Osteochondrosis

10 November 2026

This disease usually refers to systemic dystrophic disorders of the articular cartilage, manifesting itself in the area between the vertebrae.Depending on the local location of this problem, cervical, thoracic and lumbar types of disease are distinguished.

What is osteochondrosis?

Osteochondrosis is a complex problem, it cannot be cured quickly.The cause of the problem is considered to be a sedentary lifestyle, which contributes to the triggering of negative processes in the cartilage of the joints.Remember that as the human body grows, a powerful vascular bed with diffuse nutrition is formed in the intervertebral discs.Any negative conditions and processes worsen the nutrition of the vascular bed and constitute a number of factors aggravating the development of pathology.

Physiological factors contributing to the formation of osteochondrosis include poor diet, increased stress on the back and its injuries, constant unusual postures, flat feet and obesity.

Symptoms

Symptoms of osteochondrosis look like this:

Pain and numbness in legs/arms, severe back pain.
Significant increase in pain during physical activity and even coughing.
Antispasmodic state of ray muscles, decrease in motor activity.
Other systemic manifestations typical in case of damage to a certain area of the spine.

Main reasons

Age-related degenerative changes.
Genetic and hereditary predispositions.
Heavyweight.
Poor diet.
Infectious and poisonous lesions.
Metabolic imbalance.
Sedentary lifestyle.
Traumatic spinal column syndromes.
Overload of the spinal system due to active training, carrying heavy loads, poor posture, pregnancy, wearing uncomfortable shoes.
Intense stress, neuralgic overwork, smoking.
Poor environmental conditions for permanent residence.
Skeletal instability, flat feet.

Main types

The main types of osteochondrosis include:

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

Pathological transformations of the intervertebral discs of the cervical spine, more precisely of its upper third.Most often caused by poor posture, metabolic disorders, weak muscular skeleton and poor lifestyle in general.The patient experiences shoulder and arm pain and periodically suffers from migraines.He almost always has the so-called “vertebral artery syndrome”, caused by his spasmodic reactions to compression - throbbing headaches, dizziness, flickering of optical defects in front of the eyes, numbness of the hands.

Thoracic osteochondrosis

Pathological condition localized in the second third of the spine.Practical syndromes are always accompanied by accompanying syndromes - fuzzy pain and discomfort in the thoracic region of the spine, aggravated by flexion of the torso or deep breathing, as well as sudden attacks in the affected part of the spine, a serious deterioration in the quality of breathing due to pain, as well as its transmission to the chest, neck and lower back.This problem often leads to pathologies in other organs – the heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas.Learn more about thoracic osteochondrosis.

Lumbosacral osteochondrosis

In this case, there is a pain syndrome in the specified area with "lumbago" in the accompanying sections, numbness of the legs, negative manifestations in the vascular system and calves.Symptoms intensify with upright positioning, bending over and severe coughing.This type of osteochondrosis causes muscle weakness, pain and pathologies of the pelvic organs, severe inflammation of the sacrum and lower back.

Prevention

It is advisable to prevent osteochondrosis from an early age, especially if a person has a hereditary predisposition to this disease.

Main points:

Therapeutic exercise.
Swimming.
Self-massage of a potentially problematic area.
Compliance with recommendations to normalize posture.
Relieve tension in the specified area.
Morning exercises.
Weight normalization and proper nutrition.

Treatment of osteochondrosis

Treatment of osteochondrosis, regardless of its stage, is complex.

Drug treatment

The main goal of drug treatment is to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of the problem and enhance the positive effects of other procedures.Local and systemic preparations not only eliminate pain, but also improve blood circulation, relieve inflammation, partially restore problem cartilage tissues and relax muscle complexes.

Pills.Analgesics in the form of painkillers and NSAIDs.Medicines that restore cartilage tissue are also prescribed.
Local external remedies.Most often these are ointments and creams.The most demanded for osteochondrosis are steroid hormonal drugs based on prednisolone or hydrocortisone, complex gels.
Injections.Injections for osteochondrosis are usually used in the acute stage of the disease, when classic tablets and local forms of drugs do not have the desired effect on the body.The vast majority of injections are aimed at eliminating very severe pain syndromes.The classic scheme of use is a special blockade with the introduction of an anesthetic subcutaneously and then intramuscularly at the level of the spinal nerves.Such injections can only be performed in a hospital setting.

Exercises (physiotherapy)

Therapeutic gymnastics is an important step in the fight against osteochondrosis.Exercise therapy is prescribed exclusively by the attending physician, taking into account the specifics of the disease and the current condition of the patient, usually in the phase of remission of the problem.

The main goal of these exercises is to strengthen the back muscles and develop damaged cartilage components of the joints.Exercise therapy uses various techniques, but one of the most popular is considered to be a program of two dozen exercises according to the best therapist known in the past.The complex usually includes general strengthening exercises, targeted treatment measures for problem areas, as well as “flagship” exercises that allow you to assess the effectiveness of the treatment.The exact list of actions, their sequence, quantity and other initial data are handed over to the patient personally by the attending physician!

Massage for osteochondrosis

Massage procedures for osteochondrosis significantly alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of the disease and at the same time help to overcome the problem in combination with other measures.

Individual elements of massage and approaches to its implementation may differ depending on the localization of osteochondrosis, its course, the presence of chronic diseases in the patient, etc., i.e. is prescribed individually depending on the current clinical picture.

The most commonly used are classic therapeutic, acupressure, connection, hardware and cupping massages.The above measures are aimed at improving lymphatic/blood circulation, normalizing the nutrition of intervertebral discs, relieving pain syndromes, launching special fibers, relaxing muscle mass, restoring nutrition to soft tissues, etc.

The use of massage for osteochondrosis should be abandoned if the patient has aneurysms, tumors, thrombosis, osteomyelitis, blood diseases, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, problems with the pelvic organs with osteochondrosis of the girdles, various skin manifestations of a massive nature in the form of warts, herpetic lesions.

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine has been effectively treating osteochondrosis for centuries, usually using compresses and oral tinctures.