Symptoms of osteochondrosis

The symptoms of osteochondrosis are characterized by back pain, which is usually resistant to treatment, i.e. it is difficult to control with painkillers. It is also typical that the pain is not only present in certain movements or positions, but is present in standing, walking and lying. This means that the pain does not improve either by resting or by strain.

The specific symptomatology depends on which spinal section is affected. In comparison to the cervical and lumbar spine, osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine usually causes only minor complaints, so that the diagnosis of osteochondrosis is made much later. Usually only when an increasing stiffening occurs due to the disease.

In some cases, a herniated disc can also be caused by osteochondrosis. A herniated disc causes a tear in the intervertebral disc so that the gelatinous core in the middle comes out of its socket and presses on the spinal nerves. Accordingly, a tingling or numbness in the arms or legs and further loss of function can also be secondary indications of osteochondrosis.

In an advanced stage of the disease, the spine becomes increasingly stiff, resulting in limited mobility of the affected segment. However, the advantage for the affected person is that the usually severe pain is reduced. This is because pain in osteochondrosis is caused by the newly formed bone fragments rubbing against each other.

However, if the spinal column stiffens, these fragments can rub less against each other and the pain is reduced. If osteochondrosis affects the lumbar spine (lumbar spine), which is the case in most cases, pain occurs in the lower back. The pain can radiate into the legs and sometimes into the toes.

The pain can become so severe that it results in a considerable restriction of movement. In some cases, the pain does not have to be permanent, but if the load is incorrectly applied, the pain can suddenly become very severe. Due to the pain, a relieving posture is often adopted, in which the pain is easier to bear.

As a consequence, however, accompanying complaints can often occur, such as tension, which can also be painful. If the cervical spine is affected by osteochondrosis, patients usually present themselves to the doctor with pain in the neck. Some patients also report that the pain radiates into the arms and even into the fingers.

Since muscle tension in the neck is often a reaction to the pain, this can in turn trigger headaches as a symptom in those affected. As the disease progresses, turning the head becomes increasingly difficult and is often only possible to a certain degree at some point. If at some point certain additional nerves are affected, a torticollis can develop.

The nerves can be affected in osteochondrosis, when the increasing ossification causes the spinal canal to narrow so that nerves are squeezed. In addition to the development of a torticollis, this can also lead to further neurological deficits such as paralysis.Osteochondrosis of the spine is divided into different stages on the basis of radiological imaging. These were named after their descriptor Michael T. Modic and divided into three stages.

Modic 1 involves inflammatory changes, a bone marrow edema.
In stage 2 according to Modic, the bone marrow, which normally forms blood, is replaced by fatty tissue; this is called fatty degeneration.
In the last stage, in Modic stage 3, sclerosis ultimately occurs, which corresponds to a hardening of connective tissue or bone tissue.