Osteochondrosis - a frequent diagnosis for all problems spine.

Term low back pain comes from the Greek osteon bone, cartilage + chóndros Latin - ōsis - disease.

The primary mechanism - microtrauma tissue (note the dense arrangement of the picture) in consequence of the change of optimum geometric relationships and improper load distribution, or just an injury in its literal sense. Body protects the damaged area spastic muscle block. Protective muscle spasm leads to lying beside Pinched vascular trunks and nerves and exacerbate malnutrition affected area.

Until the body is young and finds room for compensation, we have the initial stage of the clinical manifestations of osteoarthritis. As a rule, it is a local pain, aggravated by certain movements, limiting mobility of the spine, rapid fatigue, discomfort in the back in the morning or in the evening.

Deterioration can induce hypothermia (because increased local inflammation), emotional stress (runs an additional mechanism to improve muscle tone), changes in atmospheric pressure (changing the tone of blood vessels), fatigue, intoxication at the time of infectious diseases, bad posture during sleep, rest too soft or hard bed (extra blocking intervertebral joints). In the manifestation of osteochondrosis to local discomfort in the neck and back can be attached segmental reflex syndromes.

Intervertebral disc under the influence of sub-optimal load acting in the direction of creating syndrome, disc protrusion, which may be accompanied by a local pain and neurological symptoms. If nonoptimality load persists, forming a disk hernia acting centrally or to the sides of root openings (paramedialnaya or foraminal). In this case, general and local neurological manifestations of osteochondrosis amplified. Cause of neuralgia in this case not so much of vascular compression of the nerve root exiting at this level of the spinal cord to the controlled bodies, as in muscle spasm, leading to circulatory problems, a local aseptic inflammation and swelling of the nerve. Such a nerve disease called - reflex vertebral syndromes. True compression of the nerve root hernia - a rare phenomenon. Such compression is manifested as a complete loss of motor function or sensitive innervated limbs (arms and legs), as a matter of fact close to paresis, paralysis. The same thing happens when the central compression of the spinal cord herniation. Paralysis can join voiding and other pelvic functions.

Musculo-tonic syndromes associated with protective muscle spasm. This can be a local spasm near the affected vertebrae and remote reflex spasm of interacting with the zone of destruction (pear-shaped muscle in the gluteal region, anterior scalene muscle in the neck). Permanent spasm leads to oxygen starvation muscle accumulation in it waste exchange process. Therefore may develop myofascial pain syndrome with a plurality of compressed and sharply painful areas along the muscle.

Most of these processes are involved in the deeper layers of the paravertebral muscles:

Neuro-degenerative syndromes associated with a constant irritation and compression of various peripheral nerves. Clinical manifestations of pain syndromes with lumbago on the nerve at the start defeat, when the compression element prevails over-stimulation dystrophy (ishalgii, cervicalgia, cranialgia, torakalgii, etc.) before the "false" sensations (paresthesias) - tingling, pins and needles, numbness (at development dystrophy). Normally, there is a clear picture of segmental reactions with symptoms corresponding dermatome.

Autonomic-vascular syndromes associated with irritation and compression of vascular tract and may include headache, dizziness (vertebral artery syndrome) as well as impact on the work of internal organs.

Cervical syndromes.

Cervicalgia - manifested as an acute or chronic arching, shooting pain, aggravated by neck movements, turning your head, feeling of tightness may be present.
With the development of compression syndrome can occur compression vertebral arteries, manifested eponymous syndrome.

Vertebral artery syndrome associated with direct compression (both true and reflex) vertebral artery spasm or muscle vertebra in the upper levels. It is also possible compression of the sympathetic plexus surrounding the vertebral artery, which will lead to its secondary spasm. Manifestation of vertebral artery syndrome in osteochondrosis limited to:

• Cranialgia - pain in the neck and the occipital, parietal, temporal areas, the sense of "taking off the helmet." The pain may be accompanied by a violation of the sensitivity of the face and neck.
• Kohleo-vestibular disorders - dizziness, noise, congestion in the ears, balance disorders.
• Visual impairment - blackout, flickering, the emergence of "flies" before his eyes.
• Intensification of symptoms of vestibular disorders in the neck hyperextension ago (one of the diagnostic methods.)

Cervicalgia may be accompanied by acute or chronic pain in the neck radiating to the neck, shoulder girdle, shoulder blade.

If the process involves the lower cervical spine segments may develop frozen shoulder syndrome periartropatii (periarteritis, periarthrosis Dyupleya syndrome, "frozen shoulder"), the only restriction is manifested by sharp movements in the shoulder joint (especially the lead institution and back - a symptom of "back pocket"). In severe forms glenohumeral periartropatii can only pendulum movement in the joint, there is a strong local pain in the shoulder adductors under acromion, in the shoulder and shoulder bags. The beginning may be a minor shoulder injury. When involved in a defeat not only the muscle, but the level of developing bone syndrome shoulder-hand syndrome (Steynbronera). For this syndrome is characterized by pain, weakness, stiffness, swelling of the hands, worse at night, falling off after a workout. Leather wrist swollen, smooth, tight, pale-bluish, cool to the touch.

By reflex cervical degenerative disc disease syndromes related syndrome anterior scalene muscle, which connects the transverse processes of the middle and lower cervical vertebrae to the first rib. The syndrome of the anterior scalene muscle pain extends to the main perednenaruzhnoy the neck and radiating to the shoulder and hand.

In the thoracic region:
torakalgii - pain syndromes with localization in the interscapular region, aggravated by straightening the body, a sense of dyspnea. With the defeat of osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine may experience pain in the anterior chest wall (a symptom of anterior chest wall) that mimic heart pain.

In the lumbosacral spine:

Reflex syndromes of lumbar:

Lumbago (acute lumbar backache). The pain is accompanied by tonic, voltage protection of the lumbar muscles, the occurrence constraint poses - antalgic (analgesic) scoliosis.

Lumbodynia - chronic pain. For lumbalgia characteristic blunt aching pain in the lower back.

Lumbar ischialgia seen back pain radiating to the leg.

Epikonusa compression - a severe complication of osteoarthritis, which affects so-called horsetail roots below the level of the end of the spinal cord in the spinal canal. State manifests itself - paresis (abnormal relaxation) and gluteal muscles of the foot, there are pelvic disorders by type of delay (in the acute period) and then incontinence (in the subacute stage).

With the defeat of the cauda equina at the L4-L5, L5-S1, occur as a result of compression in response to the pressure of the median herniation, often suffer roots level L5 and S1.

Piriformis syndrome. One of the reflex muscular-tonic syndromes of osteoarthritis is the piriformis muscle spasm. In this case, the sciatic nerve is pinched in her column. The clinical picture of piriformis syndrome associated with compression of the nerve, and is characterized by a sharp pain in podyagodichnoy zone spread over the back of the leg.

SPECIFIC DISEASE OF CERVICAL SPINE
Should recognize the upper two cervical vertebrae (the atlas and Axis) and their connection to the occipital bone (Atlanto-occipital joint). At this point, the neck has a large rotational mobility than the spine as a whole, in addition to the joints and gaps between the first two cervical vertebrae no intervertebral discs.

The neck from the back can also be blocked by spastic muscle block.

The second feature of the cervical spine is the presence of the vertebral artery, which runs in the transverse processes of the vertebrae and supplies blood brain stem. When it dysfunction or clamped in the cervical spine there is a large range of different symptoms vertebrobasilar insufficiency, which tend to dizziness, headaches, loss of balance, disorders of blood pressure, etc. etc.

As the blood supply of the brain via the two internal carotid arteries and the two vertebral arteries, the lack of blood supply to the brain in the clamped vertebral artery gives a general lack of oxygen for the brain as a whole. In some cases we have seen fainting and loss of consciousness for extensions of the cervical spine with zakidyvaniem head back.
Vertebral artery problems often become the basis for the development of vascular dystonia. Italics indicate right vertebral artery.

Therefore, manipulation of the cervical spine require special care and respect. Traction therapy is conducted accurately and without forcing may be wonder drug that radically improve the state of the patient and will hinder the further development of pathology.

HERNIATED DISKS

Preamble: Now a downright epidemic of hernias. The main reason for such a large number of diagnoses has been the development of magnetic resonance imaging. Before it appeared normal spine x-rays allow the suspected problem, but a definitive diagnosis can be made ​​only after conducting airmyelography. This complex type of survey required almost a week of hospitalization, as by spinal puncture in the spinal canal was injected air, which created rentegnokntrastnost (cartilage itself is transparent to X-rays and therefore not visible). Bedridden for a long time, until the introduction of air or dissolve. Such a complex survey was quite dangerous, painful, and was done in only a small number of cases. MRI is available and painless, so many people were able to learn more about his spine.

The development is the result of a long protrusion of improper pressure on the intervertebral disc, which is the result of a defect in posture, congenital spine or changing the geometry of the disease process. In this case, the protective muscle spasm increasingly overburdened suffering disc which results in compression of blood vessels and nerve fibers and trophic begins disc degeneration, which leads to cracking of the fibrous ring and the expulsion of glandular cushion core drive the crack.
Shifting the ferrous core disk to the more changes the direction of the power load on the disk and reduces the possibility of depreciation and ability to participate in the common effort to ensure the spine flex. In case of changes in the bone substance vertebra, which can be caused by resorption of bone density, osteoporosis, vertebral hemangioma inside, etc. factors, there is another type of disc herniations - disc herniation Schmorl.
At the core of this glandular disc in response to compression is gradually introduced to the disk surface of the vertebral body. This type of hernia is less dangerous in the sense of root lesion and compression of the spinal cord, but can cause neurological symptoms. I must say that unfortunately, this type of hernia is rarely the sole, but is often accompanied by other manifestations of diseases of the spine.