Osteochondrosis most often has a long course. Therefore, in men and women, the first symptoms may appear many years after the onset of the pathology. Since pathology causes many complications, timely treatment and diagnosis of the disease will help to slow down negative processes in the body.
The consequences of osteochondrosis
Timely diagnosis of osteochondrosis is a necessity that almost every person faces.
This is explained by the fact that the disease causes a number of specific disorders in the body, and as they progress, the complications affect different parts. The most common of them are:
- Severe headache up to migraine;
- partial hearing loss;
- Decreased vision;
- Radiculopathy (aka radiculitis);
- VSD or various autonomic dysfunctions;
- Genitourinary system dysfunction;
- Intervertebral hernia;
- sciatica;
- Spondylosis, osteophytosis;
- Spondyloarthrosis;
- Lumbodynia and lumbago;
- Spinal stenosis.
These complications develop due to disruption of blood circulation and innervation in the spine, which negatively affects internal organs and departments.
In severe cases, it has a negative effect on the heart and lungs, which can lead to heart attacks, heart attacks, strokes, etc.
First signs
There are certain first signals when the pathology begins to develop.
Patients often ignore them, considering them insignificant, and associate them with lifestyle - prolonged sitting, overexertion, heavy lifting.
Usually this is true, but it is these factors that lead to the progression of osteochondrosis.
As a result, it initially manifests itself with several symptoms.
Mild stiffness in the morning is not particularly intense, but will occur more often as it progresses. Mobility of the affected area may gradually decrease. Also, with heavy loads, discomfort will begin to appear. In the first stage, pain is not observed at all. It starts from the second stage.
Symptom clusters
As the symptoms of osteochondrosis develop, they will expand. Accordingly, doctors divide them into several groups according to the mechanism of progression. In this way, it is possible to identify the most affected sections and tissue types.
Static syndrome
Static syndrome mainly refers to disorders in bone tissue. As a result, the shape of the vertebrae changes, which leads to the deformation of the spine with the development of various types of curvatures. At this time, pathological mobility of the vertebra is observed. Poor posture is manifested by:
- kyphosis;
- Kyphoscoliosis;
- Scoliosis;
- Lordosis.
The result of static syndrome is often impaired joint mobility. In advanced cases, the patient cannot turn his head or straighten it completely.
Neurological
Neurological symptom complex is caused by nerve tissue damage. At the same time, at the very beginning, the sensitivity of some individual areas of the skin is simply disturbed. The motor ability of the limbs and the strength of muscle contractions also decrease.
However, the main manifestation of the neurological syndrome is pain of different intensity and localization. It is provoked by compression and irritation of the roots from the spinal cord. In the first stage, it usually manifests itself simply as local discomfort. As the pain syndrome progresses, it spreads further to the areas of the body innervated by the affected root. Very often there is a feeling of numbness, tingling, vomiting and skin sensitivity.
In this pathology, motor changes are observed less than sensitive ones. Depending on the degree of development of osteochondrosis, paresis and even paralysis can be felt. For example, due to lumbar osteochondrosis, there may be paresis or limited voluntary movements in the lower limbs on both sides.
Vein
Vascular symptoms appear for almost the same reason as neurological ones. That is, veins and arteries are compressed by the vertebra, 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 available. As a result of a negative impact on them, brain hypoxia begins to develop, which can cause nausea, dizziness, fainting, hearing and vision impairment.
If the tone of the sympathetic system of the central nervous system changes, 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 long-term spasm of peripheral vessels, followed by chronic ischemia and oxygen starvation of internal organs.
Trophic
The combination of the previous three syndromes can lead to other disorders, especially trophic syndrome. Ulcers can appear due to a decrease in tissue nutrition, as well as a violation of the innervation of certain parts of the skin. In this case, neurological and vascular factors play the biggest role.
Manifestations of pathology
Osteochondrosis can manifest itself with a variety of symptoms. This is explained by the fact that a certain department affects certain regions, and therefore the symptoms of the disease may differ from each other.
Cervical
The cervical spine is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Dizziness and even fainting when suddenly turning your head;
- Pain in shoulders, arms, chest, teeth;
- Spots and spots before the eyes;
- Deterioration of vision and hearing functions, ringing in the ears;
- Change in voice and numbness of the tongue;
- Headaches, usually worse with movement. Analgesics cannot affect their intensity.
Such symptoms can be present both for a long time and during exacerbations. Some symptoms are often confused with other pathologies, for example, dental or ENT problems.
Chest
With thoracic osteochondrosis, they feel:
- pain between the shoulder blades and chest (often confused with heart pain) when bending over, raising the arms or one arm;
- Increased pain at night, as well as movement, hypothermia, increased physical activity;
- Increased pain when moving the chest (exhalation and inhalation);
- Violation of the innervation of certain areas, numbness in the skin and feeling of vomiting;
- Itching, burning, cold feeling in the legs;
- Painful attacks in the ribs when walking;
- Feeling of chest tightness, shortness of breath.
In the manifestation of pain syndrome, thoracic osteochondrosis is rich in localization. But precisely because of the greatest involvement of the chest, many confuse it with a heart attack and a heart attack.
Waist
Lumbar osteochondrosis mainly affects the internal organs of the pelvis and lower limbs, although it can also cause pain in the chest. The most common symptoms of the disease:
- Sharp and painful pain in the lumbar region;
- Increased pain during movement or strain;
- Pain in the abdominal organs, legs, sacrum;
- Violation of innervation in the lower extremities;
- Inability to perform certain movements such as bending and turning;
- The desire to maintain a certain posture.
When the lumbar region is affected, exacerbations most often occur under the influence of certain external factors, for example, increased load, heavy lifting or hypothermia. In this case, many people say "the back is stuck". During a painful attack, the mobility of the department is minimized.
Joints
Osteochondrosis of the joints manifests itself:
- Decreased mobility of the affected area (mostly shoulder, hip or knee joint);
- Severe pain;
- Increased pain when moving or lifting a limb;
- The range of motion is significantly reduced;
- Formations in joints and soft tissues can be observed during palpation;
- Swelling of the affected area;
- Skin redness, numbness, pins and needles sensation.
Due to damage to the joints, a person is forced to take a forced position to reduce joint movement and, accordingly, pain. If the symptom persists, it can lead to soft tissue disorders, including atrophy.
Pain syndrome
In the first stages, pain in osteochondrosis is usually temporary. As they progress, they become longer and denser. The result is a general presence of pain in everyday life.
The pain is usually nagging, painful. During an exacerbation, the symptom is so strong that it can even completely deprive you of mobility and cause muscle spasms.
Forecast
If we talk about the prognosis, osteochondrosis itself is an incurable disease. There is a chance to provide high-quality treatment at the initial stage and to slow down the pathology before serious symptoms appear. The more the pathology develops without treatment, the more negative it affects the body. Accordingly, home treatment is less effective and takes longer. If the pathology continues to serious complications, surgical intervention may be required.