Elderly people, professional athletes, and people who are engaged in sitting or standing standing for a long time often suffer from various muscle and joint diseases. Unreasonable daily diet, lack of exercise will cause wear and tear, bone and cartilage destruction. As a result, lumbar osteochondrosis occurs, and its symptoms and treatment depend on the personal characteristics of the organism and the severity of the disease.
According to the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases, the code of this disease is M42. Sometimes it can bring troublesome diagnosis to patients, this kind of coding simplifies the work of doctors. This short alphanumeric name can be recorded on the medical record card. So what is lumbar osteochondrosis? Why does it happen? What are the manifestations of the disease? This publication describes everything.
Causes of lumbar osteochondrosis
Lumbar osteochondrosis usually causes trauma and slow lifestyle. Among other things, burden inheritance plays one of the main roles, just like the human body’s hormones, chemical and psychological factors.
If the parent has lumbar osteochondrosis, the symptoms and treatment are likely to manifest and pass to the child. The offspring inherit the predisposing factors, and the offspring are also at risk of developing the disease.
The provocative factors also include the following reasons:
- Other diseases, such as the digestive tract, liver, pelvis, nervous system;
- Leap the metabolism;
- The transition from acid-base balance to oxidation (acidosis);
- Reduced motor energy;
- Stressful, nervous situation;
- Clumsy posture, incorrect posture.
Osteochondrosis is usually caused by hypothermia, hormonal disorders, or pathological congenital defects of the spine.
Symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis
The signs of lumbar osteochondrosis are related to the fact that spinal cord nerve fibers pass through the posterior area within the spinal canal. According to the location, the severity of damage to certain roots, the manifestation of the disease is also different.
Prominent symptoms of lumbar osteochondrosis:
- Pain Syndrome-Most patients complain of lower back pain from osteochondrosis. The pain occurs directly in the affected area, or radiates from the affected side to the hip area, which is the leg bone;
- Signs of tension-Soreness increases with a certain posture, but when the body position changes, the pain disappears suddenly. The most common test method is named after the discoverer-Lasegue syndrome-the pain will increase when the straight limbs are raised, and the pain will disappear when the leg is bent at the knee;
- Decreased or increased sensitivity-This symptom is directly related to the damage of the radiation nerve. Sensitivity is not affected at the pathological site but at a certain distance. The patient suffers from hypoesthesia, hyperesthesia or paresthesia, which is characterized by abnormal projection sensations, such as chicken skin b, tingling, etc.
Usually, with lumbar osteochondrosis, exercise activity decreases, which is related to varying degrees of muscle atrophy. In some cases, functions will be limited, in other cases there will be paralysis and paralysis.
Moreover, lumbar spine chondropathy is related to spinal cord vascular injury, accompanied by their stimulation and spasm, nutritional changes occur. The blood circulation in the legs slowed down, the lower limbs kept freezing, and the skin pale. Other organs in the lumbar region are often affected. Therefore, with bladder injury, the development of urinary incontinence or vice versa is delayed.
Stage of disease
- First grade lumbar chondropathy is the initial type of pathology. It is characterized by low intervertebral disc density. After fatigue or sitting for a long time, the pain syndrome will appear as the body turns sharply.
This type of illness is common among drivers, office workers, athletes, and people who work in harsh weather. The characteristic of pain is not an acute attack, but a development of debilitating dullness or pain.
At this stage, people are not eager to see a doctor, but use traditional treatment methods, such as ointments and compresses. This condition leads to the second stage of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine or bone.
- Grade II lumbar spine chondropathy-occurrence of vertebral degeneration and dystrophic diseases. With the growth of the nucleus pulposus and the herniation (protrusion) of the intervertebral disc, the fibrous spinal ring is compressed.
Neuropathologists define the second stage of osteochondrosis as low back pain. In other words, when a heavy object is suddenly lifted or other load is applied, low back pain will occur in the waist. This period lasted for many years, with remission phases alternating with acute exacerbations.
- 3rd degree lumbar chondrosis-pulp herniation gradually increases, forming an intervertebral hernia. The patient develops a condition of the entire nervous system: constant pain, exposure to the buttocks, abdomen, tailbone, legs, urethra, and limited mobility.
legend is used to locate the hernia. The diagnosis of osteochondrosis L5 S1 means that the nucleus pulposus occurred between the 5th lumbar vertebra and the 1st cruciate vertebra.
- If treatment is not taken in time, all development stages will smoothly enter the next stage. The fourth stage of lumbar osteochondrosis is characterized by the development of complications.
Generally, medications for severely developing pathologies are not very effective. The neuropathologist must provide a fundamental treatment, namely hernia surgery.
The diagnosis method of osteochondrosis
In order to identify the osteochondrosis of EPP, the neuropathologist first recalled, because the main complaint of the patient is one of the decisive values of accurate diagnosis. During the conversation, the patient will be asked questions about his health and condition-the location and location of the pain, what is the duration of the pain, the feeling aggravated when stiffness appears, whether treatment has been given, what treatment has been given, etc.
Instrument diagnostic method must be used:
- Overview Rg graphic image of the lumbar spine-The entire spine is photographed or its segments are photographed. Compared with other situations, it is more common to make a targeted Rg-gram based on the main complaint, in which the doctor notices the atrophy of the intervertebral disc, the shrinkage of the intervertebral space, the appearance of osteophytes, and the smoothness of the waist;
- Myelography-Contrast agent is injected into the lumen through which the spinal cord passes. This technique is used to determine the internal structure of the channel. Ordinary people think this process is difficult and dangerous, but apart from the contrast of allergies, spinal canal puncture does not actually threaten the patient. The puncture is performed where there is no spinal cord;
The most accurate thing is that electromagnetic osteochondrosis is determined using electromagnetic waves. For this reason, the patient needs to be examined on a magnetic resonance imaging scanner.
Each organization has its own incoming signal, and the computer processes the data and displays the image on the screen. The doctor examines blood vessels, intervertebral discs, skeletal processes, and nerve fibers with a 1 mm incision. At the same time, the patient will not be subjected to harmful ionization.
Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis
Many patients are interested in the following questions: What about osteochondrosis in the lumbar region? Lumbar osteochondrosis is not always indicated for surgery. The most important thing is that after a thorough examination of the patient, the usual treatment measures are sufficient.
Conservative treatment reduction:
- Take medication;
- Physiotherapy procedures;
- Gymnastics from exercise therapy.
Similarly, in order to treat lumbar osteochondrosis, manual therapy and traditional medical methods are also used.
For the treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis, if conservative methods fail to achieve the desired results, surgical methods are only provided for patients in extremely severe cases.
Drugs
Treatment of lumbar osteochondrosis is carried out by a neuropathologist or the most narrow specialist (vertebral surgeon). Before treating spinous process lumbar spine chondropathy, the doctor should determine the stage and severity of the pathological disease.
Muscle relaxants are used to relieve pain, reduce cramps and inflammation. These drugs can quickly restore the patient's ability to move, relieve cramps and relieve pain.
In addition to drugs used for muscle relaxation, steroids are sometimes used to eliminate swelling and inflammation.
Remedial gymnastics
The treatment of osteochondrosis is to relieve pain, strengthen the muscle frame, and reduce the pressure between the discs-this slows the further development of the disease.
Physical Therapy
In lumbar osteochondrosis, treatment involves the use of the following procedures:
- Drug electrophoresis;
- Laser and magnetic therapy;
- Use magnetic current processing;
- Dasenvall;
- Ultraviolet radiation;
- Diadine treatment;
- Shock wave method.
The operation involves the use of methods with natural physical strength: electric current, light radiation, vibration, etc. The treatment plan and the duration of the physical therapy process are determined by the attending doctor.
Manual therapy
When a patient asks a neurologist how to use manual techniques to treat lumbar osteochondrosis, he is usually advised by a qualified expert that his hands will not only affect the muscle tissue, but also place the vertebrae in the proper position.
If lumbar osteochondrosis occurs, this method can normalize blood and lymph circulation, eliminate muscle tension and deformation, and restore motor function. Chiropractor's hands reduce the purity of cramps and relieve back pain.
How to use manual techniques to treat osteochondrosis in the lumbar spine area and be able to fully recover in this way? Manual treatment is only necessary when the degenerative process does not interfere with the spinal tissue, that is, when no bone growth is formed. The need for the procedure is determined by the doctor based on Rg diagnosis, CT or MRI.
Surgery
When the pathological feature is the following changes in the spine, surgery can be performed according to certain indications to treat lumbar osteochondrosis:
- Spinal canal stenosis, the intervertebral disc is compressed and destroyed;
- The development of cauda equina syndrome-the pelvic nerve bundles that bind the nerves, which damage the pelvic area and legs;
- Decreased sensitivity and disorder of internal organs.
- There is a risk of paralysis of the feet.
Perform actions according to emergency or planned instructions. The purpose of surgical treatment is to reduce stress and improve the condition of the spine.
Traditional Medicine
It is best to use folk methods to treat lumbar osteochondrosis after consulting a doctor.
People’s Pharmacy offers a variety of methods to treat diseases:
- Herbs, essential oils, flower extracts, plant roots;
- Animal products, such as snake or bee venom, badge, dog, suet, boiled eggs, etc. ;
- Iodine, turpentine and alcohol can be used to heat and stimulate the skin.
Similar to drugs, folk methods are used to treat lumbar osteochondrosis only in the initial stage of the disease, and the symptoms can only be eliminated, but the pathological changes will not disappear. Among other things, such treatments often have side effects, so expert consultation is required before using any traditional medicine formulations.
Any person or the dose of the drug should be prescribed by your doctor.
Complications
The final stage of lumbar osteochondrosis can lead to unpleasant consequences, including disability.
In the context of malnutrition and degenerative diseases, the narrowed spinal canal develops into stenosis. The result of this change is a form of chronic compression that interferes with normal blood flow and develops root ischemia or cauda equina syndrome.
In addition, diseases such as spondylopathies and spondyloarthropathies sometimes occur-intervertebral discs are aging, the strength is reduced, and the vertebral joint structure is disordered and there is pain. Complications are most often related to the lower ridge, where spike-like bone growth forms.
In the third stage, due to the complications of osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernias develop, urogenital diseases and other internal organs appear.
Preventive measures
It is of great significance to prevent osteochondrosis of the lumbar ac spine. The lower back bears the most weight, so you need to pay special attention to the back. It is worth remembering that regular gymnastics is the key to maintaining a healthy spine.
Be extra careful when lifting weights to avoid sudden jerks. Men and women can bear a reasonable burden.
Sitting in an office, you need to track your posture, take the correct posture, and sit upright in the chair. It's best to get up every hour and walk around the room, squat down, and rotate the torso: this can reduce the tension of the entire musculoskeletal frame.
The trigger point massage is great. They are active or in latent form. Trigger points appear due to overwork, overstretching, repetitive work, bending over, hypothermia and other factors.
To understand the reasons for the development of spastic areas, it is necessary to take measures to eliminate its formation. Recently, trigger point massagers have become popular, and it is better to use special devices to prevent the appearance of painful foci instead of treating them for a long time and expensively.