Introduction
Osteochondrosis is a degenerative disease of the spine, which usually occurs in the second half of life. The disease ultimately leads to increasing ossification of the spinal column. This process is triggered by severe wear and tear or strain on the intervertebral discs.
In the first step, overloading of the spinal column, for example through a long sitting job or heavy physical work, leads to compression of the intervertebral discs. Normally, regeneration of the intervertebral discs occurs mainly at night. The intervertebral discs store more water again and can resume their function as “dampers” the next day.
However, if it is a chronic process or if the intervertebral discs are permanently exposed to this load, this regeneration will eventually fail to occur, so that the intervertebral discs remain in a compressed state and the disc height remains reduced. The shock absorbing function of the intervertebral disc to the adjacent vertebral body decreases, resulting in greater pressure. In response to this increased pressure, the body forms bone outgrowths (osteophytes) to distribute the pressure over a larger area.
These bone outgrowths ultimately cause the spinal pain associated with osteochondrosis. If these bones rub against each other or if the new bone appendage rubs against a vertebra bone (simplified: rubs bone against bone), pain occurs. In the further course of the disease, the ossification can lead to a stiffening of the affected section of the spinal column, so that the affected person not only feels pain, but is also restricted in his or her mobility.
In osteochondrosis one can practically speak of ossification of the intervertebral discs. Osteochondrosis usually does not affect the entire spinal column. It can occur in isolation or in combination in the cervical, thoracic or lumbar spine.
However, the cervical and lumbar spine are much more frequently affected than the more immobile thoracic spine. The lumbar spine is most frequently affected, as it is the one that is most stressed. Which part of the spinal column is affected also depends on the type of load applied.
There are various forms of osteochondrosis, firstly osteochondrosis intervertrebalis, which will be the main focus of this article, and secondly osteochondrosis dissecans, Scheuermann’s disease and Perthes disease. A short digression on osteochondrosis dissecans: In contrast to the already described osteochondrosis of the spine, osteochondrosis dissecans usually occurs as a result of trauma, such as sports accidents. The trauma causes an inflammation in the bone, which leads to a decomposition of the bone tissue.
Osteochondrosis dissecans usually occurs in the knee. In a healthy body, heavy strain on a joint leads to increased formation of cartilage, from which secondary bone then develops. In the case of osteochondrosis dissecans, however, no secondary bone tissue can develop, resulting in a thickened cartilage layer. However, cartilage is not supplied with blood, so that the deep cartilage layers ultimately die and a rejection reaction of part of the joint surface can occur. The disease is accompanied by severe pain.
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