Back pain is one of the most common medical complaints.They are second in number of all applications, second only to respiratory tract diseases.Many different pathologies can cause pain in the lumbar region, but most often it is caused by osteochondrosis of the lumbar region.How to treat such a disease, what are the symptoms and signs, will be discussed below.
Not long ago, medical science believed that osteochondrosis in the lumbosacral region occurred only due to age-related changes that lead to wear and tear of the vertebrae and intervertebral discs.But today, the age symptom is not exceptional;lumbar osteochondrosis is diagnosed in patients of different age groups.Today, the slaughter age is considered to be over 25 years old.
Causes of lumbar osteochondrosis
It is impossible to name the exact reason;There will almost always be a complex effect of various destructive factors, among which the most important can be identified:
- Commitment to a passive lifestylein terms of motor activity.By their own will, immobilized people, for example, spending many hours at the computer, do not receive enough useful load, so the "corset" muscles relax and the load on the vertebrae increases.In addition, such entertainment is almost always associated with prolonged exposure to incorrect and unnatural positions.
- Problems with hormonal levels, causes metabolic disorders affecting the metabolism of spinal tissue in the lumbar region and contributing to destructive processes.It also includes endocrine diseases.
- The presence of congenital or acquired anomalieswhen the musculoskeletal system undergoes certain changes.This can be reflected in increased loads on the spine, for example, in a patient with straight legs, curvature of the legs or spine.
- Chronically increased loadslower back.The risks here include people engaged in some type of professional activity, usually involving heavy lifting.This includes professional athletes who constantly expose their bodies to peak loads.
- Food intake and daily routine are disrupted.This includes regular exposure to stress.These factors affect metabolic processes and periodically restore the body's strength.
Degrees of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine
The above-mentioned pathological factors gradually lead to the manifestation of the disease.However, it can manifest itself in different ways, being practically asymptomatic at the beginning or causing severe excruciating pain during late development.Let's consider the main stages of the development of osteochondrosis:
- A condition in which the nucleus pulposus moves within the intervertebral disc.It is characterized by pain caused by irritation of the nerve roots of the fibrous ring and longitudinal ligaments.Discomfort is felt locally in the area where the defective disc is located.The pain can be either sharp with shooting or constant dullness.
- When the fibrous layer of the intervertebral disc is destroyed, the mobility of the elements of the spine in this area increases, they become unstable relative to each other.In order to eliminate these pathological manifestations, it is necessary to keep the muscles of this region constantly tense, which ultimately leads to chronic fatigue in the lumbar region.
- Then, a breakthrough occurs in the annulus fibrosus, which causes the nucleus to protrude beyond the border of the disc, forming an intervertebral hernia.Such a situation will be accompanied by compression of the nerve endings, which is called "radicular syndrome".
- The next degree of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral region occurs with severe deformation of the spine in this part.Mobility problems appear, but the pain syndrome, oddly enough, decreases at this stage.However, you should not rejoice;it does not mean that the disease disappears.
- The extreme is characterized by pathological growth of bone tissue and general deterioration of health.
Depending on the degree of lumbar osteochondrosis, certain treatment methods are used.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis in the lumbar region
The main symptom is combat syndrome in the lumbar region.At the same time, pain sensations, their localization area and the direction of propagation may be different.This happens due to the irritation of certain nerve receptors, depending on the degree of damage to the intervertebral disc and surrounding tissues.In addition, the presence of the protrusion or tear itself, the direction of its protrusion and many other factors play a role.
The main symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine include:
- The presence of aching pain in the lumbar region, which tends to intensify with a sudden movement or, on the contrary, tends to remain unchanged for a long time.If you take a horizontal position, the pain decreases.
- In addition, weakness in the lower abdomen, including the lower limbs, and a dull tendon reflex in the legs are likely.
- There is a high probability of curvature of the waist.There are classifications of such curvatures, for example, when the emphasis is on the right or left side, they speak of scoliosis, lordosis is a state of forward bending, and kyphosis is a flattening of the natural lumbar curve, as it were.
- With the serious development of the disease, it is possible to compress the canals of the spinal cord, which can cause its dysfunction and cause uncontrolled urination and feces.
Additional symptoms include:
- Numbness and "coldness" of the skin of the lower back and buttocks.
- Scaly, dry and blue skin in the same places.
- Disturbance of urination.
- Erection problems.
The presence of these symptoms should alert a person;do not give up on them, this will only lead to greater neglect.In this case, you must consult a doctor for accurate diagnosis and treatment.By the way, treatment can be either in a hospital setting or at home, but more on that later.
Diagnosis of the disease
When making a diagnosis, it is necessary to understand the extent to which the disease has developed.The easiest way is palpation in the lumbar region to identify areas of pain.Typically, this method is not very informative, and in addition, examinations are carried out that give a more detailed clinical picture:
- By radiography, it is possible to assess the condition of both the spine as a whole and individual vertebrae, for example, the lumbar region, with a cheap and widespread method.The technique is not very precise;this allows us to understand only indirectly how intact the intervertebral discs and spinal canals are.
- Computed tomographya more accurate method that allows you to assess the level of damage to the discs between the spinal cord and vertebrae, nerve roots and canals.
- Magnetic resonance imagingthe most accurate method gives a complete picture of the lesion in detail, but it is quite expensive and unavailable.
It should be noted that the diagnostic process is very important, because all the details of advanced osteochondrosis are important for the doctor when determining treatment tactics.
Complications of osteochondrosis
The main complications of the pathology are hernias and protrusions, which inevitably occur when treatment is neglected and the development of the disease is left to chance.Other complications may include:
- Inflammation of the sciatic nerve.
- Spondyloarthrosis.
- Schmorl's hernia.
- Spondylosis.
- Problems caused by spinal canal compression.
- Functional disorders in the pelvic organs.
- Development of lameness.
Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis
When osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is diagnosed, extensive therapy is required, the main aspects of which are:
- Application of medium loads.
- Special medicines.
- Stretching the spine.
- Manual therapy sessions.
- Physiotherapy.
- Therapeutic massages.
The concept of "treatment" for osteochondrosis includes the following:
- Suppression of inflammation.
- Elimination of pain syndrome.
- Complex for strengthening the back and adjacent muscle groups.
- Relief from chronic muscle tension.
- Increasing the functionality of pelvic organs.
- Normalization of blood circulation and metabolism in the pathological area.
Treatment with drugs
A similar approach to the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis includes the administration of drugs, injections of special drugs, and the use of ointments and gels for external use.The main task of such drugs is to neutralize pain and inflammation.
Depending on the degree of osteochondrosis of the spine in the lumbar region, the doctor may prescribe the following drugs:
- Analgesics with analgesic effect.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- For muscle spasms, antispasmodics.
- Medicines for the regeneration of cartilage tissue, called chondroprotectors.Their effectiveness has not been proven, so they are rarely used in traditional medicine.
- For serious pathologies, if the above remedies do not help, turn to corticosteroids.
- Vitamin complexes.
In addition to these drugs, drugs are prescribed in tablets, the purpose of which is to calm the nervous system and fight stress and depression.
Physiotherapy treatment for lumbar osteochondrosis
The treatment process is rarely limited to just taking pills.The pathology in question cannot be treated without stimulating the recovery processes of the spine.For these purposes, a wide variety of physiotherapeutic procedures are used, the most popular of which are:
- Phonophoresis.
- Therapy with diadynamic currents.
- Laser therapy.
In addition, it is necessary to give useful loads to the spine while lying down at the same time.Different types of therapeutic massage are ideal for this.It should be remembered that massage is used only when the pain stops.As a rule, it is carried out when the remission process of the disease begins or as a restorative measure in chronic osteochondrosis.After the massage, the muscles overstretched by the disease are well relaxed;its effect will be significantly enhanced when heated at the same time, for example, in a bath or sauna.In the latter case, we will achieve the maximum effect due to additional stimulation of blood circulation in the pathology zone and adjacent areas.
Another method of physical therapy is manual therapy.Its advantages are generally the same as massage, but in addition, with the help of such methods, a specialist can return the displaced vertebrae to their normal position.
Therapeutic gymnastics
Therapeutic exercises are also used as a restorative and preventive measure when pain and inflammation have already been eliminated.The key to the high effectiveness of therapeutic exercises is the regularity of exercises;in this case, the damaged area will constantly receive the necessary physical activity for the self-generation and regeneration of new tissues.
Surgical operations for lumbar osteochondrosis
Surgery is a last resort, prescribed for serious complications.The most common of these is a herniated disc during an operation called a "discectomy" or removal of the affected intervertebral disc.The operation is very effective, but as a last resort, it is prescribed only when other methods of therapy have failed for more than 6 months.Modern medicine also offers less traumatic methods to perform such an operation, for example, microsurgical or endoscopic methods.