The symptom of Lasega in neurology was discovered by a French doctor and subsequently named after him. Back in the middle of the 19th century, the doctor noted: if a patient, lying on his back, raises a straightened leg, acute pain occurs in the lumbar part of the body, which instantly disappears when a person bends a limb.
Reasons for the appearance
Often, due to problems with the sciatic nerve , a Lasega symptom occurs that accompanies pinching or neuritis of this part of the central nervous system. This nerve is the largest in the human body, it is formed from branches extending from the spinal cord - lumbar and sacral. It consists of two types of nerves: tibial and fibular. If they are excessively stretched, pinched or injured, then the person feels strong pain when he is in a supine position trying to raise his straight leg.
The symptom arises from the inability of the nerve fibers to lengthen: its roots can be pinched in the openings between the vertebrae, or excessive stretching occurs in case of a hernia of the intervertebral discs. When the patient is in a relaxed state, he does not feel pain, since the sciatic nerve is inactive at this time. But as soon as he starts to lift the limb, the nerve immediately stretches, causing painful sensations.
Three degrees of the syndrome
It is not necessary to be a doctor to determine the symptom of Lasega: you can find it at home by performing a simple procedure. But it’s better to turn to a professional who will do this as efficiently as possible. Diagnosis is as follows: the doctor asks the patient to lie on the couch and move the limb. The higher the leg rises, the more pronounced the symptom is. The peak of pain usually occurs during the period when the limb is at an angle of 60º with respect to the surface.
Doctors at the same time distinguish three degrees of Laseg syndrome:
- First - pain occurs only in the position of the leg at an angle of 60º.
- The second - acute painful sensations are characteristic when the limb is raised at 45º.
- Third - the patient can maximize his leg only 30º.
It is clear that the latter degree is characteristic of a more serious disease than the first. In this case, the doctor is obliged to immediately interrupt the diagnosis as soon as the patient is hurt. Otherwise, a person may experience tearing of nerve fibers and, as a result, paralysis of the sciatic nerve.
Main types
Medicine distinguishes three types of symptoms:
- Positive symptom of Laseg. It occurs gradually when raising the leg, but when it is bent at the knee and hip joints it disappears. It can talk about compression of the sacral and lumbar roots, which most often occurs with osteochondrosis and radiculitis.
- Negative. When the limb is bent, the pain does not disappear. Doctors say that in this case, it can be caused by the pathology of this part of the body. The patient is sent for an additional examination to find the real causes of pain. By the way, often they are psychological in nature: observed in hysterical women, depressed people.
- Pseudo-positive symptom. It is found when a person has very weak back muscles of the thigh . This is usually observed in elderly patients. In this situation, an orthopedic consultation is required.
Depending on the variety, the patient is prescribed appropriate therapy.
Osteochondrosis
This is one of the most common causes of pain. Laseg's symptom in osteochondrosis is characterized by acute pain that spreads across the entire thigh. Its range is wide: from the buttocks to the very foot. In such cases, the patient is prescribed drug therapy. The treatment of osteochondrosis involves taking drugs that belong to four groups:
- Medicines based on Vitamin D. It improves calcium absorption. Contraindication: high content of this element in the blood of the patient. Side effects are the formation of kidney stones.
- Drugs whose action is aimed at reducing the release of calcium from the bones and reducing pain. For example, "Alostin" and "Calcitrin." In rare cases, the body reacts negatively to their intake: nausea, vomiting appears, hypertension develops.
- Therapy aimed at treating osteoporosis. It includes such drugs as Bivalos, Fosamax, Bonviva. They block the process of resorption of bone tissue.
- Female hormones are estrogens. Among their functions is the prevention of increased bone fragility. The most popular are Proginova, Klimonorm, or Estron.
In addition to medicines, the patient is prescribed physiotherapy exercises and other necessary procedures.
Radiculitis
The causes of the symptom of Laseg originate from this disease. In addition to him, the patient also has other symptoms: Neri - the connection between bending the head and lower back pain, Bahretev-Fayerstein - the affected limb begins to hurt when raising a healthy leg. The following drugs are prescribed to the patient:
- Nonsteroidal drugs that have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects: Ketoprofen, Diclofenac, Flurbiprofen, Indomethacin, etc. They help to quickly eliminate the main symptom of radiculitis - pain.
- Muscle relaxants relieve skeletal muscle spasms. Despite many side effects, they are able to eliminate compression of nerve fibers. For example, Tubokurarin, Doksakuriy, Rapakuroniy. By the way, they are also prescribed for the treatment of osteoporosis.
In addition, to eliminate Lasega symptom with radiculitis, the patient is prescribed
narcotic analgesics. But this is only in critical cases, when the pain is simply unbearable and can not be removed with other medicines. The patient is also recommended to drink antidepressants and vitamins.
Prevention
To prevent Lasega symptom, as well as the development of dangerous diseases associated with it, preventive measures can be taken. They also protect a person from osteochondrosis and radiculitis. And even if the patient is already sick, they serve as an excellent complement to drug therapy. Among them are the following procedures:
- Gymnastics. If you give physical activity at least half an hour a day, you can achieve an increase in bone mass by 5%.
- Massage. It improves blood circulation in the muscles.
- Sun baths. Provide vitamin D to the body, without which the absorption of calcium would be impossible.
It is also recommended to abandon bad habits, which since ancient times have been faithful companions of numerous diseases. And also learn how to eat right. Refusal of fatty, smoked, fried, canned food will only benefit the body. If in addition to balance the use of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and enrich the diet with vitamins, fiber and other useful substances, you can achieve good health, good physical shape, youth and beauty.