the definition
cartilage or herniated disc between the vertebrae of the spine, It is a problem with the rubber cushions (cartilage) between the vertebrae of the spine.

The cartilage between the vertebrae of the spine is somewhat like a donut. It has a soft core composed of a gelatinous substance. And it’s encased in a tougher exterior. A slipped meniscus and meniscus occur when the softer core is pushed out through a tear in the tougher, outer part.

A herniated disc can affect the nerves around it and cause pressure on them. This leads to symptoms of a herniated disc, Most importantly, pain. or numbness, Or weakness in the arm or leg, depending on the location of the cartilage in which the herniated disc occurred.

The cartilage returns to its original position with proper care in many cases of cartilage or herniated disc, But sometimes a herniated disc requires further treatment or orthopedic surgery to correct the problem.

A herniated disc can occur in different places of the vertebrae of the spine. It is also possible to slip a cartilage of one of the cartilages of the neck, Symptoms of cartilage in the neck may extend to other parts of the body. It is possible for neck cartilage pain to extend from the back of the neck to the arms and fingers, The range of movement of the neck decreases and the pain increases with each movement of the neck. or when coughing, or sneeze.

It boils down to physical therapy and herniated disc

Disc cartilage types

Symptoms of cartilage or herniated disc

Stiff vertebrae

Disc cartilage types

The cartilage can be divided according to the type of slipping that occurs in the cartilage between the vertebrae of the spine into three degrees, Cartilage can also be named according to the location of the affected vertebrae. The degree of herniated disc is divided into:

first degree, The protrusion of the pulpal nucleus occurs in the vertebral canal.

second grade, In which the fibrous ring ruptures and part of it exits with the nucleus into the vertebral canal.

third degree, Most of the cartilage content exits through the torn posterior ligament into the vertebral canal.

Causes of cartilage or sliding cartilage

The causes of cartilage are many and include:

– Lifting something heavy with the effort and pressure of the vertebral bodies strongly, Thus, severe pressure on the cartilage between the vertebrae of the spine causes them to move out of place and irritate the surrounding nerves. Twisting and rotating when lifting objects also increases the risk of a herniated disc.
– The gradual wear and tear associated with aging, called cartilage erosion, With age, the cartilage between the vertebrae of the spine loses some of its water components. This makes them less flexible and more likely to tear even with light exertion or bending.
pregnancy in women, It is possible that back cartilage occurs as a result of pregnancy.
– exposure to a traumatic accident, It is possible for the cartilage of one of the vertebrae of the spine to slip as a result of a collision. Like falling or getting hit on the back.

Symptoms of cartilage or herniated disc

Most cases of a herniated disc occur in the lower part of the patient’s back, i.e. in the lumbar vertebrae, and it is called the lumbar cartilage. or lower back cartilage. But cartilage can also occur in the patient’s cervical vertebrae and is called neck cartilage.

The symptoms of a herniated disc are like those of sciatica.

Some back pain symptoms may differ from neck pain symptoms. The following are the most common symptoms of herniated disc in the back:

1 – pain

Pain, which is one of the main symptoms of a herniated disc, occurs as a result of irritation of the nerves surrounding the site of the herniated disc. In most cases, pain is the first symptom of cartilage.

The pain is usually in the lower back only. or in the lower back with pain in the right leg or left leg, The pain is rarely in the lower extremity alone.

The patient usually complains of sudden, severe pain in the lower back. Immediately after lifting something heavy or after a long or short period of time. or after a bruise on the back, or without apparent reason.

The pain remains confined to the lumbar region. or cartilage symptoms extend to the foot, where the pain spreads to one of the lower extremities, The patient may be prevented from making any movement, no matter how simple.

Cartilage symptoms sometimes increase when coughing and sneezing. Due to increased venous pressure, cerebrospinal fluid pressure in the root zone.

The pain is continuous or comes in the form of attacks, The pain increases when sitting and standing and is relatively less when lying down. Some patients may resort to taking strange positions to relieve their cartilage pain.

The location of costochondritis may vary depending on the location of the affected vertebrae. Such as:

Cartilage in the neck: Symptoms of cartilage in the neck are characterized by feeling severe pain in the shoulder and arm as a result of the influence of the nerves surrounding them, This pain may move to the patient’s arm or leg when he coughs, sneezes, or moves the spine to certain positions.

2- Numbness, tingling or numbness

People with chondromalacia often experience numbness or tingling on the side of the body served by the damaged surrounding nerves.

In 5% of cases, numbness is an early symptom of a herniated disc or a companion to other symptoms of a herniated disc.

The percentage of numbness or numbness increases with the progression of the disease until it reaches 50%.

The patient may complain of symptoms of cartilage in the foot, Where he feels numbness, especially in the back side of the leg, It spreads to the back of the foot or toes, depending on the affected part. This differs for different people.
3- Muscular weakness

Muscular weakness occurs as a symptom of a herniated disc, The muscles served by the affected surrounding nerves tend to weaken.

This causes the patient to stumble or impair their ability to carry or lift objects or to carry out their daily activities. Where the muscles in the affected lower limb are affected by weakness and atrophy by 20% of cases.

Muscle weakness may be the first symptom of a herniated disc in the case of a herniated nucleus pulposus. But it usually occurs late with the progression of the disease.

The leg in the affected limb appears to be bent or tilted, and the whole limb is in a state of rotation. It may appear looseness in the leg muscles, and then muscular atrophy occurs.

Advanced chondroprotectors

Cartilage symptoms may worsen, and the feeling of pain, numbness, and weakness increases to the extent that it hinders the patient from performing his simple daily activities.

Sometimes weakness occurs in the intestines and bladder, and it may be accompanied by urinary incontinence.

Cartilage treatment or herniated disc

Cartilage treatment with conservative treatment

It is considered complete rest on a bed of moderate hardness (to prevent excessive curvature of the spine). Medicines can also be used during this period of cartilage treatment.

Cartilage treatment with drugs

Chondroprotectors your doctor may prescribe include:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen Ibuprofen).

muscle relaxants

narcotic drugs

nerve relievers such as gabapentin gabapentin), They are also medicines for the treatment of herniated disc in the neck.

Epidural steroid injection.

Surgical cartilage treatment

Orthopedic surgery and vertebrae are used to treat cartilage early sometimes in some cases, While in other cases it may be resorted to after the failure of other methods within a maximum period of 6 months.

The surgeon may remove only the damaged or protruding part of the cartilage without removing the entire cartilage. This is called an endoscopic discectomy. Microdiscectomy).

Rarely does the entire cartilage have to be removed in the most serious cases. Where the surgeon replaces the cartilage with an artificial one or removes the entire cartilage, in these cases, The vertebrae may need to be held with plates and screws to stabilize the spine.

Laser cartilage treatment

It is a type of surgical treatment using laser beams to remove the tissue that is pressing on the nerve after making a small incision. It is less invasive and more precise than traditional surgery.

Cartilage treatment with physical therapy

Your doctor may suggest physical therapy and manual therapy. Physiotherapists can explain positions and exercises designed to reduce pain in a herniated disc.
Stretching exercises
Trunk strengthening exercises
Core exercises and Pilates exercises
Conditions to reduce cartilage pressure on the nerve.
Vertebrae tightening device
Warm compresses.
Wearing a medical corset.
– Chinese needles.

Stiff vertebrae

the definition

Many people around the world suffer from back stiffness. Most people have experienced it at least once in their lives. Sometimes we wake up from sleep and can’t move our back, and sometimes we can’t move our back suddenly. This may or may not be associated with pain.

Back pain is not a disease in and of itself. Rather, it is a difficulty in moving the back and its lack of flexibility. It is a very popular show that may appear suddenly or gradually. It can affect a person’s daily life if it is very strong. Contrary to what is known, it also affects young people.

The main causes of a stiff back revolve around problems that occur in the back, whether in muscles, tendons, joints or spinal cord.
Causes of a stiff back
There are many diseases that result in a stiff back, But all of them affect one of the components of the back, which are the muscles, tendons, and joints. Bone marrow. Among these diseases:

Arthritis and back pain

The accumulation of joint waste increases in the elderly, resulting in inflammation in these joints. The joints of the spine are among the joints most affected by this inflammation. When inflammation occurs in the joints of the spine, stiffness occurs in the back due to the difficulty in moving these joints and is accompanied by severe pain.

Muscle and back stiffness

Many problems affect the muscles and cause a stiff back, such as:

cramp: When the muscle is exposed to an exaggerated force, such as carrying very heavy weights from the ground, It enters into a state of muscle tension and results in a stiff back accompanied by severe pain. In addition to exposing the muscle to stress due to excessive use, As in sports activities and hard work, it results in muscle tension, which causes back stiffness. Also, the muscle tension that occurs in the thigh muscles affects the back muscles and results in back stiffness as well.

Pain syndrome: It is pain in different parts of the body of unknown cause. such as fibromyalgia (in English: Fibromyalgia) causes chronic pain, and among the muscles that are affected by this pain are the back muscles, which results in a stiff back. This stiffness often occurs in the morning.

Rheumatic muscle pain: It is an inflammation of the muscles in the middle of the body such as the shoulder, thigh and back muscles. It is accompanied by severe pain. This inflammation results in a stiff back. The cause of myositis is inflammation of the temporal artery (in English: Temporal artery) and if not treated may cause blindness.

The reason why inflammation in the muscles causes a stiff back is that when inflammation occurs in these muscles, the muscle cannot contract properly and its flexibility decreases, which causes a stiff back.

Spine, spinal cord, and back pain

Some problems occur in the spine and spinal cord, which result in a stiff back. Such as:

Vertebrae fracture: The fracture of one of the vertebrae of the spine results in severe pain and stiffness in the back. This stiffness depends on the type and strength of the fracture and occurs in both the elderly and the young. Osteoporosis is also one of the causes of such fractures. It also causes sudden stiffness.

Pressure on the spinal cord: Sliding discs, infection, and deformities of the bones of the spine cause pressure on the spinal cord, and one of its symptoms is a stiff back.

These are the common causes of a stiff back. But there are some other problems that result in back stiffness as well. Such as:

Low back arthritis: It is a disease that affects the cartilage between the vertebrae of the spine, causing them to shrink. Instead of facilitating the movement of the vertebrae, the movement of the vertebrae becomes very difficult, and this affects walking and the activities of daily life. This stiffness is also accompanied by continuous pain that gets worse with movement.

psoriatic arthritis: After psoriasis, which is a skin disease, inflammation of the joints, including the spine joints, may occur. It often occurs between the ages of 30 and 50 and causes stiff back.

Rheumatoid arthritis: General inflammation in the joints of the body, but it begins in the peripheral joints, such as the joints of the fingers. But with the progression of the disease, it may cause inflammation in the joints of the spine, causing back stiffness.

Symptoms of a stiff back

A stiff back is characterized by many characteristics that may be present in all or one of them, namely:

Severe pain, whether in the muscles or joints.

This stiffness increases in the morning, sitting incorrectly for a long time, or sleeping incorrectly.

It gets worse with movement, especially if it is due to problems in the thigh muscles.

Feeling intermittent muscle contractions.

Exhaustion and depression.

sleep problems

Weakness in the leg muscles.

Loss of bowel and bladder control.

Back stiffness treatment

A stiff back can be treated in one of the following ways:
Anti-inflammatory medications.
Steroid injections into joints to treat arthritis.
– Antidepressants in the event that the cause is a pain syndrome.
Physiotherapy by:

Acupuncture
Therapeutic massage
Biofeedback therapy
Laser therapy
Electrical nerve stimulation
Flexibility and stretching exercises
Move paragraphs
Manual therapy and therapeutic exercises