A discopathy, is defined as the initial condition of degenerative disease of the spine. When discopathy is left untreated it progresses very quickly. A discopathy, is defined as a disorder of the intervertebral disc, which involves a protrusion of the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc.
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Patients, initially unaware that they have a disc, experience pain in the back (lumbosacral region), which increases over time. In addition, this pain tends to radiate to the hip, knee and also foot area.
What is discopathy and what are its symptoms?
When we speak of discopathy, we are talking about a disorder of the intervertebral disc, which is associated with a protrusion of its nucleus. This is the first stage with which the development of degenerative spine disease begins.
It is worth mentioning here that the normal structure of our spine consists of intervertebral discs (or disks, with a soft structure) and vertebrae (with a hard and compact structure). When both of these elements undergo degenerative changes, the patient begins to experience various discomforts, which at first are slight, but over time become more severe and prevent normal and efficient functioning. The discomfort is caused by the pressure of the vertebrae and discs on the various structures of the spinal canal.
Symptoms characteristic of discopathy include:
- pain in the lumbar and sacral region of the spine,
- radiating pain to the knees and feet and hips,
- tingling and numbness in the lower limbs,
- increased muscle tension in the spinal column,
- sensory problems in the lower limbs,
- paresthesias,
- muscle weakness (e.g. of the feet).
Initially, the symptoms described above are mild, so the patient does not seek specialist help. With time, they become more severe and the patient begins to have problems with walking, sitting (cervical and sacro-lumbar numbness) and bladder and rectal dysfunction. These make it difficult for the patient to function normally and efficiently in everyday life.
Diagnosis and treatment of discopathy
The diagnosis of disc opathy involves, among other things, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and radiological examination. Treatment consists mainly of rehabilitation and the inclusion of appropriate gymnastic exercises. In some cases, it is necessary to include pharmacological, painkillers.
