Osteochondrosis is a pathology of the spine, the morphological substrate (basis) of which is a violation of the structure of the intervertebral discs.However, this concept is not entirely correct, because according to Western medical terminology, this nosological form means degeneration of the ossification centers, which is possible only in childhood.At the same time, the relevance of the question in this case does not depend on the term that is called, although local doctors have a traditional opinion about the disease.In this article we will talk about how to treat osteochondrosis at home, as well as about the prevention and diagnosis of this disease.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis
In osteochondrosis, the intervertebral openings narrow, press the blood vessels and nerves, and growths of bone tissue - osteophytes - appear on the edges of the vertebrae.
The morphology of the disease is quite specific.The pathology is an age-related change in the intervertebral discs, which with advancing age lose their elastic properties and become compressed.
As a result, the vertebrae get a little closer to each other and the intervertebral openings through which the spinal nerves exit are narrowed, deformed, and conduction is impaired.Therefore, not quite typical symptoms are noted, which consist in the manifestation of local soreness in the muscles and limbs.
It is symptomatically similar to radiculitis, spina bifida, tumor formations of the bone system of the spine and membranes of the spinal cord.Therefore, a visit to a doctor is necessary both to establish the diagnosis of osteochondrosis and to exclude these serious pathologies.
Immediate consultation with a doctor makes sense if symptoms such as weakness in a limb appear.If it is impossible to perform long-term operations related to the movement of the arm, osteochondrosis is localized in the cervical region, and if such symptoms are observed for the lower limbs, then the lumbar region is affected.
It is relatively difficult to distinguish the complaints of patients with osteochondrosis of the chest, since autonomic disorders associated with cardialgia, impaired external breathing and symptoms of shortness of breath are most often observed there.
The diagnosis of the disease is based on taking an anamnesis.It should include information about the workplace and working hours.Here the establishment of the fact of lifting weights is of some importance.It is impossible to make a diagnosis with laboratory methods, because essentially the process is natural and occurs with advancing age.It is also non-inflammatory in nature.Instrumental methods include radiography of the spine in a certain area.This allows us to establish the degree of narrowing of the lumen between the bodies of two adjacent vertebrae and, accordingly, to confirm the morphological substrate of the pathology.Methods such as CT and MRI can confirm the diagnosis in more detail and exclude similar nosological forms.
Osteochondrosis treatment and prevention
Preventive measures to prevent osteochondrosis include physical exercises related to gymnastics, running and pull-ups.At the same time, lifting weights leads to worsening of the disease.It can often appear for the first time right during this manipulation.The patient feels numbness, tingling in the limb and in the area of the scapula when lifting a load.
Treatment of osteochondrosis is conservative in nature and is aimed at reducing the manifestations of symptoms, since it is almost impossible to eliminate the main cause.Irritants are used to relieve symptoms, which reflexively increase conduction in the nerve trunks.For the treatment of osteochondrosis at home, you can recommend ointments with menthol, black pepper and mustard.A heating pad can be applied locally.At the same time, physiotherapy methods are good for alleviating the relevant symptoms.In particular, in the clinic you can undergo electric shock sessions.
Pharmacological treatment includes analgesic therapy and agents that improve nerve conduction.The first group of drugs includes nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.These are drugs intramuscularly or orally.The dosage regimen is determined by the doctor.As a drug of the second group, it is an effective drug that partially reduces the deficiency of nerve trophism.At the same time, no care is required for the patients, since carrying out daily manipulations does not cause them any particular difficulties, except for physical work, which is not recommended to do.
Which doctor should I contact?
Manifestations of osteochondrosis of the spine are mainly due to compression of the roots of the spinal cord, exiting through the narrowed openings between the processes of the vertebrae.Therefore, the neurologist traditionally treats this disease.In addition, it is recommended to contact a vertebrologist - a specialist in spinal diseases or an orthopedist.A physical therapist, physical therapy and massage therapist, chiropractor, osteopath, and reflexologist will help with treatment.