Many patients do not know how to understand that you have osteochondrosis, but at the same time they are happy to make such a diagnosis for themselves. Meanwhile, the causes of back, waist or neck pain can be many. These can be curvature of the spine, disorder of internal organs, tumors, infections, instability of the position of the vertebral bodies, etc. Therefore, you should not self-diagnose. Seek medical help in case of pain.
There is no reliable algorithm for how to recognize osteochondrosis without special tests. But there are some clinical signs that make it possible to suspect this disease. We will talk about them in the material presented to you. In the meantime, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the mechanism of development of osteochondrosis.
Degenerative dystrophic disease of the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs - this is scientifically called osteochondrosis. As it develops, it leads to dorsal, which is complicated by dorsal, sciatica, sciatica, sciatica, lumbar spine and other syndromes associated with damage to various tissues.
Osteochondrosis is a consequence of maintaining a person's wrong lifestyle. The contributing factors are:
- Excess body weight - each pound creates an additional damping and mechanical load on the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral disc.
- a sedentary lifestyle without regular exercise in the muscular frame of the back.
- eating large amounts of carbohydrates, processed foods.
- wearing tight, uncomfortable clothes and shoes.
- wrong posture, the habit of bending over, squatting, tilting the body in one direction or the other.
- incorrect foot adjustment in the form of flat feet or clubfoot.
- curvature of the spine;
- sedentary work or heavy physical work.
- smoking and alcohol consumption;
- Insufficient consumption of clean drinking water during the day.
All of these factors slow down the microcirculation of blood in the capillary network to the thickness of the muscle tissue. It turns out that it is not able to carry out a complete diffuse exchange with the cartilaginous tissues of the intervertebral discs. They do not have their own circulatory system. This launches the mechanism of destruction of the surface of the fibrous ring (this is the outer shell of the disc). Forms a deposit of calcium salts. They prevent the intake of fluid from outside. Therefore, the fibrous ring begins to pump fluid from the pulpal nucleus inside it. This jelly-like body is responsible for maintaining the normal height and shape of the intervertebral disc. Therefore, with the loss of fluid, the pulposus nucleus loses its ability to maintain the height of the disc. The second stage of osteochondrosis develops - protrusion.
In the third stage, the fibrous ring breaks and part of the pulp nucleus 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 involvement of the intervertebral hernia. Part of the pulp nucleus separates or exits completely through the resulting fibrous ring rupture. If the hernia enters the cavity of the spinal canal, then its isolation requires urgent surgery. Otherwise, a person may become disabled with paralysis of the body for the rest of his life.
As you can see, this is a very serious disease, which must be diagnosed in time. The sooner the complex treatment is started, the better the chances for complete restoration of the integrity of the intervertebral disc and its functions.
When the first signs of osteochondrosis appear, you can make an appointment with a vertebrate or neurologist. Doctors will perform an examination and a manual examination. They will make an accurate diagnosis and recommend the necessary additional tests. Once an accurate diagnosis is made, you will be offered a course of treatment.
How to recognize cervical osteochondrosis
How do you know if you have cervical osteochondrosis and not myositis and what to do next? Before diagnosing cervical osteochondrosis, you should collect a history:
- when pains occur;
- what actions cause their appearance.
- how long ago was the first crisis?
- are there any additional clinical signs?
- how the sleeping and working space is organized.
- what bad habits are there?
- place of work and profession.
How to understand that cervical osteochondrosis according to all this information? First of all, it is important to know that degenerative degenerative disease of the intervertebral discs manifests itself in the form of pain, stiffness of movements, excessive strain on the muscles of the neck and collar area only in the initial stage. Then, to these signs are added tension headache, dizziness, hearing and vision disorders, increased fatigue, decreased mental performance, etc.
A feature of cervical osteochondrosis is that the exacerbation of symptoms begins at the end of the working day. And the patient's professional activity in most cases is associated with prolonged static tension of the muscles of the neck and collar. On examination, there is pain on palpation of the spinous processes of the vertebrae, excessive muscle tension, and increased pain when trying to rotate the head.
Before diagnosing osteochondrosis of the cervix, the doctor recommends that the patient have an x-ray. Shows the reduced gaps between the vertebral bodies. This indicates that a ledge is developing. With the help of an X-ray image, an experienced spine specialist will be able to rule out instability of the vertebral bodies, their dislocations, regression, perception, destruction of the intervertebral joints and a number of other serious pathologies. If this test is not enough, then an MRI or CT scan is recommended. If you suspect the development of posterior vertebral artery syndrome, an ultrasound of the vessels of the neck and head is recommended.
How to recognize osteochondrosis of the chest area
Before the recognition of thoracic osteochondrosis, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of developing pathologies of internal organs, such as the heart, the coronary system, the lungs, the pleura, the bronchi, etc. Consider how to recognize osteochondrosis of the chest area:
- The most important diagnostic technique is palpation, if the pain is determined exclusively by the spinous processes of the vertebrae and in the area of the paravertebral muscles, the degenerative destruction of the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs is not excluded.
- Mobility is limited and any twists and turns of the body increase the pain.
- the onset of pain was caused by physical exercise, hypothermia or psychological stress factors.
- deep breathing does not aggravate the pain.
It is very important to know how to understand the heart or osteochondrosis, as acute chest pain is not infrequently a precursor to myocardial infarction. And in this situation, the patient must receive immediate heart care.
So, if anxiety, panic and fear of death are felt during a pain attack, then this is a 90% chance of having a heart attack and you need to call an ambulance urgently. If there is a tonometer, then you need to measure your blood pressure and your heart rate. When the pulse slows to bradycardia (less than 50 beats per minute) and blood pressure rises by 20-40 mm Hg above normal, we should also suspect an unstable angina attack with a possible transition to myocardial infarction. .
You do not have to look for information on how to understand a heart attack or osteochondrosis, it is much more productive to seek medical help. Even the most common ECG, taken at the hospital emergency department, will show what causes the pain syndrome: the heart or the spine. Regardless, you can only rely on the senses when you feel them. As a rule, with damage to the heart muscle, the palpation of the spinous processes of the vertebrae does not give unpleasant sensations. But at the same time, there are such clinical symptoms of osteochondrosis as shortness of breath, feeling of shortness of breath, pale skin, feeling of cold sticky sweat on the skin, cyanosis of the nasopharyngeal triangle and severe muscle weakness.
How to recognize osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine
Quite acute is the question of how to understand that osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine causes severe pain. In addition, with the defeat of some paired root nerves, as well as nerve plexuses, clinical symptoms appear that resemble diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary system. These are constipation, diarrhea, frequent urination, etc.
How to understand that your osteochondrosis in your back causes pain and all the other clinical signs:
- no increase in body temperature.
- without nausea and vomiting.
- the tongue is not coated with white or yellow coating.
- when urinating, the color of the urine does not differ from normal.
- when emptying the bowels, there is no tension and other sensations of pain.
- there is no admixture of blood or mucus in the stool.
To rule out renal pathology, a test for Pasternatsky's symptom is performed. The patient stands with his back to the doctor. The doctor with the tip of the palm lightly taps the tip of the lower lateral arch. If pain occurs, then there is a high probability that the back pain is related to damage to the kidneys and ureters.
How to recognize lumbar osteochondrosis with indirect signs:
- with any movement, the pain increases sharply.
- worsening of the condition begins after strenuous physical exercise, weight lifting, hypothermia or overheating of the body.
- stiffness of movements is noticeable, often associated with muscle weakness.
- the muscles in the lumbar region are intensely tense, painful to the touch.
- The pain can spread along the course of large nerves, for example, in the groin, in the anterior abdominal wall, along the lower extremities.
- at rest, the pain syndrome disappears quickly.
When symptoms of osteochondrosis occur, it is important to contact a neurologist or vertebrate as soon as possible. Only an experienced doctor can rule out the possibility of spinal displacement, disc herniation, spinal stenosis and other dangerous pathologies that require immediate medical attention.
What to do with the pain from osteochondrosis
We figured out how to understand that pain arises from osteochondrosis. This is important information right now. You need to know how to behave properly and what to do to get rid of such a disease.
A degenerative degenerative disease of the cartilaginous tissue of the intervertebral discs does not go away on its own. This is due to a number of factors. First of all, there is calcification of the surface of the fibrous ring, as a result of which it loses the ability to absorb the fluid secreted by the working muscles. Second, during the process of reducing the height of the intervertebral discs, a secondary contraction of the ligaments and tendons occurs. It will be impossible to restore the height of the intervertebral spaces that are necessary for the erection of the discs.