Symptoms and stages of a hernia of the lumbar spine

The spine is one of the most important parts of the human body. Throughout life, the spine is subjected to a load, and its structure gradually changes and its functioning is disrupted. Among the mass of diseases of the spine, hernias in the lumbar spine occupy 90%. This is due to the fact that this area accounts for most of the loads.

Most of the acquired defects of this organ are the result of wear of a certain area. The intervertebral discs are a fibrous ring in which the jelly-like nucleus is tightly fixed. Gradually, the ring loses its density, and microcracks strike it, which ultimately leads to the complete destruction of these important walls, and the core bursts, and disc herniations form.

This disease has several stages of development, and the degree of discomfort of the patient increases as the hernia grows. In the "neglected" state, this disease can lead to irreversible changes throughout the body, so it is important to know how to identify the violation that has appeared in the early stages.

There are 3 main stages in the development of this disease:

1. Painful symptoms of a hernia of the lumbar spine.
2. spinal syndrome.
3. Core reaction.

At each of these stages, the body gives different signals that you just need to pay attention to.

The first signal is the appearance of pain

With a hernia of the lumbar spine, the initial constant symptom is pain . And the more difficult the stage of the disease becomes, the more often and stronger the pain in the lower back will appear.

At first, the patient may experience a feeling of fatigue and dull pain, which increases with any load, prolonged sitting and lifting weights. At this point, the pain is clearly localized at the site of damage to the disc. At this stage, other concomitant disorders in the state of a person and in the work of his organs are often not observed.

In this state, a hernia can last for about several years, and it is at this moment that the disease can be easily stopped without complex medical procedures, by changing everything - just a way of life. But most people simply endure this discomfort, or try to eliminate it on their own, without medical help.

This behavior leads to the fact that the hernia grows unhindered, squeezing the membranes and roots of the spinal cord. Gradually, pain sensations arise in the lower back even with a sharp tilt of the head, and when raising the leg, and even when pressing on the affected area of ​​​​the back.

Now a sharp pain in the leg on the side of compression of the spine may already appear. Aching pain is accompanied by sharp shooting attacks. In addition, depending on which parts of the spinal segments are affected, pain in the buttocks, lower legs, thighs, on the foot, etc. is also added. At this stage, even with coughing or inconvenient body position, pain in the legs and hip joints can be felt.

The second stage - spinal syndrome

In the absence of treatment in the initial stages of the appearance of a hernia, secondary symptoms of an intervertebral hernia of the lumbar spine appear. Here, even the muscles of the back are already beginning to suffer. They are constantly in a spasmodic state, so the pain intensifies even more, and it becomes more and more difficult to lead a full-fledged lifestyle. The person can hardly straighten his back.

There are also external manifestations of the disease:

1. Slouch.
2. Gibbosity.
3. Curvature of body proportions.
4. Disrupted coordination.
5. Posture is distorted.
6. The gait becomes unsteady.

Concomitant symptoms also appear, which depend on the size of the hernia, on the direction of the protrusion, and on what diseases provoked the appearance of a spinal defect. If a lateral protrusion occurs, the organs that are located in this area suffer. And the posterior protrusion leads to compression of the spinal cord, which is also very dangerous for the whole body.

Often, intervertebral hernia affects the vertebral discs of the intervertebral region and the sacral. And the work of a certain organ in the body and a part of the body depends on the health and integrity of each of these areas. This is due to the fact that the pain in this disease is felt in a specific place.

An analysis of the localization of pain sensations will help to determine the affected area:

• when the segment L 5 is affected, unpleasant sensations appear in the thigh area, as well as the anterior surface of the lower leg, big toe and back of the foot;
• a hernia that infringes on the S1 segment affects the area of ​​​​the hip joints, so a person experiences discomfort in the buttocks, lower leg, heels, back of the thigh and lower back.

And if several areas are affected, then the symptomatic picture will be more blurred, and it is rather difficult to determine a specific affected area without a special examination.

Radicular syndrome in the development of a hernia

With the growth of the intervertebral hernia, compression of the roots of the spinal cord occurs, which leads to the death of some areas and malnutrition of the tissues around the affected segment. At this point, the whole body begins to suffer, so the clinical picture becomes more complex and the symptoms of the disease change.

At this stage of development of a hernia of the intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine, the following disorders appear:

• muscle weakness on the back in the affected area;
• loss of muscle tone of the lower leg, foot and thigh. This leads to the fact that a person cannot safely jump, stand on tiptoes and even climb stairs;
• there is a change in the proportion of the body;
• muscle atrophy develops, so it is difficult for the patient to walk and perform other habitual movements;
• blood flow in the limbs is disturbed, therefore, the sensitivity of the skin in the affected areas changes, as well as numbness of the fingers and chills;
• at the site of damage to the root, dry skin is observed or, conversely, its increased sweating;
• the functioning of the pelvic organs is disrupted, so there may be malfunctions in bowel movements, urination, and women may experience menstrual irregularities and even infertility;
• men are faced with a violation of potency;
• sometimes lameness can occur due to difficulty walking.

One of the most dangerous symptoms of this disease is paralysis. In these cases, the movement of the patient is limited, which affects not only the general physical condition, but also psychological health, because you can forget about a full life. In such situations, the disease can lead to absolute disability, as there is a strong compression of the bone marrow. This condition can cause complex paralysis and even death.

This stage of the disease affects the work of all organs and a person experiences a breakdown and pain in many parts of the body, as other parts of the column are gradually deformed from the presence of a compressive accumulation in the spine.

In addition to obvious physical disorders, the nervous system suffers at this moment, since impulses are no longer correctly transmitted to the necessary centers and from them to organs, as a result, a person sometimes cannot perform physical activities that were previously considered normal for him, and also experiences irritability.

This disease is dangerous in itself, but an additional threat to human life and health is the complications that can occur with an intervertebral hernia.

One of the most common concomitant disorders is lumbodynia, a condition characterized by acute pain shooting sensations in the lumbar region. And the duration of such a state can be about several weeks, which creates a lot of inconvenience and anxiety for a person.

At this stage of the development of the disease, the patient's spine is attacked by quite severe pain, which intensifies at the time of even minor physical exertion. Suffer in this situation, the joints of the knee and hip. Such an aggravation of the course of the disease instantly reduces the patient's motor activity. This phenomenon, without the active and immediate intervention of specialists, can lead to disability in a short time.

Any chronic diseases of the spine and other organs cause rapid progression of the disease. A person in such cases may experience a sharp deterioration in the general state of health.

The percentage of people with hernias in the lumbar region is increasing every year, since most of the population leads an incorrect, inactive lifestyle. Now the disease affects people from the age of 30, and this indicates the need to pay attention to the health of the spine. Any sign of the appearance of protrusions and other disorders should be accompanied by a trip to the doctor.

A healthy spine is a healthy person!

It is almost impossible to correct spinal deformities in the last stages of the disease, so it is very important to put your health into the hands of professionals even at the first alarm calls from this important part of the human body.

With the full proper functioning of all parts of the spine, a person can maintain activity, physical and mental health for many years. But it is necessary to deal with this issue even from youth, because with age, bone tissues lose their properties and, due to wear and tear, are subject to destruction.

With various diseases of the spine, the quality of a person’s life is significantly reduced, since even elementary movements will become more difficult for him to perform, and doing strong physical exertion will be completely unbearable.

But you can confidently walk through life to be beautiful, even if you cannot devote much time to your health. Prevention of diseases of the lumbar spine does not contradict the simple norms of a healthy lifestyle.