Osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is the gradual destruction of spinal structures due to degenerative changes. This is a chronic disease, which holds a leading place among pathologies of the musculoskeletal system. Experienced neurologists are involved in his treatment.

About the disease

Almost every third person who consults a neurologist with back pain is diagnosed with osteochondrosis. It affects about 90% of elderly people. The risk group includes the older generation, as well as people with occupational risks - loaders, drivers, office workers, salespeople, hairdressers.

The average age for the first manifestations of the disease is 30–35 years. When exposed to unfavorable factors, painful symptoms appear even earlier.

With osteochondrosis of the spine, the bone structure, intervertebral cartilage and discs in the cervical, thoracic or lumbar region are damaged. As a result, muscle tension increases and depreciation processes worsen. Intervertebral discs wear out and shift, causing stiffness and pain. Without treatment, degenerative-dystrophic changes progress, nerve roots are infringed, and the functioning of internal organs is disrupted. In the last stages of osteochondrosis, partial or complete loss of ability to work occurs due to limited mobility.

At the first signs of illness, you should immediately contact a specialized specialist - a neurologist. The doctor will prescribe a comprehensive examination and develop effective treatment tactics.

Types of osteochondrosis

Depending on the location, osteochondrosis is of three types: cervical, thoracic and lumbosacral. In almost 50% of cases, the disease affects the spinal structures in the lumbar region. This is due to the fact that the lower back experiences maximum static loads.

Cervical osteochondrosis is in second place in terms of prevalence. Damage to the cervical vertebrae can be caused by injuries, repetitive physical labor, as well as sedentary work, in which you need to keep your head in one position for a long time.

Sedentary work and constant neck positioning even cause a hernia in the cervical area.

Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is less common. A sedentary lifestyle also contributes to its development. Its main symptom is chest pain, which can easily be confused with a heart attack.

The diagnosis of "common osteochondrosis" is made when all departments are involved in the pathological process.

Symptoms of osteochondrosis

The clinical picture depends on the affected part of the spine. The common symptom for all is pain. It can be sharp, like a "lumbago", or dull and aching. The pain intensifies with movement, physical activity, and prolonged stay in one position. In the later stages, as well as during exacerbations of the disease, it is constant and interferes with sleep and leading a normal lifestyle.

In addition to pain, the patient feels tension and stiffness in the back muscles, heaviness, and discomfort. When nerve endings are pinched, the pain radiates to neighboring areas of the body (along the nerve), accompanied by numbness, tingling, and a sensation of "pins and needles under the skin. "

Symptoms of osteochondrosis can be confused with other diseases, so you should not engage in self-diagnosis and self-medication. In a professional clinic, patients will be given maximum attention and will be examined using high-precision new equipment, which will allow an accurate diagnosis to be made.

Cervical region

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine has the richest clinical picture. The disease can begin with aching periodic pain in the neck, a feeling of stiffness or discomfort after being in one position at the computer, after sleep. When the nerves and vessels of the spine are involved in the process, the pain spreads to the back of the head, collarbone, shoulder, and sometimes even to the chest. The pain becomes more intense when tilting or turning the head, taking a deep breath, and also at night during sleep. The sensitivity of the shoulder blades, shoulders, and arms is impaired, tingling and chilliness appear.

In the later stages, when the intervertebral discs become significantly thinner, lose their fixation and become excessively mobile, the following symptoms may occur:

• stiffness when turning the neck;
• sharp acute pain in the spine;
• headache, which is accompanied by compression and pulsation in the head, noise and ringing in the ears, auditory and visual disorders;
• nausea;
• lack of coordination;
• attacks of dizziness.

Vegetovascular symptoms are a consequence of vertebral artery syndrome, which develops due to spasm or compression of the artery involved in the blood supply to the brain.

Acute pain, loss of skin sensitivity in the neck, stiffness of the vertebrae occurs when the fibrous ring ruptures, the formation of intervertebral hernias and osteophytes.

Thoracic region

Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine "imitates" pain in the heart, as well as intercostal neuralgia. The pain often worsens at night. It can be moderate and increase gradually or occur suddenly and sharply.

With osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, doctors first rule out the cardiac nature of the pain. For this purpose, differential diagnosis is carried out.

Painful sensations are localized in the area between the shoulder blades or ribs and intensify when raising arms, bending, taking a deep breath or exhaling. They radiate to the area of the heart, kidneys, and stomach. In the thoracic region, patients note a feeling of stiffness or pressure, numbness, "pins and needles" in the chest, tingling in the neck, arms, and abdomen.

Lumbosacral region

With lumbosacral osteochondrosis, the pain is localized in the lower back, radiates to the pelvic area, groin, and down the leg. It is accompanied by muscle tension, tingling, and numbness. Muscle cramps and disruption of the pelvic organs are possible.

Referred lumbosacral pain syndrome can be caused by pathologies of the genitourinary system and gastrointestinal tract. Clinic specialists must take this fact into account when making a diagnosis.

Reasons

Damage to intervertebral cartilage most often occurs due to excessive loads, including static loads, as well as spinal injuries caused by a fall, blow, sudden movement, or jump from a height.

Increased stress, as a result of which degenerative changes occur, includes heavy lifting, uneven distribution of load on the back muscles, and prolonged stay in one position, especially uncomfortable. The most sensitive to overload are the intervertebral cartilaginous discs, which perform the function of shock absorption and provide movement in the spine.

The development of osteochondrosis is promoted by:

• excess weight;
• age-related changes;
• heredity;
• flat feet;
• inflammatory or autoimmune damage to cartilage;
• birth defects;
• vertebral instability;
• poor posture;
• poor nutrition;
• hypothermia;
• a sedentary lifestyle, which provokes weakness of the muscle corset, deterioration of nutrition and blood supply to the intervertebral joints;
• metabolic disorders;
• deficiency of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D;
• hormonal, endocrine disorders.

Under the influence of provoking factors, metabolic processes, hydration and blood circulation in the intervertebral discs deteriorate. As a result, cracks appear in the annulus fibrosus. The height of the discs decreases, the mobility of the spine is impaired, and reflex tension and spasm develop. Protrusions and hernias form. The disc protrudes, it irritates the spinal roots, causing pain and other discomfort.

Advantages of treatment in a modern clinic 

A modern clinic where osteochondrosis is treated has a number of advantages:

1. Experienced specialists in the field of neurology who regularly improve their skills.
2. New diagnostic equipment that increases the accuracy of diagnosing osteochondrosis to 100%.
3. The use of minimally invasive technologies in the surgical treatment of osteochondrosis.
4. A 24-hour hospital where patients can stay after spinal surgery.
5. Individual rehabilitation programs that allow you to restore full motor activity.
6. High level of service and affordable prices for treatment of osteochondrosis in Moscow.
7. Application of proprietary methods with proven effectiveness. Focus on non-surgical treatment, taking into account the patient’s age and the presence of concomitant diseases.
8. Qualified assistance for complications of osteochondrosis - protrusions, pinched nerves, herniated discs, osteophytes, limited mobility of the vertebrae.

In a modern clinic, all advanced methods of treating osteochondrosis are available to the patient: medications, physiotherapeutic procedures, manual therapy, osteopathy, reflexology, therapeutic blockades, surgical interventions.

Diagnostics

There are many causes of back pain. To understand what caused the pain, a consultation with a neurologist is required. At the initial appointment, the doctor examines the patient’s complaints and medical history to identify risk factors, conducts a neurological examination, and assesses the range of motion. During examination and palpation of the spine, the doctor can detect curvature, muscle spasms, trigger points and other pathological changes.

Additionally, the doctor prescribes instrumental diagnostic methods: radiography, CT or MRI of the spine. In case of exacerbation of cervical osteochondrosis, Dopplerography of the vessels of the head and neck, MRI of the head may be required, osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine - electrocardiography or ultrasound of the heart, lumbar spine - ultrasound of the kidneys and pelvic organs. Additionally, blood and urine tests may be prescribed.

To exclude diseases of the spinal cord, including cancer, myelography is performed. This is a radiographic examination method using a contrast agent.

Based on the results obtained during the diagnosis, the neurologist draws up an individual treatment regimen.

Treatment

The treatment for osteochondrosis depends on the affected part of the spine and the stage of the disease. At the initial stage, drug therapy, physical therapy, lifestyle correction, weight and physical activity are sufficient. If the structure of the discs and the mobility of the joints are significantly impaired, there is disc protrusion and other complications, then additional physiotherapeutic procedures may be prescribed, including therapeutic massage, spinal traction, and manual therapy. In advanced cases, when osteochondrosis does not respond to conservative therapy, surgery is performed.

Conservative

Conservative treatment methods stop the development of osteochondrosis, help get rid of chronic back pain and other unpleasant symptoms, and improve spinal mobility. These include:

1. Drug therapy. Prescribed drugs that reduce pain and inflammation, relax back muscles, strengthen cartilage and bone tissue.
2. Physiotherapeutic procedures. They improve blood circulation and nutrition of the intervertebral discs, promote tissue restoration, relax the muscles of the neck, lower back, and thoracic region. For osteochondrosis, magnetic therapy, UHF, shock wave, vacuum therapy, laser therapy, acupuncture, massage, and electrical stimulation are effective. The massage course includes 10–15 sessions, depending on the severity of changes in the vertebral structures.
3. Manual therapy. The procedure takes place without pain. Allows you to get rid of muscle tension, soreness, restore mobility and anatomy of the vertebrae.
4. Therapeutic exercise. It is an important component of treatment. Sets of exercises selected by a physical therapy doctor strengthen the back corset, correct posture, improve blood circulation, eliminate pain, and improve mobility of the neck and other parts of the spine.
5. Therapeutic blockade. Used when severe pain occurs that cannot be relieved with analgesics. The high effectiveness of the procedure is justified by the paravertebral administration of drugs - into the tissue near the intervertebral nerve roots.
6. Spinal traction. Effective for osteochondrosis with disc protrusion and intervertebral hernia, and for radicular syndrome.

The best results are obtained from complex treatment - a combination of several methods that enhance each other’s effect.

Surgical

The main goal of the operation is to eliminate compression of the nerve roots, spinal cord, arteries, etc. During surgery, a hernia, part or all of the intervertebral disc can be removed. The operation is carried out with minimal risks, since minimally invasive technologies and modern visualization systems are used, allowing one to see the surgical field in real time in high resolution.

Puncture laser discectomy

It is a new microsurgical method that is used to treat osteochondrosis, mainly of the cervical spine. The affected intervertebral disc is evaporated with a laser. The light guide is fed through a needle with a diameter of up to 1. 2 mm, which is inserted into the affected disc. Laser exposure lasts 40–60 minutes. The pain syndrome disappears immediately after the procedure.

Puncture laser discectomy is used only in the initial stages of osteochondrosis, in the absence of signs of vertebral instability.

Prevention

Osteochondrosis of any part of the spine can be prevented if preventive recommendations are constantly followed. Moderate loads, maintaining correct posture, and therapeutic exercises for the back are required. You cannot lift weights or sit or stand in one position for a long time.

If you have back problems, you should regularly visit an orthopedist or neurologist.

Rehabilitation

The duration of restoration of spinal function depends on the type and volume of intervention. Bed rest is indicated in the first days after surgery, then gentle physical activity and wearing orthopedic devices for the back are required. Physical therapy exercises selected by a doctor allow you to gradually return to your normal lifestyle.