Let me introduce lumbar disc herniation, also called lumbar disc annulus rupture, which is a common and frequently-occurring disease in orthopedics. Modern medical pathological research shows that lumbar disc herniation is caused by external force to rupture the lumbar fibrous ring, which in turn makes the nucleus pulposus protrude and oppresses the surrounding tissues such as nerve roots, resulting in radiation low back pain, numbness of lower limbs and radiation pain of sciatic nerve. With the aggravation of lumbar disc herniation, it can cause lower limb pain, osteoporosis and other symptoms.
The misunderstanding of pain is the official definition of lumbar disc herniation introduced in many popular science articles, but you should know that this definition is a bit lagging behind. It turns out that everyone thinks that nerve roots do not have the same protective sheath as peripheral nerves, so they are sensitive to oppression. It was found in 1930s that sciatica was related to lumbar disc herniation. Considering that the pain was caused by the compression of nerve roots, the lumbar disc herniation was treated by surgical resection.
The truth of pain: inflammatory reaction In recent years, clinical studies have found that nerve root compression is not completely consistent with clinical pain symptoms. Some people observed 300 patients during the operation, recorded the types of nucleus pulposus protrusion and its relationship with nerve roots, and compared them with the symptoms and signs of patients before operation. It is found that the degree of nerve root compression in patients with lumbar disc herniation is not directly related to clinical symptoms and pain, and the inflammatory reaction of spinal canal tissue is an important factor causing severe low back pain.
What is inflammatory reaction? Can non-medical friends remember the word inflammatory reaction? Redness, swelling, heat and pain? Inflammatory stimulation is easy to find. When patients with lumbar disc herniation have acute pain, the pain will be relieved to varying degrees after taking drugs such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or hormones to inhibit inflammatory response, suggesting that the pain of patients with lumbar disc herniation is related to inflammatory response. During the operation, it can also be found that some patients have serious adhesion between nerve roots and surrounding tissues, and the nerve roots have inflammatory changes such as congestion and edema, which all suggest that pain is related to inflammatory reaction.
There is also an easily overlooked cause of pain: it is easy to find that patients with chronic pain are more or less accompanied by emotional disorders, among which anxiety and depression are the most obvious symptoms. This result has been confirmed by a large number of epidemiological investigations. It is found that patients with chronic pain have abnormal emotions, and the proportion of patients with depression and anxiety symptoms is high. After pain treatment, the symptoms of emotional abnormality accompanied with pain are less than before treatment.
Pain is the cause of individual emotional disorders, especially anxiety and depression. Now patients with pain will cause anxiety, and anxiety will increase their pain sensitivity. Chronic pain and affective disorder can interact and promote each other, resulting in a vicious circle.
Life suggestions for lumbar disc herniation 1. Sleep on a hard bed in case of pain, stay in bed for 3 ~ 4 weeks in severe cases, and wear a waistline in time according to the recovery of the disease.
2. Lumbar disc herniation is easy to relapse, difficult to cure, and needs to endure lasting pain, which reduces patients' confidence in treatment, is easy to be in a bad mood, and most of them have anxiety.
3. Pay attention to your diet. The diet of patients with lumbar disc herniation should be nutritious and light, and protein should be supplemented appropriately, such as dairy products, eggs, bean products, animal liver and kidney, fish and chicken.
Appropriate amount of calcium and vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis; If a small amount of vinegar is used, excessive vinegar will decalcify and soften bones. At the same time, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables when changing seasons to prevent constipation. In short, the diet needs many varieties, a small number of meals, and you can take a variety of vitamins appropriately to increase the overall nutrition.
4. Don't neglect drinking water. 75% of the weight of human upper body is supported by the water in the nucleus pulposus of intervertebral disc. Water bears not only the pressure of body mass, but also the tension of muscle movement on joints, and is the lubricant of all joints; There is a vacuum between most joints of the human body. Only by drinking enough water, cooperating with various waist exercises and creating a vacuum in the intervertebral disc can we effectively avoid the dryness and fibrosis of the intervertebral disc and relieve the pain in the back and legs.
5, details of daily life, patients with lumbar disc herniation in daily life, good living habits are very important. It is necessary to ensure adequate sleep time, prevent excessive fatigue, avoid bad posture and avoid strenuous exercise. Waist movement should be reduced, and small-scale activities should be carried out. When lifting heavy objects, the hips and knees should be bent, the back should be tight when sitting, and the abdomen should be closed when walking.
6. According to climate change, keep your back and lower limbs warm to avoid catching cold; Avoid sitting for a long time, change your posture every once in a while, get up and relax, and relieve the pressure on the intervertebral disc. We should also strengthen our own exercise, enhance the toughness and strength of waist muscles, and protect the lumbar spine.