Osteochondrosis is a degenerative process that occurs in articular cartilage and adjacent bone tissues.Doctors define this disease as a degenerative-destructive lesion of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs: they lose moisture, height and elasticity decrease.
Osteochondrosis “looked younger”
If just a few decades ago, articular cartilage began to deteriorate in people who had crossed the 40-year mark, today the disease occurs even in adolescence.
Doctors name many reasons for this unpleasant trend.An unhealthy lifestyle, along with an unfavorable environmental situation and a deteriorating standard of living, provokes premature wear and deformation of bone and cartilaginous structures.
Constantly being in an unnatural position, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor nutrition accompany every person.Few people think about the prevention of osteochondrosis, neglecting physical exercise, a balanced diet, and an approach to maintaining their own health in general.The result of such unconsciousness is usually sad.
Main causes of osteochondrosis
Experts are still arguing over how many true factors in the formation of the disease exist.Unconditional reasons include:
- individual predisposition;
- segmental circulatory disorders;
- acquired changes with age;
- 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 in stages, taking into account clinical signs, the degree of tissue damage and the level of patient discomfort.The pathological process occurs in four stages:
- Preclinical.First, the basic level of nutrition of the intervertebral discs decreases, their elasticity and firmness deteriorate.No changes can be detected on x-ray.The patient may experience slight fatigue, mild discomfort, stiffness, dizziness, headache;
- Stage of discogenic radiculitis.The fibrous ring begins to slowly deform (cracks and protrusions appear).The pain becomes sharper and more sudden, the discomfort becomes more noticeable.A symptom such as “lumbago” appears, the limbs begin to go numb;
- Vascular-radicular stage.The fibrinous ring completely loses its shape.From this moment on, hernias can form.X-rays are very informative.Subjective sensations of patients are pronounced (pain, sharp attacks of pain, constant discomfort).Frequent muscle spasms appear, and performance decreases sharply.If nerve fibers suffer, then the first signs of dysfunction of internal systems are inevitable;
- As the height of the vertebrae decreases, friction between them begins.Osteophytes may appear as a compensatory mechanism.These are specific osteogrowths that help strengthen the area where friction was most intense.But osteophytes can provoke inflammatory processes in the surrounding soft tissues, aggravating the pathological picture.
Symptoms of the disease: emphasis on the well-being of patients
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a whole galaxy of very different symptoms.This is due to the vastness of the pathological process itself and its influence on most organs of the human body.There are several main syndromes that manifest themselves in patients suffering from osteochondrosis:
- Static syndrome.When the vertebrae lose their shape, your posture inevitably changes.Signs of kyphosis, scoliosis, and lordosis appear.Discomfort is accompanied by a feeling of stiffness;
- Neurological syndrome.Damage to nerve tissue leads to paresthesia (impaired sensitivity) of different zones, accompanied by a feeling of numbness, tingling, “crawling”;
- Vascular syndrome.Due to compression (squeezing) of large vessels and capillaries by deformed vertebrae, blood circulation is disrupted.Result: nausea, dizziness, pallor, signs of oxygen starvation;
- Symptom of trophism.Since tissue nutrition is disrupted (due to compression of small vessels), trophic ulcers may appear on the surface of the skin.
Cervical osteochondrosis
The first manifestation of cervical osteochondrosis is headache.Analgesics do not relieve pain.Typically, pain begins in the parietal zone, smoothly flowing into 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 increasing tinnitus.If the nutrition of the optical zone is disrupted, then visual acuity usually decreases sharply.
Older people may suddenly lose consciousness and have difficulty with memory and coordination.Rare symptoms include shortness of breath, anxiety, and hiccups.
Thoracic osteochondrosis
The thoracic region is least commonly affected.One of the main reasons for the appearance of pathology is considered to be scoliosis and improper work at a desk (meaning sedentary work).The patient experiences a dull aching pain from the very beginning of the development of the disease.As the disease progresses, it provokes other symptoms: chest pain, numbness, paresthesia, aching pain in the area of the liver and kidneys.
In differential diagnosis, deformation processes in the thoracic region may be confused with myocardial infarction and intercostal neuralgia.This ECG and a more thorough examination (absence of cyanosis, pallor, sallowness of the skin) make it possible to accurately specify the diagnosis.
Lumbosacral osteochondrosis
The most common type of osteochondrosis.This is due to the fact that this area of the spine bears the greatest amount of load.Hernias most often occur here, complicating the clinical picture.
The main symptoms: prolonged pain, sensations of aching muscles, discomfort, rare lumbago, paresthesia, which ceases from time to time and then resumes again.The degree of sensitivity of the skin on the feet, legs and thighs may change.
A common cause of osteochondrosis in this department is trauma, mechanical compression and severe physical activity.One of the most unpleasant consequences of lumbosacral deformities is the “slipping” of the vertebra and problems in the functioning of nearby organs.
What pain in osteochondrosis will tell you about
Depending on where the deformation processes occur most intensely, the nature and specificity of the pain depends.The main feature: damaged vertebrae pinch the nerve roots, causing pain in the area for which the nerve plexuses are responsible.
The problems can be distributed as follows:
- Cervical region – headaches, stiff neck and shoulders, disturbances in vision, breathing, and other important functions;
- Thoracic region - pain in the heart, lumbago in the arm and internal organs, impaired digestive function, arrhythmias, problems with the functioning of the endocrine system.The pain is always strong and sharp;
- Lower back – aching, constant pain, malfunction of the genitourinary system, congestion in the pelvis, reproductive dysfunction.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis
The doctor needs to collect as complete anamnesis as possible.During examination, the specialist palpates the areas where the pain is most pronounced.
An X-ray examination will be informative.Especially in the last stages of the disease.
Modern diagnostic methods include MRI and CT, which make it possible to most accurately examine the processes of destruction of cartilage and bone tissue.Also, using this technique it is convenient to diagnose hernias and other soft tissue defects near the source of the disease.
For differential diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, an ECG is used.The patient must undergo a general blood and urine test.
Working at a computer and the development of osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis is an insidious disease.It affects both the “office plankton” who sit at the computer all the time, and inveterate workers who subject their health to extraordinary stress.Irrational work, neglect of the rules for the prevention of osteochondrosis and an unhealthy lifestyle provoke the rapid destruction of bone and cartilage tissue.
The generation of modern youth is overly “computerized”.Many medical professionals cite this as one of the main reasons why osteochondrosis has become so common and affects very young people.Top tips from experts:
- It is necessary 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 cannot tolerate discomfort while sitting at the computer.The body, especially the back, should be comfortable;
- Active lifestyle.Work or leisure time at the computer should alternate with sports recreation or light gymnastics.
Wrong lifestyle
An unbalanced diet provokes osteochondrosis.Junk food attacks on several “fronts” at once.First of all, obesity caused by fast food and similar snacks is one of the underlying causes of spine dysfunction.And deposited salts and other harmful elements in the bones only aggravate the problem, accelerating destructive processes.
Alcohol and smoking have similar effects.Harmful substances affect the cellular level, having a destructive effect on bone tissue and cartilage surfaces, which are the most sensitive to nicotine.
By reviewing your lifestyle, diet, and eradicating bad habits, you can prevent the appearance or progression of osteochondrosis.The ability to move easily and freely is a real luxury, a gift of nature for every person.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.