Everyone has back pain, and many always have such pain. In 2/3 of cases, the cause of back problems is osteochondrosis of the spine. With osteochondrosis, bone and cartilage tissue of the spine - cervical, thoracic, lumbar - is destroyed. With age, the risk of tissue erosion increases, and every second inhabitant of the planet over the age of 30 has symptoms of osteochondrosis.
Diseases of the spine cause back injuries and constant stress during strenuous physical activity. Genetic predisposition, intense exercise, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle play a role - most city dwellers are at risk.
How to recognize osteochondrosis
Symptoms of osteochondrosis are typical for general, specific, degenerative changes in articular cartilage, discs, spinal tissues.
Osteochondrosis will manifest itself with persistent painful low back pain, numbness of the affected vertebral parts, limited movement, increased pain with sudden movements, weight lifting.
Specific symptoms of osteochondrosis:
- Cervical type leads to circulatory disorders, causes headaches, tinnitus, "flies" in front of the eyes. There are problems with the nutrition of the brain, which leads to constant stress;
- develops intercostal neuralgia with osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, pain in the chest, ribs appear;
- Lumbar disease causes the progression of diseases - lumbago, sciatica (sciatica), lumbar sciatica.
The sciatic nerve is affected by sciatica. Symptoms include hip pain, calf hypotension, and gluteal muscles.
Lumbago is characterized by severe pain in the lumbar region caused by displacement of the vertebrae, prolapse of the spinal disc.
Low back pain with sciatica appears in the gluteal region, is 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 you need to consult different doctors to understand the cause of the disease. The correct diagnosis will be made by a neurologist, orthopedist, in some private clinics - a vertebrologist, vertebroneurologist, doctors dealing with diseases of the spine.
The doctor will inform you of the initial diagnosis at the first examination, when you feel the patient's back. Treatment is prescribed after X-ray, computed tomography, MRI.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine aims to relieve pain, prevent further destruction of tissues, deformity of the spine.
Vertebral osteochondrosis is a chronic disease, there are stages of exacerbation, remission. Treatment of spinal disease during exacerbation includes 1-2 weeks of bed rest, painkillers are taken for severe pain.
In case of exacerbation, it is recommended to wear a special restraining collar with cervical osteochondrosis. If the thoracic and lumbar regions are affected, a corset for the spine will help with inflammation. Corset types:
- for the thoracic region - a vest-like bandage. Used to straighten the spine;
- for spinal fractures - plaster, extension corset;
- spinal surgery, a stiff corset is worn after injuries. Helps support internal organs when muscles are weakened;
- corset in the form of a wide belt for the waist. Recommended for hernias, displacements.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the spine should be comprehensive: drug therapy, exercise therapy, manual therapy, diet - conservative treatment. Sometimes surgery.
Drug treatment
The doctor will prescribe medication for osteochondrosis. Drug groups have different treatment goals.
Anti-inflammatory drugs are taken in the early stages. If the back pain lasts for more than 2 weeks, but less than 3 months, additional painkillers are taken. If back pain lasts more than 3 months, antidepressants are added.
The drugs, the dose is prescribed by the attending physician, are self-destructive - the drugs have side effects.
Treatment with folk remedies
Treatment of the disease with folk remedies is carried out in addition to the main treatment, does not replace pills. Home remedies for osteochondrosis of the spine will reduce pain, reduce inflammation.
Recipes:
- A teaspoon of dried burdock leaves in a glass of boiling water. The compress is applied to the painful area and kept for 20-30 minutes. Then the painful place is wrapped in a warm scarf.
- Three teaspoons of crushed marshmallow roots are poured into a glass of cold boiled water. Insist 8 hours, apply compresses.
In remission, herbal infusions are taken orally - to prevent exacerbation 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, relieve muscle spasms and improve the mobility of the intervertebral joints. A sufficiently qualified therapist will cause irreparable damage to the spine.
It is important to follow the rules for manual therapy to help with dystrophic changes. Before the massage, it is worth warming up the tense muscles and stretching the muscles smoothly so that the patient does not feel pain. Then the muscle relaxes, and after half a minute in a deep breath the patient stretches as much as possible until a slight pain appears. In this position, the muscle stabilizes for half a minute, then relaxes. Therapeutic effect occurs due to irritation of nerve endings.
Sports therapy
In other ways, exercises for the spine with osteochondrosis improve metabolism, spinal mobility, strengthen muscles and repair damaged intervertebral discs.
Morning exercises for osteochondrosis of the spine include:
For the cervical spine:
- keep your head and shoulders straight. Slowly turn your head to the right, left;
- we throw our heads back, our right ear trying to reach the left shoulder. Repeat to the left.
For the thoracic region:
- we sit in a chair with our hands between our knees. When we breathe, we bend to the side, and when we breathe, we straighten ourselves. We repeat in the other direction;
- we sit in a chair with our backs so that the shoulder blades stand against it. Slowly bend back to see the back wall.
For the waist:
- We lie on our backs, bend our knees and press on our chests. We swing back and forth - from back to sacrum, 1, 5-2 minutes. We lie down, we lie down quietly.
Complex exercises for exercise therapy for osteochondrosis of the spine, treatment complexes should be found on the Internet, ask an orthopedist.