Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, unlike cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis, is very rare.
It's all about the structure of the thoracic region: it has more discs than the cervical and lumbar spine combined, the discs are smaller and thinner.The mobility of this part is usually lower, and part of the load is taken by the ribs and sternum.
With osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, symptoms can be confused, for example, with a heart attack.The reason is the specificity of this disease.
In this case, there is no painful pain during movement and exercise, such as cervical or lumbar osteochondrosis, and complications related to suspected angina pectoris or myocardial infarction or impaired respiratory function come to the fore.
Reason
To a greater extent, the development of osteochondrosis is promoted by physical inactivity - a lack of muscle load, which forms a lack of exercise of the muscle corset, weakens its function and increases the load on the ligaments and intervertebral discs.
The following conditions can trigger the occurrence of osteochondrosis:
- Improper posture and lateral curvature of the spine;
- Bad habits;
- Excessive nervous and physical tension, stress;
- Excess load on the back and spine when wearing high-heeled shoes, during pregnancy and flat feet;
- back injury;
- Physical inactivity;
- Ancestry;
- Physical hard work.
The intervertebral discs of the thoracic vertebrae are equally affected by a sedentary lifestyle and physical activity, which increases the likelihood of injury.
What are the special features of the thoracic spine?
Everyone knows that the thoracic region does not work actively, especially when compared to the neck.And the load on it is not so great, compared to, for example, the lumbar region.For this reason, the occurrence of thoracic disease rarely occurs with any symptoms in the early stages of development.
The low mobility of the thoracic spine is associated with its anatomical features - the connection of the vertebrae with the ribs and sternum makes it possible to create a sufficiently mobile and, at the same time, durable structure, which is less prone to injury and external influences.
The relatively small load on this department contributes to the fact that the occurrence of any problems in it (for example, vertebral displacement, intervertebral hernia, disc protrusion) is quite rare, this is confirmed by statistics.However, their appearance cannot be called something unusual;for example, poor posture and scoliosis can be some kind of provoking factors that lead to the occurrence of spinal diseases.
At the same time, the symptoms of such diseases appear quite late and are quite characteristic of osteochondrosis - they usually represent compression of the nerve root;in rare cases, the spinal cord itself may be compressed or damaged due to impaired blood supply;narrowing due to compression of veins and arteries is also possible.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine can have completely different symptoms, similar to the manifestations of other diseases of internal organs.Often it is thoracic osteochondrosis that is mistaken for coronary heart disease, cholecystitis, peptic ulcer, and also myocardial infarction and pneumonia.For this reason, this disease is called "chameleon".
Symptoms related to pain:
- The pain is localized below the shoulder blade and may radiate to the intercostal nerve.This leads to neuralgia.The pain increases when a person takes a breath or moves actively.
- Chest pain is most often localized on the left side and may resemble coronary heart disease.In this situation, it is important to find out in time the reason why the pain appears.It is necessary to fully examine the cardiovascular system.
Neurological symptoms:
- Numbness or "crawling" in the legs, upper chest and abdomen (depending on the affected disc);
- Reflex tension in the chest or upper back muscles;
- In more advanced cases, it is possible to disrupt the function of the pelvic organs and reduce potency in men.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, in addition to pain in the spine and back area, near the site of osteochondrosis may also include pain in the upper abdomen, heart, liver, and gallbladder.
When such pain occurs, misdiagnosis is sometimes possible.Pain in the right side of the chest under the ribs can be confused with inflammation of the gallbladder, in the left side of the chest it can be confused with a heart attack.It is a mistake to consider pain in the corresponding area of the abdominal cavity as a manifestation of stomach ulcer or gastritis.
Dorsago
Dorsago is one of the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, which is indicated by acute pain.Usually, this symptom occurs in people who sit for a long time in one position or in an uncomfortable position, while doing boring work.
Pain may occur in the spine in the thoracic region, muscles become tense, and it is often difficult to breathe.Intercostal neuralgia may occur.
Dorsalgia
The aggravation period will last 2-3 weeks.At the same time, the pain gradually increased.Mild pain appears in the affected part of the spine.As a rule, the pain manifests itself mainly actively when breathing deeply and bending forward, backward, or sideways.
The nature of pain during dorsalgia can be very different.The pain can be pulling, burning, aching, cutting, and can radiate to the legs, arms, buttocks, or shoulder blades.The location of the pain is no less different.It can appear below, above, in the middle, on the right, on the left, between the shoulder blades.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
When drawing up a treatment plan that determines how to treat osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, diagnostic data based on X-ray examination helps.Such an examination gives a clear idea of how to treat thoracic osteochondrosis, because x-ray readings showing the proliferation of the vertebral body and the presence of changes in the intervertebral distance (decrease in height) are characteristic symptoms of this disease.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine depends on the stage of the disease and mainly comes down to conservative therapy.Surgery is very rare in cases of spina bifida.
Drug treatment
Drug therapy is based on the following principles:
- Using special drugs that allow you to maintain fluid in the intervertebral disc.
- Vitamins.Often, complete vitamin complexes or preparations with B group elements are prescribed.
- An antispasmodic and muscle relaxant that reduces muscle spasms around the spine.
- Painkillers.NSAIDs and analgesics based on drug combinations.
- Chondroprotectors.Necessary to catalyze the healing process of damaged cartilage.
After the elimination of acute phenomena, back and lower back muscle massage is used.Manual therapy is indicated for grade 1-3 osteochondrosis in case of development of functional restrictions.It includes various options for gentle and rough effects on the back muscles.
The duration of treatment for osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine depends on the severity of the disease and the degree of age-related changes, as well as the patient's diligence in following the attending physician's prescription.
Gymnastics for thoracic osteochondrosis
For osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, patients are prescribed therapeutic exercises, the main goal of which is to increase the mobility of the costovertebral and intervertebral joints.Exercise therapy (provided the exercise is done regularly and correctly) can relieve even very severe muscle spasms.Moderate physical activity will help relieve the spasms in the spine that occur with a weak muscle corset.
Daily exercises, carried out under the supervision of an experienced instructor, will have a beneficial effect on the whole body as a whole, and especially on the bronchopulmonary system.The ventilation of the patient's lungs improves, and they can take deep breaths and exhale without pain.
massage
Massage not only reduces the severity of disease symptoms, but also helps a person to recover, resulting in positive effects from other elements of complex therapy.
It is prescribed individually based on the clinical picture of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, the presence of chronic diseases and contraindications.
Manual therapy
Manual therapy is used to eliminate hypertonicity and muscle spasms, as well as restore back mobility.Thanks to manual therapy, it is possible to free blood vessels, increase nutrition and oxygen supply to intervertebral disc tissue.
Correct position while resting and sleeping
To avoid osteochondrosis and during the treatment period, it is necessary to arrange the correct position during rest and sleep.It is better if you sleep on a flat and hard bed, but this should be done without fanaticism;if the bed does not meet the requirements, it is not recommended to sleep on the floor, because you may catch a cold.This step is very necessary so that the spine can recover its normal shape quickly.
However, at first, a rather intense pain may appear, which continues until the vertebra takes a physiological position.To relieve pain and discomfort, you can place a roller under the painful area.
Exercise
The most effective treatment for muscle spasms is physical therapy.Properly selected exercises relax, and at the same time strengthen and train the back muscles.As a result, the thoracic spine is stabilized and the pinched spinal nerves are released.
A set of exercises for thoracic osteochondrosis is carried out as follows:
- Starting position: while inhaling, stand straight, feet together, hands down.Stretch your arms up - exhale, then bend back - take a deep breath.Lower your arms, lean forward, round your back and lower your shoulders and head - exhale.Do 8 - 10 repetitions.
- Starting position: sitting on a chair.Slowly put your hands behind your head - inhale, bend back 5 times, lean on the back of the chair with your shoulder blades - exhale.
- Starting position - crawl and bend your back as much as possible, hold for 3 seconds, keep your head straight for three seconds.Do 5 - 7 repetitions.
- Starting position - lie comfortably on your stomach and place your hands on the floor.At the same time, bend back strongly and try to lift your body off the floor.Do 5 - 8 repetitions.
- Starting position: lie on your stomach with your arms extended along your body.Bend at the chest, try to lift your head and legs up as much as possible.Do 5 - 8 repetitions.
If you follow all the doctor's instructions, then slowly but surely you can achieve a significant improvement in your condition.
Prevention
The health of the thorax and other parts of the spine can be affected by:
- long static loads (sitting in front of the TV, computer);
- lifting weights;
- stooping habit;
- hypothermia and frequent colds.
Office workers who spend a long time at work because of their job need to change their body position more often, get up and do physical exercise.Even simple stretches have benefits.