Backbone osteochondrosis

General characteristic of a disease

Osteochondrosis of a backbone is the disease caused by destruction of bone and cartilaginous fabrics of cervical, chest and lumbar departments of a backbone.

First of all when progressing a disease the central part of a vertebral disk – a so-called jellylike kernel changes. Because of it the vertebra loses a part of the shock-absorbing properties, and on a fibrous ring on the periphery of a disk thinning and cracks is formed.

Further progressing of osteochondrosis of a backbone leads to disease complications – protrusion of disks or ruptures of a fibrous ring and intervertebral hernia as to its investigation. Instability of a backbone in an affected area leads to pain and limited mobility of the head at osteochondrosis of a backbone of cervical department, and also to limited mobility of a trunk at osteochondrosis of chest department of a backbone and lumbar.

In 75% of cases osteochondrosis of a backbone is the reason of a dorsodynia. With age the risk of dystrophy of tissues of backbone significantly increases therefore on average symptoms of osteochondrosis of a backbone are observed at every second inhabitant of the planet 30 years are more senior.

Backbone osteochondrosis reasons

In development of osteochondrosis of a backbone injuries of a back or systematic loads of a back are considered as provocative factors at hard physical activity or professional employment in the conditions of vibration. If you have to be engaged much in handling works, get a hydroboard for the car.

Early manifestation of symptoms of osteochondrosis of a backbone is caused by poor physical development, flat-footedness or excess weight. There is also genetic predisposition to a loose structure of intervertebral disks and anomalies of a structure of a backbone. In respect of health of a backbone also intensive trainings in the gym with violation of the rules of distribution of load of a back, a sedentary life and improper feeding are adverse.

Backbone osteochondrosis symptoms

The disease is shown by a number of typical symptoms. Are characteristic of osteochondrosis of a backbone: the aching dorsodynia, feeling of numbness in the struck department of a backbone, reduction of amplitude of movements, strengthening of pain at rise in weight, the sharp movement, tension during cough or sneezing.

Chronic pain as one of backbone osteochondrosis symptoms, becomes the reason of increased fatigue. When squeezing nervous roots backbone disks pain can be more intensive and have the sharp, "shooting" character. Its localization in this case are not limited to area of a back, and it is felt as the person around extremities.

Backbone osteochondrosis stages

The disease stage depends on expressiveness of symptoms of osteochondrosis of a backbone. At the first stage of osteochondrosis of a backbone pain is practically not felt if only an easy indisposition and weak resistance of a backbone to injuries. Destruction of a fibrous ring, reduction of the sizes of vertebral cracks and pain of various intensity – a symptom of osteochondrosis of a backbone of the second stage.

The third stage of a disease is characterized by essential deformations of bone and vertebral fabrics up to emergence of hernias nuclei pulposi. A symptom of osteochondrosis of a backbone of the heaviest fourth stage are mass bone growths, limited mobility, a megalgia, and also the full or partial paralysis of extremities caused by a prelum of nervous roots.

Symptoms of osteochondrosis of cervical department of a backbone

Osteochondrosis of cervical department of a backbone quite often leads to disturbances of blood circulation because of squeezing of arteries. It leads to an intensive headache, dizzinesses and faints. At osteochondrosis of cervical department of a backbone the syndrome of a vertebral artery is sometimes observed. It is characterized by feeling of noise in the head, flashing of "front sights" or color spots before eyes. At osteochondrosis of cervical department of a backbone also peripheral pains in shoulders or hands are possible.

Symptoms of osteochondrosis of chest department of a backbone

Osteochondrosis of chest department of a backbone can aggravate the course of various cardiac pathologies. The disease causes progressing of intercostal neuralgia (squeezing of intercostal nerves). At osteochondrosis of chest department of a backbone the stethalgia and feeling of "stake" in the center of a thorax are observed.

Symptoms of osteochondrosis of lumbar department of a backbone

Osteochondrosis of lumbar department of a backbone leads to development of the following diseases: to a sciatica, lumbago and so-called lumbar radiculitis.

The sciatica as one of complications of osteochondrosis of lumbar department of a backbone, is characterized by defeat of a sciatic nerve, pain in a rump, the hypotonia (lowered by a tone) sural and gluteuses.

At a lumbago the sharp lower back pain caused by the shift of vertebrae or loss of a vertebral disk acts as a symptom of osteochondrosis of lumbar department of a backbone.

Lumbar radiculitis, one more complication of osteochondrosis of lumbar department of a backbone, is provoked by hernias of the lowermost disks of a backbone. It is followed by buttock pain with irradiation in the back surface of a hip, a popliteal space, a shin and foot.

Diagnosis of osteochondrosis of a backbone

The preliminary diagnosis "backbone osteochondrosis" is established by the neurologist after primary survey in connection with complaints of the patient to a dorsodynia and limited mobility. The stage of osteochondrosis of a backbone is stated depending on extent of deformation of a backbone, a condition of a bearing of the patient and quantity of the struck disks.

All above-stated symptoms of osteochondrosis of a backbone are diagnosed by means of palpation of a back of the patient. The doctor also pays attention to a condition of a muscle tone. As in most cases the disease is followed by a hyper tone of muscles of a back.

By tests for bending of a backbone amplitude of movements of the patient is defined. Thanks to a X-ray analysis, the diagnosis is concretized by KT and MPT and future tactics of treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone is defined.

Treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone

In treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone conservative and surgical techniques are applied. The purpose they are to eliminate a pain syndrome and to prevent further progressing of deformation of a backbone.

At the same time surgical treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone is applied only if conservative therapy of a disease was inefficient.

The active stage of use of conservative methods lasts on average 2 months. At the beginning of its perhaps short-term strengthening of a pain syndrome caused by reaction of an organism to medicines, physiotherapy exercises (LFK) and physical therapy. In conservative treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone also massage, manual therapy, an extract and reflexotherapy are applied. Efficiency of treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone depends on systemacity of procedures and persistence of the most sick in performance of the LFK complexes.

Surgical treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone is carried out at hernia of intervertebral disks whose prescription exceeds 6 months. The indication to carrying out operation is also reduction of a crack between vertebrae to 1/3 initial sizes and a prelum of roots of a spinal cord.

The leading method in surgical treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone -  a diskektomiya, i.e. removal of the deformed disk. Operation can be the low-invasive, carried-out by means of endoscopic tools by method mikrodiskektomiya, B-Twin of system, and also puncture laser vaporization of a kernel of the deformed disk.

After surgical treatment of osteochondrosis of a backbone the rehabilitation period within 6 months is supposed. During it the patient goes for sanatorium treatment for passing of a course of physical therapy, manual therapy, acupuncture, etc.