Characteristics of the disease
According to medical statistics, more than 30% of the world's population suffers from osteochondrosis. And every year the patients are getting younger. But compared to cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis, thoracic osteochondrosis occurs much less often.
- there is a natural curve, due to which part of the load is removed from walking straight;
- the rest falls on the ribs and sternum, which play the role of a physiological frame;
- this is the longest part of the spine (12 vertebrae), but the spinal canal is narrower;
- the thoracic vertebrae are small in size, but equipped with long spinous processes;
- he is inactive.
If the deformation of the intervertebral disc appears in the thoracic region, it gradually disappears. But it manifests itself with pain.
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis
How clearly the disease appears depends on its stage, lifestyle and age of the patient.
- Pain. It is felt in the upper back, between the shoulder blades and surrounds the intercostal spaces with neuralgia. Worse with coughing, deep breathing and turning the body. Since there are many nerve fibers in the chest, chest pain (dorsago) appears, as if it were a heart attack.
- Radiculitis. In addition to pain, there is a loss of sensitivity. Typically, the limbs, upper abdomen, and the area below the collarbone become numb.
- Paresthesia. There is a feeling that goosebumps are crawling all over your body.
- Cardiac syndrome. Severe heart pains continue, which do not go away after taking the medicine.
- Pulmonary syndrome. It is manifested by suffocation and congestion in the lungs.
- Abdominal syndrome. It is characterized by constant pain in the digestive organs.
- Muscle tension. It occurs reflexively in the upper back and chest.
In men and women, the clinical picture is approximately the same. But the signs of thoracic osteochondrosis in women usually appear at the beginning of menopause. Before that, the spine is protected by estrogens.
In men, complications of the disease can affect potency.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis are much more disturbing at night than during the day. They intensify with hypothermia, movement and stress. It is believed that women suffer from much more severe spinal pain.
Localization of the pain syndrome
The diagnosis of the disease is complicated by the symptomatic similarity with other diseases: myocardial infarction, angina pectoris and gastrointestinal disorders.
- With thoracic osteochondrosis, symptoms with a feeling of pain in the heart appear when the first to sixth thoracic nerves are affected. In women, the mammary glands can be injured.
- If thoracic nerves 6 to 9 are affected, the pain appears in the stomach. The sensations are the same as with colitis and gastritis. There may be a feeling of the presence of a foreign body in the esophagus.
- In the small intestine, kidneys and genitals, if pathological processes affect the 11th and 12th discs.
To make an accurate diagnosis, an orthopedic surgeon prescribes an examination for the patient.
It is necessary to undergo radiography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance, ECG and mammography for women.
The results will help determine the stage of the disease and treatment options.
Stages of the disease
| phase | Changes | Symptoms |
| First | Dehydration of the discs, which causes loss of elasticity. Their height decreases, but their width increases - the intervertebral disc gradually flattens. | The pain appears directly in the damaged ring. It can be pull or throw. |
| Secondly | The annulus fibrosus begins to disintegrate. The nerve roots are compressed, causing pain. | There is pain during movement. When you hold a pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
| Third | The annulus fibrosus ruptures, causing a herniated disc to form. Pathological scoliosis or kyphosis develops. | There is pain during movement. When you hold a pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
| Fourthly | The vertebrae rub against each other, which provokes the displacement of the intervertebral joints. The tissues surrounding the vertebrae become inflamed. Cartilage tissue is replaced by bone tissue, which reduces motor functions. Fibrosis appears. | There is pain during movement. When you hold a pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
Phases of exacerbation and remission may be observed. The latter is often observed in stage 4.
Disease rates
This is a more modern classification of symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis, which is used by specialists.
| Diplomas | Changes and symptoms |
| First | Fracture of the intervertebral disc caused by sudden movements or overexertion. Sharp pain, similar to the passage of electric current along the spine. Muscle strain. |
| Secondly | It is characterized by instability of the spine. Pain during movement. Extension. |
| Third | The pain becomes constant. Loss of sensitivity. Change in gait. Severe headaches. Difficulty in breathing. Tachycardia. |
| Fourthly | The spine is unstable: the vertebrae slip and twist. Osteophytes grow, compressing spinal nerves and putting pressure on the spinal cord. |
Thoracic osteochondrosis can cause serious diseases that will be difficult to cure.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
Symptoms in women practically do not differ from the clinical picture in men. The main difference in this case is that in the female half of humanity, osteochondrosis develops at an older age. The female body has a peculiarity - estrogens effectively protect the intervertebral discs from destruction, therefore the signs of osteochondrosis in women more often begin to appear during the menopause or with hormonal imbalance. In addition, as already mentioned, the signs of osteochondrosis of the chest can be similar to the symptoms of dangerous diseases of the mammary glands.
Therefore, women are asked to undergo a test such as a mammogram to clarify the diagnosis.
Thoracic osteochondrosis in women can appear in different ways. The clinical framework will depend on the age, the stage of the pathology, as well as which vertebra is affected and how much is affected. One of the signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine in women is burning and itching between the shoulder blades.
- Dorsago ("lumbago of the chest", "dagger pain") is a sudden strong sharp pain in the chest (between the shoulder blades), which most often appears after a long stay in the same uncomfortable position. With a lumbago in the chest, the muscles tense up sharply and strongly - the person feels as if it has become difficult for him to breathe. Pain during dorsago can intensify if you rotate the upper body.
- Thoracalgia is chronic mild pain in the sternum. Thoracalgia can appear not only with osteochondrosis, but also with diseases of internal organs located in this area (lungs, heart, stomach). The main difference between such pains in osteochondrosis is its surface and segmental manifestation along the intercostal spaces. Thoracalgia with osteochondrosis is intensified by movements and deep breathing and subsides with rest.
- numbness, lumps in some areas of the skin;
- burning, itching between the shoulder blades;
- feeling of coldness in the legs;
- pain in the pharynx and esophagus;
- stomach and intestinal dysfunctions.
Treatment of pathology in women
It is practically impossible to completely get rid of already advanced thoracic osteochondrosis, but it is quite possible to slow down or even stop the formation of a degenerative-dystrophic pathological process in the tissues of the spinal movement segments using the tools and methods of modern medicine. . The optimal therapeutic effect can be achieved only with an integrated approach to the treatment of this pathology using medications, various physiotherapeutic techniques and targeted exercise therapy techniques (physical therapy).
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine in women are not much different from those in men. In the acute period of osteochondrosis of the thoracic segment of the spine, the patient needs intensive treatment of the deterioration, during which various medications and physical procedures are used to help eliminate, first of all, the pain syndrome and in parallel with other manifestationsnegative. of the disease.
During remission, the patient should be prescribed maintenance treatment, mainly based on taking drugs that restore the osteochondral structure and physical therapy. In particularly severe cases, sometimes they use surgical intervention to stabilize the position of the spine.
Sensation in women with osteochondrosis
- Painful manifestations in the area of the heart. In this case, the symptoms are more similar to heart disease, such as a heart attack or angina. The pain feels dull or aching and can last for months. However, no vascular drugs bring improvement and ECG results do not reveal any abnormalities.
- Discomfort in the mammary glands. More often it manifests itself in women, which is characterized by annoying painful sensations. It can often be confused with diseases of the mammary glands. In this case, a more detailed diagnosis is required.
- Spot spasms and pain in the abdominal cavity. It is distinguished by the typical signs of various pathological processes in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, which are often confused with gastritis, ulcers or cholecystitis. Intensifies with physical movements.
Experts have also identified two signs of thoracic osteochondrosis, which, if detected, can immediately indicate the development of the disease - the so-called dorsago and dorsalgia.
Complications of the disease
Thoracic osteochondrosis is a painful disease that significantly reduces the patient's quality of life.
Often osteochondrosis affects gradually or several departments at the same time.
- for disorders of the cardiovascular system;
- vegetative system;
- solvents;
- respiratory;
- faint;
- dizziness;
- panic and fear attacks that occur with rapid heartbeat and suffocation;
- chronic fatigue;
- Herpes.
Therefore, the treatment of the disease should be comprehensive, aimed at eliminating all symptoms. When diagnosed early and correctly, treatment has a favorable prognosis.