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Strong back pain prevents you from living a normal life? It could be discopathy. Sometimes surgery is the only way to get rid of ailments. It is said that modern treatments are safe, do not leave scars and quickly get you back on your feet. But let’s think about it – how to avoid them?
The weight of the disc
Discopathy is a chronic disease of the spine, leading to pathological changes in the intervertebral discs. It most often attacks patients in the 30-50 age group. The intervertebral disc – otherwise known as a disc or disc – is made of a nucleus pulposus surrounded by the so-called fibrous ring, composed of collagen fibers. The shape and size of the discs vary depending on the spine. The height of the discs increases downwards and is greatest in the lumbar region. Sometimes – due to age or due to overloading of the spine – the nucleus pulposus is displaced or degenerated, which, by pressing on the ring, causes persistent pain, sensory disturbances, paresis, and even muscle atrophy. Lumbar discopathy leads to a very severe pain syndrome, which may be accompanied by foot paresis and bladder dysfunction. Cervical discopathy leads to severe limb pain syndrome, hand numbness, dizziness, limited mobility of the cervical spine and balance disorders. In more serious cases, it leads to limb paresis. A badly damaged disc can compress the nerve root, causing severe pain called sciatica.
Because that’s how it usually starts
The causes of discopathy can be found mainly in significant loads on the spine, most often associated with exhausting physical work and with the inability to lift, carry and carry large loads of over ten kilograms. The likelihood of discopathy is increased by an unhygienic lifestyle, obesity, lack of exercise and vibrations to which our spines are exposed during a long car ride! Discopathy can also be a consequence of an injury or injury. But it is not everything.
The disease mainly affects patients between the ages of 30 and 50. Patients suffering from osteoporosis and people living in constant stress, which causes a permanent increase in muscle tension, are also exposed to the disease. Congenital inclinations are also important, therefore, in the process of diagnosing discopathy, more and more attention is paid to the family history of diseases. What should worry us? As emphasized by the physiotherapist Andrzej Rudawski from the Columna Medica rehabilitation clinic: “Spinal pain complaints are an alarming signal, which prevent everyday physical activity, but also pains radiating to the lower limb, superficial sensation disturbances in the leg or muscle weakness in the lower limb, e.g. the heel cannot be detached from the ground when walking on the toes ».
Difficult to diagnose
Due to the multitude of symptoms, in order to confirm the occurrence of discopathy and determine its stage – diagnostics (after an interview with the patient), they recommend performing: X-ray of the spine in anteroposterior and lateral projection, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging of the spine. According to the physiotherapist, Andrzej Rudawski from the Columna Medica rehabilitation clinic, it is best to use magnetic resonance imaging for disc damage imaging, which most accurately presents soft tissues, shows the degree of disc damage and shows whether the damaged intervertebral disc (herniated disc) presses on the nerve roots of the spine.
A novelty on the Polish market is the Diers Formetric 4D device, which we can use at the Columna Medica Rehabilitation Clinic. The advanced technology of the device allows for the analysis of body posture and digital, three-dimensional reconstruction of the spine, as well as the analysis of the gait stereotype. The device enables precise body measurements without the use of X-rays, with the exclusion of side effects of irradiation. The device uses optical technology and digital data processing. Thanks to the “spinometric” module, the collected information creates a digital, three-dimensional image of the back, spine and pelvis. The results of the examination allow the therapist to make an accurate functional diagnosis and allow for the selection and implementation of the best, individual therapy.
– Thanks to Diers 4D, we can find answers to many questions, for example: is the patient suffering from oblique position of the pelvis or scoliosis of the spine, or whether both feet are evenly loaded. The analysis of body posture parameters allows the discovery of mechanisms damaging the disc, intervertebral joints or overloading the muscles – reports Andrzej Rudawski, MA.
Hands that heal
Treatment of discopathy depends on the stage of development of the disease. In 90 percent. of diagnosed cases, referral to rehabilitation and physiotherapy is sufficient. Conservative treatment, in the first place, is offered to all those patients who do not break the continuity of the fibrous ring, regardless of the degree of its damage. In addition, in the case of less advanced discopathy, mild pharmacological treatment is also used, eliminating back pain and bringing the patient a clear relief. One of the internationally recognized methods of physiotherapy is manual therapy, which is highly effective. As Josef Hesslinger, a physiotherapist specializing in Manual Therapy (MT) and Orthopedic Manual Therapy (OMT) at Columna Medica, emphasizes: “Manual therapy can bring excellent results for a variety of musculoskeletal disorders. Importantly, it is highly effective in the treatment of the spine. However, much attention should be paid to the reputation of the facility and the experience of the specialist with whom we are looking for help. Healing actions, especially those within the spine, require great precision because there are many delicate structures located in its vicinity ». The therapy offered by Columna Medica is comprehensive. It is complemented by thermal treatments, peat wraps, therapeutic massages, electrotherapy and exercises in the swimming pool. The combination of these elements in the rehabilitation of the patient allows you to achieve the best
the effectiveness of the treatment.
Take the baton
A lot depends on you – to change your lifestyle, take up regular physical activity, give up work that strain your spine, diet and use massages that reduce muscle tension in the area of pathologically changed discs. It is important that the exercises recommended by the therapist to maintain the effect of the therapy and prevent recurrence of ailments are performed correctly at home. Only then will they consolidate the effects achieved during the therapy. The introduction of activity improves the supply of blood, and therefore also oxygen and other nutrients, to all tissues around the spine. This results in better nourishment of the discs, creating more favorable conditions for the performance of the functions for which they are responsible. The ability to adopt the correct body position plays a huge role in therapy. Let’s sleep comfortably on a well-chosen mattress. It is also important to hydrate the body properly. Let’s drink a lot, but not coffee, tea, sweet drinks, only mineral water. It is also worth taking advantage of therapeutic baths with the addition of Zabłocka iodine-bromine thermal salt. Just add it to the bathtub and enjoy its healing effects.