Osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is a disease that affects the spine with the development of changes in the intervertebral discs of one or another department.Its danger is that the development of the disease does not go unnoticed.Currently, this disease has become younger.

What is spinal osteochondrosis?

Doctors define this disease as a chronic degenerative-dystrophic change in the spine and its structure.It affects about 80 percent of the world's population, and the first symptoms of this disease are already observed at the age of 20-25.It can lead to more serious health problems in the future.

Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine occurs most often;Cervical and thoracic chondrosis are observed more rarely.A person has 33-34 intervertebral discs, intervertebral discs.In doing so, they perform a number of important functions, thereby ensuring the mobility of the back.

Osteochondrosis of the spine is characterized by drying out and changing the size of these discs and the size of their places, which leads to a decrease in their strength and flexibility.The high load on the spine causes displacement of the discs, resulting in pain when moving, and then an interstitial hernia develops.

Vertebral displacement is caused by pinching of nerve endings and compression of blood vessels.The curvature of the spine, damage to individual parts, their deformation is an irreversible process.Ossification of the ligaments further increases the mobility of the spine.

What types are there?

Depending on the damaged areas, the following types of osteochondrosis are distinguished:

• Cervical spine is most often observed in young people who lead a sedentary lifestyle and work for a long time at the computer;
• Thoracic spine disease, a rare disease, can be caused by changes in the thoracic spine due to various factors (for example, trauma);
• The lumbosacral region, the disease is the most common, often affects people over 30 years old;
• General chondrosis when several parts of the spine are affected more than once.

The disease has gone through several stages:

1. The first stage is often overlooked.It causes instability and displacement of the vertebrae, and slight discomfort appears when moving.This is a dangerous stage where injuries are most likely to occur.
2. In the second stage, the connective ring of the spine is destroyed, which leads to a decrease in the distance between them.
3. The third stage is accompanied by the rupture of the fibrous rings, the core of the disc is displaced.At this stage, an intervertebral hernia appears, which causes spinal deformation.
4. The final stage is characterized by severe pain syndromes.Bone growths and ossification of ligaments interfere with the freedom of movement of the spine.

Osteochondrosis is caused by muscle tension that causes muscle spasms.This causes limited mobility of the joints and spine.The result is degeneration of the vertebrae and discs, narrowing of the openings between the vertebrae, compression of the nerve roots.

Symptoms

The symptoms of this disease depend on the affected area.It should be noted that people attribute most of the symptoms of this disease to other problems individually.For example, it is believed that headaches are caused by tension and stress, and hearing loss is caused by the use of headphones.

1. Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis manifest themselves as follows:

   • Headache when trying to move your head;
   • Pain in the shoulder blade, arms and neck spreading to the chest area;
   • Sensibility is often impaired, fingers become numb and weakness is felt;
   • The movement of the tongue affecting speech is limited, snoring may occur;
   • The voice changes, becomes weak and confused;
   • Possible dizziness, loss of consciousness;
   • Loss of coordination of movements, loss of orientation while walking;
   • The condition of the teeth deteriorates;
   • Hearing loss, ringing in the ears appears.

2. In rare cases, only chest osteochondrosis occurs.Usually caused by spinal injuries.The reason may be scoliosis.Symptoms of this disease:

   • Sharp pain in the chest area, which gets worse when you try to take a deep breath and move;
   • Pain may appear in the stomach, liver and heart areas;
   • Sometimes there is a feeling of numbness in the chest.

3. The most common variant of the disease is ilmosacral osteochondrosis.It manifests itself as a severe pain in the lower back.Symptoms can be different, but in the first period of development, they are not very pronounced.But over time or in a "successful" situation, the disease worsens.It appears:

   • Aching or sharp pain in the area that is aggravated only by movement above the coccyx;
   • The pain radiates to the hip region, the sensitivity of the legs is disturbed;
   • Restriction of body movements, it is impossible to bend or turn;
   • In the final stage, it is often impossible to sit, it is difficult to stand up, and muscle weakness appears.

Treatment of osteochondrosis

Many people are interested in how to treat osteochondrosis and whether this disease can be completely cured.Doctors do not answer this question unequivocally, but it is possible and possible to start treatment in time and stop the progression of the disease.There are many ways to treat osteochondrosis using both classical and traditional medicine.

It should be noted that this disease can be treated very efficiently, especially in the initial stage of the disease.In an outpatient appointment, a special comprehensive program is used, which aims to quickly eliminate the symptoms of the disease and correct the causes of suffering.

Complex therapy includes the following techniques:

1. Acupuncture.

   Acupuncture is performed once every two days.The course of treatment is prescribed by the doctor;It can vary from seven days to a month;As a rule, 12-15 procedures are enough.Acupuncturist performs a visual and manual examination of the patient.One procedure lasts about half an hour.The needles are placed for 15-20 minutes.

   Disposable sterile acupuncture needles are used to perform the operation;It is inserted into the patient's skin and a little prick is felt, similar to a mosquito bite.When the needle reaches a biologically active point, a person feels a feeling of numbness, pain or fullness in this place;pain appears extremely rarely.

2. Vacuum therapy.

   Special vacuum jars are used to carry out the procedure.The effectiveness of this method is very high, there is practically no pain.This method of treatment allows to quickly and reliably eliminate the symptoms of the disease.It is based on the mobilization of the body's own resources and is used in rehabilitation drugs.

   Under the influence of the jars, pressure differences are created, the skin and part of the muscles are pulled into the jar.Thanks to the deep treatment of a large area, blood microcirculation improves, stagnation is removed, harmful substances are removed and tissues are renewed faster.

   The fields of influence of vacuum therapy are wide;The doctor himself selects and determines the areas for the procedure.Spots that appear during the procedure begin to disappear after the fourth procedure, so you should not be afraid of them.

3. Manual therapy.

   These are gentle treatments that are highly effective among non-drug options.A chiropractor can treat many problems related to the muscles and spine and is used to treat neurological disorders.

   The effect is reminiscent of a regular massage, but it has a more limited localization and a gentle effect.A qualified chiropractor can treat diseases that cannot be treated with drugs.

   This method of treating the spine aims to increase muscle flexibility and improve the movement of individual vertebrae.Procedures are not carried out daily, but at intervals of up to seven days.Physiotherapy and folk remedies, as well as manual treatment in combination with physical therapy, are more effective.

   

4. Pharmacopuncture.

   This method covers the active points in the human body, injecting the minimum amount of drugs indicated for a certain disease.These can be vitamin complexes, homeopathic remedies, biostimulants, corticosteroids.The injection is performed using a microneedle, almost without unpleasant sensations.

   An adapted version is used to treat the spine, which cures osteochondrosis, vertebral hernia and other problems.It is used for rehabilitation after spinal surgery.Pharmacopuncture increases metabolism, improves connective tissue trophism and blood circulation in the affected area.Even a small treatment complex shows positive, lasting results.

5. Magnetopuncture.

   This method involves exposing biologically active points to a magnetic field.For this purpose, certain characteristics of tape notes, polarity, size and strength are determined.This device consists of rubberized magnets;They create a permanent magnetic field.It is used to treat various diseases, metal plates of various shapes, areas and thicknesses and magnetic balls.

6. Laser therapy.

   It is a laser effect on specific acupuncture points through entire areas of the skin.In most cases, low power lasers with red light are used;They have the greatest activity.Treatment, inflammation and pain, spasms are relieved, blood vessels expand, metabolic processes improve and cell regeneration increases.

7. Electrical stimulation.

   Electric current is used to affect certain points.It is effective for electrical stimulation of motor muscles and nerve endings.Single pulses, exponential currents, rhythmic direct current and sinusoidally modulated currents are used.Severe pain can be eliminated in just 1-3 procedures.The full course requires 10-15 sessions.

Often, outpatient therapy includes a drug component designed to relieve pain.For this purpose, analgesics, analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, antispasmodics, antioxidants, as well as drugs that correct psychosomatic disorders and reduce the degeneration of cartilage tissue are used.

Traditional methods

In traditional medicine, there are many remedies that alleviate the condition of osteochondrosis.

For external use, the following options are used:

1. Apply a small amount of ointment to the affected area, gradually rubbing it into the skin.The treated area should be wrapped carefully to retain heat.It is enough to perform the procedure 3-4 times a day.
2. Compresses with ointment help relieve inflammation and pain.Cover the oiled area with plastic wrap, you can put fresh mint or lemon balm leaves;Burdock or white cabbage leaves work effectively.Wrap a woolen scarf and provide a compress.Crushed fresh birch leaves have a good effect;It is applied to the problem area and wrapped for half an hour.
3. For a breakthrough, you can use vegetable oil infused with herbs - Oregano, St. John's Wort.500 grams of raw materials are taken for half a liter of vegetable oil.Fresh Oregano cake is infused for 24 hours and dried St. John's Wort oil is infused for 21 days.
4. You can prepare a mixture of 1/3 cup of black radish juice, 200 g of fresh honey, 100 ml of vodka and a handful of fresh lilac flowers.A day in a warm place, after which the composition can be used to rub.

Do not forget about proper nutrition and an active lifestyle.You need to constantly monitor your posture while sitting in a chair or at the computer;It is recommended to sleep on a surface of medium hardness.

The spine must be constantly supported;For this, you can use special exercises and draw from monotonous positions for a long time.

Exercises for osteochondrosis at home

At home, you can do effective and simple gymnastics, which should be part of a set of measures for the treatment of spinal diseases.It is recommended to perform the following exercises for osteochondrosis.

1. Mix by tilting your head forward, blending the forehead together.Hold with your hands and move with your head.The opposite movement is to try to raise your head by bending over and with your hands folded behind your head, gathering with your hands to oppose its movement.Each move takes 10 seconds.
2. Effect on biologically active points using the palm of your hand and fingers: First, massage the forehead area, press the skin and move with gentle movements.The exposure time is 20-40 seconds.Then move to the temporary areas, the effect is carried out in a similar way.The procedure ends with a massage of the ears, the ear is stretched in all directions.
3. To improve brain nutrition, you should sit on a flat surface and keep your back straight.The head slowly receded;You can easily help with your hand, you can press your chin with your palm.Working time - 10-30 seconds.Then you can turn your head to one side or the other, stay in this position for 10-15 seconds.
4. This is an excellent exercise for the prevention of cervical osteochondrosis.It helps to improve the activity of the nerve plexus located in the neck.IP - sitting on a flat surface with a straight back.Slowly move your head towards his chest, trying to touch it with your chin.You can help a little with your hand, it is placed behind your head, pressing forward and up.Sit in this position for about a minute, rest for 10-15 minutes and repeat the exercises.
5. The warm-up works the upper spine while pulling your shoulders up as high as possible.Then let them down freely and easily.Repeat for 15 seconds.Then repeat the exercises, but separately for each shoulder joint.

At the end of gymnastics, rub the back of your neck with your palms.

To get rid of the physical suffering caused by cervical osteochondrosis, you can take an aspen stick or a rolling pin and slowly hit the shoulder, shoulder blade and spine on one side, then on the other side.You can give a little massage to relieve tension and pain.

To quickly get rid of pain in the lumbar region, you should lie on a hard surface, ideally on the body, with legs bent at the knees.Try to touch the ground with the feet in one direction, with the other and the other with the knees.

In the case of experimentation - how to relieve pain

Often, during an exacerbation of the disease, a person does not know where to go.It is impossible to take medicine all the time, but there are ways to get rid of acute pain without resorting to drugs.

First, heat should be applied to the problem area.You can cover this area with a woolen scarf.Exposure to cold is also possible, but only on the first day of the problem and under the supervision of a doctor.

Lie on a hard surface and try to straighten the wound.If you have pain, it is advisable to place a soft pillow under your lower back to relieve tension in this area.It is better to bend your legs.The chest can be wrapped with a tight bandage and a splint made of cardboard and cotton wool, as if there was an injury.

If relief does not occur, you should call a doctor.Take a pain reliever to relieve severe pain.

Prevention - how to prevent the occurrence of osteochondrosis

Before prevention, you need to clarify the cause that most often causes osteochondrosis.The risk of this disease is increased by poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, overweight, bad habits (smoking, alcohol addiction), heavy physical activity and poor posture.

Obviously, to prevent the development of the disease, you must first improve your diet and practice physical activity.Basic morning exercises, stretching, stretching of the lower back and neck, light self-massage and swinging your arms and legs are enough.You should find 2-3 minutes to warm up at your workplace.Any type of swimming in the pool works well.

Fighting excess weight will help to eliminate the risk;You should not allow hypothermic or traumatic situations.It is necessary to avoid stressful situations and give up bad habits.Attention should be paid to proper nutrition;The body should get enough protein, but salty, floury and fatty foods should be limited.

In some cases, if there is a vitamin deficiency, the doctor may prescribe additional vitamin and mineral complexes.All this together will help protect the spine from problems.