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 the 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 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 it progresses, complications may arise that affect different parts. The most common of these are:
- Severe headaches and even migraines;
- Partial hearing loss;
- Decreased vision;
- radiculopathy (also known as radiculitis);
- VSD or various autonomic dysfunctions;
- dysfunction of the urogenital system;
- intervertebral hernia;
- Sciatica;
- spondylosis, osteophytosis;
- spondyloarthrosis;
- Lumbodynia and lumbago;
- Spinal stenosis.
These complications arise due to impaired blood circulation and innervation of the spine, which negatively affects the internal organs and departments.
In severe cases, there are adverse effects on the heart and lungs, which can cause heart attack, myocardial infarction, stroke, etc.
First signs
There are certain initial signs that pathology is beginning to develop.
Patients usually ignore them because they consider them insignificant and associate them with lifestyle - sitting for long periods of time, overexertion, heavy lifting.
Usually this is true, but it is these factors that provoke the progression of osteochondrosis.
As a result, it initially becomes noticeable with several symptoms.
A slight stiffness in the morning is not particularly noticeable, but will become more frequent as the disease progresses. Mobility of the affected area may gradually decrease. Intense exercise also causes symptoms. Pain as such is usually not observed in the first stage. It starts with the second stage.
Symptom groups
Symptoms of osteochondrosis increase 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 tissue types.
Static syndrome
Static syndrome mainly refers to bone tissue disorders. This changes the shape of the vertebrae, which leads to deformation of the spine with the formation of various types of curvature. In this case, pathological mobility of the vertebrae is observed. Poor posture manifests itself:
- kyphosis;
- kyphoscoliosis;
- scoliosis;
- Lordosis.
The result of static syndrome is often limited mobility of the joints. In advanced cases, the patient is no longer able to turn their head or sit up fully.
Neurological
The neurological symptom complex is caused by damage to nerve tissue. At the same time, right from the start there is only an impairment of the sensitivity of individual areas of the skin. The motor skills of the limbs and the strength of muscle contractions also decrease.
However, the main manifestation of the neurological syndrome is pain of varying intensity and localization. It is caused by compression and irritation of the roots extending from the spinal cord. In the first stage it usually only manifests itself as local complaints. As the pain progresses, the pain syndrome spreads further to areas of the body innervated by the affected root. It is not uncommon for numbness, tingling, goosebumps and reduced skin sensitivity to occur.
Motor changes in this pathology are observed less often than sensory ones. Depending on the progression of osteochondrosis, paresis and even paralysis can become noticeable. An example would be paresis or limited voluntary movements of the lower extremities on both sides due to lumbar osteochondrosis.
vessel
Vascular symptoms occur for approximately the same reason as neurological ones. This means that veins and arteries are compressed by the vertebrae, which leads to the development of corresponding symptoms.
This effect is most often manifested in cervical osteochondrosis. The largest number of large ships is represented in this section. As a result of the negative impact on them, brain hypoxia begins to develop, which can lead to nausea, dizziness, loss of consciousness, impaired hearing and vision.
If the tone of the sympathetic 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 fairly persistent spasm of peripheral vessels, followed by chronic ischemia and oxygen starvation of internal organs.
trophy
The combination of the three previous syndromes can cause further disorders, particularly trophic syndrome. With a deterioration in tissue nutrition, as well as a disruption in the innervation of certain areas of the skin, ulcers can occur. Neurological and vascular factors play the largest role.
Manifestations of pathology
Osteochondrosis can manifest itself with different symptoms. This is because a particular department affects certain areas and therefore the signs of the disease may be different.
Cervical
The cervical spine is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Dizziness and even fainting when you suddenly turn your head;
- pain in shoulders, arms, chest, teeth;
- spots and spots before the eyes;
- Deterioration of visual and hearing function, ringing in the ears;
- voice change and numbness of the tongue;
- Headache that usually gets worse with movement. Analgesics cannot influence their intensity.
Such symptoms can persist both over a long period of time and in exacerbations. Some signs are often confused with other pathologies, for example, dental or ENT problems.
Breast
With thoracic osteochondrosis they become noticeable:
- Pain when bending over, lifting the arms or one arm, between the shoulder blades and in the chest area (often confused with heart pain);
- Increased pain at night and during exercise, hypothermia, increased physical activity;
- Increased pain when moving the chest (exhaling and inhaling);
- Disruption of the innervation of certain areas, numbness and goosebumps on the skin;
- Itching, burning, feeling of cold in the legs;
- Painful attacks in the ribs when walking;
- Feeling as if the chest was being squeezed by a tire, shortness of breath.
Thoracic osteochondrosis in the manifestation of pain syndrome is rich in localizations. However, it is precisely because of the greatest involvement of the chest that many people confuse it with heart attack and heart attack.
Lumbar spine
Lumbar osteochondrosis largely affects the functioning of the internal organs of the pelvis and lower extremities, but can also cause pain in the chest area. The most common signs of the disease:
- Sharp and aching pain in the lumbar region;
- Increased pain with movement or exertion;
- pain in the abdominal organs, legs, sacrum;
- Innervation disorder in the lower extremities;
- Inability to perform certain movements such as bending and twisting;
- The desire to maintain a certain posture.
When the lumbar spine is affected, exacerbations most often occur under the influence of certain external factors, for example, increased loads, heavy lifting, or hypothermia. In this case, many people say: "The back is stuck. "During a painful attack, the mobility of the department is reduced to a minimum.
Joints
Osteochondrosis of the joints is manifested by:
- Reduced mobility of the affected area (usually shoulder, hip or knee joint);
- Strong pain;
- Increased pain when moving or lifting a limb;
- The range of motion is significantly limited;
- During palpation, formations on articular and soft tissues can be observed;
- swelling of the affected area;
- Redness, numbness, tingling on the skin.
Due to joint damage, a person is forced to adopt a forced posture in order to reduce the movement of the joint and therefore pain. If the symptoms persist, soft tissue disorders and even atrophy can occur.
Pain syndrome
Pain in osteochondrosis in the initial stages is usually temporary in nature. As the duration progresses, they become longer and more intense. The result is the presence of pain in general in everyday life.
The pain is usually excruciating and aching. During an exacerbation, the symptom is so intense that it can even lead to complete loss of mobility and muscle spasms.
forecast
If we talk about the prognosis, then osteochondrosis itself is an incurable disease. At the initial stage, there is an opportunity to provide high-quality treatment and slow down the pathology before serious symptoms appear. The more the pathology progresses without treatment, the greater the negative impact on the body. Accordingly, home treatment becomes less effective and takes longer. If the pathology persists to the point where serious complications occur, surgical intervention may be necessary.