The "pearl necklace" of the spine requires careful attention, if there is no proper prevention of diseases of the spinal column, symptoms of osteochondrosis appear. Treatment in this case is long, it is impossible to completely restore the integrity of the spinal column and cartilaginous discs.
In general, osteochondrosis is considered to be a change in bone tissue, ligamentous apparatus, cartilage and intervertebral discs of the spinal column. This process is lengthy, modifications do not appear "suddenly", but make themselves felt by the first signs and characteristic symptoms. Most often, it is primarily pain that appears when nerve fibers, soft tissues or blood vessels are infringed. The signs of osteochondrosis directly depend on the stage of the course of the disease and the area of the lesion, the treatment of each stage is different.
Clinical picture
Walking upright is a distinctive feature of a person as a homo sapiens, and at the same time, it is the vertical position that is the main reason for the development of osteochondrosis. Not a single representative of the fauna walking on 4 legs is familiar with the symptoms of osteochondrosis. When walking upright, the intervertebral cartilages experience a colossal load, and over time they undergo changes, deformation occurs, the spine ceases to perform its functions in full.
Four groups 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 osteochondrosis of the spine, 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 pathological changes began. With the progression, the pain gradually "spreads" over all parts of the body located in the innervation zone of the compressed nerve root. Primarily, pain can be given to the arms or legs, this state of affairs usually forms an erroneous idea of the diagnosis and treatment is not carried out 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 mobility of the arm or leg 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 appears already when changes begin in the vertebrae. As a result, incorrect posture develops: lordosis, kyphosis, or scoliosis. In difficult cases, there is a limitation of the mobility of the articular surfaces of the spinal column, the signs of this are expressed in the impossibility of fully straightening or turning the head.
Vascular syndrome
Spinal vascular problems develop for the following reasons:
- Low tone of sympathetic NS (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 large vessels are compressed. Symptoms of oxygen deprivation include dizziness, poor blood supply to the inner ear, or nausea. 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 signs depend on which part of the back was 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 men and women. According to these symptoms, you can understand which parts of the back are affected and what treatment is required first.
There are several types of osteochondrosis: thoracic, cervical, lumbar, sacral and mixed, when the localization of signs is not in one department, but has a diffuse character. The first signs of developing osteochondrosis in women and men begin to make themselves felt with minor dull pains, discomfort, crunching, often with thoracic osteochondrosis, pain occurs in the region of the heart. Ideally, treatment should be started at this stage, then it will be possible to avoid all problems in the back 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 any load, and gradually it becomes problematic to perform movements that are associated with bending forward. The more osteochondrosis manifests itself, the more limited the mobility of the back, the thinned intervertebral discs lose their flexibility, the distance between the vertebrae decreases and their mobility is lost. The muscles begin to work in "emergency mode", being constantly in tension, supporting the vertebrae in order to prevent them from drawing closer together and completely destroying the intervertebral discs.
Tightened muscles cause discomfort for a person even more, increasing tension, soreness, symptoms of osteochondrosis intensify.
Cervical pathology
Signs of cervical osteochondrosis often "hide" under the guise of other diseases. The first sign of neck pathology is a headache that cannot be relieved by conventional pain relievers. It starts from the back of the head, going to the temples. The unpleasant sensations intensify after a long stay in one position; numbness of the arm, scapula and shoulder often appears. With strong pinching of the nerve fibers, paresis or paralysis of the hand can develop.
When the blood vessels are infringed, signs of cerebrovascular accident appear:
- Tinnitus, dizziness - speak of poor blood flow in the cochlea and semicircular tubules.
- Decreased vision, flies in front of the eyes - indicate poor nutrition of the optical apparatus.
- Severe oxygen starvation of the brain - can manifest itself in a sudden loss of consciousness, especially if cervical osteochondrosis is accompanied by atherosclerosis of the vessels.
Hiccups, a feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath and panic attacks "speak" of damage to the phrenic nerve. The phrenic nerve is part of the cervical plexus and is directly related to the regulation of the frequency and depth of breathing.
Breast pathology
Signs of thoracic osteochondrosis are quite diverse, although this part of the spine is affected less often, both in women and in men. Painful sensations have a clear localization: the upper abdomen, the area of the shoulder blades and between the ribs. But often osteochondrosis "hides" behind signs of intestinal or renal colic, angina pectoris or cholecystitis.
Symptoms indicating a lesion of one or another thoracic segment:
- Upper thoracic segment. Feeling of a lump in the throat, violation of the act of swallowing, cough.
- Middle thoracic segment. Symptoms that mimic gastritis and ulcers (gastralgia) and symptoms with arrhythmia and hypertension (cardialgia).
- Lower thoracic segment. Symptoms of intestinal motility disorders and signs similar to those of appendicitis appear.
Lumbar pathology
Signs of damage to this section are extensive, but most often the first signs make themselves felt with pain in the lower back and legs, loss of sensitivity and numbness of the skin of the lower extremities.
Changes in the lumbosacral region, characteristic symptoms:
- Pain and lumbago are observed after physical exertion.
- When motor nerve fibers are pinched, paresis and paralysis of the legs develop.
- Pinching 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 not get positive results from therapy. Therefore, in the event of signs of illness, it makes sense to refer primarily to a neurologist, and not to a cardiologist, therapist or gastroenterologist.