The pain in the back and the lumbar region is one of the most common complaints in medicine.It is in second place in the number of all appeals, only surpassed by respiratory diseases.Many pathologies can cause lower back pain, but very often the cause is the osteochondrosis of the lumbar region.How to treat such disease, what symptoms and signatures it possesses will be considered below.
Not long ago, medical science believed that osteochondrosis in the lumbosacro department occurs exclusively due to changes related to the age that the vertebrae and intervertebral discs bring.However, today the age feature is not exceptional, the osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is diagnosed in patients in several age groups.To date, the age of court is considered more than 25 years
The causes of the appearance of lower back osteochondrosis
It is impossible to name the exact reason, it will almost always be an integral effect of several destructive factors, among which the most important can be distinguished:
- Adhesion to a passive lifestyleIn terms of motor activity.For their own will, immobilized people, for example, who spend many hours on the computer, do not receive a payload, so the "corset" muscle increases and the load in the vertebrae increases.In addition, such a hobby is associated with a long stay in wrong and unnatural positions.
- Hormonal background problems, which leads to violations with metabolism, which affects the metabolism of the column tissues in the lower back and contributes to destructive processes.This also includes endocrine diseases.
- The presence of congenital or acquired deviations, when the musculoskeletal system is subjected to certain changes.This can be reflected in an increase in loads in the spinal column, for example, the patient with the presence of flat feet, leg curvature or spine.
- Increased chronic loadsIn the lower back.Here, among the risks are people with certain types of professional activity, generally associated with the lifting of weights.This also includes professional athletes that constantly expose your body with maximum loads.
- Deteriorated food and daily routine.This also includes regular exposure to stress.These factors are reflected in the metabolism processes and affect the periodic restoration of their forces.
Degree of Lumbar Column Osteochondrosis
The previous pathological factors gradually lead to the manifestation of the disease.However, it can manifest itself in different ways, being almost asymptomatic at the beginning or with difficulty for tolerant pain in late development.Consider the main degrees of development of osteochondrosis:
- The situation in which the core of the jet moves on the intervertebral disc.It is characterized by the pain caused by the irritation of the nerve roots of the fibrous ring and the longitudinal ligaments.The discomfort feels locally in the place where a defective album is placed.The pain can be clear with permanent bastards or dumb.
- When the fibrous layer of the intervertebral disc is destroyed, there is an increase in mobility of the spine elements in this area, they become unstable with each other.To eliminate these pathological manifestations, it is necessary to constantly keep the muscles of this area in time, which as a result leads to chronic fatigue in the lower back.
- Next, there is an advance in the fibrous ring, so the nucleus leaves the disc, forming the intervertebral hernia.Such a case will be accompanied by the excess of the ends of the nerves, which is called "root syndrome".
- The following degree of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacro department occurs with a severe deformation of the column in this part.There are problems with mobility, but pain syndrome, curiously at this stage, decreases.However, it should not be happy, this does not speak at all about the fading of the disease.
- The last degree is characterized by the pathological growth of bone tissue and a general deterioration in good.
Based on the degree of low back osteochondrosis, certain treatment methods are used.
Osteochondrosis symptoms on the lower back
The main symptom is combat syndrome in the lumbar column.At the same time, the sensations of pain, the area of its location and the direction in which they propagate can vary.This is due to the fact that, according to the degree of damage to the intervertebral disk and fabrics, certain nerve receptors are upset.In addition, the role is played by the presence of bump or directly a hernia, the direction of its protuberance and many other factors.
The main symptoms for the osteochondrosis of the lumbar column include:
- The presence of low back pain, which tends to increase with acute mobility or, on the contrary, remain without a change of posture for a long time.The pain goes back if it takes a horizontal position.
- In addition, the weakness in the body is probably under the abdomen, including the lower extremities, as well as an opaque tendon reflex of the legs.
- There is a high probability of presence of curvature in the lumbar spinal column.There is a classification of such curvatures, for example, with emphasis on the right or left side, they speak of scoliosis, lordosis is called the situation of the curve forward and the kyphosis is called when the natural lumbar curve, as it is, softens.
- With a serious degree of development of the disease, the spinal cord channels are possible, which can cause its dysfunction and lead to the urine and the stools not controlled.
Among the additional symptoms, they point out:
- The presence of numbness and the "coldness" of the skin of the lower back and buttocks.
- Peeled, dry and blue skin in the same places.
- Deteriorated urine.
- Problems with an erection.
The presence of these symptoms must alert a person, he cannot stir with one hand, this will only lead to greater negligence.In this case, you should definitely consult a doctor for a precise diagnosis and treatment.By the way, the treatment can be in a hospital and in a domestic environment, but more about that later.
Disease diagnosis
In the diagnosis, it is important to understand the degree to which the disease enters.The easiest way is palpation in the lower back with the identification of pain areas.In general, this method is not informative and in addition to performing exams that provide a more detailed clinical image:
- By radiography, Economic and generalized method, it is possible to evaluate the condition of the spine as a whole and individual, for example, the lumbar region in consideration.The technique is not very precise, it only allows indirect to understand how integral are the intervertebral discs and the column channels.
- Computed tomographyA more precise method to evaluate the level of damage to the discs between the vertebrae, the nerve roots and the channels with the spinal cord.
- Magnetic resonance tomographyThe most precise method provides a complete image of the defeat in the details, but is quite expensive and inaccessible.
It should be noted that the diagnostic process is very important, since for a doctor, when rejecting treatment tactics, all the details of developed osteochondrosis are significant.
Complications for osteochondrosis
The main complications of pathology are hernias and protuberances, they necessarily arise, if it neglects the treatment and lets the development of team disease.Other complications can be:
- Inflammation of the sciatic nerve.
- Spondilartrosis.
- Schmorl Hernia.
- Spondyosis.
- Problems caused by spinal channel pinches.
- Functionality disorders in the pelvis.
- Load development.
Treatment of the low back osteochondrosis
With the diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the lumbar column, a wide range of therapy is required, whose main aspects will be:
- The use of moderate loads.
- Special drugs.
- The traction of the spinal column.
- Manual therapy sessions.
- Physiotherapy.
- Therapeutic massages
The concept of "treatment" for osteochondrosis implies:
- Suppression of inflammation.
- Eliminate pain syndrome.
- The complex to strengthen lumbar and adjacent muscle groups.
- Get rid of chronic muscle tension.
- Increasing the functionality of the organs in the pelvis.
- Standardization of blood circulation and metabolism in the pathology zone.
Drug treatment
A similar approach to the treatment of lower back osteochondrosis includes taking medications, special medication injections, the use of ointments and gels for external use.The main task of such medications is to neutralize pain and inflammatory process.
Based on the degree of osteochondrosis of the spine in the lumbar region, the doctor can prescribe the following medications:
- Analgesics that have an anesthetic effect.
- Preparations against inflammation of non -steroidal origin.
- With muscle spasms, antispasmodics.
- Medications for cartilage restoration, called condoprotectors.Its effectiveness is not demonstrated, therefore, they are rarely used in traditional medicine.
- In case of serious pathologies, when the previous funds do not help, they resort to corticosteroids.
- Vitamin complexes.
In addition to these funds, drugs are prescribed in tablets, whose purpose is to calm the nervous system, fight stress and depression.
Physiotherapy treatment for lower back osteochondrosis
The treatment process is rarely limited to pills.The pathology under consideration cannot be cured without stimulating the restoration processes of the spine.For these purposes, a wide range of physiotherapeutic procedures is used, the most popular are:
- Phonoforesis
- Therapy with diadinamic currents.
- Laser therapy.
In addition, the column must receive useful charges, fragmenting it simultaneously.Several types of therapeutic massage are ideal for this.It should be remembered that massage is used only for eliminated pain.As a general rule, it is carried out as a restorative measure with the process of remission of the disease, or with chronic osteochondrosis.After massage, muscle muscles overloaded by the disease relax well, their effect will increase significantly by simultaneously heating, for example, in a bath or sauna.In the last case, we will be the maximum effect due to the additional stimulation of blood circulation in the area of pathology and surrounding areas.
Another method of physiotherapy is manual therapy.Their advantages in general are the same as massage, but in addition to such techniques, a specialist can return the vertebrae displaced to the normal position.
Therapeutic gymnastics
Therapeutic gymnastics is also used as a restorative and preventive measure in the period in which pain and inflammatory process have already been eliminated.The guarantee of a high efficiency of the therapeutic exercises in the regularity of the exercises, in this case, the damaged area will constantly receive the motor activity necessary for the self -generation of the new tissue and recovery.
Surgical surgery due to low back osteochondrosis
Surgical surgery is an extreme measure that is prescribed for serious complications.The most frequent of these is intervertebral hernia when the "dyscetomy" is called or the elimination of the affected intervertebral disc is carried out.The operation is very effective, however, it is the extreme extreme, its purpose occurs only if other therapy methods have no result for more than 6 months.Modern medicine also offers less traumatic methods to perform this operation, for example, a micropicurgical or endoscopic method.