Back pain is common in a person because the wrong posture is formed when walking and sitting at a desk. But it is also one of the consequences of damage to the intervertebral discs, cartilage tissue and nerve fibers, which leads to osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine.
In lumbar osteochondrosis, degenerative changes occur in the lumbosacral spine. If the disease is left untreated for a long time, the patient's general well-being deteriorates: persistent back pain, numbness of the limbs, muscle cramps and spasms, general weakness and loss of strength.
How is the pathology developing?
During the development of the disease, degenerative-dystrophic and destructive disorders appear in the skeleton of the patient's spine. As a result, the anatomy and physiology of the joint elements of the spine change. A person's lumbar spine takes the brunt of the load in the form of the weight of a person's upper body, stresses during movement, exercise, or physical activity. As a result, the following changes occur:
- The axis of the spine is distorted.
- Posture changes;
- bones press against internal organs. This leads to the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system
- impaired coordination by pinching the nerve endings;
- changes the structure of the spine;
- cartilage thinning; The
- synovial fluid structure is filled with third-party components;
- The vertebrae are abraded, reducing the distance between them.
- When the vertebrae touch, the nerves are pinched - this leads to acute pain.
The risk of developing osteochondrosis of the lower back are athletes who lead an excessively active lifestyle, people with a sedentary lifestyle (who remain in an unchanged state for a long time and put more stress on the spine), representatives of manual labor professions whowork with heavy instruments elderly, pregnant women, hyperactive children.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine
- acute lower back pain after a night's rest;
- pain when turning the body suddenly or when lifting heavy things;
- The first signs of scoliosis appear:
- frequent urination;
- Pain radiates to the legs, the internal organs of the abdomen and the small pelvis;
- acute pain in the kidneys and sacrum;
- Difficulty moving, walking, bending and rotating the trunk;
- quick fatigue after light training;
- numbness of the limbs;
- muscle cramps and cramps;
- dizziness;
- decreased muscle tone and sensitivity.
causes of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral region
- incorrectly distributed backload;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- hanging posture;
- stays in the same position for a long time;
- congenital curvature of the spine;
- train too often;
- overweight;
- impaired blood flow in the spine;
- injuries, bruises, fractures of limbs or vertebrae;
- Infections of the internal organs.
Stages of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine
Stage 1 - All degenerative disorders are just beginning to develop in the patient's skeleton. At the same time, however, the roots of the nerve endings are already affected. The blood circulation worsens and inflammation begins. It manifests itself in back pain after intense exertion, which often radiates to the legs.
Stage 2 - The ring of fibers in the spine collapses, the cartilage becomes thinner, and the space between the vertebrae is reduced. Stage II pain is sharper and more acute.
Stage 3 - There is severe compression of the muscle fibers and nerve endings. There is burning pain and muscle cramps, as well as frequent numbness.
Stage 4 - the growth phase of neoplasms (osteophytes) in the bone structure. Osteoarthritis occurs in the spine and joints. The back becomes inactive and completely motionless without proper treatment.
How is osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine diagnosed?
The diagnosis of the pathology begins with a professional consultation. At the first manifestations of osteochondrosis, consult a rheumatologist, neuropathologist, surgeon or traumatologist-orthopedic surgeon. If you are at a loss with choosing a doctor, the first thing to do is to consult a therapist. Depending on the symptoms and the suspected causes of the pathology, he will refer you to one of the narrow profiles specialists.
- The doctor will examine your medical history and how often it has occurred. You will need to provide the specialist with a full medical history and the results of previous studies (if any). The specialist conducts a visual inspection and palpation.
- During the examination, the doctor pays particular attention to changes in posture, muscle tone and skin sensitivity and identifies the most painful areas. The purpose of the conversation is to find out the degree of development of the disease. If you have any questions, a specialist will advise you and conduct an examination.
- Forwards you to tests as the full diagnosis provides the correct diagnosis.
- Based on the results of the tests received, the doctor will prescribe an individual treatment plan.
To identify the condition of muscles, ligaments, blood vessels, detect inflammation or tumors, an informative and safe diagnostic method is prescribed - the MRI of the lumbar spine. During the MRI of osteochondrosis, the patient lies on his back on a special extendable table. Rollers are placed on the patient's head to relieve muscle tension, and the limbs are held in place with straps. Any slight movement during the procedure can affect the quality of the result. Then the table moves into the tomography area. The procedure does not cause pain. The tomograph makes a lot of noise when scanning, so you can use headphones to avoid discomfort.
If MRI is contraindicated, there are other diagnostic methods such as computed tomography and radiography. X-rays are only suitable for primary diagnosis and do not provide a layered image of the affected tissue. However, this study is the simplest and the most economical, which makes it possible to examine the patient's body in several projections. Due to the body's exposure to radiation, X-rays cannot be captured frequently.
Computed tomography scans with one or more beams of ionizing rays. They pass through the human body and are recorded by detectors. The detectors move in opposite directions along the patient's body and record up to 6 million signals. Tissues of different densities are displayed on the image with a precise definition of the boundaries of the organs and affected areas in the form of a section. You can use this procedure to get an overlaid image
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine
Different treatments may be prescribed depending on the stage of lumbosacral osteochondrosis. One of these methods is physical therapy exercises. It is held in a specially equipped room under the strict supervision of a doctor. Classes take place when the patient is not in pain. If the patient feels worse during physical education, the doctor will correct or even cancel the exercise.
Physical therapy is another method of treating lumbar osteochondrosis. It improves blood circulation and tissue nutrition, reduces inflammation and relieves pain. Physiotherapy procedures include:
- Electrophoresis - pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs are used, the procedure reduces the neurological manifestations of the disease.
- Magnetic field therapy - alternating magnetic field relieves inflammation.
- Ultrasound therapy - works along the affected spine.
- Diadynamic therapy - the influence on the affected areas takes place with the help of currents of different intensities.
- Hirudotherapy - treatment with leeches. Their effect improves the microcirculation and the nutrient metabolism in the back tissue.
- Kinesio taping - treatment of cotton plasters.
drug treatment - in extreme cases using analgesics (anesthetic or additional anti-inflammatory), antispasmodic (relieves muscle spasms), vasodilators (improves microcirculation of the blood).