Osteochondrosis most often has a long course. Therefore, the first signs in men and women can appear many years after the onset of the pathology. Since the pathology leads to many complications, timely treatment and diagnosis of the disease will help to slow down the negative processes in the body.
Consequences of osteochondrosis
Diagnosing osteochondrosis in a timely manner is a necessity that almost every person faces.
This is explained by the fact that the disease causes a series of specific disorders in the body and as they progress, the complications can affect different parts. The most common of them are:
- Intense headache up to migraine;
- Partial hearing loss;
- Decreased visual ability;
- Radiculopathy (aka radiculitis);
- VSD or various autonomic dysfunctions;
- Dysfunction of the genitourinary system;
- Intervertebral hernia;
- Sciatica;
- Spondylosis, osteophytosis;
- Spondyloarthrosis;
- Lumbodynia and lumbago;
- Spinal stenosis.
These complications develop due to impaired blood circulation and innervation in the back, which provokes a negative effect on internal organs and departments.
In severe cases, it has a negative effect on the heart and lungs, which can provoke a heart attack, heart attack, stroke, etc.
The first signs
There are some early signs that pathology has begun to develop.
Patients most often ignore them, considering them insignificant and related to lifestyle - prolonged sitting, overexertion, heavy lifting.
Usually this is true, but it is these factors that provoke the progression of osteochondrosis.
As a result, she first feels some symptoms.
Mild stiffness in the morning is not particularly intense, but as it progresses it will appear more and more often. The mobility of the affected area may decrease gradually. Also, with intense loads, discomfort will begin to appear. In the first stage, pain as such is usually not noticed. It starts from the second stage.
Clusters of symptoms
The symptoms of osteochondrosis will expand with its development. Therefore, doctors divide them into several groups according to the mechanism of progression. In this way, it is possible to identify the sections and types of tissues most affected.
Static syndrome
Static syndrome mainly refers to disorders in bone tissue. As a result, the shape of the vertebrae changes, which leads to deformation of the spine with the development of various types of curvature. In this case, pathological mobility of the vertebrae is observed. Poor posture manifests itself:
- Kyphosis;
- Kyphoscoliosis;
- Scoliosis;
- Lordosis.
The result of static syndrome is often impaired joint mobility. In advanced cases, the patient is unable to turn his head or straighten up completely.
Neurological
The complex of neurological symptoms is caused by damage to nerve tissue. At the same time, at first, the sensitivity of some individual areas of the skin is simply damaged. Also, the motor ability of the limbs and the strength of muscle contractions are reduced.
But the main manifestation of the neurological syndrome is pain of varying intensity and localization. It is provoked by compression and irritation of the roots coming out of the spinal cord. In the first stage, it usually manifests simply as local discomfort. As the pain syndrome progresses, it spreads further to areas of the body that are innervated by the affected root. Very often there is a feeling of numbness, tingling, lumps and impaired sensitivity of the skin.
Motor changes in this pathology are observed less often than sensory ones. Depending on the degree of progression of osteochondrosis, paresis and even paralysis can be felt. An example would be paresis or limited voluntary movements in the lower limb on both sides due to lumbar osteochondrosis.
Vascular
Vascular symptoms appear for approximately the same reason as neurological ones. That is, the veins and arteries are compressed by the vertebrae, which leads to the development of the corresponding symptoms.
This effect is most often manifested in cervical osteochondrosis. It is in this section that the maximum number of large ships is present. As a result of the negative impact on them, hypoxia of the brain begins to develop, which can lead to nausea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, impaired hearing and vision.
If the tone of the sympathetic system of the central nervous system changes, then the irritation of the nerve plexus increases. Since it is located in the spine, the results also affect the blood vessels.
The most common manifestation of this disorder is a rather prolonged spasm of peripheral vessels, followed by chronic ischemia and oxygen starvation of internal organs.
trophic
The combination of the three previous syndromes can cause other disorders, in particular the trophic syndrome. With a decrease in tissue nutrition, as well as with interruption of innervation of certain parts of the skin, ulcers may appear. In this case, neurological and vascular factors play the biggest role.
Manifestations of pathology
Osteochondrosis can appear with a different set of symptoms. This is explained by the fact that a specific department affects certain areas, and therefore the signs of the disease can differ from each other.
Cervix
The cervical spine is characterized by symptoms such as:
- Dizziness and even fainting when you turn your head suddenly;
- Pain in shoulders, arms, chest, teeth;
- Spots and spots before the eyes;
- Deterioration of vision and hearing, ringing in the ears;
- Change of voice and numbness of the tongue;
- Headaches that are usually worse with movement. Analgesics cannot affect their intensity.
Such symptoms can be present both for a long period of time and during exacerbations. Some signs are often confused with other pathologies, for example, dental or ENT problems.
breast
With thoracic osteochondrosis they make themselves feel:
- Pain when you bend over, raise your arms or one arm, between the shoulder blades and in the chest area (often confused with heart pain);
- Increased pain at night, as well as with movement, hypothermia, increased physical activity;
- Increased pain during chest movement (exhalation and inhalation);
- Disruption of the innervation of certain areas, a feeling of numbness and bumps on the skin;
- Feeling of itching, burning, coldness in the legs;
- Painful attacks in the ribs while walking;
- Feeling of chest compression from a circle, shortness of breath.
Thoracic osteochondrosis in the manifestation of pain syndrome is rich in localization. But it is precisely because of the greater involvement of the chest that many confuse it with a heart attack and heart attack.
lumbar
Lumbar osteochondrosis largely affects the functioning of the internal organs of the pelvis and lower extremities, although it can also cause pain in the chest area. The most common signs of the disease:
- Sharp and painful pains in the lumbar region;
- Increased pain with movement or exertion;
- Pain in the abdominal organs, legs, sacrum;
- Innervation disorder in the lower extremities;
- Inability to perform certain movements, such as bending and turning;
- The desire to maintain a certain attitude.
When the lumbar region is affected, irritations most often occur under the influence of some external factors, for example, with increased load, heavy lifting or hypothermia. In this case, many people say "the back is blocked". The mobility of the department is reduced to a minimum during a painful attack.
junction
Osteochondrosis of the joints is manifested:
- Decreased mobility of the affected area (most often shoulder, hip or knee joint);
- Strong pain;
- Increased pain when moving or lifting a limb;
- The range of motion is significantly reduced;
- By palpation, formations can be observed in the articular and soft tissues;
- Swelling of the affected area;
- Redness, numbness, pins and needles in the skin.
Due to damage to the joints, a person is forced to take a forced position in order to reduce the movement of the joints and, accordingly, the pain. If the symptom persists, it can lead to soft tissue disorders, including atrophy.
Pain syndrome
Pain in osteochondrosis in the first stages is usually temporary. As they progress, they become longer and more intense. The result is the presence of pain in general in everyday life.
The pain is usually nagging, aching in nature. During an exacerbation, the symptom is so intense that it can completely deprive you of mobility, causing muscle spasm.
prediction
If we talk about prognosis, then osteochondrosis itself is an incurable disease. In the initial stage, there is a chance to provide high-quality treatment and slow down the pathology before serious symptoms develop. The more the pathology progresses without treatment, the greater the negative impact on the body. Therefore, home treatment becomes less effective and lasts longer. If the pathology continues to the point of serious complications, surgical intervention may be required.