Thoracic osteochondrosis: signs, causes, diagnosis

Osteochondrosis– a group of dystrophic disorders in articular cartilage. Typically, this disease affects men and women over 30 years old. But recently it is also found in teenagers.

Depending on the location of joint damage, cervical, thoracic and lumbar are distinguished. In most cases, osteochondrosis manifests itself as severe back pain, headache and dizziness.Osteochondrosis of the thoracic regionIt is less common than the cervical one, but it is no less dangerous due to various complications.

Thoracic osteochondrosis: what is it?

With thoracic osteochondrosis, pathological changes in the spine occur in the thoracic region. The intervertebral discs are most often affected. The thoracic region is not as mobile as the cervical region, so the characteristic symptoms of the disease are not immediately visible. The diagnosis is already made in the later stages of the disease.

Dystrophic disorders affect cartilage and muscle connective tissue, which causes complications and causes other serious diseases.

Patients are used to treating osteochondrosis easily, but without timely treatment, thoracic osteochondrosis can be dangerous to health. Often the disease affects both the cervical and thoracic spine, which affects the quality of life.

What are the ranks?

Treatment of the disease begins with establishing a diagnosis and determining its stage.

1. In the first stagepeople usually do not notice changes, pain does not appear, but intervertebral discs begin to lose their elasticity, characteristic protrusions appear when the disc protrudes into the spinal canal without rupture of the fibrous ring.
2. In the second phase– the disease progresses, pain, dizziness and other neurological symptoms appear. Intervertebral discs are even less elastic; there is a risk of swelling in the spinal canal with rupture of the fibrous ring - a hernia is formed.
3. In the third stagethe pain causes much inconvenience and is aggravated by the appearance of a hernia.
4. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spinethe fourth stagecharacterized by progressive neurological symptoms, intervertebral discs completely lose their stability and elasticity. The destruction of the vertebrae begins.

It is impossible to determine osteochondrosis by external signs, although it often accompanies another pathology of the spine - scoliosis, which is observed after visual examination.

What could be the reasons

The cause of disorders occurring in the spine is insufficient nutrition of the cartilage and vertebrae. It is impossible to say exactly why such a malfunction occurs in the functioning of the body.However, there are many factors that contribute to this:

1. A sedentary lifestyle and, as a result, weak back muscles.
2. Poor posture, uncomfortable posture.
3. Various back injuries, incorrect lifting of weights (vibration from the floor), heavy physical activity.

4. Other diseases of the spine.
5. Insufficient nutrition, lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, especially calcium, which are necessary for the formation of healthy bone tissue.
6. Pregnancy. Often women notice signs of osteochondrosis of the chest region during pregnancy, when the load on the back becomes higher; in addition, due to additional resource costs, the body often lacks vitamins and minerals.
7. Inheritance. If you have relatives suffering from this disease, the chances of developing it increase. In this case, you should worry about prevention.

Often, when making a diagnosis, doctors identify a combination of factors: sedentary work, frequent improper lifting of weights and poor posture.

Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the chest region

In an early stage, the disease does not appear in any way. Often, even before a pronounced pain syndrome, there are neurological disorders (dizziness, spots in the eyes, etc. ), which the patient does not associate with back problems. People begin to suspect problems with the spine when pain occurs. Let's consider the main signs of thoracic osteochondrosis:

1. Sharp, constricting pain in upper chest region, which worsens after exercise, hard work or being in an awkward position. It can be accompanied by shortness of breath, cough and breathing problems.
2. Cold feeling in hands and feetwithout reason, numbness of the limbs.
3. Headache, dizziness, foggy eyes, blurred vision, feeling tired, shortness of breath. When intervertebral discs are displaced, nerve endings and blood vessels are compressed, which is why neurological symptoms appear.

Thoracic osteochondrosis causes patients to feel pain in the area of the heart or stomach, which greatly complicates the diagnosis of the disease.

These are the main signs that indicate intervertebral osteochondrosis. Some patients experience pain in the gastrointestinal tract and heart, which often leads to misdiagnosis. The nature of the pain also varies. For example, some patients experience long-term pain, not acute -dorsalgiaor, conversely, severe pain that stiffens the muscles and makes breathing difficult -dorsago.

These sensations can be felt in the stomach area, the patient misinterprets them and is sent for examination of the liver, pancreas, etc. , not suspecting that the cause of the pain is osteochondrosis of the chest region. With a combination of several forms of chondrosis - cervical and thoracic - people complain of a sensation of a foreign body in the throat, which becomes pronounced after physical exercises or after being in an uncomfortable position.

Complications

• During the development of the disease, accompanying diseases are added to the main disease. Thus, prolonged compression of blood vessels in the spine area leads tofor cardiovascular system failures, which in particularly severe cases can disrupt the functioning of the heart.
• Another common complication, especially when the forms of thoracic and cervical osteochondrosis are combined, isvegetative-vascular dystonia. Compression of blood vessels and nerve endings disrupts the proper nutrition of the brain, as a result of which patients experience severe long-term headaches, dizziness, a feeling of fog in the eyes and blurred vision. In advanced cases, fainting may occur due to back pain.
• From the nervous system it is possiblepanic attacks, which occur during excessive mental or physical stress, severe fatigue. At these moments, patients notice a rapid heartbeat and breathing problems: it is difficult to breathe, there is not enough air.
• Another complication that brings difficulties not only for patients, but also for doctors isintercostal neuralgia.Compression of the nerve roots in the thoracic spine produces a specific pain syndrome, reminiscent of the sensations associated with heart disease. Patients turn to doctors with heart complaints, which makes diagnosis difficult. This disease accompanies various pathologies of the spine, but, as a rule, its symptoms disappear with the start of treatment.

If you do not pay attention to the development of osteochondrosis of the breast, then after some time it will begin to significantly affect the quality of life, limit activity and range of motion.

Diagnosing

Doctors are not allowed to make an accurate diagnosis from the variety of symptoms, because of which they often suspect disorders in the gastrointestinal tract or nervous system. To avoid mistakes, orthopedists or neurologists send for an X-ray of the thoracic spine, and an MRI or CT scan is often performed to clarify the diagnosis.

To rule out heart disease, the patient is given an EKG. Treatment is prescribed only after diagnosis.

Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region

Unfortunately, this disease cannot be cured. When pain occurs, the changes that have occurred in the spine cannot be corrected. However, modern medicine can relieve pain and thus improve the quality of life. Properly chosen therapy and a healthy lifestyle can avoid irritations.

Treatment involves several factors working together. Medications and physical therapy are usually used to relieve symptoms and prevent the condition from worsening. Surgery is only necessary if a herniated disc develops. There are dozens of home treatments, but each of them should be discussed with your doctor to avoid making the situation worse.

Treatment with medications

Medicines for osteochondrosis are used to relieve pain; pain relievers are often used for this purpose. In later stages or in cases of severe deterioration, the patient is given an anesthetic block. To relieve neurological symptoms, take medications to improve cerebral circulation.

Physiotherapy

Effective non-drug way to relieve back pain and tension:magnetic therapy, laser therapy, acupunctureand so on. After only a few complete procedures, a positive result will be visible. Use only after consulting a doctor!

Massage

The most popular and affordable method at home. Massage relieves muscle tension, which relieves pain. The best results can be obtained from specialists, but self-massage of the collar area will also bring benefits. The impact on the muscles helps to relax the injured area. It is recommended that the massage be performed in courses.

Exercise therapy

The treatment complex of osteochondrosis includes physical therapy. Moderate exercise strengthens the back muscles, improves flexibility and mobility of the spine. Regular physical exercise will help to avoid aggravation of the disease or even delay the appearance of the first symptoms for decades. Many doctors recommend the method of the doctor, who offers his program to help fight diseases with the help of specialized training equipment.

Each treatment method hascontraindications, consultation with the doctor is required before use. In addition, with a complex effect on the disease, vitamin and mineral complexes are used to restore the proper nutrition of cartilage tissue and joints.

What to do in case of exacerbation of osteochondrosis

An exacerbation of osteochondrosis takes you by surprise: you have to go to work, but your back does not straighten, it is difficult to turn your neck and you feel dizzy. It usually appears as a result of excessive physical exertion, staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time (sitting in front of the computer, working in garden beds, etc. ). An exacerbation is characterized by severe back pain or headache, limitation of movement, dizziness or even fainting.

What actions should you take to relieve these symptoms? Gentle exercise, massage and sleeping in the fresh air will help. Severe pain is treated with medication. Medicines are prescribed only by the doctor! When using medications, improvement occurs within two hours.

Folk remedies

Despite their availability, folk remedies should also be used with caution. All of them are aimed at getting rid of pain. To do this, use various compresses, for example, from raw grated potatoes with honey. The paste is applied to the injured area and wrapped with film. The compress should be left for several hours, preferably overnight, then rinsed.

Infusions of soothing plants help to relieve neurological symptoms and manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia: chamomile, lemon balm, sage, mint, blackberry leaves.

There are contraindications, it is necessary to consult a specialist.

When fighting osteochondrosis, only a set of procedures will help: proper nutrition, physical therapy, massage, avoiding excessive physical activity and an active lifestyle. If the disease has become sensitive, then it will not be possible to completely get rid of it, but it is possible for the disease to enter a long-term remission state.