Symptoms
Characteristic of degenerative spinal diseases are persistent back pain that is difficult to control and a functional limitation of the spine. The complaints can be limited to the spinal column or radiate into the legs (lumbar spine) or arms (cervical spine). They may occur only during movement or stress or even at rest.
It is often difficult to give a specific name to a disease, since the above-mentioned diseases often occur together and it is not possible to clarify exactly which complaints can be attributed to which morphological changes. Therefore, one often speaks of a degenerative cervical spine syndrome or degenerative lumbar spine syndrome, which is supposed to describe the symptom complex of degenerative spinal diseases. The characteristics of the individual diseases mentioned above are listed separately. Please follow the corresponding links.
Therapy
The therapy of degenerative spinal diseases is largely conservative. Mostly older people are affected, some of whom have severe pre-existing internal diseases, to which extensive surgical measures are no longer required. Surgical therapy measures can help in cases of severe nerve damage, uncontrollable, disabling pain and circumscribed disease findings.
Since there is no causal therapy for an advanced degenerative spinal disease, pain and physiotherapy is the main focus of treatment. This includes:
- Medication-based pain therapy (NSAIDs, opiates etc. )
- Pain Patch
- Physical pain therapy (current therapy, ultrasound, heat etc.
)
- Infiltration therapy (nerve blocks, periradicular therapy, trigger point infiltrations)
- Mobilising, stabilising physiotherapy
- Back school
- Naturopathy: Arthrosis and homeopathy (see: Homeopathic remedies for cervical spine syndrome)
Surgical treatment options include The surgical therapy options are discussed under the individual clinical pictures. Follow the links.
- Spinal canal decompressions (removal of ossifications and disturbing soft tissue)
- Intervertebral disc surgery (microdiscectomy, IDET)
- Stiffening operations (spondylodesis)
- Intervertebral disc prosthesis
- Sclerotherapy, e.g. of small vertebral joints (sclerotherapy/proliferation/denervation therapy)
- Racz catheter
