Spondylarthrosis of the lumbar spine is called chronic spinal column disease, the development of which is associated with thinning and displacement of intervertebral discs.
Due to changes in the discs, there is an increase in pressure on the facet joints, hyaline cartilage ceases to be elastic, as a result of which bone formations appear on articular processes - osteophytes. Such outgrowths can significantly limit the mobility of the vertebral column.
When the disease is at a neglected stage, reactive inflammation of the joint can develop, which is extremely dangerous, since in the end the spine may completely lose its mobility.
Content
- 1Causes of the disease and risk group
- 2Symptoms and Diagnosis
- 3Medication
- 4Conservative treatment
- 5Traditional methods of treatment
- 6Surgery
Causes of the disease and risk group
Most often, such a disease occurs in elderly patients, only 10% of cases can be diagnosed to young people, whose age is approximately 20 to 35 years.
The main causes that cause lumbar spondylarthrosis:
- trauma of the spine;
- low physical activity;
- congenital anomalies;
- degenerative lesions of intervertebral discs that develop during osteochondrosis;
- constant presence in the sitting position;
- hypermobility or instability of vertebrae;
- metabolic disease.
In addition, the following predisposing and aggravating factors distinguish:
- profession (increased load on the back or incorrect posture);
- disturbances in the formation of vertebral arches;
- constant sports loads for a long time;
- sex (such a disease can often be found in females);
- overweight;
- sacralization (fusion of the fifth lumbar and sacrum);
- violations that occur due to the fusion of arches and vertebral bodies;
- lumbarization (when an additional sixth vertebra is formed at the expense of the first sacral in the lumbar region);
- violations of articular tropism (arcuate joints are located asymmetrically).
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Among the symptoms of spondylarthrosis of the lumbar spine, pain in the spine is most often noted, which eventually becomes chronic and often occurs.
Such a pain is able to restrain the movement of a person, for example, during inclines back or forward, with turns, long walking, and also with a long time in one position.
Pain with spondyloarthrosis can give in the leg, shin or buttock.
Pain sensations in spondylarthrosis are characterized as aching, they are localized in the lowest part of the back.Such a pain can cause a person to have a prolonged incapacity and even completely deprive him of mobility.
This is due to the fact that the joints have a sufficiently large number of nerve endings that send pain signals to the brain, which leads to a spasm in the muscles.
Spondylarthrosis is diagnosed with MRI, computed tomography and X-ray.After reviewing the results, the attending physician will prescribe an individual treatment, which will depend on the stage at which the disease is located.
Medication
Of great importance in the treatment of lumbar spondylarthrosis are chondroprotectors, which include chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate. Such drugs stimulate the regeneration of cartilage, not allowing them to break down further.
To relieve pain and reduce inflammatory reactions, use non-steroidal inflammatory drugs. If they prove to be ineffective, then steroid hormones and analgesic mixtures are prescribed, which have a more pronounced analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect.
Sometimes drug therapy is supplemented with muscle relaxants, as with this disease, pain can also appear due to muscle spasm.
To improve the trophism of affected tissues, B vitamins and vascular preparations are prescribed. For distracting therapy, warming ointments are used.
Conservative treatment
Among the non-medicinal ways of treating this disease are:
- massage;
- spinal traction;
- acupuncture;
- manual therapy;
- swimming.
If due to the state of health or the age criterion, physical activities can not be carried out, and if some medicines are contraindicated, prescribe a physiotherapy course of treatment (electrophoresis, magnetotherapy), which can reduce pain and preserve functionality the spine.
Massage of the lumbar region and the muscles of the back contributes to the fact that the blood supply of tissues improves, the muscle tone is normalized. If the disease has radicular syndrome, then it is necessary to massage the affected limbs.
A great influence on the process of recovery in spondyloarthrosis is therapeutic exercise. It helps to reduce pain, muscle tone stabilizes, the back mobility becomes better.
Any exercise in spondyloarthrosis should start with a warm-up, gradually moving to more complex ones.
The starting position is chosen for each specific case, proceeding from the features of the course of the disease. It is best to perform exercises lying down or sitting. The standing position is not recommended, since this increases the load on the affected spine.
All movements should be slow and smooth. If pain occurs during exercise, then stop immediately.
Traditional methods of treatment
Folk remedies are able to supplement the basic treatment to help accelerate recovery and get rid of pain.
As external means are often used medicinal herbs, which contain essential oils. Among them you can note pepper plaster, tincture of capsicum, ointment efkamon.
When the disease is in acute form, a good effect can be a massage with warming ointments, honey, and cans. Use them in the focus of the inflammatory process, capturing nearby zones.
Those who are ill with spondyloarthrosis of the lumbar region are constantly in pain, resulting in feelings of anxiety and bad sleep, and vegetative disorders.
In such cases, it is best to take soothing herbs, for example, infusions of peppermint, lavender, passionflower, and also the root of medicinal valerian. It will be better if the infusion will consist of two different plants at once.
Surgery
Such treatment is rarely used and in the most extreme cases, when tissue proliferation begins to put pressure on the nerve roots that are located nearby.
In modern medicine, the following types of minimally invasive surgical interventions are used in spondyloarthrosis:
- removal of damaged areas on which the growth of bone tissue appeared;
- installation of autologous and titanium implants, which replace damaged parts of intervertebral discs;
- The use of special expanders, increasing the gap between the vertebrae and allowing them to return to their natural position.
Spondylarthrosis of the lumbar spine is a disease characterized by the appearance of bone growths on the articular processes. For its treatment, medicamentous, conservative and folk methods are used. Very rarely such a disease needs surgical intervention.
