What is osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine? How is lumbar osteochondrosis treated? 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. How to treat osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine and the main symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis will be described in detail by a neuropathologist or osteopath.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common disorder. Malaise 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 suffers for a reason. Being in the lower part of the spine, the vertebrae take on the maximum load. When lifting weights, all the force acting on the body is fraught with exhaustion of the intervertebral space and this leads to compression of the nerve roots. From here, 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 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, then there is a high probability that this problem will not bypass children. One of the most popular reasons is physical hard work. When lifting weights, most of the load goes to the lumbosacral spine.
Obesity is an equally common cause of disease. The excess weight that builds up in the body puts pressure on the spine and causes pain. It seems that bad posture does not lead to anything serious, but this is also one of the reasons for the wear of the intervertebral discs, which turns into osteochondrosis. Back injuries are important. Bruises, or lifting heavy objects in an undertrained athlete, or an inaccurately selected load, also have an unfavorable effect.
The most common cause that impairs disc cell nutrition is a sedentary lifestyle.
To keep the body healthy, a person needs a moderate load. Limited or completely 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 as in youth, the elasticity of the intervertebral discs decreases, which leads to the disease.
Infectious diseases, or inflammations affecting bones or joints, lead to changes in the structure of the vertebrae. Congenital malformations of the skeleton or deviations in the development of the musculoskeletal system. Flat feet lead to the destruction of segments of the spine, due to the lack of shock absorption in the limbs. Most of the load falls not on the legs, but on the lower back, which leads to the deformation of the segments. Stressful situations are a common cause of various diseases. Therefore, lumbar osteochondrosis and its symptoms are no exception. A strong nerve shock can serve as an impulse to pinch the nerve endings and cause a pain attack. More often than not, 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 primary 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.
- Low back pain- paroxysmal pain that occurs in response to sudden movement or weight lifting. When you try to take a different position, the pain becomes even stronger, up to low back pain.
- Lombodynia- pain increases and becomes regular. Muscle fibers and intervertebral cartilage are affected. Low back pain is a consequence of low back pain.
- Lumboishalgia- painful, cold or hot sensations in the lumbar region and lower limbs. They arise in response to pinching the roots of the spinal cord.
The second most important symptom in diagnosing a disease is the limitation of physical activity due to painful sensations. When trying to do regular work or exercise for themselves, a person experiences increased pain, which can affect the entire leg. Even while sitting, the patient feels tingling sensations from the lower back to the foot.
Equally important is a local decrease in temperature and discoloration of the skin, which becomes dry and pale. Numbness, weakness in the muscles of the lower limbs, indicates the progression of the disease. The most serious phenomenon, manifested in the last degree of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, is a dysfunction of the pelvic organs. Constant debilitating pains are accompanied by fecal and urinary incontinence or, conversely, a delay in excretion.
When diagnosing diseases, there are four stages of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine. For each phase, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine are characteristic, to which pains in the sacrum are added.
In the process of progression of the disease, osteochondrosis can descend to the final spine, the coccyx. The disease is called osteochondrosis of the sacral spine. There are sharp and paroxysmal pains in the coccyx area. Women suffer more in this case. Their anatomical structure of the body and age-related changes in it contribute to the development of intervertebral osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis in women is often complicated by other internal diseases.
Symptoms of lumbosacral osteochondrosis have some differences from lumbar osteochondrosis.
Symptoms are manifested in dysfunction of the pelvic organs, which complicates the selection of the correct treatment and diagnosis of the cause of the disease.
Signs such as frequent urination, urinary and fecal incontinence appear. If the diagnosis is incorrect, complications arise.
Stages of the disease
The treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis also differs by the stage of the disease.
- The first, and is the initial stage of the disease, is characterized by the manifestation of pain in the lower back - low back pain, muscle spasm, local swelling of the skin.
- Secondphase, begins with lombodynia. The pains become regular and more intense than in the initial phase. In the joints of the spine, unusual mobility may appear, which increases pain. Pain is felt along the sciatic nerve. Less commonly, the functions of internal organs can be impaired.
- The thirdstage is characterized by the appearance of intervertebral hernias. The spine is deformed, the curvature can be left or right, this is scoliosis, forward lordosis, backward kyphosis. Due to this, a person is tormented by constant sharp pains.
- Fourth stage, the most difficult. Due to the constant severe pain, the patient's movement is 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 urine genital organs and 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 subsequent complication if treatment is not started on time. It occurs due to a transient degenerative change in the spine.
The consequence of the protrusion is a herniated disc. Which is manifested by a change in its shape and a rupture of the intervertebral disc membrane.
Constant compression of the nerve roots of the spinal cord and inflammation lead to a complication such as radiculitis.
Complete obstruction of the spinal canal may occur. Due to instability in 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. From the side of the kidneys, this is renal colic, which cannot be eliminated until osteochondrosis of the lower back is treated. Lower limb paralysis, which can confine a person to a wheelchair. Timely diagnosis and timely treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine help prevent these complications and avoid disability.
Treatment
Let's look at lumbar osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment. In modern times, medicine is able to achieve the recovery of a person suffering from osteochondrosis. 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 if 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 review your lifestyle. Draw some conclusions. You must move towards the cherished goal of healing every day without interruption. With osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, the complex treatment of the disease is of great importance. Treatment of lumbosacral osteochondrosis includes several methods.
Conservative
Conservative treatment, based on massage techniques, which, if performed correctly, can relieve muscle spasms and improve the nutrition of muscle fibers. By improving the trophism, the corset of the back muscles is strengthened. Posture assumes the correct position, which determines the appearance of various spinal problems. Physical therapy for lumbar osteochondrosis is very useful, but it is necessary to exercise during the period of remission, between exacerbations. Engaged in the acute period of the disease, you can only aggravate the situation and harm your health.
Manual therapy also refers to conservative treatment. It should be performed by a professional who specializes in this technique. Thanks to this therapy, the spine can be returned to the desired position. This is sometimes the most effective method. It is necessary to carry out 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 ailment will benefit from it. Being overweight, this is one of the reasons for the appearance of osteochondrosis. Physical therapy is an equally effective way of treatment. Magnetotherapy, UHF are able to treat long-term, improve blood circulation in the affected area with lumbar osteochondrosis. They also have a vasodilating 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 that release the pinched roots of the spinal nerves. These include muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids, blockade, NSAIDs. For the second period, between exacerbations, agents 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 are used, as well as warming and anesthetic ointments.
Operational
Neurosurgeons perform microsurgical and endoscopic operations on the spine.
These methods are more common and are removed when other treatments fail.
When the effect of drug therapy has not been achieved and complications such as a hernia appear, an operation is indicated to remove the affected disc.
Disease prevention
Prevention of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine consists in the elimination of the risk factors that lead to this disease. In order not to think about how to cure lumbar osteochondrosis, it is necessary to prevent its occurrence. Elimination of causes is the main preventive measure.
Normalized physical activity, strengthening of the back muscles, prevention of maximum load on the lumbar spine, prevention of the development of diseases leading to osteochondrosis, all these are preventive measures to prevent the symptoms of lumbosacral osteochondrosis. By adhering to these simple principles, you will maintain your health and prolong life. After all, without observing treatment and prevention, you may never return to a full life.