1-2 minute walk around the office. At least to the printer or coffee maker.

Here are suitable exercises for the prevention of osteochondrosis for office workers, which should be done once every 1–2 hours:

• Make head tilts forward - backward - right - left, as well as smooth circular movements clockwise and back. Try to reach your ear to your shoulder.
• For pain in the shoulder blades, make circular movements with your shoulders for 10–15 seconds, first forward and then back.
• Unpleasant sensations in the lower back will be relieved by turning the body 10–15 times in different directions. They can even be done while sitting.
• Tighten all the muscles of your body, hold for 5 seconds and relax. Repeat 10 times.
• Alternately tilt the body to the sides: one hand on the belt, the hand on the side of the tilt reaches to the floor. Repeat 10-15 times in each direction.
• Standing against a wall, try to “push” it away from you alternately with your back, forehead, and elbows: repeat 5-7 times for each part of the body.

And you also need to sit correctly - yes, it would seem that every adult should learn this childhood skill again:

• While sitting on a chair, keep both feet on the floor and lean on them.
• Your back should always be close to the back of the chair. Your palm should fit between the edge of the table and your chest. There is free space above the hips and in front of the knees.
• You need to sit straight, without moving your body to the sides.
• You cannot throw your head back, push it forward or drop it forward. The upper third of the monitor is located at eye level. This way, while working, the information on the monitor will always be in front of your eyes: you won’t have to strain your neck muscles more and tilt your head.

With pronounced symptoms of osteochondrosis, stronger artillery is needed, even for prevention. If we talk about physical exercises, these are special types of physical therapy. They, like a whole range of other methods for treating osteochondrosis, are offered by sanatoriums.

Consequences

Lack of proper attention to the problem in the early stages threatens serious disorders in all body systems. The patient experiences severe pain, a feeling of a heart attack, dizziness, nausea, and chills. In advanced cases, spinal stroke, brain damage, and the development of vascular and heart pathologies may occur.

It is important to consult a doctor at the first symptoms of osteochondrosis for treatment without medications. We invite you to our Innovative Medical Center. Uncontrolled use of painkillers will only worsen the situation.

Diagnostics

To identify the problem and prescribe the most effective method of treating osteochondrosis, an anamnesis is collected. All patient complaints are taken into account. A visual inspection is carried out. It includes:

• body position assessment;
• examination of the skin;
• palpation and tapping of areas where the patient complains of pain;
• determination of skin sensitivity.

Next, an examination of the most affected part of the spine is prescribed. The patient is referred for an X-ray examination, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With the help of procedures, the degree of damage to the back area, the condition of the nerve processes, and blood vessels are revealed.

The Innovative Medical Center also uses ultrasound to diagnose problems. Ultrasound is informative, safe and considered a less expensive way to detect pathology.

Is it possible to treat osteochondrosis in a sanatorium?

With osteochondrosis, going to a sanatorium is not only possible, but also necessary. This is one of the most common reasons for visiting health resorts for diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This is exactly the case when sanatorium-resort treatment will be the most effective method of treatment and prevention of the disease. It will help avoid exacerbations and further complications that lead to a decrease or even loss of motor functions, operations and disability.

If you have osteochondrosis of the cervical or lumbar region, you should go to a sanatorium 3–4 months after the acute phase has passed. Exceptions are situations where surgical intervention is required, as well as if a person cannot move and care for himself. In this case, the sanatorium will not help.

The advantage of treating osteochondrosis in a sanatorium is the opportunity to receive a whole range of complementary procedures in a full course. And do this without wasting time and even without interrupting your rest. In the sanatorium, special programs have been developed for the treatment of osteochondrosis, which are aimed at eliminating symptoms and influencing the cause of the problem. They last 10–14 days and include 5–10 treatment methods: this is about 3–5 procedures per day. At the same time, when compared with the purchase of individual procedures in the same volume in conventional medical centers, complex treatment with a voucher to a sanatorium is usually cheaper.

Treatment methods for spinal osteochondrosis in the sanatorium:

• Exercise therapy, kinesiotherapy, swimming;
• Acupuncture;
• Reflexology;
• Massage;
• Magnetotherapy;
• Electrotherapy;
• Shock wave therapy;
• Ultrasound therapy;
• Laser therapy;
• Infrared therapy;
• Charcot shower;
• Underwater shower-massage;
• Hirudotherapy;
• Manual therapy;
• Spinal traction;
• Healing mud;
• Paraffin therapy, ozokerite treatment;
• Mineral, medicinal baths;
• Cryotherapy;
• Ozone therapy;
• Carboxytherapy.

The main effects are restoration of muscle tone and blood circulation, reduction of spasms, feelings of stiffness, and pain. This will relieve unpleasant symptoms, normalize metabolic processes in the discs, and protect them from thinning and changes. All this will help to avoid relapses of exacerbations of osteochondrosis and the development of complications that require long-term and expensive treatment.