Everyone has experienced back pain, many people live with such pain all the time. In 2/3 of the cases, the cause of the back problems is osteochondrosis of the spine. In osteochondrosis, the bones and cartilage of the spine - neck, chest, lumbar - are destroyed. As we age, the risk of tissue wear increases, with every second resident of the planet over the age of 30 showing signs of osteochondrosis.
Spinal diseases cause back injuries and constant stress during hard physical work. Genetic predisposition, intense exercise, poor nutrition, and a sedentary lifestyle play a role - most city dwellers are at risk.
How to recognize osteochondrosis
In osteochondrosis, the symptoms are general, specific, characterized by degenerative changes in the articular cartilage, plaques, and spinal tissues.
Osteochondrosis is characterized by constant painful back pain, numbness of the affected vertebral sections, limited movement, sudden pain and increased pain associated with weight lifting.
Specific signs of osteochondrosis:
- the neck type leads to circulatory disturbances, causes headaches, tinnitus, "flies" in front of the eyes. There are problems with the nutrition of the brain, which leads to constant stress;
- with osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, intercostal neuralgia develops, pains in the chest and ribs;
- disease of the lumbar spine causes the progression of diseases - lumbago, sciatica, sciatica.
In sciatica, the sciatic nerve is affected. Symptoms include buttock pain, calf hypotension, and buttocks.
Lumbago is recognized by the sharp pain in the lower back caused by the movement of the vertebrae, the prolapse of the disc.
In sciatica, lumbar pain occurs in the gluteal region, in the back of the thigh, in the leg, in the foot, in the popliteal cavity.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
The clinical manifestations of spinal osteochondrosis are different, sometimes you need to see different doctors to understand the cause of the disease. The correct diagnosis will be made by a neurologist or orthopedist in some private clinics - a vertebrologist, a vertebroneurologist, a doctor for spinal diseases.
The doctor reports the primary diagnosis at the first examination, when the patient's back is touched. Treatment is prescribed after X-ray, computed tomography, MRI.
The treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine is aimed at relieving pain, preventing further tissue destruction and deformity of the spine.
In vertebral osteochondrosis is a chronic disease, there are stages of exacerbation, remission. The treatment of spinal diseases during exacerbation consists of bed rest for 1-2 weeks, in case of severe pain they take painkillers.
In case of cervical osteochondrosis during worsening, it is recommended to wear a special restraining collar. If the chest and lumbar regions are affected, a corset to the spine will help with exacerbations. Types of corsets:
- for the chest region - a vest-like bandage. It is used to straighten the spine;
- for spinal fractures - plaster, extension corset;
- wear rigid corsets after spinal surgery, after injuries. Helps support internal organs when muscles are weakened;
- corset in the form of a wide belt for the lumbar spine. Recommended for hernias and displacements.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine should be comprehensive: medication, exercise therapy, manual therapy, dietary conservative therapy. Sometimes surgery.
Drug treatment
Your doctor will prescribe medication to treat your osteochondrosis. Groups of drugs have different therapeutic purposes.
In the initial stage, anti-inflammatory drugs are taken. If your back pain lasts for more than 2 weeks but less than 3 months, you will also be taking painkillers. If the back pain is more than 3 months old, antidepressants are added.
Medications, the dose is determined by the doctor, self-efficacy is destructive - medications have side effects.
Treatment with folk remedies
The treatment of the disease with folk remedies is carried out in addition to the main, not a substitute for tablets. With osteochondrosis of the spine, home treatment methods reduce pain, reduce inflammation.
Recipes:
- A teaspoon of dried burdock leaves in a glass of boiling water. The compress is placed on the sore spot for 20-30 minutes. Then wrap the sore spot with a warm scarf.
- Pour three teaspoons of crushed marshmallow roots into a glass of cold boiled water. Insist for 8 hours, make a compress.
During remission, herbal infusions should be taken orally to prevent osteochondrosis from getting worse.
Manual therapy treatment
Manual therapy for osteochondrosis of the spine is an effective tool for conservative treatment of the disease. It is worth looking for a highly qualified professional. A good chiropractor relieves pain syndrome, removes muscle cramps and improves the mobility of intervertebral joints. An improperly trained therapist causes irreparable damage to the spine.
In order for manual therapy to help with dystrophic lesions, it is important to follow the rules. Before the massage, it is worth warming up the tense muscles, gently stretching the muscles so that the patient does not feel pain. The muscle is then relaxed, and after half a minute of deep breathing, the patient is stretched as far as possible until mild pain occurs. The muscle in this state is fixed for half a minute and then relaxes. There is a therapeutic effect due to irritation of the nerve endings.
Practical treatment
Osteochondrosis of the spine improves metabolism, spinal mobility, strengthens muscles, and restores damaged intervertebral discs in other ways.
Morning exercises for spinal osteochondrosis include exercises:
For the cervical spine:
- keep your head and shoulders straight. Slowly turn your head all the way to the right;
- we throw our heads back, trying to reach our left shoulder with our right ear. Repeat to the left.
For the chest region:
- we sit in a chair with our hands between our knees. We tilt to the side during inhalation, we straighten ourselves when we exhale. Repeat in the other direction;
- we sit on a chair with a low backrest so that the shoulder blades rest on it. Slowly lean back to see the back wall.
For the lumbar spine:
- We lie on our backs, we bend our knees, press them to our chest. Swing back and forth - from the back to the sacrum, for 1, 5-2 minutes. We stretch, we lie quietly.
Complex practices for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine, treatment complexes should be found on the Internet, ask an orthopedist.