Everyone has experienced back pain, many live with such pain all the time. In 2/3 of cases, the cause of back problems is osteochondrosis of the spine. With osteochondrosis, bone, cartilage tissue of the spine - cervical, thoracic, lumbar, is destroyed. With age, the risk of tissue wear increases, one in two inhabitants of the planet over 30 years of age shows signs of osteochondrosis.
Diseases of the spine cause back injuries, constant stress during heavy physical work. Genetic predisposition, intense training, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle play a role - most city dwellers are at risk.
How to recognize osteochondrosis
With osteochondrosis, the symptoms are general, specific, characteristic of degenerative changes in the articular cartilage, discs, tissues of the spine.
Osteochondrosis will be manifested by constant back pain, numbness of the affected vertebral sections, restriction of movement, increased pain with sudden movements, weight lifting.
Specific signs of osteochondrosis:
- the cervical type causes disturbances in blood circulation, 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 appear in the chest, ribs;
- disease of the lumbar spine provokes the progression of diseases - lumbago, sciatica (sciatica), lumbar sciatica.
With sciatica, the sciatic nerve is affected. Symptoms are pain in the buttocks, hypotension of the calf, buttock muscles.
Lumbago is recognized by the sharp pain in the lower back caused by the displacement of the vertebrae, the prolapse of the intervertebral disc.
With sciatica, lower back pain appears in the gluteal region, given to the back of the thigh, lower leg, foot, popliteal fossa.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
The clinical manifestations of osteochondrosis of the spine are different, sometimes different doctors need to be consulted to understand the cause of the disease. The correct diagnosis will be made by a neurologist, an orthopedist, in some private clinics - a vertebrologist, a vertebroneurologist, doctors dealing with diseases of the spine.
The doctor will report the primary diagnosis during the first examination, by palpating the patient's back. After radiography, computed tomography, MRI, treatment is prescribed.
The treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine aims to eliminate pain, prevent tissue destruction and deformation of the spine.
Spinal osteochondrosis is a chronic disease, there are stages of exacerbation, remission. Treatment of spine disease during exacerbation includes bed rest for 1-2 weeks, pain relievers are taken with severe pain.
With cervical osteochondrosis during exacerbation, it is recommended to wear a special limiting collar. If the thoracic and lumbar regions are affected, a spinal corset will help combat exacerbations. Corset varieties:
- for the chest region - a bandage that looks like a vest. It is used to straighten the spine;
- for vertebral fractures - plaster, extension corset;
- a rigid corset is worn after spine surgery, injuries. Helps support internal organs when muscles are weakened;
- wide belt-shaped corset for the lumbar spine. Recommended for hernias, travel.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine should be comprehensive: drug therapy, exercise therapy, manual therapy, diet - conservative therapy. Sometimes surgery.
Medical treatment
The doctor will prescribe medication for osteochondrosis. Groups of drugs have different treatment goals.
In the early stages, anti-inflammatory drugs are taken. If the back pain persists for more than 2 weeks, but less than 3 months, pain relievers are also taken. If the back pain is more than 3 months old, antidepressants are added.
Drugs, the dosage is set by the attending physician, self-activity is destructive - drugs have side effects.
Treatment with folk remedies
Treatment of the disease with folk remedies is carried out in addition to the main one, it does not replace pills. With osteochondrosis of the spine, home treatment methods will reduce pain and inflammation.
Receipts:
- A teaspoon of dried burdock leaves in a glass of boiling water. The compress is put on the sore spot, kept for 20-30 minutes. Then the sore spot is wrapped in a warm scarf.
- Three teaspoons of crushed medicinal marshmallow roots are poured into a glass of cold boiled water. Insist 8 hours, make compresses.
During the period of remission, infusions of medicinal herbs are taken orally - they allow to prevent exacerbations of osteochondrosis.
Manual therapy treatment
An effective means of conservative treatment of the disease is manual therapy for osteochondrosis of the spine. It is worth finding a highly qualified specialist. A good chiropractor will relieve pain syndrome, eliminate muscle spasms, and improve mobility of intervertebral joints. An insufficiently qualified therapist will cause irreparable damage to the spine.
In order for manual therapy to help with dystrophic changes, it is important to follow the rules. Before the massage, it is worth warming up the tense muscles, gently stretching them so that the patient does not feel pain. Then the muscle is relaxed, after half a minute, on a deep breath, the patient is stretched as much as possible until a slight pain appears. The muscle in this state is fixed for half a minute, and then relaxed. Due to the irritation of the nerve endings, a therapeutic effect occurs.
Exercise treatment
Exercises for the spine with osteochondrosis along with other methods improve metabolism, mobility of the spine, strengthen muscles and restore damaged intervertebral discs.
Morning exercises for osteochondrosis of the spine include exercises:
For the cervical spine:
- keep your head and shoulders straight. Slowly turn your head to the right, to the left;
- we throw our head back, the right ear trying to reach the left shoulder. We repeat on the left.
For the thoracic region:
- we sit down on a chair with our hands between our knees. By inhaling, we incline to the side, when exhaling, we stand up. We repeat the other way;
- we sit on a low-back chair so that the shoulder blades are resting against it. Slowly lean back to see the back wall.
For the lumbar spine:
- We lie on our backs, bend our knees, press them against our chest. We swing back and forth - back to the sacrum, for 1. 5-2 minutes. We lie down, we lie down quietly.
Complex exercises for exercise therapy for osteochondrosis of the spine, treatment complexes can be found on the Internet, ask an orthopedist.