Introduction
The causes of osteochondrosis of a spine are still a subject of discussions. None of the existing hypotheses is able to explain the cause of development of an osteochondrosis as well as to suggest a constructive decision how to avoid the development of degenerative processes in a spine. There are several hypotheses concerning the causes of development of degenerative processes in a spine (DDCS), all of them, not quite precisely, are referred to as osteochondrosis of a spine (OS). They are: contagious hypothesis, rheumatoid, autoimmune, traumatic, involutional, ontogenetic, myogenetic. Most of them consider OS as irreversible process that brings in physical inability.
Purpose
The purpose of our work is to specify the causes of development of osteochondrosis of a spine and to work out the methods of diagnostics of the state of a spine at early stages of development of DDCS. We used the following methods to investigate the state of a muscular corset of a spine: manual diagnostics, gauging of motility of segments of a spine at functional trials. The inspection of the state of muscular corset by means of manual diagnostics was carried out for 70 patients at the age between 7 and 80, among them 25 patients have passed inspection by MRI, CT or X-ray as well. The statistical data on MRI investigation of DDCS is presented by the results of inspection of 500 patients of Presidential Hospital N1, Russian Federation, Moscow.
Results
The group of 500 patients was subdivided into four subgroups according to their age: 13 - 21 years, 22 - 35 years, 36 - 50 years, older than 50 years. Statistical analysis was carried out separately for three departments of a spine: lumbar (L) (n=141), thoracal (Th) (n=294) and cervical (C) (n=165). The comparison of all age subgroups shows that, independently of the age group, the maximal number of DDCS falls into the following ranges of a spine: for a cervical department, on spondyles C4, C5; for a thoracal department, on spondyles Th7, Th8; for a lumbar department, on spondyles L4, L5 (see Fig. 1).
For the group of 70 patients, the mentioned positions of maximal number of DDCS coincide with maximums of frequency of localization of muscular blocks (MB). MB is a nonperishable spastic state of intervertebral muscles. Special massage and Chinese gymnastics for a spine allow to destroy MB and to remove neurologic manifestations of OS without application of medicamental therapy (see fig. 2).
Discussion
Localization of DDCS and MB coincides with maximums of normal curvature and load. This counts in favor of the hypotheses that people pay for vertical position. The domain of localization of DDCS widens with age growth of patients. We think that it is possible to prevent the development of DDCS and to revert this process in case it has already started. According to our observations, the neurologic manifestations of OS are not a direct consequence of DDCS, but rather a consequence of tunnel effects - the compressions of nerves at transit between muscles and fascias muscular corset of a spine, since they can be eliminated with the help of massage of deep muscles of a spine. However, DDCS can worsen a state of nervous roots, provoke and burden neurologic sets of symptoms.
Conclusions
- DDCS and MB is a direct consequence of joint action of neurosis and stressful situations.
- Massage of deep muscles of a spine and Chinese gymnastics for a spine and relaxing practice are capable completely to remove neurologic manifestations of OS (while DDCS are still present) and also to prevent or to stop development of DDCS.
- We do not consider MB as "functional blocks" that protect a spine from traumas at presence of DDCS, on the contrary, we think that MB cause an osteochondrosis of a spine and its traumas.