Often among the various pathologies of the spinal column there is lordosis of the spine. The human spine is not straight, it has several natural bends that provide cushioning. In the presence of a strong curvature of the bend, when it is significantly facing forward, one speaks of pathological lordosis. In severe cases, the disease can lead to serious pathologies not only of the musculoskeletal system, but also of internal organs. In medicine, there is lordosis of the cervical spine and lumbar. The disease usually develops in childhood or adolescence, but sometimes the disease can form in adults. A number of reasons contribute to this.
Description and description of the problem
Spinal lordosis is a distortion of the spinal column, in which it bends in the forward direction. Such a pathology in medicine is common, it is usually diagnosed in adolescence. With a mild degree of damage, a person develops discomfort and back pain. In severe cases, lordosis leads to neurological disorders, disorders of the activity of organs and systems.
A healthy human spine has four physiological bends: two forward and two backward. This provides endurance of vertical loads, maintaining balance, supporting the head and cushioning the spine during movements. If the angle of the bend in the cervical or lumbar region is greater than the set, one speaks of pathological lordosis, in which all the functions of the bends are violated.
Physiological lordosis of the spine is observed immediately after the birth of the child, but it is weakly expressed. Bends become clearly visible as the child grows. By the age of eighteen, the structure of the spinal column is fully formed. Lordosis can occur at any stage of development due to the influence of many reasons, for example, changes in the shape and size of the vertebrae.
With this disease of the spine, the vertebrae mix forward, while their bodies diverge and the discs expand. The processes of healthy vertebrae connect with the affected ones, they converge and become denser. As a result of this, a change in the chest occurs, in which compression of the internal organs is observed. In some cases, lordosis develops in the thoracic spine.
Varieties of pathology
In medicine, two main types of disease are distinguished:
- Lordosis of the cervical spine has the appearance of a wide arc, which is convex forward. Pathology develops due to improper bending of the cervical spine. In this case, the bend has the wrong direction (can be shifted to one side), it is very pronounced.
- Lordosis of the lumbar spine is most common. Pathology is expressed in the development of a strong C-shaped bend of the spine in its lumbar region. At the same time, due to the disease, a person sticks his stomach and buttocks forward.
Depending on the causes of the disease, the following forms of the disease are distinguished:
- Primary lordosis, which is formed as a result of abnormal processes in the spine and spinal muscles, for example, the appearance of neoplasms, inflammation, and so on.
- Secondary lordosis develops due to the appearance of diseases that are associated with impaired functionality of the hip joints, for example, with ankylosis. As a result of this, the human spine begins to adapt to pathology in order to be able to maintain balance. During the treatment, the cause of the development of the pathology is first eliminated, and then the spinal column is corrected.
There is also physiological lordosis, hyperlordosis (severe curvature) and hypolordosis (straightening the bend). Depending on the possibility of the body returning to its normal position, such lordoses are distinguished:
- unfixed, in which a person can fully straighten his back, with some effort;
- partially fixed when it is not possible to straighten completely;
- fixed, which is characterized by the inability to straighten the back.
In children and adolescents, secondary lordosis is successfully cured after eliminating the cause of its appearance. In adults, curvature of the spine (lordosis) in most cases is fixed. Strong curvature may be an individual feature of the figure, it is not associated with other pathologies.
Causes of the development of the disease
The causes of the formation of primary lordosis are abnormalities in the development of the spinal column, the appearance of neoplasms and inflammatory processes in the vertebrae, muscle cramps, various injuries of the spine. The spread of cancer tumor metastases in the spine, the presence of a purulent infection of a chronic nature, tuberculosis, rickets and osteochondrosis can also provoke the development of the disease.
Secondary lordosis of the spine can develop due to pathology of the hip joint, dislocation of the hip, various diseases of the bones and muscles, paresis of the lower extremities, poliomyelitis, Cachin-Beck syndrome, cerebral palsy, kyphosis of various etiologies, scoliosis. Also, the disease can occur during pregnancy, usually it disappears after the birth of a woman.
Lordosis and kyphosis of the spine may be associated. The progression of kyphosis often provokes the development of pathological lordosis, when the spine tries to adapt to pathology to maintain balance.
Factors provoking the disease also include impaired human posture, obesity, a sharp increase in childhood, injuries, such as burns, wearing high-heeled shoes.
Symptoms of the disease
The main symptoms of pathology include impaired posture, pain in the curved spinal column, which increases after physical activity, fatigue, limitation of movement. In severe cases, there is a lesion of the digestive tract, heart and kidneys, lungs due to their compression, which provokes a disorder in their activity, manifested by the corresponding signs.
Lumbar lordosis of the spine is often accompanied by thoracic kyphosis, while the human back is round-concave in shape, the legs are slightly bent at the knees, the shoulder blades stick out, the stomach and head protrude forward.
With severe chest kyphosis, lumbar lordosis decreases. When walking and standing in a person's legs are bent, the angle of inclination of the pelvis is reduced, but the head is tilted forward, the shoulder blades stick out. The abdomen in this disease comes forward, and the chest is sunken.
Cervical lordosis of the spine is characterized by prolapse of the head and concavity of the chest. Between the upper and lower parts of the neck, the angle of curvature is more than forty-five degrees. A person cannot tilt his head forward and to the sides. He appears dizzy and has a headache.
With any type of disease, an abnormal distribution of the load on the musculoskeletal system is observed, as a result of which a person develops weakness and fatigue, muscle tone increases, spasm of the muscles of the back and neck occurs. Gradually, a change in the chest occurs, heartburn, constipation and flatulence appear, kidney prolapse develops. In obese people, the external signs of the pathology may be invisible, which complicates the diagnosis of the disease.
People from forty to fifty years often develop fixed lordosis, which is accompanied by muscle cramps in the lumbar region and buttocks, pain in the hip joints when trying to straighten your back. Often, pathology is accompanied by a loss of sensitivity of the lower extremities, a change in gait.
Pathology in children
Immediately after the birth of a child, he has a physiological lordosis of the spine. By one year, its intensive formation begins, which ends by eighteen years. Pathological lordosis can occur in any age period, it will be more pronounced than in adults. Doctors found that the earlier the pathology formed, the stronger the spinal deformity. Often in children, the disease is accompanied by a disorder of the lungs and heart.
In some cases, the disease develops for no apparent reason. In this case, they speak of benign juvenile lordosis, the symptoms of which disappear on their own after a while.
Complications and consequences
With a long course of the disease, various complications can develop:
- abnormal mobility of the vertebrae, spondylolisthesis;
- prolapse of intervertebral discs;
- intervertebral hernia;
- development of psoitis, myositis, or deforming arthritis;
- paresis of limbs;
- infertility;
- hearing and vision impairment;
- intestinal obstruction;
- increased intracranial pressure.
Complications of the disease cause the following symptoms:
- numbness of the limbs;
- muscle weakness;
- urinary incontinence;
- impaired coordination of movements;
- pain in the neck and back.
Diagnostic measures
Diagnosis of the disease begins with a medical history and examination of the patient, during which the doctor assesses the position of the human body and his posture, using tests to determine the type of pathology and the presence of concomitant neurological disorders. Also, the doctor conducts a study of the chest organs and the condition of the back muscles.
Then the doctor directs for radiography in two projections. To establish the degree of curvature of the spine, an x-ray is performed at maximum extension and flexion of the back. The examination examines the structure and shape of the vertebrae.
One of the diagnostic methods used is MRI, which makes it possible to establish the cause of the disease and the degree of damage to nerves and soft tissues, as well as to detect the presence of intervertebral hernias.
Pathology therapy
Lordosis of the cervical spine involves treatment in the form of gymnastics and exercise therapy in the case when the disease is mild. This allows you to strengthen muscles and normalize blood circulation. Also, the doctor may prescribe massage courses. With pain, NSAIDs are prescribed in the form of tablets, injections or ointments. When dizziness, nausea and headache occur, drugs are prescribed that normalize blood circulation in the brain. Also, the doctor can prescribe B vitamins and relaxants.
Secondary lordosis of the spine treatment involves primarily to eliminate the causes of its development. After effective treatment of the primary disease, lordosis usually disappears. In some cases, the doctor prescribes spinal traction, the elimination of excess body weight.
In the presence of pain in the disease, it is necessary to take painkillers, medications to relax muscles and B vitamins, this is especially true in childhood.
Often, doctors prescribe patients to wear corsets that are able to maintain the spinal column in the correct position. Corsets also contribute to the elimination of pain, improve posture. Also requires lordosis of the spine exercises to eliminate unpleasant symptoms, normalize gait, eliminate curvature of the spine.
Surgery
In severe cases, surgery may be required. Operations are mainly carried out with primary lordosis, which is accompanied by a violation of the activity of internal organs and severe pain.
To treat pathology, doctors use staples made of metal in order to restore the normal position of the spinal column. Children are assigned the Ilizarov apparatus. Operations are carried out in specialized clinics. In some cases, pathological vertebrae are replaced with implants. This method makes it possible to eliminate the curvature of the spine and maintain the mobility of the vertebrae.
Rehabilitation after surgery takes about one year. During this period, the patient is prescribed massage, exercise therapy, wearing a corset, swimming.
Forecast and Prevention
The prognosis of the disease is favorable with the timely diagnosis and treatment of pathology. Secondary lordosis completely disappears when the causes of its development are eliminated. In the absence of therapy, complications may develop.
For the purpose of prevention, it is necessary to observe the correct posture, eat right, exercise regularly on a regular basis, treat various diseases in a timely manner, and normalize sleep and wakefulness. With a hereditary predisposition to pathology, it is recommended to engage in swimming or other sports that require a load on the back muscles. It is necessary to sleep on orthopedic mattresses. In order to prevent illness in pregnant women, they are recommended to wear a bandage in the fourth month of pregnancy. If the first signs of the disease appear, you should consult a doctor to prescribe the appropriate treatment. Timely treatment of pathology can reduce the risk of complications and negative consequences.