Today, in all countries without exception, doctors are struggling with osteochondrosis, since every year the number of patients with this diagnosis is significantly increasing. According to statistics, approximately 80% of the inhabitants of the entire planet suffer from pathologies of the spine. Osteochondrosis, contrary to popular belief, is much more often detected in young people aged 15-30 years. Just socially active people are most susceptible to this vice. That is why every person should find out whether osteochondrosis is dangerous and how to properly treat it.
Pathology Description
What is osteochondrosis? This is damage to the intervertebral discs and other tissues of the ridge. Against the background of this disease, a dystrophic process gradually develops. The spine is gradually compressed, compressing the discs located between the vertebrae. Over time, due to such pressure, they lose their natural elasticity, and as a result, the nerve endings of the spinal cord are pinched. As a result, pain, swelling appear.
What is dangerous spinal osteochondrosis? In the advanced stages of the pathology, patients can face quite serious complications, which can even cause disability.
Signs of illness
Osteochondrosis is characterized by a specific clinical picture, which is characterized by:
- severe pain syndrome - absolutely all patients suffer from cutting, shooting, acute pains in the affected area;
- numbness of the arms and legs;
- muscle cramps;
- headaches originating in the nape of the neck and giving to the crown and temples;
- limb aches;
- pain in the neck, which intensifies with any mobility;
- vertebral artery syndrome;
- dizziness, loss of consciousness;
- blurred vision, the appearance of colored spots in front of the eyes;
- pain in the region of the heart and nearby organs;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- regular backache;
- salt deposition;
- chilly legs;
- tingling in the spine;
- peeling and excessive dryness of the skin;
- reduced or increased sweating.
The lumbar and cervical spine undergo pathological deformations most often, since they are considered the most mobile. At the age of approximately 45 years, intervertebral discs stop the accumulation of water, as a result of which they lose their own elasticity. That is why the likelihood of flattening and squeezing out of the spine increases significantly. This phenomenon is called intervertebral hernia, which often accompanies osteochondrosis.
Pain can occur even due to a simple cough or tension in the abdominal muscles. If the symptoms of osteochondrosis do not disappear within two weeks, you should definitely seek medical help. In this case, a neurologist or a neurosurgeon-traumatologist can help. First of all, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination using fluoroscopy. If osteochondrosis is suspected, magnetic resonance imaging will also be useful.
Causes of the disease
Prerequisites for the development of osteochondrosis can be too sharp turns, severe hypothermia, physical overload, which can serve as an impetus to the displacement of the vertebrae.
According to most doctors who studied this pathology, the main reason for its occurrence is often an incorrectly distributed load on the ridge. It is against this background that a dystrophic process develops in those places that are subjected to excessive pressure.
Such factors can provoke osteochondrosis:
- slouch;
- lifting too heavy objects;
- rachiocampsis;
- passive lifestyle;
- weakened spinal muscles;
- taking an uncomfortable posture for a long period of time;
- metabolic disorders;
- bad genetics;
- prolonged exposure to chemicals;
- serious infectious diseases;
- general hypothermia of the whole organism;
- stress and nervous shocks;
- hormonal disruptions;
- performing excessive physical exercises;
- sharp regular changes in poses;
- severe falls and other injuries relating to the spine;
- adverse weather conditions affecting weather dependent people.
Pathology stages
Doctors distinguish several degrees of pathology.
- At the initial stage, the defect is very difficult to diagnose. Patients practically do not complain about anything, except for the general malaise, which is often taken for other diseases. Usually, at the first stage of osteochondrosis, patients feel some discomfort in the back zone, but often they justify this by overwork, physical labor and other factors. That is why people do not so often respond to the disease in a timely manner, ignoring the initial symptoms. That's the danger of osteochondrosis of the first degree - a sluggish course and a hidden form. In such a situation, pathology can only be detected by chance, during a comprehensive medical examination.
- At the second stage, the patient develops a pain syndrome, since during this period destructive processes arise in the cartilage tissue. If treatment at this point does not begin, the patient will gradually decrease the gaps between the vertebrae, against which nerve endings, blood arteries and lymphatic vessels are squeezed. Special drugs help get rid of pain in the second stage of osteochondrosis. Usually at this time, pain causes patients to consult a doctor.
- The third stage of the disease is characterized by pronounced spinal deformity. Usually, during this period, in the absence of appropriate therapy, patients additionally develop kyphosis, stoop, scoliosis, lordosis and other pathologies. Comprehensive treatment makes it possible even if not completely restore, then at least significantly improve the general condition of the spine and reduce the existing defects: hump or curvature.
- What is the danger of osteochondrosis in the fourth stage? Changes that have occurred in this period are already irreversible. It becomes difficult for the patient to even simply move around, since every slightest mobility is accompanied by acute pain. The cartilage tissue becomes dense, the vertebrae are displaced, and the bone tissue grows pathologically. Often in the fourth stage of osteochondrosis, patients become disabled. That is why it is so important to do everything possible to prevent the progression of the disease and stop it in time.
What is dangerous osteochondrosis
A person at any age with a suspicion of this disease should immediately seek medical help. Those who do not know whether osteochondrosis is dangerous should consider that this pathology can cause complete muscle atrophy or even disability. Most patients suffer from regular pain, which can only be eliminated with pills and injections.
What is the danger of osteochondrosis in the absence of appropriate therapy? Today, unfortunately, many people prefer self-medication, which can lead to extremely serious, irreparable consequences. Patients often turn to specialists only when a hernia has already occurred or a nerve has pinched. But in the absence of proper treatment, osteochondrosis will gradually destroy the intervertebral discs and significantly affect the general condition of a person.
First of all, protrusion will form, which implies an abnormal bulging of the pulpous nucleus. Such a phenomenon will entail, in turn, more serious violations - a modification of the fibrous ring and the occurrence of an intervertebral hernia.
At the same time, the patient gradually grows bone tissue, and sclerotic plaques develop inside the vessels. After the vertebral arteries are squeezed, the brain will cease to receive good nutrition, against which the blood pressure is disturbed and oxygen starvation begins.
People who have been diagnosed with an advanced stage of osteochondrosis, among other things, are faced with problems such as disturbances in the functioning of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract. Often, all sorts of complications also concern vision, hearing, and coordination.
What is the danger of cervical osteochondrosis?
What other danger does the disease carry? Worst of all, in parallel with osteochondrosis, other serious pathologies begin to develop in the patient. And this happens against the background of damage to the neurovascular bundle and blood circulation. As a result of these disorders, the body is significantly weakened and generally ill. To a greater extent, this pathology affects people suffering from metabolic disorders.
What is the danger of osteochondrosis of the cervical spine? In people over 20 years of age who do not pay enough attention to their health, the intervertebral discs gradually begin to crack and condense. The gap between the cervical vertebrae is rather rapidly decreasing, as a result of which there is compression of the adjacent nerve endings and arteries.
Those who do not know whether cervical osteochondrosis is dangerous should consider that, in addition to severe pain and discomfort, this pathology can provoke oxygen starvation of the brain. And this can happen precisely due to compression of the vertebral arteries.
In addition, the cervical spine has another feature. In addition to the canal for the spinal cord, other connecting elements that go into the cranial cavity also pass through it. Thanks to this structure, the cervical region not only transmits signals from the head to the body, like other parts of the spine, but also additionally supplies the brain with blood. So there are plenty of significant functions in this part of the spine.
What is the danger of cervical osteochondrosis for any person? Such a serious disease can initially provoke a reflex spasm of the vessels of the damaged department, and then to completely overwhelm them. In addition to everything else, in older people this pathology may be accompanied by an atherosclerotic process.
As a result, the patient may experience malfunctions of the vestibular apparatus, against the background of which there are regular headaches, dizziness, and a complete sense of balance is lost. That's the danger of cervical osteochondrosis. And this is not the whole list of possible consequences for patients of any age.
Other complications of the disease
What is the danger of osteochondrosis of the lumbar? This type of pathology can provoke vertebral instability. It is because of this that a damaged lumbar region can simply shift. As a result, women often have problems with the reproductive system - the uterus, ovaries or appendages, and in men the potency usually decreases.
But this is not the whole list of why lumbar osteochondrosis is dangerous. Against the background of this disease, blood supply to the spinal cord may be impaired. Another dangerous complication of the defect is the development of compression myelopathy. This disease is an actual lesion of the entire spinal cord.
In the advanced stages, lumbar osteochondrosis can even lead to paralysis of the buttocks, legs, and paresis. The most severe complication is often called horse tail syndrome.
The consequences of osteochondrosis of the thoracic
Such a disease is diagnosed much less often, but from this it does not become more harmless. What is the danger of thoracic osteochondrosis? This type of pathology develops much less frequently compared to other varieties. Most often, it occurs in adolescence, along with scoliosis. Thoracic osteochondrosis is known for its chronic course, in which exacerbations are steadily increasing, but the periods of remission, on the contrary, are shortening. All this is due to the constant destruction of the disks under the pressure of serious deformations in the spine. What is dangerous thoracic osteochondrosis? The destruction of the disc is accompanied by an abnormal modification of the entire spine. Existing thoracic kyphosis is amplified many times, in the advanced stages, a hump appears. As a result, respiratory function suffers, poorly ventilated places appear in the lungs, which become a platform for the development of infectious processes.
Treatment methods
Today there are several treatment options for osteochondrosis: surgical, medication and physiotherapy. According to patients with this diagnosis, a special diet and therapeutic exercises help to achieve the best result. During therapy, it is advisable for patients to adhere to bed rest to minimize the load on the damaged spine. Instead of a soft mattress, it is best to give preference to some hard surface.
First of all, doctors are involved in the elimination of pain. Then the patient is prescribed decongestants and anti-inflammatory drugs. According to numerous reviews, special ointments, gels and creams also have a good effect, which not only eliminate pain, but also stop inflammatory processes. At the same time, the doctor recommends to the patient medications that help relax muscles, improve blood flow, and also restore cartilage that was damaged by osteochondrosis. The best result with drug therapy can be achieved in combination with physiotherapeutic procedures. Patients may be recommended a magnet, ultrasound, electrophoresis and other therapeutic measures.
Mineral waters and healing mud are able to exert beneficial effects on the spine. Patients diagnosed with osteochondrosis are advised to regularly visit the massage room.
In some situations, reflexology is also useful. According to the patient’s reviews, this procedure allows you to eliminate pain, strong muscle tension and simply improve the body weakened after a protracted pathology.
Operation efficiency
If none of the listed methods of treatment has helped a person with osteochondrosis, surgery is prescribed. It is necessary to normalize the structure of the affected spine, eliminate intervertebral hernias or completely damaged discs, as well as to stop the conditions that led to the development of the disease. However, such operations are carried out extremely rarely, only in emergency situations, since they carry a great danger to patients.