A hernia of the lumbar spine is a pathological condition when, due to a violation of the integrity of the fibrous ring of the spinal disc, its central part is squeezed out of the intervertebral space. Men are more likely to be affected by this disease than women. At the age of 30 to 50 years (period of physical activity) there is a peak incidence. In case of untimely treatment, the patient may become incapacitated for a long time.
In this article, we will talk in detail about this disease, consider all possible treatment methods, and answer the frequently asked question about whether treatment with folk remedies for lumbar hernia is effective.
How does the pathology develop?
The intervertebral disc is a small cylinder made of cartilage. It is protected by a fibrous ring from the outside, and inside it is the pulpous nucleus - an elastic substance that turns our spine into a "spring". When an intervertebral disc is deformed as a result of an injury or constant negative impact, it becomes brittle, and often the fibrous ring crack. The pulp inside, through the crack, goes beyond the fiber. This is the intervertebral hernia.
If the affected disk is located in the lumbosacral region of the spine, then this pathology is called lumbar hernia.
Stages of the disease
At different stages of the disease, a lumbar disc herniation manifests itself in different ways. With the early treatment of the disease, you can stop its development.
- Prolapse. The disc changes its position slightly. With a decrease in the impact of negative factors, it can again take its natural position.
- Protrusion. The disk significantly changes its position, but it does not go beyond the boundaries indicated by the vertebrae.
- Extrusion. The nucleus extends beyond the spine and is in limbo.
- Sequestration. There are tears and cracks in the fibrous ring, the pulp comes out.
Symptoms
Symptoms of this disease begin to manifest due to deformation of the nerves. The muscles of the buttocks and legs atrophy. The patient feels cold, “goosebumps”, light but extremely unpleasant tingling sensations, numbness in the limbs. It becomes difficult for a person to climb the stairs, to squat or to lift something from the floor. This is due to muscle weakness.
The patient otherwise holds the body - asymmetrically. In the area for which the affected nerves are responsible, the process of sweating changes - the skin either dries or sweats excessively. If the hernia is directed inside the spinal column, then it put pressure on the spine in the lumbar region. This practically deprives the patient of the ability to move his legs.
A hernia of the lumbar spine may be accompanied by a deterioration in the activity of the pelvic organs. The patient may lose control of bowel movements and urination. In men suffering from lumbar hernia, libido is impaired, and in women a frigid condition develops.
Hernia pain
One of the main symptoms of this disease is pain. With a hernia of the lumbar spine, they are aching in nature, do not allow the patient to sit, stand, cough. Some relief comes only when the patient lies down.
Exhausting pains by themselves do not pass, they can torment for years. That is why you should think about how to treat a hernia of the lumbar spine as early as possible. The fact is that over time, the hernia grows, compresses more and more nerve endings of the spinal cord, provoking the development of radiculitis. The pains are significantly intensified, they are increasingly sharply given to the buttocks and legs. Pain pierces the lower back with a change of posture or the slightest effort. Doctors call this condition sciatica.
When the fifth vertebra is deformed, the big toe hurts. If the disease is localized between the first sacral and fifth lumbar vertebra, pains are felt in the sacral region, in the little finger and in the back of the leg. Doctors are very sorry that only very severe pains force patients to seek help from a doctor.
Causes
The impetus for the development of the disease can be:
- injuries after bumps or falls;
- osteochondrosis;
- congenital pathology of the hip joint;
- rachiocampsis;
- excessive loads;
- overweight;
- smoking worsens trophic intervertebral discs, creating a lack of oxygen;
- the constant presence at the wheel of the car leads to improper distribution of load on the back;
- age (after thirty);
- chronic diseases of the spine.
As well as a genetic predisposition.
Diagnostics
To understand how to treat a hernia of the spine of the lumbar spine , it is necessary to accurately diagnose the disease and detect a deformed disc. Only an experienced and highly qualified specialist can cope with this task.
The doctor makes the initial diagnosis after examining the patient, during which he conducts a test by raising the patient’s straight leg, examines the surface of the legs, lower abdomen, lumbar region, paying attention to the temperature and vibration sensitivity of the skin.
Based on the results of the preliminary examination, the doctor determines a further hardware examination. In this case, the diagnostic procedures include radiography and MRI. Based on the results of an instrumental examination, a neurologist assesses the condition of the damaged area of the spine, evaluating the feasibility of surgical intervention or conservative treatment.
If there is a suspicion of involvement in the pathology of the spinal cord, the doctor prescribes an additional examination - contrast myelography.
Conservative therapy
Methods of treating the disease include conservative treatment or surgery to remove a hernia of the lumbar spine. Methods of conservative medicine are effective only in the initial stages of the development of the disease. Naturally, all patients seek to avoid spinal surgery, and doctors are well aware of the seriousness of such an intervention.
To make this possible, it is necessary to completely change the way of life - to physically strain as little as possible, move more. You should follow a diet that will stimulate trophism of the nervous and cartilage tissue.
Hernia corset
The tasks of non-surgical treatment include strengthening the back muscles, minimizing the load on the vertebrae. Doctors often recommend that their patients use an orthopedic corset for a hernia of the lumbar spine. It supports the back, reduces pulling and sharp pains.
What medicines are used?
In this disease, the use of medications is more likely to eliminate symptoms than to change the condition of a patient suffering from a hernia of the lumbar spine. What drugs can help relieve pain? Painkillers such as Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Ketonal, Indomethacin should be taken. They relieve pain, thereby preventing further muscle atrophy. In addition, they remove the inflammatory process, which manifests itself in any case, when the nerve roots are clamped. These drugs are used in the form of ointments for external use, and in the form of tablets for oral administration.
In a situation with a hernia of the spine in the lumbar, the body forces certain muscle groups to support the ridge in the pathology area. The patient experiences muscle pain and stiffness of movements. Central muscle relaxants, such as Sirdalud and Midokalm, help relieve muscle cramps. With this disease, novocaine blockade of problem areas is often prescribed.
Exercise therapy for a hernia of the lumbar spine
It is difficult to treat with conservative methods this disease. However, therapeutic exercises with a hernia of the lumbar spine prevents the further development of severe pathology. The exercise program should be compiled by the instructor individually for each patient. As a rule, it includes body tilts, careful turns and rotations. The task is to strengthen the muscles of the spine, thereby preventing displacement of the disk in the future.
Special exercises are performed in a horizontal position, face up or down, on the side. In addition, the patient can stand with his back against the wall. In this position, he performs rotations, inclinations, leads to the sides of the arms and legs, rises.
Vis on the crossbar or its underwater version helps to stretch the spine. The intervertebral discs feel much freer and gradually return to their natural state. In the initial stages of a hernia of the lumbosacral spine, gymnastics can completely cure the disease. If the disease is started, exercises will help relieve symptoms.
Exercise therapy with a hernia of the lumbar spine is acceptable and recommended only after the main symptoms of the disease (pinching of the nerve and pain) are eliminated. Any exercises aimed at correcting the spine should be carried out under the supervision of an experienced instructor and only as directed by the attending physician. Otherwise, you can get the opposite effect - an aggravation of the pathology, which can have irreversible consequences.
Physiotherapy and manual therapy methods
These symptoms of treatment, which should be included in the general treatment program, also facilitate the symptoms of a lumbar hernia. These include:
- electrophoresis with anti-inflammatory drugs;
- warming procedures;
- underwater massage techniques;
- acupuncture;
- point reflexology.
- massage.
For intervertebral hernia during remission, massage is recommended, but only authorized by the attending physician. If permission is obtained, the masseur will improve blood circulation in the lumbar spine. Nerve and cartilage will receive more nutrients, and accumulations of lactic acid will leave the cells. Muscle cramps will weaken and the pain syndrome will decrease. The release of endorphins during the session will become a mild anesthetic and reduce stress in the lower back.
Indications for surgery
Often the main indication for surgery to remove a hernia of the lumbar spine is the inefficiency of a long course of conservative treatment. Most patients try to try all available methods of traditional therapy. Absolute indications for hernia removal are violations in neighboring internal organs and systems, fraught with irreversible consequences:
- Prolapse of the pulpous nucleus with acute pain syndrome, which can lead to paralysis of the lower extremities.
- Impairment of motor function, paresis of the lower extremities need urgent surgical intervention, since a month after the onset of this symptom, atrophy of muscle tissue begins.
- An especially large hernia, which causes compression of numerous nerve endings, needs to be removed due to the risk of irreversible changes in the intestine, internal genital organs, and bladder.
How is the operation performed?
Choosing the optimal method of surgery, specialists take into account the volume of infringement of nerve endings, the size and location of the hernia, as well as the technical capabilities of the clinic.
- Microdisectomy. The protruding part of the disc is removed using special microsurgical instruments. It is the “gold standard” for hernia therapy with this localization. During the operation, the surgeon through microscopic incisions gets access to the damaged disk. The process is controlled using a microscope, which provides the highest accuracy and minimum rehabilitation period.
- Endoscopy This technique is preferred with a small hernia of the lumbar spine. The operation is performed if the hernia is located on a site accessible to the endoscope. The endoscope is inserted through a puncture in the soft tissues and the pulpous nucleus of the affected disc is removed, which is melted with special preparations or an electrode.
- Plastic surgery. For intervertebral hernias with recurrent characteristics, vertebroplasty is recommended. This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure, during which plastic mass (bone cement) is injected into the vertebral body by a puncture method. Thanks to such operations, pain is completely eliminated, spinal function is restored, and the risk of compression fracture of the damaged vertebra is reduced.
Laser irradiation
This operation is valid in the absence of disk sequestration. It can be performed in two formats: evaporation of fluid in the disk - as a result, the size of the hernia decreases; disc reconstruction - this method is based on the ability of cartilage to recover after exposure to laser beams. This method in recent years has become widespread when removing a hernia of the lumbar spine. After the operation, the rehabilitation period is minimal, there are no scars.
In especially severe cases, an operation is performed to remove the intervertebral disc and replace it with a prosthesis.
Alternative methods of treatment
It's no secret that many patients really hope that the treatment of a hernia of the lumbar spine with folk remedies will save them from a serious illness. This is a fallacy that is partly fueled by unscrupulous "healers." Representatives of traditional medicine do not reject such a method. Treatment of hernia with folk remedies is allowed only as an addition to conservative treatment to achieve a lasting effect.
Applications
Specialists claim that clay wraps have absorbent properties. A small flat cake is made of clay and slightly heated. Then it is applied in the form of an application to the problem area, covered with cellophane on top. For this procedure, red clay is most effective. Sorcerers practice the treatment of hernia of the lumbar spine with folk remedies. To do this, they mix any melted animal fat with fresh yolk and a few drops of iodine.
All ingredients are thoroughly stirred, allowed to congeal. Then the composition is cut into small strips, wrapped with a bandage and fixed on a sore spot.
Ointment
In the treatment of hernia with folk remedies, an ointment of own preparation can be included. For her, you will need:
- wormwood;
- medical arnica;
- crushed dry hop cones;
- comfrey;
- chestnut seeds;
- Kalanchoe juice.
The raw materials are thoroughly mixed and a small amount of olive oil, 5 drops of fir extract, tocopherol acetate are added to it. Ready ointment lubricate the sore spot. Ointment helps to eliminate inflammatory processes.
Tinctures
A popular and fairly effective means of alleviating the condition of vertebral hernias is comfrey tincture. The root of the plant is crushed and mixed with honey in equal proportions. Use every day for 10 days on an empty stomach. Then the treatment is interrupted for two weeks, after which the course can be repeated two more times.
Grinding
Demonstrates good results in the treatment of hernia of the lumbar spine with folk remedies rubbing based on honey and mummy. The components are mixed in equal proportions, and the composition is applied with light rubbing movements to the problem area, previously lubricated with a fir hood.