A disease like osteoarthritis of the back does not exist in modern medicine.First of all, it should be clarified that the term osteoarthritis is outdated and does not exist in the current version of ICD-10.It is replaced by degenerative cartilage disease of the intervertebral discs.However, we will tell you about osteoarthritis of the back, its symptoms and treatment as many patients call their condition that way.And they will understand what this article is about.
Therefore, osteoarthritis is the degeneration of intervertebral discs of dystrophic origin.Everything else is indirectly related to this disease.But to understand this process, you should take a short tour of anatomy and physiology.The main component of the human musculoskeletal system is the spine.With its help, stable position of internal organs in the abdominal and chest cavities is ensured.Inside the spine is the spinal cord, a structure that energizes the entire body.The spine gives flexibility to the body, allowing you to walk independently and perform any movements with your hands.It is the connecting link between the head and the limbs.
The spine consists of individual vertebral bodies.They are connected to each other by joints and ligaments.There are long longitudinal ligaments that begin in the coccygeal region and end in the occipital region.There are short transverse ligaments connecting adjacent vertebral bodies.The intervertebral disc consists of a dense outer shell (annulus fibrosus) that can withstand even extreme loads.But the fibrous ring has a significant drawback - it completely lacks its own network of blood capillaries.It receives fluid only at a time when the surrounding muscles are actively contracting and relaxing.In addition, some nutrition is provided by diffusion exchange between the intervertebral disc and the endplate that separates it from the vertebrae.
If a person leads a sedentary lifestyle and the back muscles do not work actively and regularly, the annulus fibrosus will become dehydrated and crack.In the early stages, it takes fluid from the tissues of the nucleus pulposus located inside it.This gelatinous body ensures a normal height of the disc and shock absorption to evenly distribute the applied load.
With a prolonged course of this pathology, the height of the intervertebral disc will decrease.It loses the ability to protect the nerve roots arising from the spinal cord from pressure from neighboring vertebral bodies.They are injured and radiculitis (radiculitis) occurs.This is a dangerous situation.Therefore, the body will take measures to compensate for the loss of intervertebral discs.This causes excessive tension in the back muscles.As a result, the nutritional diffusion of the remaining cartilage tissue is further disrupted.Therefore, back cartilage degeneration is considered a growing and rapidly spreading disease.If left untreated, it will quickly affect all discs and the patient will become disabled.
If you are worried about back pain related to degeneration of spinal cartilage tissue, we advise you not to wait for things to go away on their own.Seek medical help promptly.Osteochondrosis can be treated without surgery at any stage, except the stage of hernia isolation.If part of the nucleus pulposus has separated from the disc, only surgical intervention can help in this situation.
You can make an appointment with a spine specialist or a neurologist.They will be able to provide you with an accurate diagnosis and prescribe effective and safe treatment.
Causes of back bone degeneration
The most common causes of back osteoarthritis are physical inactivity, excess body weight, sedentary work and refusal of regular physical activity.It is these factors that cause the destruction of cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs at a young age.In the later stages of life (after 50 years), osteoarthritis develops for slightly different reasons:
- Hormonal changes lead to leaching of calcium and phosphorus from bone tissue;
- aging degenerative changes in the body;
- disruption of capillary blood flow against the background of atherosclerotic deformation of blood vessels;
- metabolic disorders, such as diabetes or changes in thyroid function;
- age-related decrease in muscle mass;
- changes in posture and curvature of the spine;
- Chronic diseases of internal organs reduce a person's physical activity.
In addition, potential causes for the development of osteochondrosis of the back can be injuries to the vertebral bodies, their rotational processes, ligaments and tendons.Improper organization of sleeping and working space is of no small importance.If a person does not respect the body's posture when sleeping at night, the risk of damaging the spine and developing osteoarthritis will increase sharply.
You should also stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages.These two bad habits cause disruption of blood microcirculation in the area of the intervertebral discs, causing their degeneration and dystrophic destruction.
The cause of back cartilage degeneration may be due to nutrition and water intake.An adult needs to drink at least 2 liters of clean water every day to maintain water and electrolyte balance.In addition, the diet must contain all the vitamins and minerals used in the regeneration of hyaline cartilage, which makes up the tissues of the fibrous rings.If the diet is dominated by fatty and refined foods, the body will quickly begin to suffer from deficiencies in certain nutrients.This does not allow it to restore the integrity of all tissues, including vertebrates.
Therefore, when carrying out complex treatment of back osteoarthritis, an experienced doctor will certainly adjust the patient's diet.She will give him the necessary recommendations regarding the proper organization of his sleeping and working space.
When osteoarthritis occurs, the back muscles will be seriously overloaded.They are responsible for supporting the spine and ensuring the safety of the nerve roots.With prolonged static voltage, the blood circulation cycle in the capillaries changes.Muscle cells begin to become hypoxic and an ischemic response rapidly begins.At first, it causes severe pain in the back muscles.Then the muscle cells begin to die.Short-term inflammation can occur against a background of muscle tissue necrosis.Then the process of muscle fiber degeneration begins.This entails a number of negative consequences.Patients may develop myofascial pain syndrome.It persists for many years even after successful treatment of osteoarthritis.
Therefore, this process cannot be started.As soon as the first signs of osteonecrosis appear, seek medical help immediately.
Symptoms of back bone degeneration
Lumbar thoracic cartilage degeneration is the least common because the vertebral body does not have the ability to move widely.The height of the intervertebral spaces is also ensured by fixing the costal arches.Therefore, we will not consider the symptoms of this type of disease separately.
Most often, osteoarthritis develops in the lumbar region, since it bears the main physical load and shock absorption associated with any movements of the human body.Symptoms of the disease include a characteristic pain in the lumbar region.It can spread along the inside, outside, or back of the thighs and lower legs, extending to the heels or toes.Gradually, clinical neurological signs begin to appear such as numbness, paresthesia, decreased muscle strength, paleness, and cold skin of the lower limbs.
Degenerative diseases of the cervical and thoracic spine are also commonly diagnosed.This disease most often develops in people who do mental work.With prolonged static tension in the neck muscles, blood microcirculation is disrupted and cartilage tissue is destroyed.
Clinical symptoms with degenerative dystrophic changes in the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral disc may be more diverse.The pain can radiate under the shoulder blades, in the heart area, and in the upper limbs.Muscle weakness quickly occurs in the arms.There are signs of impaired blood circulation in the posterior vertebral artery.These are dizziness, decreased mental performance, frequent changes in blood pressure, drowsiness, lethargy, etc.
If symptoms of osteoarthritis in the back appear, a series of clinical studies must be conducted.First of all, an X-ray of the affected part of the spine is indicated.Based on them, the doctor can only make a preliminary diagnosis.A more detailed examination of the condition of the tissues of the spine can be performed with an MRI scan.Doppler ultrasound, soft tissue ultrasound, biochemical and general blood tests, rheumatology tests, etc.can also be requested.
What to do and how to relieve pain?
The first thing to do in case of osteoarthritis of the back is to stop doing any physical activity and provide relative rest for the spine and muscles.During the first few days after the attack, it is better to adhere to strict bed rest.Treatment can only be prescribed by a neurologist or spine specialist.Do not use medication on your own.Not only can they have a negative impact on your health, but they can also make it difficult to get an accurate diagnosis in the future.
The only thing you can do to reduce back pain caused by osteoarthritis and not harm your health is spinal traction.It is important to restore the normal height of the intervertebral spaces.This will remove pressure from the root nerves and any pain will disappear without the need for additional pharmacological medications.Traction can be hardware, manual or with the help of physical exercises.Only a doctor can determine which method is right for your individual case during an examination.
How to treat and cure lumbar spondylosis?
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the back can be carried out exclusively by conservative methods, even at the degenerative stage of intervertebral hernia.Doctors know how to treat lumbar spondylosis without surgery.For this purpose, osteopathy and massage, therapeutic exercises and occupational therapy, laser therapy, acupressure and much more are used.
Before treating osteochondrosis of the back, the doctor will give the patient comprehensive individual recommendations, the implementation of which will eliminate potential causes and risk factors.An individualized therapeutic course is then developed.During treatment, damaged cartilage tissue is completely restored.If all recommendations are followed, osteoarthritis will not occur.