The lumbar spine is quite mobile, and at the same time bears heavy loads, regardless of a person's lifestyle and the work he performs. Therefore, lumbar spondylosis is one of the most common cases of this disease. It affects both men and women, most often after 25-30 years of age, but recently the disease has become significantly younger. If left untreated, lumbar cartilage degeneration will progress steadily and may eventually even lead to disability.
reason
Osteonecrosis is a degenerative disease, as a result of which the intervertebral discs begin to collapse, a change in the distance between the vertebrae and the intervertebral disc occurs, displacement of the vertebrae relative to each other, followed by irritation orcompression of the spinal cord and nerves. head and blood vessels running along the spine.
The causes that lead to the development of osteoarthritis, as a rule, are excessive load on the spine: heavy lifting, overweight, back injury, sedentary lifestyle. The situation is significantly worsened by diseases that lead to metabolic disorders, lack of sleep, stress and poor nutrition.
Symptom
A common symptom of lumbar osteoarthritis is lower back pain. They can occur during physical activity, during rest, when changing positions, etc. v. The pain may spread farther than where the nerve is compressed, such as down the leg.
When the deformity of the vertebrae becomes more severe, performing even very simple movements: bending, turning, etc. becomes difficult. v. , becomes painful when performed, which significantly reduces quality of life. Symptoms of sexual dysfunction may also appear, including urinary incontinence.
symptoms
If not treated promptly and adequately, progressive deformation of the intervertebral disc can lead to serious complications: the spine loses flexibility and, due to pain, cannot perform simple movements such as bending. , rotate. When the disease lasts, due to bone growth compressing the nerve, complications can spread to the genital area and sciatic nerve inflammation. The pain can occur even when coughing or doing light physical activity.
Treatment
Medications to treat osteoarthritis often only provide temporary, pain-relieving effects. Some of them warm up the muscles, enhancing local surface blood circulation, but this is clearly not enough for complete restoration of cartilage tissue. Especially if there is compression of nerves and blood vessels. Therefore, symptoms of the disease often recur quickly.
As the disease develops, not only the spine itself, but also muscles, blood vessels and even internal organs are affected. The work of a chiropractor is not focused on treating the external symptoms of disease but on identifying and eliminating the root cause of the disease's appearance.
Osteopathic treatment has no contraindications in the treatment of osteoarthritis and provides comfort and safety for patients of all ages. In 90% of cases, it helps to avoid the need for surgical treatment, moreover, it is equally effective at any stage of the disease. Especially with internal problems, which result from compression of the spinal cord and its roots. In addition, osteopathic treatment is necessarily prescribed for patients with herniated and bulging discs. It is completely safe and extremely effective. According to our observations, this is probably the most effective treatment method.
Pain in the lower back, numbness spreading down the legs, feeling like the legs are about to fall off, inability to bend, turn and walk normally - these are common symptoms of lumbar osteoarthritis.
Lumbar spondylosis is a "disease of civilization" directly related to human upright posture. The disease causes joint stiffness when moving and back pain. These symptoms prevent you from leading an active lifestyle and can cause more serious diseases, including those of internal organs. With osteoarthritis in the lumbar region, any sudden movement or heavy lifting can cause severe pain in the lower back.
No two patients are alike. Everyone is unique. In fact, we have encountered diagnoses where the list of diseases looks like a citation from a medical encyclopedia. For example, patient Anastasia, 69 years old: coronary heart disease, angina, stage II hypertension, chronic cholecystitis, left kidney cyst, endometrial hyperplasia. And finally, there is lumbar spondylosis, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis. How can we help such a patient? With so many seriously neglected diseases? And what does lumbar osteoarthritis have to do with it?
The meaning of treatment, as doctors at our center see, is to restore the speed and volume of blood flow through the circulatory system by performing sequential exercises on the first and second floors. and the third layer of the body: that is, targeting the legs, abs and back.
In the absence of normal blood circulation in the lumbar spine, as well as the spine, hypoxia will occur, affecting the normal functioning of the entire body, focusing on the internal organs. small pelvic organs. Therefore, there are a whole bunch of diseases from the internal organs to the cardiovascular system.
As a rule, when examining patients with lumbar osteoarthritis, we determine excessive tension in the paravertebral muscles of the thoracic and spinal regions, lack of elasticity in the muscles of the thighs and lower limbs in general. - that is muscle stiffness - that is stiffness.
Most patients cannot reach their toes with their hands and often even reach their knees. The muscles become so weak that they cannot support their body weight well, let alone perform simple housework.
Every day, the lumbar spine, which is the most heavily loaded part, is subjected to a number of static and dynamic loads, so it is considered one of the most vulnerable parts. Lumbar spondylosis, the symptoms and treatment of which are mentioned in this article, is a real "scourge" for patients after 35 years of age.
Lumbar spondylosisis a pathology characterized by the development of dystrophic disorders in the intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine. The intervertebral discs provide flexibility and mobility to the spine, however, due to the influence of a number of factors, their structure is broken, losing stiffness, elasticity, tone, can lead to protrusion and later - herniation of the vertebrae, as well as compression of nerve endings and roots.
You can undergo a course of treatment for lumbar osteoarthritis at the clinic. Seeking timely professional medical help is an opportunity to stop destructive processes and restore health to your spine.
reason
Lumbar spondylosis can occur due to a number of factors:
- spinal cord injury; ;
- static and dynamic overload of the spine;
- Improper distribution of load on the spine;
- move vertebrae;
- intense physical activity;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- age-related changes.
Clinical manifestations
The clinical manifestations of lumbar spondylosis in the early stages are not clearly expressed in the form of limited mobility and joint stiffness. However, as the disease develops, pain symptoms appear, localized in the lumbar and back areas. The pain radiates down the sacrum, legs, and (sometimes) to the pelvic organs. The pain increases as you turn and bend and often becomes unbearable. In addition, the following symptoms are observed:
- movement restrictions;
- curvature, curvature, scoliosis of the lumbar spine;
- muscle spasms;
- limping in one or both legs;
- feeling of weakness, decreased sensitivity of the skin of the legs, decreased reflexes - accompanied by compression of nerve endings.
Diagnose
Before prescribing treatment for osteoarthritis of the lumbar spine, experts conduct comprehensive diagnostic studies that allow them to make an accurate diagnosis, determine the degree of development of the pathology and its consequences for the patient. the patient's entire spine and body. These include:
Osteoarthritis- one of the most common diseases of the 21st century.
A sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work, poor diet, constant stress - all these factors eventually lead to wear and tear of intervertebral cartilage.
Cartilage loses elasticity, becomes fragile and the disease progresses severely, significantly reducing quality of life.
Patients with osteoarthritis experience problems of varying degrees of complexity: from pain to dysfunction of internal organs.
The reasons for the development of osteoarthritis are also:
- Age-related changes
- Spinal cord injury
- Postural disorders
- Rachiocampis
- Flat feet
- Genetic predisposition
- Excessive exercise
Symptoms of lumbar osteoarthritis
In particular, symptoms of lumbar spondylosis are pain in the back or lower back, aggravated by sudden movements and changes in body position, spreading to the buttocks and legs, the anterior abdominal wall, and the groin area. , accompanied by a burning sensation, tingling, numbness, and the appearance of "goosebumps".
In addition, with lumbar osteoarthritis, skin sensitivity on the thighs, buttocks and legs will decrease and is less common on the feet. Increased chills in the legs, weakness in the legs as well as curvature of the lumbar spine.
You need to know that in most cases, the cause of lower back pain is precisely degeneration of the lumbar spine.
Patients with lumbar spine osteoarthritis need timely and complete treatment. Otherwise, destruction of cartilage, ligaments and vertebrae will progress, which can lead to dysfunction of internal organs and disability.
Modern rehabilitation medicine can significantly improve the condition of patients with lumbar osteoarthritis. Significant improvement can be achieved using a suite of methods, including physical therapy, acupuncture, medication, massage therapy, and many others according to individual prescription.
Lumbar spondylosis- a very common form of osteonecrosis. It occurs in both men and women. Patients themselves are often misdiagnosed as "pinched lumbar nerve", because the pain that occurs with lumbar osteoarthritis is concentrated in the sacrum area.
In general, pain is the main symptom of this disease. It comes with varying intensities. Some people experience aches and pains that occur after sitting or sleeping for long periods of time, others experience "shooting" and sharp pain. In this case, pain occurs when the patient is in an uncomfortable position. Due to severe pain, a person cannot stand upright.
Pain in the sacrum areaoccurs due to pinched nerve endings, muscle swelling and pinched nerve roots. The pain can also start due to irritation of the lumbar ligaments.
Lower back painit intensifies with almost every movement of the body, mainly when bending forward. Even a simple sneeze or cough can increase the pain.
However, lumbar osteoarthritis has other symptoms. First of all, these are disorders of the sensitivity of the skin, leg muscles and the lower half of the body. Some patients also feel that tendon reflexes in the legs are weakened, and in especially severe cases, they disappear completely. Osteonecrosis is a contributing factor to the development of lumbar scoliosis, mainly in children and the elderly.
Lumbar spondylosis also has the following clinical symptoms:
Symptoms of lumbar osteoarthritisAt the same time, its most unpleasant complication is vertebral instability. The disc stops stabilizing the vertebrae. As a result, when under load, the lumbar spine almost "slips" off the sacrum, resulting in severe, severe pain. Moreover, with this pathology, the functioning of internal organs is disrupted. First of all, this concerns the genitourinary system. Lumbar cartilage degeneration affects men's physiological abilities and causes gynecological problems in women.
Unfortunately, modern medicine has not yet invented any treatment that can quickly and easily solve this problem. Treatment of osteoarthritis is very complex and long-term. It must be comprehensive, only in this case it is possible to achieve good results.
Treatments for lumbar osteoarthritis include:
In especially severe cases, surgical intervention may be performed.
INOsteoarthritis treatmentTreatment at the sanatorium is very effective.
In case of more severe osteoarthritis, the patient is prescribed bed rest. Furthermore, the patient must lie on a hard mattress.
In case of severe attacks, the patient needs to move as little as possible and seek help from a specialist. A neurologist is involved in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis.
If you detect any of the above symptoms, you should consult a neurologist
You can schedule an appointment by calling 8 (928) 337-60-60.
Osteonecrosis of the lower back
Among all diseases of the peripheral nervous system, spinal cartilage degeneration accounts for 80%, of which 60-80% affect the lumbar region, including 5 vertebrae. In 40% of people, the first signs of the disease appear at the age of 30-35. In old age, osteoarthritis of the spine is diagnosed in 90% of people. 7 out of 10 people experience pain, an attack that can last from 6 to 16 months.
Stages of development
First – the appearance of degenerative disorders, affecting nerve endings and disrupting blood supply. The inflammatory process causes pain that radiates down the leg. Patients occasionally feel tingling in the back and buttocks. Appears after heavy exertion.
Second – the outer shell of the disc (annulus fibrosus) is destroyed. The distance between vertebrae is reduced, nerve endings are compressed, causing severe, acute pain. Symptoms are especially pronounced when walking.
Third – due to excessive movement of the vertebrae, muscle fibers and nerve endings are compressed. Spasms, numbness, burning pain, herniation occur - displacement of the intervertebral disc into the spinal cord.
Fourth – the growth of pathological cells on the bone structure. The spine literally "turns into stone". Progressive arthritis and lack of treatment leave the patient immobile.
Reasons for development
The disease develops slowly, subject to a combination of many circumstances, that is, the development of the disease depends not on the influence of one but of many factors:
Sedentary lifestyle (physical inactivity), sedentary job, low level of physical activity. At first glance, they are not dangerous. However, with prolonged exposure, muscle tone, or "muscle corset", weakens. It supports the spine and internal organs. Therefore, physical inactivity causes disruption of the functioning of several systems - blood circulation, respiration, digestion.
Overweight. With a BMI (Quetelet body mass index) above 25 kg/m2, excess weight puts additional stress on the body: it puts pressure on the spine, overloads the joints and reduces blood supply. blood supply.
Endocrine pathological process. Hormonal imbalance, adrenal and thyroid dysfunction "slow down" the body's metabolism. Frequent hormonal changes will "wash" calcium from bone tissue, causing bones to become weak and brittle.
Unbalanced diet. Popular and affordable fast food fully satisfies the body's energy needs, while in terms of saturating the body with the necessary vitamins and trace elements, it is completely useless.
In men whose occupation involves significant physical activity, lumbar osteoarthritis occurs many times more often.
Symptoms of lumbar osteoarthritis
Pain is the main sign of the onset of the disease and its location. Based on the nature of the occurrence, frequency and duration, a preliminary diagnosis can be made. Normally, patients with lumbar osteoarthritis will feel pain spreading to the legs, groin and tailbone. In a horizontal position, the feeling of discomfort disappears.
Spinal nerves extend from the spinal body to various parts of the body. Each nerve is responsible for a specific area. This is called "segmental innervation. " It is for this reason that the affected nerve "reacts" in a specific area: this is how "nerve root syndrome" manifests.
Spinal nerve mapping allows you to identify pain in a specific region of the spine: C1-C8 - 8 cervical, T1-T12 - 12 thoracic, L1-L5 - 5 lumbar, S1-S5 - 5sacrum, C0 - 2 belongs to the coccyx. Signs of cartilage degeneration depend on the preservation of each segment:
L3-L4 – weak knee reflexes, partial numbness, intermittent loss of sensation along the anterior surface of the thigh;
L4-L5 – muscle weakness, the patient cannot stabilize the body when standing on the heels, pain and sensory disturbances spread to the area from the lower back to the buttocks, as well as along the entire side of the thigh (slowly updown).
L5–S1 – tremor in calf muscles, inability to stand on toes, pain in back of thigh.
In rare cases, the radicular arteries are also involved in the destructive process, causing spinal stroke - a dangerous pathology that leaves the patient paralyzed and paralyzed as well as organ dysfunction. Pelvic.
Pain reflex symptoms
Low back pain or lumbago (in this case not sciatica! ) – acute pain. Any awkward movement, even sneezing and coughing, causes spasms. The patient automatically changes body position, moves to the side. Trying to maintain an upright position will cause new low back pain.
Lumbodynia is a dull, aching pain that occurs on one side. After a period of remission, the condition gets worse, gradually developing into severe pain.
Low back pain - painful sensations appear in the legs.
Secondary signs of the disease are not so typical and can easily be mistaken for symptoms of another problem: decreased sweating (hypohidrosis), pale skin in the affected area due to poor blood circulation, dryness andsevere peeling.
Diagnose
In the early stages, a complete medical history of the patient will be obtained. The overall picture needs to be supplemented by the conclusions of surgeons, orthopedists, neurologists and rheumatologists. Experts ask patients to perform a visual examination to assess changes in posture, muscle tone, and skin sensitivity.
X-rays are performed for the primary diagnosis of grade 1 lumbar osteoarthritis; it is used to check the condition of the intervertebral discs, pathology of the spinal cord and also evaluate the general condition of the spine. However, this type of diagnosis does not provide complete information about the affected tissues.
Computed tomography (CT) is a highly sensitive examination method that uses ionizing beams. A CT scan records the degree of deformation of the disc, inflammation in the spinal membrane and nerve endings in layer-by-layer images.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows the general condition of muscles, blood vessels and ligaments in a comprehensive manner. Detect tumors and inflammatory processes.
Myelography is one of the ways to visually evaluate the condition of the spinal cord and nerve roots by using a needle to inject contrast material into the space between the pia mater and the spinal arachnoid membrane filled with cerebrospinal fluid. Similar to CT, MTP and X-ray, this procedure is performed in real time.
Neurological testing of sensitivity and reflexes for pathologies is a research complex that includes screening methods for studying the symmetry of the limbs, testing vibration sensitivity and assessment of Babinsky reflexes, Chaddock and Oppenheiman.
Treatment of lumbar osteoarthritis
The effectiveness of conservative treatment is achieved through a combination of drugs of various groups, massage and manual therapy. However, in stage 3, lumbar cartilage degeneration cannot be cured by conservative methods and requires surgical intervention. One of the surgical methods to treat osteoarthritis is microsurgical resection. This is a neurosurgery to remove the hernia without damaging the nerve structures. It is performed under general anesthesia. Patients can walk on the 3rd day.
Drug treatment (for stages 1-2)
- Pain relievers: topical (ointment, gel), oral (tablets, suspension), intramuscular (injection solution).
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to prevent the development of the inflammatory process. Reduces temperature, eliminates swelling. Most often, gels and tablets are used, in more severe cases (sciatica neuritis) - injections. The basic course is 7-14 days.
- Muscle relaxants. Prescribed during the acute period for muscle spasms, as well as during periods of remission to consolidate the effect.
- Chondroprotectors. Prevents destruction of intervertebral discs, promotes regeneration, and improves metabolism in cartilage tissue.
- Vitamin B complex. Improves nerve conduction.
- Diuretic. Reduce swelling.
As an emergency aid at the moment of exacerbation, strong injections are used - paravertebral blockade, causing temporary loss of sensitivity.
Prevent
- Active lifestyle combined with moderate physical activity;
- Choose comfortable shoes or, if indicated, orthopedic shoes;
- Control body weight;
- Sleep only on mattresses and orthopedic pillows;
- Office furniture only has a flat back;
- Refuse heavy loads on the back and spine. When carrying heavy objects, the load must be evenly distributed in both hands.