The "pearl necklace" of the spine requires careful attention, if there is no proper prevention of spinal diseases, symptoms of osteochondrosis appear. Treatment in this case is lengthy, it is impossible to fully restore the integrity of the spine and cartilage discs.
In general, osteochondrosis is thought of as changes in bone tissue, ligament apparatus, cartilage and intervertebral discs in the spine. The process is long, the changes do not appear "suddenly", but make themselves felt by the first signs and characteristic symptoms. Often, it is primarily pain that appears when nerve fibers, soft tissues or blood vessels are violated. The symptoms of osteochondrosis directly depend on the stage of the disease course and the area of the lesion, the treatment of each stage is different.
Clinical picture
Walking upright is a distinctive feature of a person as homo sapiens, and at the same time, it is the upright position that is the main reason for the development of osteochondrosis. No representative of the 4 -legged walking fauna is accustomed to symptoms of osteochondrosis. When walking upright, the intervertebral cartilage experiences a very large load, and over time they undergo changes, deformities occur, the spine stops performing its function fully.
Four groups of feature changes:
Neurological syndrome
With symptoms of nerve damage, there may be a loss of skin sensitivity or a decrease in muscle strength. With spinal osteochondrosis, the first sign of a neurological disorder can be thought of as the appearance of pain, which is the result of compression or irritation of the spinal roots. The first signs are localized in a limited posterior area, where pathological changes begin. With progression, the pain gradually "spreads" to all parts of the body located in the conservation zone of the compressed nerve root. Notably, pain can be given in the arms or legs, this condition usually forms a misconception about the diagnosis and treatment is not carried out properly.
In neurological syndromes, symptoms of motor dysfunction develop less frequently than in sensitive ones. If this occurs, then symptoms of partial or complete loss of arm or leg movement may be observed, for example: with sacro-lumbar osteochondrosis of the spine, paresis of the left or right lower limb is indicated.
Static syndrome
The first symptoms appear when changes begin in the vertebrae. As a result, incorrect postures develop: lordosis, kyphosis, or scoliosis. In difficult cases, there is a limitation of mobility of the articular surface of the spinal column, these signs are expressed in the impossibility of fully straightening or turning the head.
Vascular syndrome
Spinal vascular problems develop for the following reasons:
- Low tone of sympathetic NS (signs of chronic ischemia of internal organs).
- With local compression of blood vessels by altered vertebrae or its processes. The signs of osteochondrosis in this case are expressed in a violation of the blood supply to the brain when large vessels are compressed. Symptoms of oxygen deficiency include dizziness, poor blood supply to the inner ear, or nausea. Symptomatic treatment, as a rule, does not give serious results.
Trophic syndrome
Symptoms of such osteochondrosis are characterized by the appearance of ulcers on the skin, which are the result of a lack of tissue nutrients. Skin lesions appear in combination with neurological and vascular factors. The exact symptoms depend on the affected back.
Common manifestations of pathology
Each part of the spine has its own special signs of osteochondrosis, according to which vertebral neurologists diagnose the disease in both men and women. According to these symptoms, you can understand the affected back and the treatment needed first.
There are several types of osteochondrosis: thoracic, cervical, lumbar, sacral and mixed, when the localization of symptoms is not in one department, but has a diffuse character. The first signs of developing osteochondrosis in women and men begin to make themselves felt with small dull aches, discomfort, crackling, often with thoracic osteochondrosis, pain occurs in the heart area. Ideally, treatment should be started at this stage, then it will be able to avoid all the problems behind in the future.
Further, the signs of osteochondrosis become apparent, a painful sensation begins to be given to the arms or legs. Pain in the spine increases with any load, and gradually becomes a problem to perform the movements associated with bending forward. The more osteochondrosis manifests itself, the more limited posterior mobility, the thinned intervertebral discs lose their flexibility, the distance between the vertebrae decreases and their mobility is lost. The muscles begin to work in an "emergency mode", always in tension, supporting the vertebrae to prevent them from getting too close and completely destroying the intervertebral disc.
Tightened muscles cause discomfort for a person even more, increase tension, pain, symptoms of osteochondrosis are increasing.
Cervical pathology
The signs of cervical osteochondrosis often "hide" under the name of other diseases. The first sign of neck pathology is a headache that cannot be relieved by conventional pain relievers. It starts from the back of the head, goes to the temple. Unpleasant sensations increase after a long stay in one position; numbness of the arms, scapula and shoulders often appears. With strong pinching of nerve fibers, paresis or paralysis of the hand can develop.
When blood vessels are violated, signs of a cerebrovascular accident appear:
- Tinnitus, dizziness - talk about poor blood flow in the cochlea and semicircular tubules.
- Decreased vision, flies in front of the eyes - indicates poor nutrition on the optical device.
- Severe cerebral oxygen starvation - can manifest in sudden loss of consciousness, especially if cervical osteochondrosis is accompanied by vascular atherosclerosis.
Hiccups, shortness of breath, shortness of breath and panic attacks "talk" about damage to the pharyngeal nerve. The frenic nerve is part of the cervical plexus and is directly related to the regulation of respiratory frequency and depth.
Breast pathology
The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis are quite varied, although this part of the spine is less frequently affected, both in women and men. The painful sensation has a clear localization: the upper abdomen, the shoulder blade area and between the ribs. But often osteochondrosis "hides" behind the signs of intestinal or renal colic, angina pectoris or cholecystitis.
Symptoms that indicate a lesion of one or another segment of the thorax:
- Upper thoracic segment. Feeling of lumps in the throat, violation of the act of swallowing, coughing.
- Middle thoracic segment. Symptoms that mimic gastritis and ulcers (gastralgia) and symptoms with arrhythmias and hypertension (cardialgia).
- Lower thoracic segment. Symptoms of impaired intestinal motility and signs similar to appendicitis appear.
Lumbar pathology
The signs of damage to this part are widespread, but often the first signs make themselves felt with pain in the lower back and legs, loss of sensitivity and numbness of the lower skin.
Changes in the lumbosacral region, characteristic symptoms:
- Pain and lumbago were observed after doing physical exercise.
- When motor nerve fibers are pinched, paresis and paralysis of the legs develop.
- Pinching of nerves and blood vessels in men and women leads to disorders of the pelvic organs.
It should always be remembered that osteochondrosis of the spine is a hidden and dangerous disease. You can treat the respiratory, genitourinary or gastrointestinal tracts for years, but get no positive results from the therapy. Therefore, if there are signs of illness, it makes sense to refer primarily to a neurologist, and not to a cardiologist, therapist or gastroenterologist.