Lumbar spondylosis: symptoms, causes, severity

Lumbar spondylosis is a disease accompanied by degeneration of cartilage tissue.

This disorder results in damage to all joints, but the intervertebral disc is primarily affected.

If you have lower back pain, you should consult your doctor immediately. If this is not done, the pathology will lead to serious complications.

What is lumbar osteoarthritis?

This term refers to a disease that causes damage to the intervertebral disc. They are a gel-like substance located within a ring of fibers. The upper and lower parts of the disc are covered with thin cartilage tissue.

After a while, the gel-like mass loses moisture, becomes thinner and less elastic. Under the influence of load, deformation of cartilage tissue occurs. The consequence of these processes is the formation of a protrusion or hernia. The formation stimulates compression of the nerve roots, causing the disease.

Lumbar osteoarthritis is quite common and causes negative health consequences. With this disorder, compression of the sciatic nerve often occurs. As a result, there is a risk of severe pain.

Possible complications of the disease

If treatment for lumbar osteoarthritis is not started promptly, the disease will lead to dangerous health consequences. The disease can cause reactive spondylosis. It also causes the appearance of osteoarthritis in the knee or hip joints.

In women, damage to the lumbar vertebrae can cause complications during pregnancy. This is especially dangerous in the third trimester, which is characterized by large loads on the spine. In men, the degenerative process causes potency problems.

In addition, failure to provide adequate and timely treatment also causes the following consequences:

• sciatica;
• spinal deformity;
• loss of feeling in the limbs;
• vertebral instability;
• pathology of internal organs;
• radiculitis;
• Complete loss of motor activity.

Main symptoms and signs of lumbar osteoarthritis

Osteonecrosis is characterized by slow development. Usually the diagnosis is made in advanced situations, when severe manifestations are present. That is why it is so important to promptly identify signs of lumbar osteoarthritis. They include the following:

• Lower back pain. In the early stages of the disease, this symptom only appears after lifting weights. As the pathology progresses, the pain syndrome becomes unbearable.
• Reduced physical activity. This symptom is due to compression of nerve fibers. When bending or turning, an uncomfortable feeling spreads down the legs.
• Loss of feeling in the lower limbs. With the development of osteonecrosis of the lumbar spine, symptoms of numbness are caused by permanent damage to the nerve roots. This symptom repeats periodically. In this case, the patient feels burning, numbness, and tingling in the waist area and below.
• Reduces local skin temperature. It becomes pale, dry and mushy.
• Sweating too much.
• Spinal syndrome. This symptom appears in severe cases. People often experience sexual dysfunction and urination problems.

Causes of lumbar spondylosis

The appearance of osteoarthritis is due to increased load on the spine. Excessive pressure on the lower back causes breakdown of the cartilage structure. The risk of developing the disease increases under the influence of the following factors:

• Bad posture.
• No physical activity. Lack of physical activity leads to muscle weakness.
• Calcium metabolism disorder.
• Chronic deficiency of micro and macro factors. This may be due to a dietary disorder.
• Genetic predisposition.
• Hypothermia.
• Stress factor.
• Strength or extreme sports.
• Damage to the musculoskeletal system.
• Excessive weight.

What are the stages of the disease?

The disease develops gradually. Doctors distinguish the following stages of lumbar osteoarthritis:

• First, at this stage, there is tolerable pain in the lumbar region, which increases after exercise. This symptom indicates destructive processes in the disc. The person feels a burning and tingling sensation. Sometimes these symptoms spread to the buttocks.
• Second, at this stage the distance between the vertebrae decreases and the annulus fibrosus is destroyed. The person experiences intense pain. When moving, it will radiate to the hips, buttocks and legs. The affected area may feel cold or burning. During an attack, the patient is forced to lean in the opposite direction.
• Third, at this stage the annulus fibrosus is completely destroyed. Vertebral tissues are severely deformed. This causes the appearance of intervertebral hernia. With the development of osteoarthritis in the lumbar spine, constant and high-intensity pain will appear.
• The fourth is accompanied by abnormal development of the intervertebral disc and bone destruction. At this stage, cartilage tissue is greatly atrophied. This causes disruption of a person's motor activity and even causes disability.

When should you see a doctor?

If you feel discomfort in the lumbar region, you should immediately consult a doctor. For an accurate diagnosis, the specialist prescribes diagnostic tests. To do this, a survey and examination of the patient are performed. The doctor also prescribed X-rays and MRI scans.

To cope with pathology, complex therapy is used. It must solve the following problems:

• stop inflammation;
• strengthens muscle tissue of the legs;
• eliminate pain syndrome;
• improves metabolism and blood circulation;
• normalizes the functioning of the pelvic organs;
• Restore sensitivity.

The pathology is characterized by progression of pain. In the early stages, the use of painkillers in pill form is enough. In advanced situations, it cannot be done without injections.

Drug treatment includes the use of the following drugs:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They help deal with swelling and inflammation. Thanks to this, it is possible to eliminate compression of blood vessels and fibers and reduce pain. The most effective remedies include Diclofenac, Nimesil.
• Analgesic. They are prescribed during periods of exacerbation of the pathology, accompanied by severe pain. Such drugs have many side effects. Therefore, they must be prescribed by a doctor. Most often, Baralgin or Pentalgin are prescribed.
• Muscle relaxants. Such remedies help to cope with muscle spasms. This allows you to eliminate discomfort. This category includes Mydocalm, Sirdalud.
• Glucocorticosteroids. These are hormonal agents that help cope with inflammation and improve the function of the nervous system. Ambene is highly effective.

In addition to medication, the following treatments are used:

• Physical therapy. Perform special exercises that help strengthen muscles. This helps form correct posture, increase ligament flexibility and prevent complications of osteoarthritis. Gymnastics improves blood circulation, normalizes metabolism, increases the distance between the vertebrae and reduces the load on them.
• Manual therapy. It involves using individualized manual techniques to help control pain and improve posture. This type of treatment restores motor activity, normalizes blood flow, strengthens the immune system and activates metabolic processes.
• Massage. This procedure can have a relaxing or tonic effect on the body. With its help, it is possible to reduce the load on muscles, stimulate blood flow and activate lymphatic drainage. Massage also reduces pain and has a restorative effect.
• Physical therapy. For lumbar osteoarthritis, ultrasound, low-frequency current and magnetic fields are used. This helps to cope with pain, reduce inflammation and normalize blood circulation. Physiotherapy products stimulate the recovery process and increase the effectiveness of drugs.

Prevention of lumbar spondylosis

To avoid the occurrence of lumbar osteoarthritis, you should follow basic recommendations:

• avoid hypothermia in the lower back;
• controlled posture;
• exercise;
• change body position when performing monotonous work;
• refusal to lift heavy objects;
• Healthy food.

Lumbar osteoarthritis is a common disease that causes dangerous complications. To alleviate the symptoms of the disorder, it is necessary to consult a neurologist promptly. The doctor will conduct diagnostic tests and choose appropriate treatment.

How is treatment performed in a modern clinic?

Doctor's consultation: medical history, myelopathy diagnosis, functional diagnosis.

How is it?

Collection of anamnesis - analysis of the disease, identification of limitations and contraindications, explanation of the principles of exercise therapy, features of the recovery period.

Myofascial diagnosis is a manual diagnostic method in which the doctor evaluates the range of motion of the joint, determines pain tension, swelling, hypotonia or hypertonia of the muscles and other changes.

Functional diagnostics (performed in the rehabilitation room) - the doctor explains how to perform certain exercises on the device and observes: how the patient performs them, what range of motioncan be performed, what movements cause pain, how much weight the patient can bear working with how the cardiovascular system responds. Problem areas are identified. Data is entered into the card. The highlight is established.

Based on the results of the doctor's initial examination and functional diagnosis, a preliminary individual treatment program will be drawn up.

You should bring with you:

• for pain in the spine - MRI or CT (magnetic resonance or computed tomography) of the problem area;
• Joint pain treatment – X-ray;
• in case of comorbidities - extracted from medical history or outpatient card;
• Comfortable clothes and shoes (sports)

Lessons with instructors

At the beginning of the treatment cycle, the doctor and patient create a treatment plan, including treatment dates and times, and follow-up visits with the doctor (usually 2-3 times a week).

The basis of the treatment process is sessions in the rehabilitation room using a simulator and training sessions in the gym.

The rehabilitation simulator allows you to accurately quantify the load on each individual muscle group, providing the appropriate mode of physical activity. The treatment program is compiled by the doctor individually for each patient, taking into account the characteristics of the body. Supervision is carried out by qualified instructors. At all stages of recovery, it is important to adhere to correct movement and breathing techniques, know your weight standards when working on the exercise machine, adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen andFollow your specialist's recommendations.

Joint exercise sessions help restore visual coordination, improve joint mobility and elasticity (flexibility) of the spine and are an excellent preventive system to use on your own.

Each treatment cycle includes 12 sessions. Each lesson is supervised by an instructor. The duration of one treatment session is from 40 minutes to 1. 5 hours. The instructor develops a program that takes into account comorbidities and the patient's condition during the school day. Teach exercise technique and monitor correct execution. Every 6th session, a second consultation with the doctor is held, changes and additions to the program are made, depending on the dynamics.

How many cycles will it take? – exclusively for everyone

It is important to know:

• How long have you had this problem (stage of illness)
• How prepared is your body for physical activity (do you do gymnastics or any sports)

If the disease is in the early stages and the body is ready, then one treatment cycle is enough. (for example - young people 20-30 years old play sports. We focus their attention on the technique of performing exercises, breathing, stretching, excluding "wrong" exercises that are harmful to theproblem areas. Such patients must undergo training and receive "body care" skills, receive recommendations in case of exacerbation and continue self-education).

If the problem has been present for a long time, you don't exercise or have comorbidities then you will need another period of time:

• Reduce aggravating circumstances? One or two cycles are enough
• Rehabilitation, non-stop walking (climbing stairs), bending, performing certain tasks without exertion, long-term immobility when traveling, improve the condition in general. Three or more treatment cycles may be needed

Each organism is individual and the program for each patient is individual.