Many patients do not know how to understand that they have osteochondrosis, but are happy to make such a diagnosis for themselves. Meanwhile, the causes of back, waist or neck pain can be many and varied. These include curvature of the spine, dysfunction of the internal organs, tumors, infections, instability of the vertebral bodies, and so on. Therefore, you should not self-diagnose. In case of pain, consult a doctor.
There is no reliable algorithm for recognizing osteochondrosis without special tests. But there are certain clinical symptoms that allow the disease to be suspected. We talk about them in the material brought to their attention. In the meantime, we recommend that you become familiar with the mechanism of osteochondrosis.
Degenerative dystrophic disease of the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral discs - this is what is scientifically called osteochondrosis. During its development, it leads to dorsopathy, which is complicated by dorsalgia, sciatica, sciatica, sciatica, lumbago, and other syndromes involving damage to various tissues.
Osteochondrosis is the result of an individual’s improper lifestyle. The contributing factors are:
- overweight - each kilogram causes additional depreciation and mechanical stress on the cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc;
- sedentary lifestyle without regular exercise on the muscular skeleton of the back;
- consuming large amounts of carbohydrates, refined foods;
- wearing tight, uncomfortable clothes and shoes;
- improper posture, bending, bending, habit of tilting the body in one direction or another;
- incorrect adjustment of the foot in the form of a flat foot or goose foot;
- curvature of the spine;
- sedentary work or hard physical work;
- smoking and consumption of alcoholic beverages;
- insufficient consumption of clean drinking water during the day.
All of these factors slow blood microcirculation in the capillary network in muscle tissue thickness. It turns out that it cannot perform a complete diffuse exchange with the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs. They do not have their own circulatory system. This is how the destructive mechanism of the surface of the fibrous ring (this is the outer shell of the disc) starts. It forms a deposit of calcium salts. They prevent the liquid from entering from the outside. Therefore, the fibrous ring begins to absorb fluid from the nucleus pulposus in it. This gelatinous body is responsible for maintaining the normal height and shape of the intervertebral disc. Therefore, with loss of fluid, the nucleus pulposus loses its ability to maintain the height of the disc. The second stage of osteochondrosis develops - prominence.
In the third stage, the fibrous ring ruptures and a portion of the nucleus pulposus comes out. This is a disc herniation. It presses on the surrounding soft tissues, causes an inflammatory reaction, etc.
The fourth stage of osteochondrosis is the binding of intervertebral hernia. A part of the nucleus pulposus separates or exits completely through the resulting rupture of the fibrous ring. If the hernia enters the cavity of the spinal canal, its isolation requires urgent surgical intervention. Otherwise, a person may remain disabled with paralysis for the rest of their life.
As you can see, this is a very serious disease that needs to be diagnosed in time. The earlier the complex treatment begins, the greater the chance of complete restoration of the integrity and function of the intervertebral disc.
When the first signs of osteochondrosis appear, you can make an appointment with a vertebrologist or neurologist. Doctors perform examination and manual examination. An accurate diagnosis is made and the necessary additional tests are recommended. Once an accurate diagnosis has been made, a course of treatment is offered.
How to recognize cervical osteochondrosis
How do you understand that you have osteochondrosis of the neck and not myositis, and what to do? Before recognizing osteochondrosis of the neck, you should have a history of:
- when pains occur;
- what actions provoke their appearance;
- how long ago the first seizure was;
- whether there are additional clinical symptoms;
- how sleep and the workplace are organized;
- what bad habits there are;
- job and profession.
How to understand that cervical osteochondrosis according to all this information? First, it is important to know that degenerative degenerative disease of the intervertebral discs occurs only in the initial stages in the form of pain, stiffness, and excessive strain on the muscles of the neck and collar zone. These signs are followed by tension headaches, dizziness, hearing and vision impairment, increased fatigue, decreased mental performance, and so on.
The distinguishing feature of cervical osteochondrosis is that the worsening of symptoms begins at the end of the working day. And the patient’s professional activity in most cases involves prolonged static tension in the muscles of the neck and collar zone. On examination, there is pain when touching the spinous protrusions of the vertebrae, excessive muscle tension and increased pain when turning the head.
Before recognizing osteochondrosis of the cervical region, the doctor recommends that the patient take an x-ray. Shows narrowed spaces between vertebral bodies. This indicates that a protrusion is developing. With the help of an X-ray, an experienced vertebrologist will be able to rule out instability of vertebral bodies, their subluxations, retrolesis, antibody, destruction of intervertebral joints, and many other serious pathologies. If this examination is not sufficient, an MRI or CT scan is recommended. If suspicion of posterior vertebral artery syndrome is suspected, ultrasound examination of the vessels of the neck and head is recommended.
How to recognize chest osteochondrosis
Internal organs such as the heart, coronary circulation, lungs, pleura, bronchi, etc. should be excluded before recognizing osteochondrosis of the chest. the possibility of developing pathologies. Consider recognizing osteochondrosis of the thoracic region:
- the most important diagnostic technique is palpation, where the pain is determined solely by the protrusions of the vertebrae and degenerative damage to the cartilage disc in the region of the paravertebral muscles is not ruled out;
- mobility is limited and any twisting and bending of the body exacerbates the pain;
- the seizure of pain was triggered by physical exertion, hypothermia, or psychological stressors;
- deep breathing does not increase the pain.
It is very important to know how to understand the heart or osteochondrosis, as acute chest pain is not uncommon a precursor to a heart attack. And in this condition, the patient should be given cardiac care immediately.
So if you feel anxiety, panic and fear of death during a pain attack, then there is a 90% chance of having a heart attack and you need to call an ambulance urgently. If you have a tonometer, you should measure your blood pressure and count your pulse. If your heart rate slows to bradycardia (less than 50 beats per minute) and your blood pressure rises by 20-40 mmHg above normal age, an attack of unstable angina pectoris is also suspected, with a possible transition to a myocardial infarction. .
You should not seek information to understand heart pain or osteochondrosis, seek more productive medical help. Even the most common ECG, taken in the hospital’s emergency department, shows what causes pain syndrome: the heart or spine. However, you can only rely on the feelings you experience during touch. In the case of damage to the heart muscle, palpation of the spiny processes in the vertebrae does not usually cause discomfort. However, osteochondrosis has clinical symptoms such as shortness of breath, a feeling of shortness of breath, paleness of the skin, a feeling of cold sticky sweat on the skin, cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle, and severe muscle weakness.
How to recognize lumbar osteochondrosis
Quite an acute question is how to understand that lumbar osteochondrosis causes severe pain. In addition, with the loss of a few pairs of radical nerves as well as nerve braids, clinical symptoms resembling diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract occur. These include constipation, diarrhea, frequent urination, and so on.
How to understand that back osteochondrosis causes pain and all other clinical signs:
- body temperature does not rise;
- no nausea and vomiting;
- the tongue is not coated with a white or yellow coating;
- when urinating, the color of the urine is not normal;
- no tenesmus and other pain when emptying the intestines;
- there is no mixture of blood or mucus in the stool.
To rule out pathology of the kidney, a Pasternatsky symptom is performed. The patient stands up straight with his back to the doctor. The doctor taps the edge of the lower rib arch slightly with the edge of the palm. If pain occurs, there is a high probability that back pain is associated with damage to the kidneys and ureters.
Recognition of lumbar osteochondrosis with indirect signs:
- with any movement the pain increases sharply;
- worsening of the condition begins after strenuous physical exertion, heavy lifting, hypothermia, or overheating of the body;
- stiffness of movements is noticeable, often associated with muscle weakness;
- the muscles of the lumbar region are sharply tense, painful to the touch;
- pain may spread along large nerves, such as the groin, anterior abdominal wall, along the lower extremities;
- at rest, the pain syndrome goes away quickly.
When the characteristic symptoms of osteochondrosis appear, it is important to contact a neurologist or vertebrologist as soon as possible. Only an experienced doctor can rule out the possibility of vertebral dislocation, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, and other dangerous pathologies that require immediate medical attention.
What to do about the pain caused by osteochondrosis
We figured out how to understand that pain comes from osteochondrosis. This is important information now. You need to know how to behave correctly and what you need to do to get rid of such an illness.
The degenerative degenerative disease of the cartilage tissue of intervertebral discs does not go away on its own. This is due to a number of factors. Above all, the surface of the fibrous ring becomes calcified, as a result of which it loses the ability to absorb the fluid secreted by the working muscles. Second, as the height of the intervertebral plates is reduced, secondary contraction of the ligaments and tendons occurs. Restoring the height of the intervertebral spaces required to straighten the cartilage discs alone is impossible.