The article tells about what osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is in simple words - this information will allow you to understand what happens when intervertebral discs are destroyed and how to carry out effective and safe treatment.
According to medical statistics, more than 70% of the modern population knows what osteochondrosis is.A sedentary lifestyle, lack of regular physical activity, excessive dietary calorie intake with a deficiency of essential microelements and vitamins - all this and much more leads to the fact that intervertebral discs begin to deteriorate at a young age.First, a dull, discreet pain appears and then a sharp, persistent pain in the lower back.A person cannot move independently;any movement causes severe pain and discomfort.The innervation of the internal organs of the abdominal cavity and small pelvis is disturbed.
To understand what spinal osteochondrosis is, you need to have an idea of its structure and functions.Let's start with the second question.Therefore, the spine is the supporting part of the human skeleton.The upper shoulder girdle, lower limbs, chest and skull are attached to it.The most important function of the spine is to ensure the safety of the spinal cord - the central part of the autonomic nervous system, which ensures the performance of the entire human body.
Anatomically, the spine consists of two structural parts: the vertebral bodies with the arcuate and spinous processes and the intervertebral discs.The vertebral bodies make up 70–75% of the height of the spine, and the intervertebral discs (depending on the patient's age) – from 25 to 30%.The shape of the intervertebral disc follows the shape of the vertebral body and arcuate processes.The disc ensures uniform distribution of the shock-absorbing load transmitted from the lower extremities and other parts of the body.It also provides protection to the radicular nerves exiting the spinal cord.
What is lumbar osteochondrosis?It is a degenerative dystrophic destruction of the cartilaginous tissue of the fibrous ring of the intervertebral discs L5-L4, L4-L3, L3-L2, L2-L1.In total, the lumbar region contains five vertebral bodies and 4 intervertebral discs that separate them.The radicular nerves depart through the foraminal openings of the vertebral bodies, responsible for the innervation of the following parts of the body:
- L1 and L2 – abdominal organs and thigh;
- L3 – genitals, knees and bladder;
- L4 – legs, feet and prostate;
- L5 – toes, legs, feet.
The branches of these radicular nerves form the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back, through the gluteal region, to the popliteal fossa.There it divides into the tibial and peroneal branches and further innervates the lower leg and foot.Furthermore, individual branches of the radicular nerves of the lumbar spine are part of a nerve plexus called the cauda equina.
With the development of osteochondrosis, a gradual violation of innervation occurs.Diseases of the internal organs of the abdominal cavity and small pelvis may develop.In severe cases, atrophy of muscle fibers of the lower extremities, partial paresis of the legs, etc. develop.
You can find out more information about what osteochondrosis is, what its symptoms and treatment are in this article.Here are some tips on what to do when this diagnosis is made and which doctor you should see to undergo fully effective treatment.
What is osteochondrosis and what are its causes?
Modern science knows the answers to the questions of what osteochondrosis is and what its causes are, but, unfortunately, it is difficult to apply this knowledge in practice for effective prevention and treatment due to the fact that the patient will need to make every effort to combat the disease.
Anatomically and physiologically, the body of the intervertebral disc consists of almost 80% liquid.It is this circumstance that makes it possible to effectively distribute the shock-absorbing load over the surface of the separate vertebral bodies.But neither the fibrous ring nor the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc has its own capillary network.So there is no blood supply here.All intakes of liquid and the necessary components dissolved in it occur through diffuse exchange.It is performed only if adequate physical stress is applied to the surrounding muscles.If the muscular structure of the back and lower back does not work, diffuse nutrition will stop.
Pathology begins to develop:
- first, the fibrous ring simply becomes dehydrated and loses its elasticity;
- then its surface begins to undergo primary destruction, resulting in inflammation (exacerbation of osteochondrosis) and deposition of calcium salts to restore the integrity of damaged tissues;
- the film of calcifications prevents further diffuse nutrition, therefore, even with active work of the surrounding muscles, spontaneous restoration of the fibrous ring tissue does not occur;
- the next step is the collection of liquid from the nucleus pulposus located within the fibrous ring;
- at this stage, the nucleus pulposus loses mass, stops evenly distributing the shock-absorbing load and the height of the intervertebral disc decreases;
- in the protrusion phase, the intervertebral disc extends beyond the vertebral bodies and begins to press on the surrounding soft tissues and radicular nerves, which causes constant pain and stiffness of movements;
- The third stage is the rupture of the fibrous ring (extrusion) and the release of part of the nucleus pulposus to the outside (herniated disc).
What reasons can provoke the development of this spinal pathology:
- lack of adequate and regular physical activity in the muscular structure of the back and lower back;
- inadequate organization of sleeping and working spaces when located where the microcirculation of blood and lymphatic fluid in the spinal region is disturbed;
- disruption of metabolic processes in the body, the first sign of which is excess body weight;
- poor posture and curvature of the spine, resulting in a change in the distribution of shock absorption load along the spine;
- maintain a sedentary lifestyle and sedentary work;
- endocrine diseases, for example, diabetes mellitus accompanied by angiopathy;
- back injuries (distortion of ligaments and tendons, muscle tears, dislocations and subluxations of vertebral bodies, compression fractures and cracks).
There are other reasons, but they are less common and do not pose as pronounced a danger as those listed above.
What is lumbar osteochondrosis
In general terms, what osteochondrosis disease is is explained above.Now let's dwell a little on the question of what lumbar osteochondrosis is and why it is so common.In recent decades, the disease has rapidly become younger.If earlier it was diagnosed in people who have crossed the 40-year-old threshold, now the first signs of degenerative-dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs are found not only in people aged 20, but in adolescents aged 14-16.
Of course, expanding the possibilities of early diagnosis plays a certain role in this.With the advent of MRI exams, early cases of the disease began to be detected more frequently.Therefore, patients often learned about intervertebral osteochondrosis due to the appearance of severe pain.And now, when carrying out examinations, it is possible to detect pathology at an early stage of development.
The lower back is the most vulnerable place in the spine.This is where the maximum shock-absorbing load occurs when performing any body movement.During pregnancy, significant changes occur here with displacement of the vertebral bodies, changes in posture and expansion of the intervertebral spaces.Therefore, pregnancy for a woman almost always becomes a period during which the spine begins to deteriorate.
What is 2nd degree spinal osteochondrosis?It is a condition in which persistent clinical manifestations already appear and the patient is obliged to seek medical help.As a rule, at the second stage of development of degenerative-dystrophic pathology, a decrease in the height of the intervertebral disc and thinning of the fibrous ring tissue are observed.
What is osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral region
What is osteochondrosis of the sacral region can only be felt by patients under 25 years of age.At this age, complete fusion of the vertebral bodies occurs in the sacral spine.Atrophy of the intervertebral discs.Therefore, clinical signs of inflammation can indicate completely different pathologies.
Much more often people ask what lumbosacral osteochondrosis is, as it affects the intervertebral disc located between the sacral and lumbar regions.This is L5-S1 - represents the conditional center of gravity of the human body and the maximum physical and shock-absorbing load.
It is important to understand what osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral region is and how it can be treated effectively.First of all, all possible causes of pathology must be excluded.Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the tone of the muscles that surround the lower back.Treatment is best carried out with manual therapy and therapeutic exercises.
Signs and symptoms of osteochondrosis
Now you understand what spinal osteochondrosis is, and when its symptoms appear, you can identify and eliminate the potential cause of pathological changes.
Many patients ask what the signs of osteochondrosis are on x-rays and the results of an MRI examination.Thus, in the photographs, the doctor can observe cracks on the surface of the fibrous ring, a decrease in the height of the intervertebral disc and a change in its shape.These are the main signs of osteochondrosis.
Clinical symptoms include:
- pain in the lower back;
- spread of pain along the surface of the thigh, leg and foot;
- decreased muscle strength in the lower extremities;
- change of posture with straightening of the physiological curve of the spine in the lumbar region;
- stiffness of movements and limitation of their range;
- muscle tension in the lower back.
In advanced cases, numbness in the lower extremities, convulsions, low back pain, etc. may appear.
What is polysegmental or common osteochondrosis?
The question of what polysegmental osteochondrosis is can be answered briefly.These are degenerative dystrophic changes that affect not one, but several intervertebral discs.The same can be said about what common osteochondrosis of the spine is.This is a condition in which pathological changes are detected not in one, but in several parts of the spine.For example, if a person has only two lumbar discs affected, this is a polysegmental form of the disease.If a disc is affected in the lumbar and lumbosacral regions, this is a common form.
What is radicular osteochondrosis (in simple language)
And now a few words about what radicular osteochondrosis is and why this condition is dangerous for human health.So, speaking in simple terms about what osteochondrosis is, it can be noted that it is literally a flattening of the lining between the vertebral bodies.
When moving or in a static position of the body, due to the action of gravity, colossal pressure is observed on the spine.Each overlying vertebra exerts pressure on the one below.The intervertebral discs that separate them are compressed.If they don't have enough liquid, they lose their resistance capacity and are subject to flattening.At the same time, they lose the ability to provide sufficient height to the intervertebral space so that the radicular nerves extending from the spinal cord are not subject to compression.
If the disc loses height and shape, the radicular nerve becomes compressed.Osteochondrosis with radicular syndrome occurs.It is accompanied by pronounced neurological manifestations in the form of numbness, paresis, paralysis, decreased muscle strength, the appearance of paresthesia, etc.
Effective treatment of osteochondrosis
We found out what osteochondrosis is, now we can talk about the effective treatment of the disease.As has already become clear, for the complete restoration of intervertebral discs it is necessary to restore the impaired diffuse nutrition of the cartilaginous tissue of the fibrous ring.This can only be done with the help of manual therapy and therapeutic exercises.There are no pharmacological drugs that can restore diffuse nutrition to the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs.And injecting chondroprotectors in the absence of diffuse metabolism is useless.They do not penetrate the cartilaginous tissue.
For effective treatment you need:
- change your lifestyle, make you more active with sufficient physical activity and proper nutrition;
- avoid extreme physical activity on the back muscles;
- perform various spinal traction procedures to restore the physiological height of the intervertebral spaces;
- visit an osteopath to restore the elasticity of cartilaginous tissue and its ability to diffuse exchange with muscle tissue;
- carry out several massage sessions to improve tissue permeability and elasticity, restore microcirculation of blood and lymphatic fluid;
- develop an individual course of therapeutic exercises with a vertebrologist.
Physiotherapy, kinesiotherapy, laser therapy and much more are also recommended.Treatment of osteochondrosis should be carried out under the supervision of a vertebrologist or neurologist.