The "pearl necklace" of the spine requires careful attention, if there is no proper prevention of spinal diseases, symptoms of osteochondrosis appear. Treatment in this case is long, it is impossible to fully restore the integrity of the spine and cartilaginous discs.
Osteochondrosis is generally considered to be a change in bone tissue, ligament apparatus, cartilage, and intervertebral discs of the spine. This process is long, the changes do not appear "suddenly", but feel themselves from the first signs and characteristic symptoms. Most often, it is mainly the pain that occurs when nerve fibers, soft tissues or blood vessels are affected. The signs of osteochondrosis depend directly on the stage of the disease course and the area of the lesion, the treatment of each stage is different.
Clinical appearance
Walking straight is a distinguishing feature of a person like homo sapiens, and at the same time, it is the vertical position that is the main reason for the development of osteochondrosis. No single representative of the 4-foot walking fauna is familiar with the symptoms of osteochondrosis. When you walk straight, the intervertebral discs experience a colossal load and over time they undergo changes, deformation occurs, the spine ceases to fully perform its functions.
Four sets of characteristic changes:
Neurological syndrome
With symptoms of nerve damage, there may be a loss of skin sensitivity or a decrease in muscle strength. With spinal osteochondrosis, the first sign of neurological disorders can be considered the appearance of pain, which is a consequence of compression or irritation of the spinal roots. The first signs are localized in a limited area of the back, where the pathological changes began. As it progresses, the pain gradually "spreads" to all parts of the body located in the area of innervation of the compressed nerve root. Mostly, the pain can be given to the arms or legs, this condition usually forms a misconception that the diagnosis and treatment is not performed properly.
In neurological syndrome, symptoms of impaired motor function develop less frequently than sensitive. If this happens, then symptoms of partial or complete loss of arm or leg mobility may be observed, for example: with sacro-lumbar osteochondrosis of the spine, paresis of the left or right lower limb is manifested.
Static syndrome
The first symptom already appears when changes begin in the vertebrae. As a result, the wrong posture develops: lordosis, kyphosis or scoliosis. In severe cases a restriction of mobility of the articular surfaces of the spine is observed, the signs of this are expressed in the impossibility of direct direction or turning of the head.
Vascular syndrome
Spinal vascular problems develop for the following reasons:
- Low sympathetic NS tone (signs of chronic ischemia of internal organs).
- With local compression of blood vessels by altered vertebrae or their processes. Signs of osteochondrosis in this case are expressed in a violation of the blood supply to the brain when the large vessels are congested. Symptoms of lack of oxygen include dizziness, poor blood supply to the inner or mixed ear. Symptomatic treatment, as a rule, does not give serious results.
Trophic syndrome
Such symptoms of osteochondrosis are characterized by the appearance of ulcers on the skin, which is a consequence of tissue malnutrition. Skin lesions appear in combination with neurological and vascular factors. The exact marks depend on which part of the back is affected.
Typical manifestations of pathology
Each part of the spine has its own typical signs of osteochondrosis, according to which a vertebral neurologist diagnoses the disease in both men and women. According to these symptoms, you can understand which parts of the back are affected and what treatment is initially required.
There are several types of osteochondrosis: thoracic, cervical, lumbar, sacral, and mixed, when the localization of the signs is not in one department, but has a diffuse character. The first signs of the development of osteochondrosis in women and men begin to be felt with slight dull pain, discomfort, cracking, often with thoracic osteochondrosis, the pain appears in the region of the heart. Ideally, treatment should start at this stage, then it will be possible to avoid all back problems in the future.
Further, the signs of osteochondrosis become clear, painful sensations begin to be given to the arms or legs. The pain in the spine increases with each load and gradually it becomes problematic to perform the movements associated with forward flexion. The more osteochondrosis occurs, the more limited the mobility of the spine, the thinner intervertebral discs lose their flexibility, the distance between the vertebrae decreases and their mobility is lost. The muscles begin to work in an "emergency mode", being constantly in tension, supporting the vertebrae in order to prevent them from approaching and completely destroy the intervertebral discs.
Tight muscles cause discomfort to a person even more, increasing tension, pain, the symptoms of osteochondrosis intensify.
Pathology of the cervix
Signs of cervical osteochondrosis are often "hidden" under the guise of other diseases. The first sign of neck pathology is a headache that cannot be relieved by ordinary pain relievers. It starts from the back of the head, going to the temples. Unpleasant feelings intensify after a long stay in one position; numbness of the arm, scapula, and shoulder often occurs. With strong tightening of the nerve fibers, paresis or paralysis of the hand may develop.
When blood vessels are damaged, signs of a cerebrovascular accident appear:
- Tinnitus, dizziness - speak of poor blood flow to the cochlea and semicircular tubules.
- Reduced appearance, flies in front of the eyes - indicate poor nutrition of the optical apparatus.
- Severe oxygen starvation of the brain - can manifest in a sudden loss of consciousness, especially if cervical osteochondrosis is associated with vascular atherosclerosis.
Sneezing, shortness of breath, shortness of breath and panic attacks "speak" for phrenic nerve damage. The phrenic nerve is part of the cervical plexus and is directly related to the regulation of the frequency and depth of respiration.
Breast pathology
The signs of thoracic osteochondrosis are quite different, although this part of the spine is affected less frequently, in both women and men. The painful sensations have a clear localization: the upper abdomen, the area of the shoulder blades and between the ribs. But often osteochondrosis "hides" behind the signs of intestinal or renal abdominal pain, angina pectoris or cholecystitis.
Symptoms indicating a lesion of one or another segment of the chest:
- Upper chest segment. Feeling of a lump in the throat, violation of the act of swallowing, cough.
- Middle chest segment. Symptoms that mimic gastritis and ulcers (gastralgia) and symptoms with arrhythmia and hypertension (cardialgia).
- Lower chest segment. Symptoms of intestinal motility disorders and signs similar to those of appendicitis appear.
Lumbar pathology
The signs of damage to this section are extensive, but more often the first signs are felt with pain in the lower back and legs, loss of sensation, and numbness of the skin of the lower extremities.
Changes in the lumbosacral region, characteristic symptoms:
- Pain and lumbago are noticed after physical exercises.
- When the motor nerve fibers are compressed, paresis and paralysis of the legs develop.
- Absorption of nerves and blood vessels in men and women leads to disruption of the pelvic organs.
It should always be remembered that osteochondrosis of the spine is a hidden and insidious disease. You can treat the respiratory, genitourinary or gastrointestinal tract for years, but you do not get positive results from the therapy. Therefore, in case of signs of the disease, it makes sense to refer primarily to a neurologist and not to a cardiologist, therapist or gastroenterologist.