Elderly people, professional athletes, as well as those whose work involves long sitting motionless or standing on their feet, are often exposed to various diseases of the musculo-articular framework. Irrational menu of the day, physical inactivity leads to wear and tear and the destruction of bones and cartilage. As a result, osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine develops, the symptoms and treatment of which depend on the personal characteristics of the organism, as well as the severity of the injury.
According to the international classification of diseases of the 10th revision, this disease is assigned the code M42. Sometimes patients are given cumbersome diagnoses, coding simplifies the work of doctors. This short alphanumeric designation can be recorded in the medical history, outpatient card. So, what is osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine? What are the reasons for its appearance? What are the manifestations of the disease? This post tells it all.
Causes of lumbar osteochondrosis
Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine often causes injuries and a sluggish lifestyle. Among other things, one of the main roles is played by charged heredity, just like the hormonal, chemical and psychogenic background of the body.
If parents have suffered from lumbar osteochondrosis, symptoms and treatment are likely to occur and be passed on to their children. Having accepted the predisposing factors by inheritance, the offspring also risk facing this disease.
Provocative factors also include the following reasons for the occurrence:
- Other diseases, such as digestive tract, liver, pelvis, nervous system;
- Jump to slowing down metabolism;
- Shifting of the acid-base balance towards oxidation (acidosis);
- Decreased motor energy;
- Stress, nervous situations;
- Long awkward postures, bad posture.
Sacral osteochondrosis often occurs as a result of hypothermia, hormonal disturbances or pathological congenital malformations of the spine.
Symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis
Signs of lumbar osteochondrosis are associated with the spinal nerve fibers passing through the back area inside the spinal canal. Depending on the location, the severity of the defeat of certain roots, the manifestations of the disease differ.
With osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, the following symptoms emerge:
- Pain syndrome- most patients complain of low back pain in osteochondrosis. The pain is local directly in the zone of violation, or it radiates to the gluteal region, the sacrum of the leg from the side of the lesion;
- Sign of tension- the pain increases with a certain position, but when the position of the body changes, the pain abruptly goes away. The most commonly used test is named after the discoverer - Lasegue syndrome - the pain increases when the right limb is lifted and disappears when the leg is bent at the knee;
- Decreased or increased sensitivity- this symptom is directly related to damage to the radicular nerves, the sensitivity is disturbed not at the site of the pathology, but at a certain distance. The patient presents with hypesthesia, hyperesthesia or paresthesia, which is characterized by unusual throwing sensations, such as goosebumps, tingling, etc.
Often with lumbar osteochondrosis motor activity decreases, this is associated with muscle atrophy to varying degrees. In some circumstances there is a limitation of functions, in other situations paralysis and paresis occurs.
In addition, lumbar chondrosis is associated with damage to the spinal vessels, with their irritation and spasms, vegetative changes appear. Blood circulation in the legs slows down, the lower extremities constantly freeze, there is pallor of the skin. Other organs in the lumbar region are often affected. So, with lesions of the bladder, urinary incontinence develops or, conversely, delays.
Stages of the disease
- Lumbar osteochondrosis of the 1st degree is the initial type of pathology. It is characterized by a low density of intervertebral discs. Pain syndrome appears with a sudden rotation of the body, after physical exertion or prolonged sitting.
This type of illness is common among drivers, office workers, athletes, and people who work in harsh climates. The pain is not characterized by sharp attacks, but develops as a dull or aching, debilitating ache.
At this point, people are in no hurry to go to the doctor, but use traditional methods of treatment, such as ointments, compresses. The situation leads to the fact that osteochondrosis of the lumbar or sacral spine passes into the second stage;
- Lumbar osteochondrosis of the 2nd degree - degenerative and dystrophic disorders of the spinal joints occur. The fibrous spinal ring is compressed as the nucleus pulposus grows and a protrusion (protrusion) of the intervertebral disc occurs.
Neuropathologists define the second stage of osteochondrosis as lumbago. In other words, lumbago occurs in the lower back when a heavy object is suddenly lifted or with other loads. This period lasts for many years, the stages of remission alternate with acute attacks of exacerbations;
- Lumbar osteochondrosis of the 3rd degree - the protrusion of the pulp gradually increases, an intervertebral hernia is formed. The patient develops the whole palette of the neurological condition: constant pain, irradiation of the buttocks, abdomen, coccyx, legs, urethra, limitation of mobility.
is used to locate the hernia. The diagnosis of L5 S1 osteochondrosis means that the bulging of the nucleus pulposus has occurred between the 5th lumbar vertebra and the 1st cruciform;
- When therapeutic measures are not taken on time, all stages of development move smoothly to the next stage. Stage 4 lumbar osteochondrosis is characterized by the development of complications.
As a rule, drug treatment for a severely developed condition is not very effective. The neuropathologist is obliged to come up with a method of radical influence, namely, hernia surgery.
Methods for diagnosing osteochondrosis
In order to identify the osteochondrosis of PPE, the neuropathologist first takes a history, since the patient's complaints are one of the decisive values for an accurate diagnosis. During the conversation, the patient is asked about his health and condition - what and where it hurts, how long the pain lasts, what increases the sensation when the stiffness has appeared, whether the treatmentwas done, what it was, etc.
Instrumental diagnostic methods are necessarily used:
- An Rg-graph overview of the lumbar spine- the spine is taken as a whole or its individual segments are photographed. More often than others, a targeting Rg-gram is performed on the basis of complaints, in which the doctor notices disc atrophy, decrease in intervertebral space, appearance of osteophytes, smoothing of the curvaturelumbar;
- Myelography- a contrast fluid is injected into the canal where the spinal cord passes through a lumbar puncture. The technique is used to determine the internal structure of the canal. Ordinary people consider the procedure difficult and dangerous for diagnosis, but apart from allergy to contrast, puncture of the spinal canal practically does not threaten the patient. The puncture is made where the spinal cord is absent;
- CT scan- the compression of the nerve roots, the protrusion of the pulp is determined, it is easy to see the vertebral bodies, ligaments, vessels, soft tissues at a short distance on the monitor;
Specifically, sacral osteochondrosis is determined using electromagnetic waves, for this the patient is subjected to examination on a magnetic resonance imaging scanner.
Each tissue has its own incoming signal, the computer processes the data and displays the image on the screen. The doctor examines the vessels, discs, bone processes, nerve fibers at a cut of 1 mm. At the same time, the patient does not receive harmful ionizing effects.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine
Many patients are interested in the question: what to do with osteochondrosis of the lumbar region? Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine does not always have surgical indications. The main thing is that after a thorough examination of the patient, the usual therapeutic measures are sufficient.
Conservative treatment is reduced:
- To drug treatment;
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- Gymnastic exercises from exercise therapy.
Also for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, both manual therapy methods and methods of folk medicine are used.
For the treatment regimen of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, the surgical method is offered to patients only in extremely severe cases, if conservative methods have not given the expected results.
Drugs
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is carried out by a neuropathologist or the closest specialist vertebrologist. Before treating lumbar chondrosis of the spinous processes, the doctor determines the stage and severity of pathological disorders.
Muscle relaxants are used to relieve pain, reduce spasms and reduce inflammation. These drugs quickly restore mobility to the patient, relieve spasms, so the pain goes away.
In addition to the muscle relaxation group of drugs, steroid hormones are sometimes used to eliminate swelling and inflammation.
Catching up gymnastics
Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis should be carried out in conjunction with exercise therapy methods. Exercise and gymnastics should be given the same attention as the use of drugs.
The therapeutic effect of osteochondrosis is the exercises that relieve pain, strengthen the muscle framework, reduce compression between the discs - this slows down the progression of the disease.
Physiotherapy
In lumbosacral osteochondrosis, treatment involves the use of the following procedures:
- Electrophoresis with drugs;
- Laser and magnetic therapy;
- Treatment by magnetic currents;
- Darsonval;
- UV irradiation;
- diadine treatment;
- Shock wave method.
The manipulations involve the use of means using natural physical force: currents, light radiation, vibrations, etc. The treatment regimen, the duration of the physiotherapy course is determined by the attending physician.
Manual therapy
When a patient asks a neurologist how to treat osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine using a manual technique, he is usually advised by a qualified specialist who, with his hands, affects not only muscle tissue, but also puts the vertebrae in place.
In case of lumbar chondrosis, this method normalizes blood and lymphatic circulation, eliminates muscle tone and muscle deformities, and restores motor function. The hands of the chiropractor reduce the purity of spasms, reduce back pain.
How is osteochondrosis of the lumbar region treated using manual techniques and is it possible to fully recover in this way? Manual therapy is prescribed only when degenerative processes have not disturbed the tissues of the spine, that is, no bone growth has formed. The need for procedures is determined by the doctor after an Rg diagnosis, CT scan, or MRI.
Surgery
Surgical treatment of lumbar chondrosis is carried out according to certain indications, when the pathology is characterized by the following changes in the spine:
- Spinal canal narrows, intervertebral discs are compressed and destroyed;
- Cauda equina syndrome develops - a massive bundle of nerves from the spinal cone, which innervates the pelvic region, the legs, is damaged;
- The loss of feeling progresses, there is a disturbance in the working capacity of internal organs;
- There is a risk of paralysis of the feet.
The operation is performed according to emergency or planned indications. The goal of surgical treatment is to relieve pressure and improve the condition of the spine.
Traditional medicine
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine with traditional methods is best done in consultation with your doctor.
The Popular Pharmacy offers many remedies to treat ailments:
- Medicinal herbs, essential oils, extracts of flowers, roots of plants;
- Products of animal origin, such as snake or bee, badger, dog, sheep fat, boiled eggs and others;
- Iodine, turpentine and alcohol are used for warming and irritating effects.
Like drugs, chondrosis of the lower back is treated with traditional methods only at the initial stage of the disease, while the symptoms are only eliminated, but the pathological changes do not go away. Among other things, such treatment often has side effects, because of this, a specialist consultation before using a recipe of traditional medicine is necessary.
The dosage of any medicine or medication should be prescribed by your doctor.
Complications
Late stage lumbar chondrosis can have unpleasant consequences, including disability.
Against the background of dystrophy and degenerative disorders, narrowing of the spinal canal is formed, stenosis develops. As a result of such changes, a chronic type of compression is formed, which interferes with normal blood flow, ischemia of the roots or cauda equina syndrome develops.
In addition, diseases such as spondylosis and spondylarthrosis sometimes develop - the intervertebral discs age, lose strength, and pulling pains appear due to the disturbed structure of the spinal joints. Complications most often involve the ridge of the lower spine, bone growths in the form of a spine are formed there.
In the third stage, as a complication of osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernias develop, diseases of the genitourinary system and other internal organs appear.
Preventive measures
The prevention of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine is not without importance. The lower back is the most stressed, so you should pay special attention to your back. It should be remembered that regular gymnastic exercises are the key to a healthy spine.
Weights should be lifted with great care, avoiding sudden jerks. Both men and women can carry loads that are reasonable.
Sitting at the desk, you should keep track of your posture, adopt the correct posture, and sit in a chair with your back straight. It is good to get up every hour and walk around the room, do squats, twist the torso: this relieves the tension of the entire musculoskeletal frame.
Trigger point massage is excellent. They are active or occur in a latent form. Trigger points appear as a result of overwork, heavy stretching, repetitive work, bending, hypothermia, and other factors.
Knowing the reasons for the development of spasmodic areas, it is necessary to take measures to exclude their formation. Recently, a trigger point massager has gained popularity, it is better to prevent the appearance of painful foci with a special device, than to treat them for a long and expensive time.