Osteochondrosis rarely develops in the thoracic spine - the intervertebral discs in it are smaller and thinner in size than in the cervical or lumbar spine. The thoracic region is less mobile, the main load falling on the ribs and sternum.
Unlike cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis, chest symptoms differ only in the location of the pain. The nature of the pain and its duration are similar. With prolapse in the chest region, the spinal cord is not affected. Read about it and more.
Stages of pathology
Over time, osteochondrosis usually progresses. According to the severity of the manifestation, the pathology is divided into 4 stages.
preclinical
There are minimal disorders in the spine. There may be a mild pain syndrome, tense back muscles. It is possible to develop thoracalgia - chest pain, but this is a rare occurrence.
Discogenic sciatica
There is a change in the structure of the intervertebral discs. Moderate-intensity pain may appear in the affected part of the spine. The patient is efficient. But his muscle stamina indicators are declining.
Vascular-radicular
At this stage, the annulus fibrosus is completely destroyed. A disc herniation is formed, the process of deformation of the fibrous ring continues, which leads to its rupture. The pulposus nucleus then falls into the space below the ligaments. A disc herniation forms. The process affects the tissues located in the disc, the work of blood vessels, muscles, nerves, ligaments is interrupted. The disease becomes chronic.
Change in the shape of bone structure
The bead fades, its surface becomes ribbed, uneven. The muscles begin to contract spontaneously, which leads to limited mobility of the entire spine or a specific vertebra. Tightening of the nerves extending from the spinal cord occurs. This leads to a worsening of impulses coming from the brain to the tissues and organs of the body.
The mobility of the spine as a whole is preserved, but the individual vertebrae become brittle and can collapse easily. If the disease is not treated, then it passes to the fourth stage.
Intervertebral disc tissue regeneration and scar tissue replacement
The damaged intervertebral disc is not able to perform its functions well, which leads to the convergence of neighboring vertebral bodies. This leads to abnormalities in the intervertebral joints called spondyloarthritis. In this case, twisting or displacement of the vertebrae in relation to neighboring ones may occur.
The body activates its compensation mechanisms. To lighten the load on the damaged disc, the vertebrae are flattened and increased in width. Thus its surface area increases. And the tissue of the annulus fibrosus, which has collapsed, can be replaced by bone.
Sometimes this reduces the pain, however, as it grows, the vertebrae make the spinal holes even narrower - the nerve is tight.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of breast osteochondrosis are often caused by the following factors:
- patient's age;
- spine affection;
- stage of disease development;
- the patient's condition is remission or worsening of the disease.
Symptoms also include:
- radiculopathy - painful damage to the nerve endings of the spinal cord;
- abdominal syndromes;
- heart syndrome, changes in the heart muscle - is characterized by severe pain and does not respond to nitroglycerin;
- pulmonary syndrome: congestion, hypoxia occurs in the lungs;
- paresthesia - a feeling of "goose bumps" in the body;
- pain in the compressed nerve area;
- decreased sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and touch;
- violations of motor function of the spine.
The patient's body temperature does not rise. This serves as a sign that allows you to distinguish pathology.
The degree of the disease
Lumbago
It is a sharp pain that penetrates the body. It manifests itself when lifting heavy objects and other physical activities - the pain is similar to an electric shock.
In terms of morphology, a sudden rupture of the intervertebral disc capsule occurs when the load is too high. This traumatic injury leads to nerve irritation - pain arises.
The muscles are tense and this is well expressed. Lumbar lordosis softens. So the load is redistributed and the intervertebral disc compresses even more, which leads to edema, which increases the pain.
When the pathology is concentrated in the cervical region, cervical pain appears - manifested by pain when turning the head and palpation of the cervical muscles. With a worsening, cervicocranialgia is often observed, which is manifested in the fact that a person has a strong headache in the occipital region. There may be tinnitus, dizziness, flies in the eyes and sore teeth.
Dizziness
Occur as a result of narrowing of the spinal canal cavity. The intervertebral disc protrudes and squeezes the vessels. The brain is not able to get the volume of blood it needs. You may experience a sharp headache, numb hands and sore shoulders.
Difficulty breathing, which causes insufficient oxygen to enter the brain. This leads to stabbing pain in the heart region.
Intervertebral hernia
At this stage of development, the picture looks quite serious - the spinal canal and intervertebral cavities are very narrow. As a result, a hernia can form - a dangerous defect. Often, at this stage of the disease, it is necessary to resort to surgery.
Treatment of third-degree osteochondrosis depends on root compression. It is possible to use the same techniques as in the second degree. However, when the pain persists within fifteen days and symptoms of prolapse (vertebral prolapse) are present, surgery is required.
Growth in beads
As a rule, at this stage of the disease, the manifestations of the hernia disappear, the symptoms of the disease are less pronounced, however, it is observed that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae may slip or twist in relation to each other.
At this time, growth of vertebral bodies can occur - this is called osteophyte. Increases lead to compression of the spinal nerves, an overlap of the spinal canal occurs, called secondary spinal canal stenosis. As a result, spinal cord compression is possible, which leads to ischemia.
This stage of the disease also includes the consequences of previous surgeries for hernia removal. They can manifest as restless innervation, paresis, inflammation.
Dorsago and dorsalgia
The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis depend directly on the area of the spinal lesion. Dorsagos vertebral syndromes and dorsalgia are most commonly distinguished.
Dorsago manifests itself in the form of sudden sharp pain appearing in the chest area. This often happens if a person is in a sitting position for a long time without changing his posture. Pain can occur when a person's position is physiologically uncomfortable. In addition, it is possible when performing monotonous work for a long time.
Dorsago is also called "chest lumbago". When this happens, the muscles in the back and chest become tense so much that it becomes difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain passes along the ribs to the sternum, radiating to the scapular area. Sometimes the patient may feel that it is a myocardial infarction. However, when an electrocardiogram is performed, deviations from the norms are not detected. If you take nitroglycerin or another heart medicine, then there will be no result.
Avoid staying in one position for a long time. Sedentary work is one of the leading causes of osteochondrosis.
Dorsalgia is a mild pain present for a long time, sometimes up to those weeks. The inflamed part of the spine gives "dull" pain. This is uncomfortable, so the person usually comes to the doctor.
Dorsalgia can be expressed in the fact that:
- the pain worsens when the person breathes deeply or coughs;
- muscles are strained;
- motor activity in the neck or lumbar region decreases;
- has muscle spasm;
- the pain is strongest at night and when the person is engaged in physical activity.
Dorsalgia is superior and inferior. At first, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper chest, in the neck. In the second case, it hurts mainly in the sacrum region and in the lower back.
The symptoms of Dorsalgia are very similar to the first manifestations of pneumonia. This is important to remember to diagnose the disease in time. If the diagnosis is wrong and treatment is prescribed, the patient's condition will only worsen.
When a woman breastfeeds her baby, she may experience such manifestations of osteochondrosis. It is only necessary to treat the disease in this situation by contacting a doctor, taking into account all the nuances.
It is important to weigh all the risks of using certain medications so as not to harm your baby's health and your health.
Atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of thoracic spine osteochondrosis are completely atypical. A person may not even be aware of the disease, as the symptoms are often similar to those of other pathologies. They should be considered in more detail and analyze the situation as a whole:
- it is possible the appearance of pain that mimics the heart, which develops during angina pectoris and heart attack; coronary enlargement drugs, such as nitroglycerin, have no effect; and the ECG shows no abnormality;
- pain may appear, similar to that seen in women with the development of mammary gland diseases; this pain can last for a long time; during the examination, problems in the mammary glands are not detected;
- iliac region and abdomen may be painful, symptoms are not similar to those of gastritis and colitis; pain under the right rib may be observed, similar to those characterizing hepatitis or cholecystitis; digestion is usually disturbed - this is also a characteristic symptom in osteochondrosis, which occurs due to disturbances in the innervation of internal organs; it is necessary to understand what caused the disruption of the digestive process, is it really the cause of osteochondrosis of the chest;
- the process of urination and sexual function may be interrupted because the innervation in the genitourinary system is distorted;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, there may be weeks of pain in the sternum, very similar to those present in mammary gland diseases; a visit to the mammologist allows you to identify the cause of the pain.
These symptoms are associated with manifestations of back pain as well as intercostal neuralgia. The onset of atypical symptoms is usually seen in the evening. In the morning, as a rule, there is no more white. The pain increases throughout the day if the right conditions are created for this, provoking pain.