The "pearl necklace" of the spine requires careful attention, if there is no proper prevention of diseases of the spine, the symptoms of osteochondrosis appear. In this case, treatment is long, it is impossible to completely restore the integrity of the spine and cartilage discs.
In general, osteochondrosis is a change in the bone tissue of the spine, ligaments, cartilage and intervertebral discs. This process takes a long time, the changes do not appear "suddenly", but are felt at the first signs and symptoms. Often, it is primarily pain that occurs when nerve fibers, soft tissues, or blood vessels are damaged. The symptoms of osteochondrosis directly depend on the stage 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 humans, such as Homo sapiens, and at the same time, the main reason for the development of osteochondrosis is the vertical position. None of the four-limbed fauna is familiar with the symptoms of osteochondrosis. When walking upright, the intervertebral cartilage is under heavy load and changes over time, deforming, and the spine ceasing to function fully.
Four groups of characteristic changes:
Neurological syndrome
Signs of nerve damage may include loss of skin sensitivity or decreased muscle strength. With osteochondrosis of the spine, the first sign of neurological disorders may be the appearance of pain as a result of compression or irritation of the spinal roots. The first symptoms are localized in a limited area of the back where the pathological changes begin. As it progresses, the pain gradually "spreads" to all parts of the body located in the innervation zone of the compressed nerve root. First of all, the pain can be transmitted to the arms or legs, which usually gives the wrong impression that the diagnosis and treatment are not carried out properly.
In neurological syndrome, the symptoms of motor dysfunction develop less than sensitive. If this occurs, signs of partial or complete 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 extremities.
Static syndrome
The first symptom is already visible when the changes in the spine begin. As a result, incorrect posture develops: lordosis, kyphosis or scoliosis. In difficult cases, there is a restriction in the mobility of the articular surfaces of the spine, the symptoms of which are expressed in the inability to fully straighten or turn the head.
Vascular syndrome
Vascular problems of the spine develop for the following reasons:
- Low tone of sympathetic NS (signs of chronic ischemia of internal organs).
- With local compression of blood vessels with altered vertebrae or their processes. In this case, the symptoms of osteochondrosis are expressed by a violation of the blood supply to the brain when the large arteries are constricted. Symptoms of hypoxia 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 skin ulcers, which are the result of malnutrition of tissues. Skin lesions appear in combination with neurological and vascular factors. The exact symptoms depend on which part of the back is affected.
Typical manifestations of pathology
Each part of the spine has its own symptoms of osteochondrosis, so a vertebral neurologist diagnoses the disease in men and women. Based on these symptoms, you can understand which parts of the back are affected and what treatment is required first.
There are several types of osteochondrosis: thoracic, cervical, lumbar, sacral and mixed, the localization of symptoms is diffuse, not in one department. The first signs of the development of osteochondrosis in women and men begin to feel a slight dull pain, restlessness, tingling, often with thoracic osteochondrosis, pain in the heart. Ideally, treatment should be started at this stage, then it will be possible to avoid all the problems behind it in the future.
In addition, the symptoms of osteochondrosis become clearer, and painful sensations begin to be transmitted to the arms or legs. Pain in the spine increases with any load and gradually becomes difficult to perform the movements associated with forward bending. The more osteochondrosis manifests itself, the more limited the mobility of the back, the thinner the intervertebral discs lose their elasticity, the distance between the vertebrae decreases and they lose their mobility. The muscles begin to work in "emergency mode", are constantly tense, and support the vertebrae to prevent them from coming close to each other and completely destroying the intervertebral discs.
Compressed muscles cause more discomfort in a person, increase tension, pain, and intensify the symptoms of osteochondrosis.
Cervical pathology
Symptoms of cervical osteochondrosis are often "hidden" under the guise of other diseases. The first sign of neck pathology is a headache that cannot be relieved with ordinary painkillers. It starts at the back of the head and goes to the temples. After staying in one position for a long time, the unpleasant sensations intensify, and often there are numbness of the arms, back and shoulders. With severe compression of nerve fibers, paresis or paralysis of the hand may develop.
When blood vessels are damaged, signs of cerebrovascular accident appear:
- Tinnitus, dizziness - talk about poor blood flow in the cochlea and semicircular tubes.
- Decreased vision, flying in front of the eyes - indicates poor nutrition of the optical apparatus.
- Severe oxygen starvation of the brain - especially if cervical osteochondrosis is accompanied by atherosclerosis of blood vessels - can manifest itself with sudden loss of consciousness.
Hiccups, shortness of breath, shortness of breath and panic attacks "speak" of phrenic nerve damage. The phrenic nerve is part of the cervical plexus and is directly involved in the regulation of respiratory rate and depth.
Breast pathology
The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis are very different, although this part of the spine is less affected in both women and men. The pain has a clear localization: in the upper abdomen, the area of the shoulder blades and between the ribs. But often osteochondrosis "hides" behind the symptoms of intestinal or renal colic, angina pectoris or cholecystitis.
Symptoms of damage to one or another breast segment:
- Upper thoracic segment. Feeling of a lump in the throat, impaired swallowing, cough.
- Middle thoracic segment. Symptoms that mimic gastritis and ulcers (gastralgia) and symptoms with arrhythmia and hypertension (cardialgia).
- Lower thoracic segment. Symptoms of intestinal motility disorders and appendicitis-like symptoms appear.
Lumbar pathology
Signs of damage to this part are widespread, but in most cases the first symptoms are pain in the back and legs, loss of sensation and numbness of the skin of the lower extremities.
Changes in the lumbar-sacral region, characteristic symptoms:
- Pain and lumbago are observed after physical exertion.
- When the motor nerve fibers are compressed, paresis and paralysis of the legs develop.
- In men and women, constriction of nerves and blood vessels causes damage to the pelvic organs.
We must always remember that osteochondrosis of the spine is a hidden and insidious disease. You can treat respiratory, genitourinary or gastrointestinal tract for years, but you can not get a positive result from therapy. Therefore, when there are symptoms, it makes sense to consult a neurologist first, not a cardiologist, therapist or gastroenterologist.