Osteochondrosis of the spine is characterized by deformation of the intervertebral discs, which affects the condition of the musculoskeletal system and nervous system. Similar degenerative changes appear in the thoracic spine and manifest themselves with certain symptoms.
Features 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 frequently.This fact is explained by the structure of this department:
- it has a natural bend, due to which some of the load from walking upright is removed from it;
- the other part falls on the ribs and sternum, which play the role of a physiological frame;
- this is the longest section of the spine (12 vertebrae), but the spinal canal is the narrowest;
- the thoracic vertebrae are small in size, but equipped with long spinous processes;
- he is inactive.
If intervertebral disc deformation does appear in the thoracic region, it goes away gradually. But it manifests itself painfully.
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis
How clearly the disease manifests itself depends on its stage, lifestyle and age of the patient.It is characterized by the following symptoms:
- Pain. It is felt in the upper back, between the shoulder blades and surrounds the intercostal spaces with neuralgia. It gets 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 area under the collarbone become numb.
- Paresthesia. There is a feeling that goosebumps are crawling all over your body.
- Cardiac syndrome. Severe heart pain persists, which does not go away after taking the medicine.
- Pulmonary syndrome. Manifested by suffocation and congestion in the lungs.
- Abdominal syndrome. Characterized by persistent 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 signs of thoracic osteochondrosis in women usually appear at the onset of menopause. Before this, 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 spinal pain much more severely.
Localization of pain syndrome
Diagnosis of the disease is complicated by the symptomatic similarity with other ailments: myocardial infarction, angina pectoris and gastrointestinal disorders.This phenomenon occurs because the innervation of the nerves is disrupted and pain radiates to different parts of the body:
- With thoracic osteochondrosis, symptoms with a sensation of pain in the heart appear when the first to sixth thoracic nerves are affected. In women, the mammary glands may become sore.
- If thoracic nerves 6 to 9 are affected, pain occurs 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 imaging, ECG, and mammography for women.
The results will help determine the stage of the disease and treatment options.
Stages of the disease
Depending on the ongoing pathological processes, there are 4 stages of development of thoracic osteochondrosis:
| Stage | Changes | Symptoms |
| First | Dehydration of the discs, which causes loss of elasticity. Their height decreases, but their width increases - the intervertebral disc gradually flattens. | Pain appears directly in the damaged ring. It can be pulling or shooting. |
| Second | The annulus fibrosus begins to disintegrate. The nerve roots are compressed, causing pain. | There is pain when moving. When maintaining a pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
| Third | The fibrous ring ruptures, causing a herniated disc to form. Scoliosis or pathological kyphosis develops. | There is pain when moving. When maintaining a pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
| Fourth | Friction of the vertebrae against each other appears, which provokes displacement of the intervertebral joints. The tissue surrounding the vertebrae becomes inflamed. Cartilage tissue is replaced by bone tissue, which reduces motor functions. Fibrosis appears. | There is pain when moving. When maintaining a pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
Stages of exacerbation and remission may be observed. The latter is often observed at stage 4.
Degrees of the disease
This is a more modern classification of the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis, which is used by specialists.
| Degrees | Changes and symptoms |
| First | Intervertebral disc rupture caused by sudden movement or overexertion. Sharp pain, similar to the passage of electric current along the spinal column. Muscle strain. |
| Second | Characterized by instability of the spinal column. Pain when moving. Protrusion. |
| Third | The pain becomes constant. Loss of sensation. Change in gait. Severe headaches. Difficulty breathing. Tachycardia. |
| Fourth | The spine is unstable: the vertebrae slip and twist. Osteophytes grow, pinching the 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 are practically no different 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 one peculiarity - estrogens effectively protect intervertebral discs from destruction, therefore signs of osteochondrosis in women most often begin to appear during the menopausal period or with hormonal imbalance. In addition, as already noted, the signs of thoracic osteochondrosis may be similar to the symptoms of dangerous diseases of the mammary glands.
Therefore, women are required to undergo a test such as mammography to clarify the diagnosis.
Thoracic osteochondrosis in women can manifest itself in different ways. The clinical picture will depend on age, stage of pathology, as well as which vertebra is affected and how much it is affected. One of the signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine in women is burning and itching between the shoulder blades.The main symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in women are as follows:
- Dorsago ("chest lumbago", "dagger pain") is a sudden severe sharp pain in the chest (between the shoulder blades), most often occurring after a long stay in the same uncomfortable position. With a lumbago in the chest, the muscles tense sharply and strongly - the person feels as if it has become difficult for him to breathe. Pain during dorsago may intensify if you rotate your upper body.
- Thoracalgia is chronic mild pain in the sternum. Thoracalgia can manifest itself not only with osteochondrosis, but also with diseases of the internal organs located in this area (lungs, heart, stomach). The main difference between such pain in osteochondrosis is its superficiality and segmental manifestation along the intercostal spaces. Thoracalgia with osteochondrosis intensifies from movements and deep breathing, and subsides with rest.
The following manifestations may indicate that osteochondrosis is progressing:
- numbness, goosebumps in some areas of the skin;
- burning, itching between the shoulder blades;
- feeling of coldness in the legs;
- pain in the pharynx and esophagus;
- dysfunctions of the stomach and intestines.
Treatment of pathology in women
It is virtually impossible to completely get rid of already progressing thoracic osteochondrosis, but it is quite possible to slow down or even stop the formation of a pathological degenerative-dystrophic process in the tissues of the spinal motion segments using the means and methods of modern medicine. The optimal therapeutic effect can only be achieved 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 too different from those in men. In the acute period of osteochondrosis of the thoracic segment of the spine, the patient needs intensive treatment of exacerbation, during which various medications and physical procedures are used to help eliminate, first of all, the pain syndrome, and in parallel, other negative manifestations of the disease.
During remission, the patient must be prescribed maintenance treatment, mainly based on taking drugs that restore the osteochondral structure and physical therapy. In especially severe cases, sometimes they resort to surgical intervention to stabilize the position of the spinal column.
Sensation in women with osteochondrosis
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis, in addition to the typical ones, indicating the presence of pathology of the thoracic region, in medical practice there are also atypical signs of the disease:
- Painful manifestations in the heart area. 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. Most often it manifests itself in women, which is characterized by nagging painful sensations. It can often be confused with diseases of the mammary glands. In this case, more detailed diagnosis is necessary.
- Point spasms and pain in the abdominal cavity. It is distinguished by signs typical of various pathological processes in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, which are often mistaken for 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 greatly reduces the patient’s quality of life.
Often osteochondrosis affects gradually or several departments at once.
If not treated in a timely manner, compression by the vessel can lead to:
- to disorders of the cardiovascular system;
- vegetative system;
- digestive;
- respiratory;
- fainting;
- dizziness;
- attacks of panic and fear that occur with rapid heartbeat and suffocation;
- chronic fatigue;
- Shingles.
Therefore, treatment of the disease should be comprehensive, aimed at eliminating all symptoms. When diagnosed early and correctly, treatment has a favorable prognosis.