Back pain, according to statistics, worries almost every second inhabitant of the planet over the age of 18. They can be caused by various reasons. From this article we will learn about one of the most common causes: osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine. It is possible to fight this disease and even defeat it with success if you start doing it in the early stages.
It's time to sound the alarm
If you want to successfully deal with a disease such as lumbar osteochondrosis, you should not expect obvious symptoms to appear immediately. At the first stage, you will not feel them.
It is important to understand that people who spend a lot of time sitting or standing in the same position are at greater risk. If, by coincidence or for other reasons, this has been the case for you for many years, there is probably a reason to check the condition of your spine, even if the symptoms of the disease are not visible.
You should not ignore the following "alarm bells", which may indicate that lumbar osteochondrosis has already advanced, leaving the first stage.
- Backache. Initially, they appear only at loads that are greater than usual, disappear during rest. Or after a long stay in an uncomfortable static position. Over time, such pains bother me constantly, during long walks.
- Gradually, the pain becomes chronic and can manifest itself with whining, numbness (with return to the thigh), sharp pain, lumbago, etc. A feeling of heat or cold in the lower back.
- Dynamically developing pain, intensifying. Part of the leg becomes numb or the feeling of "running goosebumps".
- Symptoms such as: constipation, urinary incontinence, tingling between the legs, menstrual irregularities (in women).
- The feet are cold for no apparent reason, the skin on the feet is peeling.
- The spine begins to bend, the back muscles in the lower back are unnaturally tense, it is difficult to bend completely.
- Unbearable pain.
All these symptoms, especially if they appear together and their approximate sequence matches the one described above, cannot be ignored.
Pass the scheduled examination
The doctor you see will order certain tests and various tests. This is due to the fact that it is not so easy to identify this disease. Numerous laboratory tests are aimed at excluding possible other diseases (such as diseases of internal organs) that have the same symptoms. The best way to determine the cause of an MRI is an MRI (perhaps even with paramagnetic enhancement). However, radiography is also used.
An important step in making an accurate diagnosis over? What choice among different treatments will you face now?
Methods of impact on the affected spine
Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine today is treated in many ways. But all of them can be divided into two large groups: symptomatic (they eliminate pain and other consequences of the disease) and pathogenetic (they are considered to affect the cause, eliminating it or preventing its development).
Treatment with drugs that relieve pain. Such drugs are prescribed only by the attending physician. The treatment is symptomatic, that is, a person who is happy that everything has been restored to its previous state of health can stop taking care of the back, and the disease will meanwhile be asymptomatic until the pain manifests itself in a more acute form.
Muscle relaxants are drugs that help to relieve muscle spasms - a consequence of disc destruction, therefore such treatment refers to a symptomatic type of effect.
Physiotherapy effects. They include a wide range of methods that affect lumbar osteochondrosis through the skin. This treatment:
- high frequency current;
- laser;
- magnets.
Different extensions of the spine: in water or with an apparatus. You should be careful when using this method if lumbar osteochondrosis is already in an advanced stage.
The homeosiniatric method is a treatment in which homeopreparations are introduced to the affected area (or rather to a specific active point of the body) to help the body rid itself of toxins.
Hirudotherapy (treatment with leeches). They bring invaluable help, helping many patients to forget about the disease for many years. It is believed that leeches give the body hirudin, which improves blood circulation in the affected area, anesthetizes and relieves the inflammatory process.
Lumbar osteochondrosis, provided there are no protrusions, disc herniations and other contraindications, some trust an experienced chiropractor - a massage therapist working with the spine.
Special exercises to relieve pain in osteochondrosis. It is best to consult a doctor when choosing a set of such exercises for yourself.
Pathogenetic method developed by specialists
In particular, I would like to address physiological current interstitial stimulation (VTES). Under the guidance of the professor, a new method of impact was developed to improve blood circulation inside the bone of the vertebra itself.
It is believed that precisely because of the weakening of such blood flow, the nutrition of the disc significantly deteriorates, which leads to a gradual loss of its properties, the ability to function normally and, as a result, to its destruction.
The essence of the method is to deliver a physiological current to the affected vertebra, bypassing the skin - a natural insulator. Physiological current is a current identical to that produced in our body, amplified many times over. It is powered by a needle - an electrode inserted at a certain depth (under the skin) at the site of the pathology, that is, at a certain point on the back. The current powerfully stimulates the vessels inside the bones of the vertebrae, thus improving the nutrition of the discs.
According to the results of research (needle rheography, polyrheography), blood circulation in the bones, including the lumbar spine, improves dramatically. The disc is completely restored (early stage osteochondrosis).
In the later stages, lumbar osteochondrosis gives symptoms such as severe constant pain in the back due to a protrusion or disc herniation. Interestingly, treatment of VTES in the shortest possible time allows a tight knit capsule to re-form around the hernia, preventing its growth and even reducing its size.
Good tips for prevention
- Knowing that many hours of work in a stationary position, especially sitting in front of the computer, you can do something. For example, take breaks every hour by stretching and walking. Maintain proper posture. Some are assisted in this by specially manufactured correctors, for example with neodymium magnets.
- Constant lifting of heavy weights also contributes to the development of the disease, so you need to know the rules of how to lift them correctly.
- Try to avoid hypothermia, back injuries. Watch your weight, strengthen your back muscles, exercise moderately, swim, then you won't need treatment.
- It is quite possible to beat lumbar osteochondrosis if you start treatment from the early stages or keep it under control.