Osteochondrosis is the most severe form of degenerative lesions of the spine, which is based on damage to the structure of the intervertebral discs located between the vertebrae. If the symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis are not recognized as early as possible, then this condition leads to deformation of the neighboring vertebral bodies, intervertebral joints. Vessels and the nervous system are involved in the pathological process.
One of the most common forms of this disease is lumbar osteochondrosis, the symptoms in women and men are very similar. Many adults have repeatedly felt discomfort in the lumbar region, sacrum, legs, caused by osteochondrosis and its complications. Among all the reasons for losing the ability to move normally, this disease occupies one of the first places.
The reasons
One of the causes of this disease is poor posture, but there are others:
- Osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine, symptoms and treatment of which bring many difficulties to patients, occurs most often due to increased pressure on the spine. That is why this disease is more often shown in those whose labor activity is associated with physical labor and heavy lifting.
- Another factor that triggers the disease is excess body weight, which increases the pressure on the spine.
- The absence of any load and physical inactivity worsens the nutrition of disc tissue and slows down blood flow, metabolic processes in the spine. The muscle corset is significantly weakened and creates a favorable background for the development of pathological changes.
- Improper body position, if the patient likes to sit with a bent spine, leads to the fact that the load on the disc and vertebrae is uneven, the disc is deformed and wears out quickly.
- Often the cause of lumbar osteochondrosis, a symptom that brings many difficulties to the patient's life, can be an injury. It happens during sports, doing exercises without proper preparation, improper lifting of heavy loads, injuries when falling.
- Some experts believe that osteochondrosis has been established even at the genetic level, regardless of the observed degenerative changes of certain departments.
- The patient's age also has a special influence: as the years pass, the spinal segments lose mobility, elasticity, and are therefore subject to destruction and deformation. Previously, osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, a rather unpleasant symptom, was considered a disease of the elderly, but today it occurs in young people from 25 to 30 years old.
- Predisposing factors may be several pathologies accompanied by inflammation of the spinal joints or changes in their structure and shape: ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis, scoliosis, disc instability.
In rare cases, the cause of the development of osteochondrosis can be:
- hypothermia;
- pressure;
- Malnutrition;
- violation of the work and rest regime;
- poor environmental conditions.
At the first appearance of discomfort in the lumbar region, it is better to seek the advice of a doctor.
Classification according to the degree of osteochondrosis
Classification of osteochondrosis according to degree is used to systematically characterize the clinical manifestations of this disease. The classification allows you to describe the symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis and determine exactly when the patient begins to be bothered by pain:
- The first stage occurs when the disc ruptures, which is provoked by a sudden movement. It manifests itself in the form of severe sudden pain, in the spine there is a feeling that a person has been shocked, the muscles reflexively tense.
- The second level of symptoms resembles intervertebral protrusion and instability of the spinal cord. The pain worsens with physical activity. Continuous exacerbations and remissions. If osteochondrosis occurs in the cervical region, then the pain increases when a person is in one position for a long time, frequent headaches, discomfort in the arms and shoulders, and fatigue in the lower legs are disturbing.
- The third stage manifests itself in the form of symptoms of a herniated disc: numbness of the limbs, changes in posture and gait, headaches and discomfort along the affected nerves. Symptoms may resemble kidney disease, gastrointestinal tract, disorders in the reproductive system.
- The fourth degree begins with the fact that the hernia does not make itself felt, the manifestations may weaken, but the symptoms of instability of the spinal cord, twisting the vertebrae still persist. In addition, the growth of the vertebral body may appear, which often compresses the spinal nerves or blocks the channels, compressing the brain with the back. This degree can be associated with the consequences of surgery, if the hernia is surgically removed.
Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, a symptom that brings many difficulties, is a rather unpleasant disease. It requires immediate complex treatment and constant monitoring by specialists.
Pathological symptoms
Depending on the symptoms, the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis may be different. This is due to the fact that the disease affects the nervous system, which is why there are often problems that occur in different parts of the body that are completely unrelated to the back.
In the early stages of the disease, pain may appear after heavy physical exercise or staying for a long time in one position, for example, a person often spends time sitting at the computer. As the disease progresses, the pain becomes chronic. If the pain syndrome is not real, then in its place there may be discomfort that interferes with normal life. The symptom complex can be as follows:
- pain in the lumbar region, often radiating to the back or legs;
- spasms in the muscles with a long stay in a statistical position;
- constant tension of the back muscles;
- shooting in the back, which most often occurs after a person has been in the cold for a long time;
- sensory disturbances in the patient's lower body;
- numbness in the legs, frequent tingling in the fingers;
- cold feet;
- sweating dysfunction;
- dryness of the skin in the area of appearance of pain.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine can get worse if no measures are taken to cure the patient or if one of the provoking factors becomes more intense. In this case, the pain syndrome passes through the lower part of the leg. A person tries to find the most optimal position to alleviate his condition and not feel the unpleasant discomfort caused by the disease.
Diagnostic method
Initially, before starting the diagnosis, the doctor needs to collect the anamnesis of his patient, examine him carefully, assess the health condition. In addition, instrumental inspection methods may be required.
A complete history will allow the doctor to suggest what causes the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine, as well as assess the risk of its occurrence. Examination of the patient consists of palpation of the painful area, percussion, external examination of the skin. In some patients, the doctor may test the sensitivity using acupuncture.
Based on the data collected by the doctor, the patient is recommended to undergo additional instrumental studies to confirm the diagnosis and determine how the spine and other organs are affected. Patients are advised to undergo:
- radiography;
- MRI;
- CT.
All these diagnostic methods help to determine some features of the development of the disease. MRI is considered the most informative of them, and all because other methods take pictures of the human body only in some projections and do not allow a closer look at the whole problem.
The treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis, the symptoms of which begin to bother a person, is chosen by the doctor. It is impossible to make a diagnosis and determine the course of therapy only with an external examination, it is important to conduct a comprehensive examination and prevent complications.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the lower back
It is impossible to completely cure osteochondrosis. Good results can be achieved if the patient has 1 and 2 degrees of the disease. But in any case, long-term treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral region will be necessary, because the symptoms are unacceptable, they are very strong and unpleasant. Therapy is aimed at:
- reduce the intensity of pain in the lumbosacral region;
- eliminate muscle tension that does not allow a person to relax;
- strengthens the muscles of the back, buttocks and lower legs;
- normalize blood flow and metabolic processes in the affected area;
- eliminate the inflammatory process;
- restore normal range of motion in the lumbar region and increase leg sensitivity;
- improve the function of organs of the reproductive and excretory system.
Among the drugs, doctors prefer the following:
- Definitely recommend painkillers. Analgesics help relieve pain, but they cannot eliminate the cause of the disease.
- To relieve swelling and radicular pain, NSAIDs are used, and in severe cases, steroid-based drugs are used to relieve the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine in women and men. Their actions are aimed at reducing and eliminating inflammation.
- For local anesthesia, paravertebral block is used. This medicine is given along the lumbar region. More often they are recommended for patients with 3-4 degrees of the disease.
- Muscle relaxants are recommended to eliminate spastic muscle contractions.
- Chondroprotectors improve metabolic processes in cartilage tissue, stimulate regenerative processes and significantly slow down their deformation.
- Vitamins belonging to the B group help improve cellular metabolism, reduce inflammation, and help remove excess fluid from the body.
- Diuretics help relieve swelling.
- Immunostimulants increase the activity of the immune system and improve the body's defenses.
- Means to increase blood flow in the area affected by the disease, which is administered by intravenous drip.
Complementary Therapy
The doctor may also recommend physiotherapy methods. Medicines alone for the treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar sacral region, the symptoms of which bring pain to the patient, will not be enough. To eliminate pain and relieve muscle spasms, the following physiotherapy procedures are recommended to improve metabolic processes:
- amplipulse;
- electrophoresis;
- diadynamic current;
- magnetic resonance therapy;
- magnetotherapy;
- laser treatment.
Therapeutic gymnastics will also not be superfluous, because with its help you can not only get rid of the pain syndrome, but also strengthen and relax the back muscles. Physical training can be done not only during the period of pathological exacerbation, but also during recovery. Massage and reflexology give excellent results.
Surgery
For some patients with stage 4 disease, surgery may be recommended. This measure is used in cases where drug treatment does not give the desired result, with the appearance of serious neurological and motor disorders and the appearance of hernias. During the operation, the herniated disc is removed, after which plastic surgery is performed, and the displaced vertebra is reliably strengthened.
Folk treatment methods
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine in men are not significantly different from those observed in women. Therapeutic measures are selected individually for each patient, depending on the stage of the disease. In addition to traditional treatment methods, traditional medicine can be recommended. The patient must coordinate all his actions with the doctor. Good results in complex treatment are given by such herbal products:
- To prepare an ointment that improves blood circulation in the affected area, you need to take five red peppers and 1/2 cup of kerosene and vegetable oil. After receiving the therapeutic infusion, they need to lubricate the painful area at night. Place a dry wool compress over the treated area.
- Mix the same amount of butter and hop cones, this composition is applied to the lumbar region, when there is no strength to withstand the pain and discomfort.
People's rehabilitation shows good results in the early stages of treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, the symptoms of this pathology gradually disappear. It is better to use such a recipe as soon as the first signs of the disease appear.
As a result of illness
Symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis in men and women cause serious inconvenience, a person cannot sit normally, sleep soundly and constantly experience discomfort. If no measures are taken in time at the first manifestation of the disease, then osteochondrosis can cause serious complications in the form of inflammation of the sciatic nerve. The disease is characterized by severe pain in the waist and legs, possibly also numbness in the limbs. To try to reduce the pain, many patients walk, bending to the healthy side, but this position only worsens the disease: the degree of curvature of the spinal cord increases, and the process of disc destruction accelerates.
The most dangerous complication can be considered vertebral instability. The intervertebral disc cannot cope with the function of correcting the vertebrae, and the lumbar region, under a heavy load, begins to slide down from the sacrum. This condition can result in disruption of the internal organ system. Women may experience inflammation of the uterus, appendages, and men have problems with potency.
Preventive measures
You can prevent this disease if you use the following methods:
- eliminate heavy loads on the lower back;
- strengthen back muscles;
- maintain proper posture;
- strengthen the spine with regular physical activity;
- adhere to proper nutrition;
- control rest;
- treat back pain in a timely manner.
Only a timely visit to the doctor and comprehensive treatment will give a chance to prevent complications and return to the previous way of life.