Thoracic osteochondrosis: signs, causes, diagnosis

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

Depending on the location of the joint damage, there are cervical, thoracic and lumbar. 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 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 already in the later stages of the disease.

Dystrophic disorders affect the cartilage and connective tissue of the muscle, which causes complications and gives 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 and thoracic spine, which affects the quality of life.

What are the degrees?

Treatment of the disease begins with making 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 their elasticity, characteristic protrusions appear when the disc protrudes into the spinal canal without rupture of the fibrous ring.
2. At the second stage– the disease progresses, pain, dizziness and other neurological symptoms appear. Intervertebral discs are even less elastic; there is a danger of bulging into the spinal canal with rupture of the fibrous ring - a hernia is formed.
3. At the third stagethe pain causes a lot of inconvenience and is aggravated by the appearance of a hernia.
4. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine infourth stagecharacterized by progressive neurological symptoms, 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, which is noticeable upon 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 body’s functioning.However, there are many factors that contribute to this:

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

4. Other diseases of the spine.
5. Inadequate nutrition, lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, in particular calcium, which are necessary for the formation of healthy bone tissue.
6. Pregnancy. Often women 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 relatives who suffer from this disease, the likelihood of developing it increases. In this case, you need to 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 thoracic region

At an early stage, the disease does not manifest itself in any way. Often, even before a pronounced pain syndrome comes 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, squeezing pain in the upper thoracic region, which gets worse after exercise, hard work, or being in an awkward position. May be accompanied by shortness of breath, cough, and breathing problems.
2. Feeling cold in hands and feetfor no reason, numbness of the limbs.
3. Headache, dizziness, fog in the eyes, blurred vision, feeling tired, lack of air. When intervertebral discs are displaced, nerve endings and blood vessels are compressed, which is why neurological symptoms occur.

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 indicating intervertebral osteochondrosis. Some patients experience pain in the gastrointestinal tract and heart, which often leads to incorrect diagnosis. The nature of the pain also varies. For example, some patients experience long-term, non-acute pain -dorsalgiaor, conversely, intense pain that stiffens 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 thoracic 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 exertion 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 area of the spinal column leads toto cardiovascular system failures, which in particularly serious cases can disrupt the functioning of the heart.
• Another common complication, especially when combining thoracic and cervical forms of osteochondrosis, 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 disease.
• From the nervous system possiblepanic attacks, which occur during excessive mental or physical stress, severe fatigue. At these moments, patients note rapid heartbeat and breathing problems: it is difficult to breathe, there is not enough air.
• Another complication that causes difficulties not only for patients, but also for doctors isintercostal neuralgia.Pinching 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 complicates diagnosis. 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 breast osteochondrosis, then after some time it will begin to significantly affect the quality of life, limit activity and range of motion.

Diagnostics

Doctors are prevented from making a correct diagnosis by the variety of symptoms, due to 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 often an MRI or CT scan is performed to clarify the diagnosis.

To rule out 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, changes that have occurred in the spine cannot be corrected. However, modern medicine can relieve pain and thereby improve the quality of life. Correctly selected therapy and a healthy lifestyle can avoid exacerbations.

Treatment involves several factors that work together. To relieve symptoms and prevent the situation from getting worse, medications and physical therapy are usually used. Surgery is necessary only 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 worsen the situation.

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 cases 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 full-fledged 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 obtained from specialists, but self-massage of the collar area will also bring benefits. The impact on the muscles helps to relax the sore area. It is advisable to carry out massage in courses.

Exercise therapy

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

Each treatment method hascontraindications, before use, consultation with a doctor is required. 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 takes you by surprise: you need to go to work, but your back does not straighten, it is difficult to turn your neck, and you feel dizzy. It usually occurs as a result of excessive physical exertion, being in an uncomfortable position for a long time (sitting at a computer, working in garden beds, etc. ). An exacerbation is characterized by severe back or headache pain, 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. Only a doctor prescribes medications! When using medications, improvement occurs within two hours.

Folk remedies

Despite their availability, folk remedies also need to 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 sore spot and wrapped in film. The compress should be left for several hours, preferably overnight, then rinsed off.

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.

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