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 falls on the ribs and sternum.
Unlike cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis, chest symptoms differ only in the location of pain. The nature of the pain and its duration are similar. With prolapse in the thoracic region, the spinal cord is not affected. Read on about this 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 slight pain syndrome, the muscles of the back tense. It is possible to develop thoracalgias - chest pains, but this is a rare occurrence.
Discogenic sciatica
There is a change in the structure of the intervertebral discs. Pain of moderate intensity may appear in the affected part of the spine. The patient is efficient. But his muscle endurance indicators are declining.
Vascular-radicular
At this stage, the annulus fibrosus is completely destroyed. A herniated disc is formed, the process of deformation of the fibrous ring continues, which leads to its rupture. Then the nucleus pulposus falls out into the space under the ligaments. A herniated disc is formed. The process affects the tissues located at the disc, the work of blood vessels, muscles, nerves, ligaments is disrupted. The disease becomes chronic.
Change in the shape of the bone structure
The vertebra coarsens, its surface becomes ribbed, uneven. Muscles begin to contract spontaneously, which leads to limited mobility of the entire spine or a specific vertebra. Pinching of the nerves that extend from the spinal cord occurs. This leads to a deterioration in the impulses coming from the brain to the tissues and organs of the body.
The mobility of the spine as a whole is preserved, but individual vertebrae become fragile and can easily collapse. If the disease is not treated, then it goes into 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 the bodies of neighboring vertebrae. This leads to abnormalities in the intervertebral joints called spondyloarthrosis. In this case, twisting or displacement of the vertebrae relative to the neighboring ones can occur.
The body turns on its own compensation mechanisms. To relieve the load in the damaged disc, the vertebra flattens and grows in width. So its area increases. And the tissue of the annulus fibrosus, which has collapsed, can be replaced by bone.
Sometimes this reduces pain, however, growing, the vertebrae make the spinal holes even narrower - the nerve is pinched.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of breast osteochondrosis are often caused by the following factors:
- the age of the patient;
- spine affection;
- stage of development of the disease;
- the patient's condition is remission or exacerbation of the disease.
Symptoms also include:
- radiculopathy - painful damage to the nerve endings of the spinal cord;
- abdominal syndrome;
- cardiac syndrome, changes in the heart muscle - it 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" on the body;
- pain in the area of the compressed nerve;
- decreased sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and to touch;
- violations of the motor function of the spine.
The patient's body temperature does not rise. This serves as a sign that allows you to differentiate the 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 activity - the pain is similar to an electric shock.
In terms of morphology, an unexpected rupture of the intervertebral disc capsule occurs when the load is too high. This traumatic injury leads to irritation of the nerves - pain arises.
The muscles are tense and this is well expressed. Lumbar lordosis is smoothed out. So the load is redistributed, and the intervertebral disc is compressed even more, which leads to edema, which increases the pain.
When the pathology is concentrated in the neck region, cervicalgia appears - it manifests itself by pain when turning the head and palpation of the cervical muscles. With an exacerbation, cervicocranialgia is often observed, which manifests itself in the fact that a person has a severe headache in the occiput region. There may be tinnitus, dizziness, a feeling of flies in the eyes, and teeth may hurt.
Dizziness
They appear as a result of narrowing of the cavity of the spinal canal. The intervertebral disc protrudes and squeezes the vessels. The brain is unable 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 pains in the region of the heart.
Intervertebral hernia
At this stage of development, the picture looks quite serious - the spinal canal and intervertebral cavities are greatly narrowed. As a result, a hernia may form - a dangerous defect. Often, at this stage of the disease, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
Treatment of third-degree osteochondrosis depends on root compression. It is possible to use the same techniques as in the second degree. However, when pain persists within fifteen days and symptoms of prolapse (prolapse of the vertebra) are present, surgery is required.
Growths on the vertebrae
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 noticeable that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae can slide or twist in relation to each other.
At this time, the growth of the vertebral bodies can occur - this is called osteophytes. The growths lead to compression of the spinal nerves, an overlap of the spinal canal occurs, called secondary stenosis of the spinal canal. As a result, compression of the spinal cord is possible, which leads to ischemia.
This degree of the disease also includes the consequences of previous operations to remove the hernia. They can manifest as disturbed innervation, paresis, inflammation.
Dorsago and dorsalgia
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis directly depend on the area of the spinal lesion. Most often, the vertebral syndromes of dorsago and dorsalgia are distinguished.
Dorsago manifests itself in the form of sudden sharp pain that occurs in the chest area. This often happens if a person is in a sitting position for a long time without changing their posture. Pain can occur when a person's position is uncomfortable from a physiological point of view. 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 your back and chest tense up so hard that it becomes difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain passes along the ribs to the sternum, radiates to the area of the scapula. Sometimes the patient may feel that it is a myocardial infarction. However, when performing an electrocardiogram, deviations from the norms are not detected. If you take nitroglycerin or another remedy for the heart, then there will be no result.
Avoid staying in one position for a long time. Sedentary work is one of the main 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:
- soreness gets worse when the person inhales deeply or coughs;
- muscles are overstrained;
- motor activity in the neck or lumbar region decreases;
- there is muscle spasm;
- the pain is worse at night and when the person is engaged in physical activity.
Dorsalgia is superior and inferior. At the first, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper chest, in the neck. In the second case, it hurts mainly in the region of the sacrum and lower back.
The symptoms of Dorsalgia are very similar to the first manifestations of pneumonia. This is important to remember in order to diagnose the disease in time. If the diagnosis is incorrect 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 drugs, so as not to harm the health of the baby and your own.
Atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine are completely atypical. A person may not even be aware of the disease, since the symptoms are often similar to those of other pathologies. They should be considered in more detail and analyze the situation as a whole:
- the appearance of pain that mimics the heart, which develops during angina pectoris and heart attack, is possible; coronary dilatation drugs, such as nitroglycerin, have no effect; and the ECG shows no abnormalities;
- pains may occur, similar to those that occur in women with the development of diseases of the mammary glands; this pain can last for a long time; when examining, problems in the mammary glands are not detected;
- the iliac region and abdomen may be painful, the symptoms are not similar to those of gastritis and colitis; pain under the right rib may be observed, similar to those that characterize hepatitis or cholecystitis; digestion is usually disturbed - this is also a characteristic symptom in osteochondrosis, arising from disturbances in the innervation of internal organs; it is necessary to figure out what caused the disruption of the process of digesting food, is it really the cause of chest osteochondrosis;
- the process of urination and sexual function may be disrupted, because the innervation in the genitourinary system is distorted;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, there may be long-term, weeks, pain in the sternum, very similar to those that are present in diseases of the mammary gland; a visit to the mammologist allows you to identify the cause of the pain.
These symptoms are associated with manifestations of pain in the back, as well as with intercostal neuralgia. The onset of atypical symptoms is usually observed in the evening. In the morning, as a rule, there is no whiter. Soreness increases throughout the day if the appropriate conditions are created for this, provoking pain.