Back pain
Diagnosis and treatment of back diseases

Spinal curvature is commonly understood to include scoliotic posture, scoliosis, kyphosis, and hyperlordosis. Spinal curvature causes muscle pain due to constant muscle strain, ligament pain due to overstretching and micro-tears of weak fibers, and radicular pain due to compression of nerve endings.

The condition can be caused by one of the following factors:
- a growth spurt in children, when muscles do not have time to develop as quickly as the skeleton;
- poor habits: sitting half-turned, crossing one leg over the other, hunched over, reclining, sleeping on the stomach, carrying bags on one shoulder, etc.;
- flat feet, ankle and knee collapses, causing pelvic tilt;
- a weak, underdeveloped core muscle;
- a disorder of muscle innervation, in which muscle tone on one side of the body is weaker than on the other.

Spinal curvature is always accompanied by muscle spasms and abnormal loads on the spine, which leads to the development of osteochondrosis, disc protrusion, hernia, etc.

Myofascial syndrome can manifest as a separate disorder, when other than muscle and ligament pain, no other lesions are observed.
Myofascial syndrome is often caused by improper loading and asymmetrical muscle tone.
In this condition, some muscles spasm, while others do not work, weaken, and lose tone.

Pain occurs specifically in spasmed, overstrained muscles. These muscles experience impaired circulation, leading to congestion. The overstrained muscle is also in a permanently shortened state. This causes the tendons connecting the spasmed muscle to the skeleton to become overstretched, and some fibers tear, causing inflammation.

Osteochondrosis is one of the most common spinal disorders. It can be a consequence of other conditions (such as spinal curvature) and also be the initial stage of others, such as disc protrusion, herniation, and arthrosis.

Osteochondrosis is a set of destructive changes in the vertebrae and intervertebral discs. The intervertebral discs, which are composed of cartilaginous tissue, are most often affected. Osteochondrosis is most often associated with myofascial pain.

Osteochondrosis develops for two reasons:
- poor tissue nutrition, such as due to a sedentary lifestyle or poor circulation due to muscle spasms;
- improper loading, such as due to spinal curvature, poor sleeping or sitting postures, etc.

If left untreated for a long time, osteochondrosis can lead to the development of other spinal disorders.

Herniation and protrusion are intervertebral disc diseases. These two conditions are inextricably linked, as protrusion most often occurs first, which eventually leads to a herniation.

A protrusion is a bulging of an intervertebral disc on one side. This occurs due to improper loading of the disc. For example, with constant static posture (sitting cross-legged, half-turned, shoulders or head tilted), the load is placed only on one side of the disc (for example, the right side). As a result, the disc on that side gradually collapses and compresses. Its contents (the nucleus pulposus) are redistributed and protrude to the other side.
A herniation develops following a protrusion, when the disc membrane ruptures and the nucleus pulposus protrudes.

Both protrusion and herniation can cause two types of pain: radicular and myofascial. Severe muscle spasms cause muscle pain, and pressure on the spinal nerve roots causes severe radicular pain, radiating to the limbs, chest, etc.

Spondylolisthesis, or listhesis, is a condition in which one vertebra slips relative to the one below it. This slippage is also called a slipped vertebra.

As a result of slippage, the slipped vertebra can cause both myofascial and radicular pain.

Listhesis occurs due to improper loading, weak or asymmetrical muscle tone, injuries, surgeries, and osteoporosis.

Spondyloarthrosis is a disorder of the facet joints of the spine. These joints provide mobility to the spine and serve as the articular processes of the vertebrae. In spondyloarthrosis, the cartilage covering the facet joints wears away, and friction and irritation of the exposed bone causes bone growth and the formation of osteophytes. The joint becomes inflamed, enlarges, and causes pain and limited spinal mobility.
Spondyloarthrosis often develops simultaneously with spondylosis, as the underlying causes are similar.

Spondylosis is the result of degenerative changes in the spine. This term typically refers to the presence of bony growths (osteophytes, bone spurs) at the ends of the vertebrae. Spondylosis is typically accompanied by cartilage degeneration, thinning, and flattening of the intervertebral discs. In advanced stages, fusion of the vertebral bodies is possible. This leads not only to significant pain but also to immobilization of the affected area of ​​the spine.

Spondylosis is caused by advanced osteochondrosis/herniated discs and muscle spasms, coupled with improper spinal loading. This combination leads to poor nutrition and accelerated aging of the cartilage, which quickly degenerates under load.

Radiculitis is not a separate disease, but rather a group of characteristic pain symptoms associated with pinched nerve fibers. Other conditions can cause radiculitis, including osteochondrosis, herniated discs, disc protrusions, and spinal curvature.
Lumbosacral radiculitis is the most common type, as the lumbar spine is subject to the greatest strain. One variant of lumbosacral radiculitis is sciatica—a pinched sciatic nerve. Due to the proliferation of gadgets, cervical radiculitis is becoming more common, even among young people. It manifests as pain not only in the neck, but also in the shoulders, shoulder blades, and back of the head.

With radiculitis, it's important to treat the underlying condition, not the pain. With symptomatic treatment, the underlying condition will progress, and the symptoms will become increasingly severe.

Dorsopathy is a collective term describing the presence of back pain. The causes of the pain can vary, as can the underlying conditions. Most often, it is one of the conditions described above.