Degenerative-dystrophic changes in the structure of the spine and adjacent tissues are called osteochondrosis. More than 70% of the world's population faced back pain, accompanied by impaired mobility, and many of them did not even suspect that all these problems were signs of osteochondrosis, the most common disease of the spine. It is very important to recognize the problem in its early stage, as the later stages of the disease are difficult to treat, and as the disease begins, you risk completely losing mobility.
Today we will talk about how osteochondrosis manifests itself and what symptoms accompany this disease.
Clinical manifestations of the disease.
The process of destruction in osteochondrosis affects not only the bone-cartilaginous tissue of the spine, but also the vessels, arteries, nerve endings, therefore, the symptoms, or rather the syndromes of osteochondrosis, are combined according to the general clinical manifestations of the disease. .
- Due to the change and destruction of the vertebrae, excessive pressure occurs in the vessels, the main arteries, as a result, deteriorate the blood supply, hypoxia develops; this syndrome is called vascular.
- The deformity of the vertebrae, which occurs during the disease, entails abnormal changes in the spine (lordosis, scoliosis, kyphosis), a banal change in posture is a static syndrome.
- Infringement of nerve endings, blood vessels and arteries leads to a deterioration of metabolic processes in tissues, the supply of nutrients to them, as a result of which symptoms occur (in the form of ulcerative manifestations on the skin) of osteochondrosis, which are called trophic syndrome.
- Infringement of nerve endings is accompanied by numbness of the skin, impaired muscle reaction, such symptoms of the disease are called neurological syndrome.
The disease can affect any segment of the spine: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, in addition, it often captures two sections at once. The signs of osteochondrosis directly depend on the place of its localization and the degree of destruction of the affected area.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical vertebrae.
Today, cervical osteochondrosis is diagnosed quite often in the working-age population and the first signs, to which few people pay attention as usual, are frequent occipital headaches, gradually moving to the region temporary. Also, the initial stage of the disease is accompanied by discomfort, short-term pain in the cervical spine, a cracking sound when turning the head.
Also, without proper treatment, the disease progresses, pain intensifies, sensitivity decreases (this is due to a deterioration in the blood supply) of the upper shoulder girdle.
The apogee of the disease is the complete loss of motor activity of the upper limbs. Also, the symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis, arising as a result of poor blood supply, are:
- deterioration of the functions of the vestibular apparatus, dizziness, noise, buzzing, ringing in the ears; impaired visual function (blurred vision, flies in front of the eyes);
- in older people, periodic loss of consciousness, shortness of breath, and lack of oxygen are possible.
In addition to this, a person can be tormented by snoring, numbness, a feeling of coldness often occurs in the fingers, the probability of a violation of coordination of movements is high.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic vertebrae is a rather rare disease, since in this place the spinal column is less mobile and is supported by a strong costal framework. However, this ailment occurs, and the signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region are very diverse.
The initial stage of the disease is accompanied by pain in the chest, which goes down to the upper abdomen. Symptoms of breast osteochondrosis are often confused with manifestations of other ailments: cholecystitis, angina pectoris, and even kidney colic. Most often, a patient goes to a cardiologist with complaints of pain in the heart region, and after a full examination he is referred to a neurologist with suspected osteochondrosis.
Depending on the location of the lesion (upper, middle, lower part of the thoracic segment), symptoms such as cough, the so-called "lump in the throat", gastritis, increased pressure, arrhythmia and impaired intestinal motility may appear. . Therefore, before making an accurate diagnosis, the doctor must conduct a full examination to exclude other ailments.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.
The initial manifestations of osteochondrosis are drawing pain in the lumbar region, radiating to the lower extremities. At rest, a person practically does not notice discomfort, however, if he performs physical work, makes a sudden movement or remains in one position for a long period, the pain sensations intensify, accompanied by lumbago and numbness of the lower extremities.
As the disease progresses, the pain syndrome can be transmitted to the groin area, while the sacrum, while taking a horizontal position, the person feels significant relief. Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine also has the following symptoms:
- decreased sensitivity, tingling, peeling of the skin;
- numbness of the legs, which later can develop into partial or complete paralysis;
- a feeling of coldness in the legs, this is due to a violation of the blood supply due to compression of the arteries, blood vessels;
- sweating function may be affected;
- Also, due to a violation of the blood supply to the lower part of the spine, it is possible that the genitourinary system malfunctions.
Osteochondrosis of any kind is accompanied by impaired motor activity of the vertebrae, blood flow, compression of nerve endings, and spasms of muscle fibers. The initial degree of the disease responds well to treatment, which cannot be said about the later stages, so it is very important to diagnose the disease in a timely manner and start treatment.
Knowing the initial signs of spinal osteochondrosis, you have every chance of completely overcoming it, without the use of drugs and surgical intervention, at this stage, full recovery occurs after the use of physiotherapeutic procedures and therapeutic exercises. Be attentive, listen to your body and thus you can avoid many problems.