Dorsalgia in degenerative diseases of the spine

Author

: Grachev Ilya Illarionovich
Editor
: Efremov Mikhail Mikhailovich

Date of publication: 05.13.2014 Date of update: 12.11.2020

There is no universal definition for such a phenomenon as dorsalgia. This term refers to any back pain of nonspecific origin, regardless of the nature and accompanying symptoms. The disease involves benign changes.

Like any ailment associated with the spine, dorsalgia can appear at almost any age. People who have jobs that involve constant physical activity or athletes may be especially susceptible to this phenomenon. The disease can also occur as a result of a back injury.

Any type of dorsalgia has serious complications, so you should not delay treatment.
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Causes of dorsalgia

All currently known causes of dorsalgia are quite numerous. They can be associated both with direct problems with the spine and signal the presence of other ailments, for example, internal organs. The main factors for the occurrence of the disease are:

• Staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time,
• Muscle strain, physical overload,
• Depression, severe stress,
• Injuries, diseases of internal organs,
• Pathological changes in the spine (with vertebrogenic form),
• Hypothermia and drafts can also cause dorsalgia.

Dorsalgia of the cervical region

With cervical dorsalgia, compression of the roots, compression of blood vessels, compression of the spinal cord may occur, and may be accompanied by mixed paresis of the arms. The patient complains of pain in the neck, upper shoulder, posterior surface of the shoulder, scapula, and hypotension of the shoulder muscles. The pain can be shooting or chronic. Cervical dorsalgia does not cause sensory impairment. The causes of this type of dorsalgia can be various factors, among them: osteochondrosis, microtrauma of joints and tendons.

Types of dorsalgia

Characteristics of dorsalgia and its types

Depending on the cause of its occurrence, dorsalgia is divided into:

• vertebrogenic - occurs due to pathological changes in the components of the spine, which are accompanied by an inflammatory process, are a consequence of trauma to the spinal column, or are neoplastic in nature (malignant tumors);
• nonvertebrogenic – occurs against the background of muscle strains, prolonged stress and other psychogenic factors, as a result of muscle spasms and prolonged tension in the back muscles.

Depending on the causes of dorsalgia, the pain syndrome can be vertebrogenic and non-vertebrogenic

Based on the location of painful sensations, the following types of pain syndrome are determined::

• cervicalgia – pain in the cervical spine;
• Thoracalgia – pain in the thoracic spine;
• lumbodynia - pain in the lumbar spine.

Dorsalgia can be combined and simultaneously affect two or three parts of the spine.

Symptoms of dorsalgia

All existing symptoms of dorsalgia are associated with painful sensations in the back, which last for 2-3 weeks and may periodically intensify. Classic symptoms in this case include:

• Feeling of painful discomfort in the spine area.
• Mild pain that worsens during movement or with deep breathing, coughing, sneezing.
• Often, a painful sensation appears after a sudden movement or after physical activity, and then suddenly goes away.

What is POSSIBLE for diseases of the spine

What NOT to do for spinal diseases

Treatment

Bed rest is necessary only for acute radiating pain (for example, sciatica) and should not last more than 1-3 days, as this avoids the progression of a decrease in physical activity and the appearance of pathological behavioral dominants. With all nonspecific myofascial pain, lack of physical activity will have a devastating physiological effect, leading to muscle and other soft tissue wasting, joint hypomobility, decreased muscle strength, and bone demineralization. Therefore, bed rest is generally not recommended. Patients are advised to maintain normal physical activity as much as possible. Bed rest leads to the patient developing a fear of movement and the formation of a pathological behavioral cycle.

Drug treatment is often prescribed for dorsalgia and, moreover, long-term unreasonable prescription of NSAIDs is carried out, which not only do not have a pathogenetic effect, but also cause a lot of side effects. The use of NSAIDs is justified for acute pain and for a short period of time. For dorsalgia (nonspecific pain), central muscle relaxants are also prescribed to relieve muscle spasm. If we are talking about chronic pain syndrome, the prescription of antidepressants is justified, since in chronic pain syndrome the central link of pain sensations is in the foreground. Strong analgesics such as opioids are indicated for pain caused by spinal cancer or serious degenerative changes.

Blockades with the introduction of local anesthetics and steroids are quite effective if there are clear indications for their use (for example, blockades in the area of ​​trigger points or paravertebral blockades).

For dorsalgia, non-drug treatment methods, such as physiotherapy, massage, manual therapy and exercise therapy, have become widely used. The use of a complex of these treatment methods often allows one to achieve good results (stable remission).

Treatment methods

Before starting treatment for dorsalgia, it is necessary to find out the exact causes of the disease. For this purpose, the oriental medicine clinic uses muscle and meridian pulse diagnostics, as well as palpation. Then a course of treatment is prescribed, consisting of practice-tested methods of oriental therapy, which are the most effective and truly effective:

1. Acupuncture helps eliminate pain and inflammation, eliminate muscle spasms, and relieve swelling.
2. Acupressure stimulates complete relaxation of muscle tissue, improved blood circulation, and tissue nutrition. Massage also activates the body's recovery process.
3. Manual therapy, in which the disease is treated by stretching the spine, reduces pressure on the intervertebral discs, improves the outflow and flow of blood to the spine. Manual therapy helps release pinched nerves and blood vessels.
4. Pharmacopuncture, thanks to microinjections of homeopathic remedies, affects biologically active points on the body, promoting accelerated recovery of the patient.
5. Hirudotherapy practices the treatment of sore muscles using leeches.
6. PRP therapy is the newest way to stimulate recovery processes. It is used to restore the functions of various organs after diseases and injuries, including to restore the function of the musculoskeletal system during dorsalgia.

We combine proven techniques of the East and innovative methods of Western medicine.
Read more about our unique method of treating dorsalgia

Treatment of dorsalgia at the Paramita clinic

The specialists of our clinic will very quickly help eliminate all painful sensations and provide comprehensive treatment for dorsalgia based on traditional and modern methods of oriental therapy. Procedures are selected individually after a thorough examination of the patient, taking into account the specifics of his disease.

We try not to use surgery or medications. Unique methods of oriental therapy, as well as many years of experience and high qualifications of our doctors will help you forget about diseases such as dorsalgia, as well as general problems with the spine, for a long time.

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Proper nutrition for dorsalgia

Nutrition is a very important factor in the prevention of dorsalgia, since it is the lack of substances necessary for bone and muscle tissue that can become the impetus for the development of negative processes in the body. Basic rules of dietary nutrition:

• Limit salt intake into the body.
• Introduce restrictions on the consumption of smoked and fatty foods.
• Eat meat no more than 2 times a week, if possible replace it with seafood and fish.
• It is recommended to eat jellied meat, jelly, and broths.
• The basis of the diet consists of vegetables and herbs.
• Be sure to include dairy products and eggs in your dishes.

Treatment of dorsalgia and prognosis for recovery

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Next fact

If a patient has acute back pain, treatment of dorsalgia must be comprehensive. Then the patient is prescribed drug therapy and is recommended to visit a physiotherapy room and exercise therapy room. In some cases, surgery may become necessary.

Drug therapy for dorsalgia involves the use of the following groups of drugs:

Attention! Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are not recommended for use for treatment longer than 5-7 days. Drugs in this group can cause complications, in particular diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

It is recommended to visit the physiotherapy office after the symptoms of dorsalgia subside - the pain syndrome disappears, tissue swelling disappears, and the inflammatory process decreases.

Physiotherapy for dorsalgia involves the use of the following treatment methods:

• apitherapy (use of bee venom and bee products in treatment);
• acupuncture;
• magnetic therapy;
• manual therapy;
• electrophoresis.

In most cases, massage and manual therapy are used to treat back pain. Manual therapy . But massage should only be performed by a qualified specialist.

During the massage, the chiropractor acts on the deep subcutaneous layers, improving blood circulation in the muscular corset of the back and returning displaced elements of the spinal column to their places.

Exercise therapy is also effective for the treatment of dorsalgia . A set of exercises is selected by a physical therapy instructor individually for each patient, taking into account the cause of back pain.

It is recommended to exercise under the supervision of a specialist so as not to worsen your health through improper exercise or excessive stress on the back.

Surgical intervention is used extremely rarely - in cases where complex therapy does not give a positive result. In some cases, vertebroplasty is used - a gentle surgical method that allows you to strengthen the elements of the spinal column percutaneously, using special equipment and medical cement.

At home, only exercise therapy can be used to treat dorsalgia. Other methods are cold or hot compresses, wrapping, heating, tinctures, etc. can only worsen your health if the exact cause of the pain is not established.

In 90% of cases, dorsalgia and the underlying disease that caused the pain syndrome are successfully treated . In 5% of cases, back pain can be accompanied by complications and treatment can take about 3 months. In only 2% of cases, surgery may be necessary to treat dorsalgia.

Video: “Exercises for the spine for osteochondrosis”

Therapeutic exercises for dorsalgia

To consolidate the effect of treatment, it is necessary to perform a set of simple exercises daily to maintain and strengthen the muscle corset:

• Spread your arms to the sides. Loosen them a little at the elbows for complete relaxation. Slowly move your arms forward, while tilting the entire shoulder area (about 10 times).
• Lying on your back, bend your knees, then straighten them. Slowly move your legs to the sides, perform circular movements.
• Perform circular movements with your head, first clockwise and then counterclockwise.