The spine "pearl necklace" requires special attention, if there is no proper prevention of diseases of the spine, symptoms of osteochondrosis appear. Treatment in this case is long, it is impossible to completely restore the integrity of the spine and cartilaginous discs.
Usually, osteochondrosis is considered to be a change in the bone tissue, ligament apparatus, cartilage, and intervertebral discs of the spine. This process is long, the changes do not appear "suddenly", but are felt by the first characteristic signs and symptoms. Most often, it is mainly the pain that appears when nerve fibers, soft tissues or blood vessels are injured. Signs of osteochondrosis directly depend on the stage of the course of the disease and the area of the lesion, the treatment of each stage is different.
Clinical picture
Walking upright is a distinctive feature of a person as Homo sapiens, and at the same time, it is the upright position that is the main reason for the development of osteochondrosis. Not a single representative of the crawling wildlife is familiar with the symptoms of osteochondrosis. When walking upright, the intervertebral cartilages undergo a colossal load, and over time they undergo changes, deformation occurs, the spine ceases to fully perform its functions.
Four groups of characteristic changes:
Neurological syndrome
Along with symptoms of nerve damage, there may be loss of skin sensitivity or decreased muscle strength. With osteochondrosis of the spine, the first sign of neurological disorders can be seen as the onset of pain, as a result of compression or irritation of the roots of the spine. The first signs are localized in a limited area of the back, where pathological changes have started. With progression, the pain gradually "spreads" to all parts of the body located in the area of innervation of the compressed nerve root. Mainly, the pain can be given to the arms or legs, this usually forms a misdiagnosis and treatment is not carried out correctly.
In neurological syndrome, symptoms of impaired motor function develop less frequently than sensitive. If this occurs, symptoms of partial or total loss of mobility of the arm or leg may be observed, for example: with sacro-lumbar osteochondrosis of the spine, paresis of the left or right lower limb occurs.
Static syndrome
The first symptom already appears when the changes begin in the vertebrae. As a result, poor posture develops: lordosis, kyphosis or scoliosis. In difficult cases, there is a limitation in the mobility of the articular surfaces of the spine, the signs are expressed by the inability to fully straighten or turn the head.
Vascular syndrome
Spinal vascular problems develop for the following reasons:
- Low tone of sympathetic NS (signs of chronic ischemia of internal organs).
- With local compression of blood vessels by impaired vertebrae or their processes. Signs of osteochondrosis in this case are manifested as a violation of the blood supply to the brain when the large vessels are compressed. Symptoms of oxygen deprivation include dizziness, poor blood supply to the inner ear, or nausea. Symptomatic treatment, as a rule, does not give serious results.
Trophic syndrome
Such symptoms of osteochondrosis are characterized by the appearance of ulcers on the skin, a consequence of tissue malnutrition. Skin lesions appear in association with neurological and vascular factors. The exact signs depend on the part of the back affected.
Typical manifestations of pathology
Each part of the spine has its own typical signs of osteochondrosis, with which a spinal neurologist diagnoses the disease in both men and women. Based on these symptoms, you can understand which parts of the back are affected and what treatment is needed first.
There are several types of osteochondrosis: thoracic, cervical, lumbar, sacral and mixed, when the localization of the signs is not in a department, but has a diffuse character. The first signs of the development of osteochondrosis in women and men begin to be felt with slight, dull aches, discomfort, cracking, often with chest osteochondrosis, pain occurs in the region of the heart. Ideally, treatment should be started at this point, then it will be possible to avoid all back problems in the future.
In addition, the signs of osteochondrosis become clear, painful sensations begin to appear in the arms or legs. The pain in the spine increases with any load, and gradually it becomes problematic to perform movements associated with forward bending. The more osteochondrosis occurs, the more limited the mobility of the back, the thinned intervertebral discs lose their flexibility, the distance between the vertebrae decreases and their mobility is lost. The muscles begin to work in "emergency mode", being constantly in tension, supporting the vertebrae to prevent them from coming together and completely destroying the intervertebral discs.
Tense muscles cause a person even more discomfort, increasing tension, pain, symptoms of osteochondrosis intensify.
Cervical pathology
The signs of cervical osteochondrosis often "hide" under the guise of other diseases. The first sign of neck pathology is a headache, which cannot be relieved by conventional pain relievers. It starts from the back of the head, going towards the temples. Unpleasant sensations intensify after a long stay in one position; numbness in the arm, scapula and shoulder often occurs. With strong pinching of nerve fibers, paresis or paralysis of the hand may develop.
When the blood vessels are violated, signs of stroke appear:
- Tinnitus, dizziness - speak of poor blood circulation in the cochlea and semicircular tubules.
- Impaired vision, flies in front of the eyes - indicate poor nutrition of the optical apparatus.
- Severe oxygen deprivation of the brain - can manifest as sudden loss of consciousness, especially if cervical osteochondrosis is accompanied by atherosclerosis of the vessels.
Hiccups, a feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath, and panic attacks "speak" of phrenic nerve damage. The phrenic nerve is part of the cervical plexus and is directly related to the regulation of the frequency and depth of breathing.
Breast pathology
The signs of thoracic osteochondrosis are quite diverse, although this part of the spine is less often affected, both in women and in men. Painful sensations have a clear localization: the upper abdomen, the area of the shoulder blades and between the ribs. But often osteochondrosis "hides" behind signs of intestinal or renal colic, angina or cholecystitis.
Symptoms indicating injury to either chest segment:
- Superior thoracic segment. Sensation of lump in the throat, violation of the act of swallowing, cough.
- Middle thoracic segment. Symptoms mimicking gastritis and ulcers (gastralgia) and symptoms of arrhythmia and hypertension (cardialgia).
- Lower thoracic segment. Symptoms of bowel motility disturbances and signs similar to those of appendicitis appear.
Lumbar pathology
The signs of damage to this section are extensive, but most often the first signs are with pain in the lower back and legs, loss of sensitivity and numbness of the skin of the lower extremities.
Changes in the lumbosacral region, characteristic symptoms:
- Pain and lumbago are observed after physical exertion.
- When the motor nerve fibers are pinched, paresis and paralysis of the legs develop.
- Pinching of nerves and blood vessels in both men and women leads to disruption of the pelvic organs.
It should always be remembered that osteochondrosis of the spine is a hidden and insidious disease. You can treat the respiratory, genitourinary, or gastrointestinal tract for years, but without positive results from therapy. Therefore, in case of signs of the disease, it makes sense to go mainly to a neurologist, and not to a cardiologist, therapist or gastroenterologist.