Osteochondrosis

10 November 2026

This disease usually refers to systemic dystrophic disorders of the articular cartilage, manifesting in the area between the vertebrae.According to the location of the problem, cervical, thoracic and lumbar types of the disease are distinguished.

What is osteochondrosis?

Osteochondrosis is a complex problem and cannot be cured quickly.The cause of the problem is considered to be a sedentary lifestyle, which contributes to the initiation of negative processes in the cartilage of the joints.Remember that as the human body grows, a powerful vascular bed with diffuse nutrition forms in the intervertebral discs.Any negative conditions and processes worsen the nutrition of the vascular bed and form a number of factors that aggravate the development of pathology.

Physiological factors contributing to the formation of osteochondrosis include poor nutrition, increased stress on the back and its injuries, constant unusual postures, flat feet and obesity.

Symptoms

The symptoms of osteochondrosis look like this:

Pain and numbness in the legs/arms, severe back pain.
Significant increase in pain during physical activity and even coughing.
Antispasmodic state of the ray muscles, decreased motor activity.
Other typical systemic manifestations of injury to a specific area of the spine.

Main reasons

Age-related degenerative changes.
Genetic and hereditary predispositions.
Heavy weight.
Poor nutrition.
Infectious and intoxicating injuries.
Metabolic imbalance.
Sedentary lifestyle.
Traumatic syndromes in the spine.
Overload of the spinal system due to active training, heavy lifting, incorrect posture, pregnancy, wearing uncomfortable shoes.
Severe stress, neuralgic tension, smoking.
Poor environmental conditions for permanent residence.
Skeletal instability, flat feet.

Main types

The main types of osteochondrosis include:

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine

Pathological transformations in the discs between the vertebrae of the cervical spine, more precisely in its upper third.Most often caused by incorrect posture, metabolic disorders, weak muscular skeleton and poor lifestyle in general.The patient feels pain in the shoulders and arms and periodically suffers from migraines.He almost always has the so-called “vertebral artery syndrome”, caused by his spasmodic reactions to compression - throbbing headache, dizziness, flickering of optical defects before the eyes, numbness in the hands.

Thoracic osteochondrosis

Pathological condition located in the second third of the spine.Practical ones are always accompanied by concomitant syndromes - dull pain and discomfort in the thoracic region of the spine, aggravated by flexion of the trunk or deep breathing, as well as sudden attacks in the affected part of the spine, severe deterioration in the quality of breathing due to pain, as well as its transmission to the chest, neck and lumbar region.This problem often induces pathologies in other organs - heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas.Read more about thoracic osteochondrosis.

Lumbosacral osteochondrosis

In this case, there is a pain syndrome in the specified area with “lumbago” in the accompanying sections, numbness in the legs, negative manifestations in the vascular system and calves.Symptoms intensify with upright position, bending over and intense coughing.This type of osteochondrosis causes muscle weakness, pain and pathology of the pelvic organs, severe inflammation of the sacrum and lower back.

Prevention

It is advisable to prevent osteochondrosis from an early age, especially if the person has a hereditary predisposition to this disease.

Main points:

Therapeutic exercise.
Swimming.
Self-massage of a potentially problem area.
Compliance with recommendations for normalizing posture.
Relieving tension in the specified area.
Morning exercises.
Weight normalization and proper nutrition.

Treatment of osteochondrosis

The treatment of osteochondrosis, regardless of the stage, is complex.

Drug treatment

The main direction of drug therapy is to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of the problem and enhance the positive effects of other procedures.Local and systemic preparations not only eliminate pain, but also improve blood circulation, relieve inflammation, partially restore problematic cartilaginous tissue, and relax muscle complexes.

Pills.Painkillers in the form of analgesics and NSAIDs.Medicines that restore cartilaginous tissue are also prescribed.
Local external remedies.Most often these are ointments and creams.The most popular for osteochondrosis are steroid hormonal drugs based on prednisolone or hydrocortisone, complex gels.
Injections.Injections for osteochondrosis are usually used in the acute phase of the disease, when classic tablets and local forms of drugs do not have the desired effect on the body.The vast majority of injections are aimed at eliminating very intense pain syndromes.The classic scheme of use is a special block with the introduction of anesthetic subcutaneously and then intramuscularly in the region of the spinal nerves.These injections can only be performed in a hospital setting.

Exercises (physiotherapy)

Therapeutic gymnastics is an important stage in the fight against osteochondrosis.Exercise therapy is prescribed exclusively by the attending physician, taking into account the specifics of the disease and the current state of the patient, usually in the remission phase of the problem.

The main purpose of such exercises is to strengthen the back muscles and develop damaged cartilaginous components of the joints.Exercise therapy uses several techniques, but one of the most popular is considered to be a scheme of two dozen exercises according to the best therapist known in the past.The complex usually includes general strengthening exercises, targeted treatment measures for problem areas, as well as “beacon” exercises that allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.The exact list of actions, their sequence, quantity and other initial data are personally provided to the patient by the attending physician!

Massage for osteochondrosis

Massage procedures for osteochondrosis significantly alleviate the unpleasant symptoms of the disease and at the same time help to overcome the problem in combination with other measures.

Individual elements of massage and approaches to its implementation may differ depending on the location of osteochondrosis, its course, the presence of chronic diseases in the patient, etc., that is, it is prescribed individually based on the current clinical picture.

The most used are classic therapeutic massages, acupressure, connective, hardware and cupping.The above measures are aimed at improving lymphatic/blood circulation, normalizing the nutrition of spinal discs, relieving pain syndromes, launching special fibers, relaxing muscle mass, restoring nutrition to soft tissues, etc.

The use of massage for osteochondrosis should be abandoned if the patient has aneurysms, tumors, thrombosis, osteomyelitis, blood diseases, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, problems with the pelvic organs with osteochondrosis of the waist, various skin manifestations of a massive nature in the form of warts, herpetic lesions.

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine has been effectively treating osteochondrosis for centuries, usually with compresses and oral tinctures.