Treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine

9 November 2020

Lumbar osteochondrosis affects many patients. This is an unpleasant and very dangerous disease, which can later lead to unpleasant complications. And, by the way, among all the varieties of this disease, this disease is found much more often in medical practice, since the lower back has the most loads. At the same time, the spine does not receive a sufficient amount of nutrients, the intervertebral discs lose their elasticity and simply dry out. The back cannot withstand such heavy loads, the fibrous ring protrudes in different directions and breaks.

Diagnostics

If a patient complains of sharp pain in the lumbar region, it does not mean that they have osteochondrosis of the lumbar or lumbosacral region. But,in order to identify the cause of the disease, the doctor must diagnose the patient. And for that, it:

probes the affected area, trying to identify inflammatory processes that the patient complains about;
assesses posture, whether it looks straight or not, its degree of curvature;
can send a patient for further examination - x-ray;
name additional CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging.

Symptoms

The most important symptom of lumbar osteochondrosis is unbearable low back pain. And this symptom occurs immediately or after some time, after heavy physical exertion. In this case, the nature of the pain may be completely different:

aching lower back pain becomes unbearable and may radiate to the leg;
Every time a patient tries to do some kind of physical labor, the pain begins to intensify. In addition, this symptom can occur when coughing, chewing, as well as any change in the position of the body;
as soon as the patient is in the same position for a long time, any attempt to change the position causes pain in the lumbar region;
the back muscles are constantly tense, as if the patient is constantly carrying weights;
following the slightest hypothermia, the lower back begins to "pull";
the nerve endings of the buttocks, knees and feet begin to atrophy, that is, the sensitivity in these places decreases;
Goosebumps and slight tingling appear in the legs; the feet become cold;
the arteries in the feet may spasm and the pulse may be poorly felt;
the patient begins to sweat actively;
In the affected area, the skin becomes dry and begins to peel.

Help: it should be remembered that osteochondrosis can turn into an acute stage if, along with the primary symptoms, continue to burden the back or strongly cool the body.

Osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine, treatment

In our time, there are different schemes for treating the disease. There is drug therapy, acupuncture, and gymnastics for osteochondrosis. But, in any case, the doctor prescribes the method of treatment.If a patient self-medicates it can make the disease worse and end very badly.

Important: it must be remembered that osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is a very difficult disease to cure. You can only get rid of it completely at the first or second stage.

Protocol and Schema

There are many methods of treating osteochondrosis, but the treatment regimen is the same. It is necessary to reduce the load on the spine and strengthen the muscles of the back and lumbar spine. It is also necessary to normalize the nutrition of the spine, restoring metabolic processes and blood circulation. And the ultimate victory will be to regain the sensitivity of the lower body.

First aid

When a sharp and sudden pain invades the lumbar region, it is first necessary to isolate this area with something warm (wool scarf, heating pad, etc. ). But at the same time, you need to make sure that the affected area is warm, and not hot.
The body should be placed on something firm and level (bench, plank, plank, floor).
A roller should be placed under the back, in the lumbar region. But if the lower limbs are stretched, the roller should be placed under the knees.
Call a doctor and take pain relievers before he arrives.

Conservative and operational methods

Lumbar spine osteochondrosis treatment methods are divided into conservative treatment methods and surgical treatment methods. What is the difference? Andthe difference is that with conservative methods of treatment, the doctor uses a complex technique that affects different areas of medicine.

In other words, this technique involves long-term and sometimes unsuccessful treatment. The surgical intervention depends on the neglect of the disease. For example, an operation, as one of the methods of surgical treatment, is an extreme, but it is impossible without it.

Conservative effective methods

In the early stages, drugs and wellness gymnastics are suitable to suppress pain and normalize metabolism.But, if the disease progresses to more severe stages, the doctor may prescribe physiotherapy, as well as surgery. Moreover, in the latter case, this method is considered extreme, but quite effective. The most important thing in the treatment of osteochondrosis is not to burden the spine and at the same time try to immobilize the inflammatory foci.

Drugs

The most basic and effective medication for acute pain is analgesics (analgin, amidopyrine, phenacetin, etc. ). The drugs relieve the pain, but do not eliminate the cause.
In addition, doctors prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs that affect the root nerves and remove puffiness. These drugs reduce and eliminate the foci of inflammatory processes.
For grade 3-4 disease, local anesthetics are prescribed (eg, novocaine).
In order to eliminate the spastic muscle contraction, the doctor prescribes muscle relaxants.
Chondoprotectors are used to normalize metabolism and restore cartilage tissue. This treatment reduces the risk of cartilage deformation and tissue destruction.
In combination with drugs, the patient is prescribed vitamin B. This group of vitamins improves the body's metabolism, reduces inflammation, is a natural diuretic that allows you to get rid of excess fluid.
Diuretics may also be prescribed.
In order to improve the patient's condition, he is prescribed drugs that increase the immunity of the organism as a whole.
The image is supplemented with drugs that improve blood circulation to the place where there is a lesion.

Physical education

Practice shows that physical therapy helps in the fight against osteochondrosis. And this not only helps, in the Far East it is practiced daily and, above all, prescribed to patients. At present, there are different methods of gymnastic exercises to combat this disease.And among the ancient techniques, they practice yoga, qigong, etc.

Which complex of gymnastic exercises to perform is decided by the doctor together with the patient. But it should be remembered that each technique has its own indications and contraindications. For example, severe forms of the disease cannot be treated with physiotherapy exercises. By decision of the doctor, gymnastic exercises can be combined with medication and physiotherapy.

Physiotherapy

It turns out that in our country physiotherapy is mainly prescribed after drug treatment has turned out to be invalid. Although a person is constantly affected by certain physiological processes.

The principle of physiotherapy is that the body is influenced by simple physical processes (using a current, a magnet, etc. ). But unlike natural phenomena, physiotherapeutic methods help to steer the effects of influencing methods in the right direction. That is to say, take, for example, electrotherapy. With the help of the current, doctors help normalize the metabolism or eliminate spasms.

Massage

is prescribed for recovering patients. But, in some cases, massage may be prescribed during an exacerbation of the disease. Then only the healthy parts of the body are massaged.A one-lesson session typically lasts 15-20 minutes, and the number of sessions takes up to 7 procedures.

But such a technique is dangerous for the layman, so it is better to make an appointment with a professional. At the same time, it is now possible to perform massages both with the hands and with special devices.

Course on specialized simulators

Doctors believe that the treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine largely depends on the desire and aspiration of the patient himself. The method of treating a disease amounts to choosing an instrument by which healing is possible.Exercise equipment is one of the tools that help improve condition and recover from illness quickly. But doctors recommend going to the gym when the patient recovers and the disease begins to recede.

Among these simulators that will help in this area, we can distinguish:

horizontal bar;
expander;
cardiovascular equipment;
gym (in this case, it is better to enroll in special classes, where the patient will have his own personal trainer who will help him choose simulators).

Joint injections

When the disease worsens, the doctor may prescribe injection treatments. It is an effective remedy in which the spine artificially receives all the nutrients and trace elements. In this case, the injections act directly on the spine, painful sensations pass much faster.But this method belongs to drug therapy, which means that it can have its own side effects. Therefore, injections should be performed under the clear direction of the attending physician.

Swimming

Swimming is considered an additional treatment. But at the same time, everyone should know thatbefore you start exercising in the water, you should warm up to warm up the muscles. . In this case, the water should be at least 27-30 ° C. And after each class, you can safely lower the temperature to 23 ° C. Correct breathing is the key to a successful workout. You need to take a deep breath first, then a short breath. And you also need to choose the right exercises and the right swimming technique.

For positive results you must first swim 30-100m with a pillow in hand. Then you need to rest a little, then hold the pillow in your legs and swim the same amount, working only with your hands. Then rest and swim 20-30m breaststroke without holding your breath. After a little rest and you can continue.

You must first submerge your body in the water up to your chest and start walking in place, then just walk around the pool. Then lift your knees as high as possible and spread your arms out to the sides at the same time. Think about your breaststroke stroke. Do the same, only leaning to the side. After that, you need to lean forward, keeping your hands on your belt. So imagine that you are a hippo and you stick your belly back and forth. Then, hanging onto your side, do a few squats.

How much is processed and what will happen if it is not processed

The duration of treatment of osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine depends on the neglect of the disease. Basically, when the patient first visits the hospital, the doctor prescribes treatment (course), which lasts for a certain time (it all depends on the method). You should also take into account the behavior of the patient during the course. As this disease is chronic in the severe stages of the disease, symptoms may return and treatment will need to be repeated.

Prevention

In order not to experience for yourself what osteochondrosis of the lumbar spine is, the following rules should be observed:

if your work is related to physical activity, then you don't need to overload your back and rest;
to start playing sports, especially to strengthen the back muscles;
watch your posture; move more often, evening walks are best;
observe good nutrition (not to be confused with diet, good nutrition is a complete balance of all vitamins and microelements);
follow the correct resting routine;
can be the cause of other back diseases, so pay attention to your health at this time.

Which doctor to contact

When a patient begins to have back pain, the first thing to do is to see a local doctor. But, in this case, it only identifies the external symptoms and directs further for examination. And the first person he'll write a referral to isa neurologist or a vertebrologist.

These two doctors deal specifically with the problem of osteochondrosis. But when a patient is in remission, massage therapists, gymnastics trainers, physiotherapists and many more come into play, depending on the type of recovery activities the doctor prescribes.

Conclusion

Osteochondrosis is a rather nasty disease. But, as practice shows, the main patients in hospitals are those who do not monitor their health. Therefore, remember thatearly detection of the disease and its prevention will cost you much less than the advanced stage of the disease.