Osteochondrosis usually has a long course. Therefore, the first signs in men and women can appear many years after the onset of the pathology. Since pathology leads to many complications, timely treatment and diagnosis of the disease will help slow down negative processes in the body.
Consequences of osteochondrosis.
Timely diagnosis of osteochondrosis is a need that almost every person faces.
This is explained because the disease causes a series of specific disorders in the body and, as they progress, complications can affect various parts. The most common are:
- Severe headache up to migraine;
- Partial hearing loss;
- Decreased visual capacity;
- Radiculopathy (also known as radiculitis);
- VSD or various autonomic dysfunctions;
- Dysfunction of the genitourinary system;
- Intervertebral hernia;
- Sciatica;
- Spondylosis, osteophytosis;
- Spondylarthrosis;
- Lumbodynia and lumbago;
- Spinal stenosis.
These complications develop due to a violation of blood circulation and innervation of the spine, which causes a negative effect on internal organs and departments.
In severe cases, there is a negative effect on the heart and lungs, which can lead to a heart attack, heart attack, stroke, etc.
First signs
There are certain early signs that the pathology has begun to develop.
Patients often ignore them, considering them insignificant and associated with lifestyle: sitting for a long time, overexertion, lifting heavy objects.
This is usually true, but it is these factors that cause the progression of osteochondrosis.
As a result, it initially manifests itself with various symptoms.
Mild stiffness in the morning does not manifest itself with particular intensity, but as it progresses it will occur more and more frequently. The mobility of the affected area may gradually decrease. Furthermore, with intense loads, discomfort will begin to appear. In the first stage, pain as such is usually not observed. It starts from the second stage.
Symptom groups
The symptoms of osteochondrosis will expand as it develops. Accordingly, doctors divide them into several groups depending on the mechanism of progression. In this way, it is possible to identify the most affected sections and types of tissue.
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. Bad posture manifests itself:
- Kyphosis;
- kyphoscoliosis;
- Scoliosis;
- Lordosis.
The result of static syndrome is usually impaired joint mobility. In advanced cases, the patient cannot turn his head or completely straighten up.
Neurological
The neurological symptom complex is caused by damage to nervous tissue. At the same time, from the very beginning, the sensitivity of some individual areas of the skin is simply affected. They also decrease the motor capacity of the extremities and the strength of muscle contractions.
But the main manifestation of the neurological syndrome is pain of varying intensity and location. It is caused by compression and irritation of the roots emanating from the spinal cord. In the first stage, it usually manifests itself simply as a local discomfort. As the pain syndrome progresses, it spreads to areas of the body innervated by the affected root. Very often there is a feeling of numbness, tingling, goosebumps and altered skin sensitivity.
Motor changes in this pathology are observed less frequently than sensory changes. Depending on the degree of progression of osteochondrosis, paresis and even paralysis may appear. 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 symptoms. That is, the vertebrae compress the veins and arteries, which leads to the development of the corresponding symptoms.
This effect is most often manifested in cervical osteochondrosis. It is in this section where the maximum number of large vessels is present. As a result of the negative impact on them, cerebral hypoxia begins to develop, which can lead to nausea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, and hearing and vision problems.
If the tone of the sympathetic system of the central nervous system changes, irritation of the nervous 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 trophic syndrome. With a decrease in tissue nutrition, as well as a violation of the innervation of certain parts of the skin, ulcers may appear. In this case, neurological and vascular factors play the most important role.
Manifestations of pathology.
Osteochondrosis can manifest itself 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 may differ from each other.
Cervical
The cervical spine is characterized by symptoms such as:
- Dizziness and even fainting when turning your head suddenly;
- Pain in shoulders, arms, chest, teeth;
- Spots and spots before the eyes;
- Impaired functioning of vision and hearing, ringing in the ears;
- Change of voice and numbness of the tongue;
- Headaches that usually worsen with movement. Pain relievers cannot affect its intensity.
These symptoms can occur both over a prolonged period and during exacerbations. Some signs are often confused with other pathologies, for example, dental or ENT problems.
Chest
With thoracic osteochondrosis they make themselves felt:
- Pain when bending over, raising 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 when moving the chest (exhalation and inhalation);
- Violation of the innervation of certain areas, a feeling of numbness and goosebumps;
- Sensation of itching, burning, coldness in the legs;
- Painful attacks in the ribs when walking;
- Sensation that the chest is compressed by a ring, difficulty breathing.
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 a heart attack.
Lumbar
Lumbar osteochondrosis greatly 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, painful pain in the lumbar region;
- Increased pain with movement or exertion;
- Pain in the abdominal organs, legs, sacrum;
- Disorder of innervation in the lower extremities;
- Inability to perform certain movements, such as bending and twisting;
- The desire to maintain a certain posture.
When the lumbar region is affected, exacerbations occur most often under the influence of certain external factors, for example, with increased load, lifting heavy objects or hypothermia. In this case, many people say "the rear is stuck. "The mobility of the department is reduced to a minimum during a painful attack.
Joints
Osteochondrosis of the joints manifests itself:
- Decreased mobility of the affected area (most often the shoulder, hip or knee joint);
- Severe pain;
- Increased pain when moving or lifting a limb;
- The range of motion is significantly reduced;
- On palpation, formations can be observed in the joint and soft tissues;
- Swelling of the affected area;
- Redness, numbness, tingling sensation on the skin.
Due to damage to the joints, a person is forced to adopt a forced position to reduce joint movement and, consequently, pain. If the symptom persists, it can lead to soft tissue disorders, including atrophy.
pain syndrome
Pain in osteochondrosis in the early stages is usually temporary. As they progress, they become longer and more intense. The result is the presence of pain in general in daily life.
The pain is usually annoying and painful. During an exacerbation, the symptom is so intense that it can even completely deprive mobility, causing muscle spasms.
Forecast
If we talk about the prognosis, osteochondrosis itself is an incurable disease. At 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. Consequently, home treatment becomes less effective and takes longer. If the pathology continues to the point of serious complications, surgical intervention may be required.