Lumbar osteochondrosis: symptoms, causes, grades

Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is a pathology accompanied by degenerative processes in cartilaginous tissues.

This disorder results in damage to all joints, but the intervertebral discs are mainly affected.

If you experience lower back pain, you should immediately consult a doctor. If you do not do this, the pathology will lead to serious complications.

What is lumbar osteochondrosis?

This term refers to a disease that causes damage to the intervertebral discs. It is a gel-like substance found in the annulus fibrosus. The top and bottom of the discs are covered with thin cartilage tissue.

After some time, the gel-like mass loses moisture, becomes thinner and less elastic. Under the influence of loads, deformation of cartilage tissue occurs. The consequence of these processes is the formation of a protrusion or hernia. The formations cause compression of the nerve roots, which causes the disease.

Lumbar osteochondrosis is quite common and causes negative health consequences. With this disorder, pinching of the sciatic nerve often occurs. As a result, there is a risk of severe pain.

Possible complications of the disease

If treatment for lumbar osteochondrosis is not started in time, the pathology will lead to dangerous health consequences. The disease can cause reactive spondylosis. It also causes osteoarthritis of the knee or hip joint.

In women, damage to the lumbar vertebrae can cause complications during pregnancy. This is especially dangerous in the third trimester, which is characterized by a high load on the spine. In men, degenerative processes cause problems with potency.

In addition, the lack of appropriate and timely treatment causes the following consequences:

• sciatica;
• spinal deformity;
• loss of sensation in the extremities;
• spinal instability;
• pathologies of internal organs.
• radiculitis?
• complete loss of motor activity.

Main symptoms and signs of lumbar osteochondrosis

Osteochondrosis is characterized by slow growth. Often the diagnosis is made in advanced conditions, when there are severe manifestations. That is why it is so important to detect early signs of lumbar osteochondrosis. These include the following:

• Backache. In the initial stage of the disease, this symptom appears only after lifting weights. As the pathology progresses, the pain syndrome becomes unbearable.
• Reduced physical activity. This symptom is caused by the compression of nerve fibers. When you bend or twist, there is discomfort that radiates down the legs.
• Loss of sensation in the lower extremities. With the development of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, symptoms of numbness are caused by permanent damage to the nerve roots. This symptom ebbs and flows periodically. In this case, the patient feels a burning sensation, numbness, tingling in the lumbar region and below.
• Local reduction of skin temperature. It becomes pale, dry and flabby.
• Excessive sweating.
• Spinal syndrome. This symptom occurs in advanced cases. Often people experience sexual dysfunction and problems with urination.

Causes of lumbar osteochondrosis

The appearance of osteochondrosis is caused by increased loads on the spine. Excessive pressure on the lower back causes the cartilage structure to break down. The risk of developing the disease increases under the influence of the following factors:

• Bad posture.
• Physical inertia. Lack of physical activity leads to muscle weakness.
• Disorder of calcium metabolism.
• Chronic lack of micro- and macroelements. This can be due to eating disorders.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Hypothermia.
• Stress factors.
• Strength or extreme sports.
• Damage to the musculoskeletal system.
• Excess weight.

What are the stages of the disease?

The disease develops gradually. Doctors distinguish the following stages of lumbar osteochondrosis:

• First, at this stage there is tolerable pain in the lumbar region, which increases after exercise. This symptom indicates destructive processes on the disks. The person experiences a burning and tingling sensation. Sometimes these symptoms radiate to the buttocks.
• Second, at this stage the distance between the vertebrae decreases and destruction of the annulus fibrosus occurs. The person experiences acute pain. When it moves, it radiates to the hips, buttocks and legs. The affected area may feel cold or burning. During an attack, the patient is forced to lean in the opposite direction.
• Third, at this stage the annulus fibrosus is completely destroyed. Spinal tissues are severely deformed. This causes an intervertebral hernia to appear. With the development of this degree of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, there is constant pain of high intensity.
• The fourth is accompanied by abnormal disc growth and bone destruction. At this stage, the cartilage tissue atrophies a lot. This causes an interruption of a person's motor activity and even causes disability.

When should you see a doctor?

If you feel any discomfort in the lumbar region, you should immediately consult a doctor. To make an accurate diagnosis, a specialist prescribes diagnostic tests. To do this, a survey and examination of the patient is carried out. The doctor also prescribes X-rays and MRI.

To treat the pathology, complex therapy is used. It must solve the following problems:

• stop inflammation.
• strengthening the muscle tissue of the legs.
• elimination of pain syndrome;
• improvement of metabolic processes and blood circulation.
• normalization of the function of the pelvic organs.
• restore sensitivity.

The pathology is characterized by progression of pain. In the initial stages, the use of analgesic tablets is sufficient. In advanced situations, it is impossible to do without injectable drugs.

Drug therapy includes the use of the following drugs:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They help to deal with swelling and inflammation. Thanks to this, it is possible to eliminate compression of blood vessels and fibers and reduce pain. The most effective remedies include Diclofenac, Nimesil.
• Analgesics. They are prescribed during a period of exacerbation of the pathology, which is accompanied by severe pain. Such drugs have many side effects. Therefore, they must be prescribed by a doctor. Most often, Baralgin or Pentalgin are prescribed.
• Muscle relaxants. Such treatments help to treat muscle spasms. This allows you to eliminate the hassle. This category includes Mydocalm, Sirdalud.
• Glucocorticosteroids. These are hormonal agents that help fight inflammation and improve the functions of the nervous system. The drug Ambene is extremely effective.

In addition to drugs, the following treatment methods are used:

• Physiotherapy. Performing specific exercises helps to strengthen the muscles. This helps to form the correct posture of the body, increase the flexibility of the ligaments and prevent the complications of osteochondrosis. Gymnastics improves blood circulation, normalizes metabolic processes, increases the distance between the vertebrae and reduces the load on them.
• Manual therapy. It involves the use of individual manual techniques to manage pain and improve posture. This type of treatment restores motor activity, normalizes blood flow, strengthens the immune system and activates metabolic processes.
• Massage. This process can have a relaxing or toning effect on the body. With its help, it is possible to reduce the load on the muscles, stimulate blood flow and activate lymphatic drainage. Massage also relieves pain and has a restorative effect.
• Physiotherapy. For lumbar osteochondrosis, ultrasound, low-frequency currents and a magnetic field are used. This helps to deal with pain, relieve inflammation and normalize blood circulation. Physiotherapy products stimulate recovery processes and increase the effectiveness of drugs.

Prevention of lumbar osteochondrosis

To avoid the occurrence of lumbar osteochondrosis, you should follow the basic recommendations:

• avoid hypothermia of the lower back.
• attitude control;
• excercise;
• change body position when performing monotonous work.
• they refuse to lift heavy objects.
• Healthy food.

Osteochondrosis of the lumbar region is a common pathology that causes dangerous complications. To reduce the symptoms of the disorder, it is necessary to consult a neurologist in time. The doctor will carry out diagnostic tests and choose the appropriate treatment.

How is treatment carried out in a modern clinic?

Doctor consultation: medical history, myoperitoneal diagnosis, functional diagnosis.

How is it going?

Collection of memories - analysis of the disease, limitations and contraindications are identified, explanation of the principles of physiotherapy, features of the recovery period.

Myofascial diagnosis is a manual diagnostic method in which the doctor evaluates the range of motion of the joint, determines painful tightness, swelling, hypo- or hypertonicity of the muscles and other changes.

Functional diagnosis (conducted in the rehabilitation room) - the doctor explains how to perform certain exercises on the equipment and observes: how the patient performs them, with what range of motion he can work, what movements cause pain, what weight the patient can work with, how the cardiovascular system reacts. vascular system. Problem areas are identified. The data is entered on the card. The tones are set.

Based on the results of the initial examination by a doctor and the functional diagnosis, a preliminary individual treatment program is drawn up.

It is recommended that you bring with you:

• for spinal pain - MRI or CT (magnetic resonance or computed tomography) of the problem area.
• for joint pain – x-rays.
• presence of accompanying diseases - excerpts from the medical history or outpatient card.
• comfortable (sports) clothes and shoes

Lessons with an instructor

At the beginning of the treatment cycle, the doctor and the patient draw up a treatment plan, which includes the date and time of the treatment session, follow-up visits to the doctor (usually 2-3 times a week).

The basis of the treatment process is treatment sessions in the rehabilitation room using simulators and sessions in the gym.

Rehabilitation simulators allow you to accurately dose the load on individual muscle groups, providing an appropriate regime of physical activity. The treatment program is drawn up by the doctor individually for each patient, taking into account the characteristics of the body. Supervision is provided by qualified instructors. At all stages of recovery, it is important to follow proper movement and breathing technique, know your weight standards when working on exercise machines, follow the prescribed treatment regimen and follow the recommendations of specialists.

Joint gymnastics sessions help to restore visual coordination, improve joint mobility and flexibility (elasticity) of the spine and are an excellent preventive system for self-use.

Each treatment cycle consists of 12 sessions. Each lesson is supervised by an instructor. The duration of a treatment session is from 40 minutes to 1. 5 hours. The trainer draws up a program, taking into account the accompanying diseases and the condition of the patient on the day of the course. He teaches the technique of performing exercises and monitors the correct execution. Every 6th lesson there is a second consultation with the doctor, changes and additions are made to the program, depending on the dynamics.

How many cycles will it take? – individually for everyone

It is important to know:

• How long have you had this problem (stage of disease)
• How your body is prepared for physical activity (do you do gymnastics or any sport)

If the disease is in its initial stages and the body is prepared, one course of treatment is enough. (example - young people of 20-30 years engaged in sports. We focus their attention on the technique of performing exercises, breathing, stretching, excluding "wrong" exercises that are harmful to problem areas. Such patients are trained and receive skill of "care foryour body', get recommendations in case of a flare-up and continue studying on your own).

If the problem has existed for a long time, you do not exercise or you have co-existing diseases, then you will need a different time period:

• Relieve the aggravation? One or two cycles is enough
• Restore function, walk non-stop (climb stairs), bend down, perform certain tasks without effort, remain still for a long time while traveling, improve the condition in general. Three or more treatment cycles may be needed

Each organism is individual and the program for each patient is individual.