Thoracic osteochondrosis: signs, causes, diagnosis

Osteochondrosis– a set of dystrophic disorders of the articular cartilage. Generally, this disease affects men and women over 30 years old. But recently, it has even been found among adolescents.

Depending on the location of joint lesions, there are cervical, thoracic and lumbar lesions. In most cases, osteochondrosis manifests itself with severe back pain, headaches and dizziness.Osteochondrosis of the thoracic regionIt is less common than cervical, but 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, therefore the characteristic symptoms of the disease are not immediately noticeable. The diagnosis is made in the final stages of the disease.

Dystrophic disorders affect the cartilage and connective tissue of the muscle, leading to complications and giving rise to other serious diseases.

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

What are the diplomas?

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

1. At the first stagepeople usually do not notice any changes, pain does not appear, but the intervertebral discs begin to lose elasticity, characteristic protrusions appear when the disc protrudes into the spinal canal without rupture of the annulus fibrosus.
2. At the second stage– the disease progresses, pain, dizziness and other neurological symptoms appear. The intervertebral discs are even less elastic, there is a risk of swelling in the spinal canal with rupture of the annulus fibrosus - a hernia is formed.
3. At the third stagethe pain causes many inconveniences and is aggravated by the appearance of a hernia.
4. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine infourth stepcharacterized by progressive neurological symptoms, the intervertebral discs completely lose their firmness 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, noticeable during visual inspection.

What could be the reasons

The cause of spinal disorders 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, many factors contribute to this:

1. A sedentary lifestyle and, as a result, weak back muscles.
2. Bad posture, uncomfortable posture.
3. Various back injuries, inappropriate lifting of weights (jerking from the ground), intense physical activity.

4. Other spinal diseases.
5. Inadequate nutrition, lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, including calcium, necessary for the formation of healthy bone tissue.
6. Pregnancy. Women often notice signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region during pregnancy, when the load on the spine becomes higher; in addition, due to additional resource costs, the body often lacks vitamins and minerals.
7. Heredity. If you have loved ones who suffer from this disease, the risk of developing it increases. In this case, you need to worry about prevention.

Often, when diagnosing, doctors identify a combination of factors: sedentary work, frequent incorrect lifting of weights and poor posture.

Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region

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

1. Sharp, pressing pain in the upper chest area, which gets worse after exercise, hard work, or an uncomfortable position. May be accompanied by shortness of breath, cough and breathing problems.
2. Feeling cold in the hands and feetwithout reason, numbness of the limbs.
3. Headache, dizziness, foggy eyes, blurred vision, feeling tired, not getting enough air. When the intervertebral discs are displaced, the nerve endings and blood vessels are compressed, which explains the appearance of neurological symptoms.

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

These are the main signs indicating intervertebral osteochondrosis. Some patients experience pain in the gastrointestinal tract and in the heart, which often leads to misdiagnosis. The nature of the pain also varies. For example, some patients experience long-term non-acute pain -back painor, conversely, intense pain that stiffens the muscles and makes breathing difficult -dorsal.

These sensations can be felt in the stomach, the patient misinterprets them and is sent for an examination of the liver, pancreas, etc. , without suspecting that the cause of the pain is osteochondrosis of the thoracic region. With a combination of several forms of chondrosis - cervical and thoracic - people complain of a feeling of a foreign body in the throat, which increases after physical exertion or after being in an uncomfortable position.

Complications

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

If you do not pay attention to the development of breast osteochondrosis, after a while it will begin to significantly affect the quality of life, limit activity and range of movements.

Diagnostic

Doctors cannot make a correct diagnosis due to the variety of symptoms, due to which they often suspect disorders of the gastrointestinal tract or nervous system. To avoid errors, orthopedists or neurologists have an X-ray of the thoracic spine done, and often an MRI or CT scan is performed to clarify the diagnosis.

To exclude heart disease, the patient is given an ECG. Treatment is prescribed only after diagnosis.

Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region

Unfortunately, this disease cannot be cured. When pain occurs, the changes in the spine cannot be corrected. However, modern medicine can relieve pain and thus improve quality of life. Correctly selected therapy and a healthy lifestyle can avoid exacerbations.

Treatment involves several interacting factors. To relieve symptoms and prevent the situation from getting worse, medications and physical therapy are usually used. 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 so as not to make the situation worse.

Treatment with medications

Medicines for osteochondrosis are used to relieve pain, for this purpose anti-inflammatory painkillers are often used. In later stages or in case of severe exacerbation, the patient is given an anesthetic block. To relieve neurological symptoms, take medications to improve cerebral circulation.

Physiotherapy

Effective non-drug ways to relieve pain and tension in the back muscles:magnetic therapy, laser therapy, acupunctureAnd so on. After just a few complete procedures, a positive result will be noticeable. Use only after consulting a doctor!

Massage

The most popular and affordable home method. Massage relieves muscle tension, which relieves pain. The best results can be achieved from specialists, but self-massage of the collar area will also bring benefits. The impact on the muscles helps relax the painful area. It is advisable to perform ongoing massages.

Exercise therapy

The complex of treatment of osteochondrosis includes physiotherapy. Moderate exercise strengthens the back muscles, improves flexibility and mobility of the spine. Regular physical exercise will help prevent exacerbations of the disease, or even delay the appearance of the first symptoms for several decades. Many doctors recommend the Doctor's Method, which offers its own program to help fight illnesses using specialized exercise equipment.

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

What to do in case of exacerbation of osteochondrosis

An exacerbation of osteochondrosis surprises you: you have to go to work, but your back does not straighten, it is difficult to turn your neck, and you feel dizzy. This usually occurs as a result of excessive physical exertion, being in an uncomfortable position for a long time (sitting at a computer, working in flower beds, etc. ). An exacerbation is characterized by severe back or head pain, limitation of movement, dizziness or even fainting.

What actions should you take to relieve these symptoms? Gentle exercises, massage and sleeping in the fresh air will help. Severe pain is treated with medication. Only a doctor prescribes medication! 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 eliminating pain. To do this, use various compresses, for example, from grated raw potatoes with honey. The paste is applied to the sore spot and wrapped in a film. The compress should be left on for several hours, preferably overnight, then rinsed.

To relieve neurological symptoms and manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia, infusions of soothing herbs help: chamomile, lemon balm, sage, mint, lingonberry leaf.

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

In the fight against 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 made itself felt, it will not be possible to get rid of it completely, but it is possible to bring the disease into a state of long-term remission.