Osteochondrosis

10 November 2026

This disease usually refers to systemic dystrophic disorders of the articular cartilage, which manifest in the area between the vertebrae.Cervical, thoracic and lumbar types of the disease are distinguished according to the localization of this problem.

What is osteochondrosis?

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

Physiological factors that contribute to the development of osteochondrosis include poor nutrition, increased stress on the back and its injuries, constant abnormal posture, flat feet and obesity.

Symptoms

Symptoms of osteochondrosis look like this:

Pain and numbness in legs/arms, severe back pain.
Significant intensification of pain during physical activity and even coughing.
Antispasmodic state of the muscles of the arms, reduced movement activity.
Other systemic manifestations typical in case of damage to a certain area of the spine.

The main reasons

Age-related degenerative changes.
Genetic and hereditary predispositions.
Heavy weight.
Poor nutrition.
Infectious and intoxicating lesions.
Metabolic imbalance.
Sedentary lifestyle.
Traumatic syndromes in the spine.
Overloading of the spinal system due to active training, heavy lifting, incorrect posture, pregnancy, wearing uncomfortable shoes.
Severe stress, neuralgic overexertion, smoking.
Bad 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 in the cervical spine, more precisely in its upper third.Most often caused by incorrect posture, metabolic disorders, weak muscle skeleton and bad lifestyle in general.The patient feels pain in the shoulders and arms and periodically suffers from migraines.It almost always has the so-called "vertebral artery syndrome", caused by its spasmodic reactions to compression - throbbing headache, dizziness, flickering of optical defects before the eyes, numbness in the hands.

Thoracic osteochondrosis

A pathological condition localized in the second third of the spine.Practically, they are always accompanied by accompanying syndromes - blurred pain and discomfort in the thoracic part of the spine, increased trunk bending or deep breathing, as well as sudden attacks in the affected part of the spine, serious deterioration of the quality of breathing due to the transmission of pain to the neck and lower part of the spine, as well as to the lower back.Often this problem causes pathologies in other organs - heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas.Read more about thoracic osteochondrosis.

Lumbosacral osteochondrosis

In this case, there is a syndrome of pain in the mentioned area with "lumbago" in the accompanying parts, numbness of the legs, negative manifestations in the vascular system and calves.Symptoms are intensified by upright posture, bending and strong coughing.This type of osteochondrosis causes muscle weakness, pain and pathologies of the pelvic organs, severe inflammation of the sacrum and lower back.

Prevention

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

Main points:

Therapeutic exercise.
Swimming.
Self-massage of a potentially problematic area.
Compliance with recommendations for normalization of posture.
Releasing tension in the specified area.
Morning exercises.
Normalization of body weight and proper nutrition.

Treatment of osteochondrosis

Treatment of osteochondrosis, regardless of its 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 remove pain, but also improve blood circulation, relieve inflammation, partially restore problematic cartilage tissue and relax muscle complexes.

Pills.Painkillers in the form of analgesics and NSAIDs.Medications that restore cartilage 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 most often used in the acute phase of the disease, when classic tableted and local forms of drugs do not have the desired effect on the body.The vast majority of injections are aimed at eliminating very severe pain syndromes.The classic scheme of use is a special blockade with the introduction of anesthetic subcutaneously and then intramuscularly in the area of the spinal nerves.Such injections can only be performed in a hospital setting.

Exercises (physical therapy)

Therapeutic gymnastics is an important stage in the fight against osteochondrosis.Physical therapy is prescribed exclusively by a doctor, taking into account the specifics of the disease and the patient's current condition, most often in the remission phase of the problem.

The main goal of such exercises is to strengthen the back muscles and develop the damaged cartilaginous components of the joints.Exercise therapy uses various techniques, and one of the most popular is the 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 "lighthouse" exercises that allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.The exact list of actions, their order, amount and other initial data is given to the patient by the doctor himself!

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 application may differ depending on the localization 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.

Classic therapeutic, acupressure, binding, hardware and cupping massages are most often used.The stated measures are aimed at improving lymph/blood circulation, normalizing the nutrition of the spinal discs, alleviating pain syndromes, starting special fibers, relaxing the muscle mass, restoring the nutrition of soft tissues, etc.

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

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine has effectively treated osteochondrosis for centuries, most often with poultices and oral tinctures.