Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is a disease of the musculoskeletal system, the success of the treatment of which depends on the timeliness of the diagnosis.It is completely cured in the early stages, but it can be difficult to determine the source of the disease, since the patient at first does not suspect that the pain and discomfort that have arisen are associated with damage to the spine: they are not very disturbing him, and he is in no hurry to the doctor.
Let's try to deal with the characteristic symptoms of osteochondrosis, the nature of its occurrence, the possibilities of treatment and prevention of the disease.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
- The disease is characterized by dystrophic and degenerative changes in the thoracic spine, which are associated with disorders of cell metabolism.
- In the intervertebral discs, protrusion (thinning and cracking) occurs - the cause of compression of the spinal cord, numbness of the limbs, paralysis.This is the stage of the disease when only a surgical operation will help.
- The task of patients and doctors to take measures on timely diagnosis and proper treatment.
Symptoms of the disease
The first symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic area of the spine:
- back pain (dorsalgia);
- acute pain of the chest area (Dorsago);
- Discomfort during movements, I do not want to move once again so as not to feel pain.
All these are symptoms of protrusion - thinning, cracking of intervertebral discs.Pain appears in the area of the kidneys, liver, heart, pancreas, stomach.Pathologies of the thoracic region are manifested by intercostal neuralgia, ribly transverse arthrosis, and rib and pectory arthrosis.A deep sigh or cough causes pain or feeling of compression or presence of a solid heavy coma in the chest.
Often osteochondrosis of the spine is characterized by syndromes:
- Vasomotor syndrome characteristic of neurological diseases.The patient feels sudden redness, similar to climatic, pain of other organs, systems.
- Muscle-tonic syndrome-pain in muscle tissues near the focus of the disease.With an increase in physical activity, these areas swell.
- Neurodistrophic syndrome (Zuzhek disease) or metabolism in tissues can also become a symptom of the disease.
The difference from other diseases
The difficulty of diagnosis and early detection of osteochondrosis of the chest area is that its symptoms are easy to confuse with others.
For example, pectalgy is not only a sign of breast osteochondrosis, but also myocardial infarction.
With damage to the spine, the symptoms of pectaltity occurs with turns of the head, torso and lasts a long time, for more than two weeks.Nitroglycerin in this case is useless.For comparison: with coronary diseases, the same pain continues a short period of time.“Cardon” drugs will help to get rid or significantly help to relieve it.
Pain in the field of appendix, kidneys, stomach, intestines - symptoms of somatic diseases: appendicitis, nephritis, pyelonephritis, gastritis, stomach ulcers, colitis.During compression (pinching) of the spinal cord, symptoms characteristic of these diseases are manifested. Pseudo -angiose syndrome or a feeling of squeezing, severity in the chest differs from an angina, characteristic of patients with angina pectoris.Such pains can be caused by the pathology of the chest, cervical-thoracic, cervical parts, causing painful processes of surrounding tissues: muscle and nervous.Pain with pseudo -angiose syndrome occurs with turns of the upper body.
Symptoms of compression syndrome are signs of an extramedullar neoplasm of the spinal cord.
Due to the similarity of osteochondrosis of the thoracic area of the spine with other diseases, the main thing is to accurately diagnose, for which complex measures are carried out.
Development of the disease
Let's figure out what happens when osteochondrosis occurs:
- First of all, the disk is modified: it is sophisticated, covered with cracks, deformed.At this stage, the disease does not appear symptomatically, and the patient does not feel anything.
- Then there are pains associated with the irritation of nerve endings that are in the tissues next to the affected disks.In people with developed muscle mass, the risk of pathological processes is much smaller, since the muscles support the spine, like a corset.Pain can be neurological, such as numbness of the limbs, the appearance of goosebumps, modifications of the internal organs of the chest.
In the first two stages, the disease is cured.
- Next, inflammatory processes, hernias, arthrosis, subluxation of individual vertebrae can develop.The most frequent are hernias in which the pulpoose spine core, constantly supported by a fibrous ring.When the ring is destroyed, the core crawls out, causing acute pain, numbness, paralysis.
- At the fourth stage, a narrowing of the discs occurs, an abnormal growth of bone tissue is possible.So the spine protects itself from dangerous compression of the spinal cord.
In severe cases, the syndrome of squeezing the spinal cord due to protrusion can cause enclosing pain, a decrease in sensitivity (gipalgesia).
Factors of the development of the disease
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine develops due to insufficient supply of intervertebral discs with useful substances and moisture.The spine discs differ from other body tissues in that they are not supplied with nutrient elements through the vessel network and feed from neighboring tissues.With a deficiency of liquids, nutrients, a phenomenon called protrusion is characterized by ledge, refinement, cracking and destruction of the intervertebral discs.
Degenerative changes appear for the following reasons:
- Hereditary, associated with underdevelopment and pathology of blood circulation.
- Congenital, caused the appearance of weakness of the musculoskeletal system: rickets, kyphosis, scoliosis, prayer.
- Salt deposits next to the discs (osteophytes), publish a crunch on time of probing the spine.
- Violation of nutritional metabolism, microcirculation in tissues as a result of injuries and infectious diseases
People who are at risk:
- experiencing heavy physical activity;
- with improper posture, in which over time there are the same pathological consequences as after injuries;
- having a sedentary work;
- Working by profession associated with a constant long shaking organism (drivers).
When to see a doctor?
With diseases of the spine to the doctor, you need to go quickly.How to understand that the case is in the spine?With osteochondrosis, it can be difficult to understand or not immediately.In the first stages, the pain is not felt.
Remember!If there are pains in the chest and back, the exact source of which is difficult to determine, since it “fluttered” through the body: first it hurts side by side, then alternately - shoulder, ribs, collarbone, in any sequence.This is most often a sign of damage to the thoracic spine.
Is it possible to alleviate the pain before meeting a doctor?
So far there is no accurate diagnosis, radical treatment methods are not used.The fact is that there are diseases in which, for example, thermal procedures are prohibited (with some types of tumors).With sharp pains, painkillers are drunk and an ambulance call.In other cases, heavy loads are excluded by sedative, find a convenient body position, and avoid sharp shock effects (jumps).At the first opportunity, they go to the doctor to confirm the diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
Diagnosis of spinal osteochondrosis in the chest area
Always conduct a comprehensive examination aimed at eliminating diseases with similar symptoms.
Diagnostic methods include:
- anamnesis;
- Inspection and palpation;
- Computer tomography, which determines the exact diagnosis and clarifies the stage of development of the disease;
- radiography as an alternative method of tomography, capable of revealing cracks on discs and formed growths;
- Ultrasound, ECG, gastroscopy, fluorography, general tests that exclude diseases, similar to symptoms similar to osteochondrosis.
The more complete diagnosis, the more accurate the diagnosis.Along with osteochondrosis, other spine pathologies can be detected, this takes into account the doctor when diagnosing and prescribing treatment.
How to treat spine osteochondrosis?
Medical treatment of osteochondrosis will lead to the complete cure of the patient if the diagnosis is made in a timely manner.
- First of all, it is addressed to relieve pain, for this purpose, drugs are prescribed - analgesics, blockade of the source of pain with novocaine injections, for some time releasing the patient from unbearable pain;
- Physiuming with currents, laser, magnetopunctural devices;
- needleoflexotherapy or acupuncture, which is conducted by professional doctors;
- Therapeutic gymnastics under the supervision of a physiotherapist;
- purpose of chondroprotectors;
- Surgical intervention is exchanged in severe cases, when other methods are useless.
Folk remedies
All folk methods of treating osteochondrosis are divided into pathogenetic and symptomatic.Pathogenetic - aimed at combating the disease.These include:
- physiotherapeutic procedures;
- Massage starting with the study of pain points for 8-12 minutes, then the time is increased;massage is shown only in the absence of acute pain;
- A diet, in which the patient refuses grapes and legumes, systematically accepts substances containing natural chondroitin, a substance that helps strengthen the intervertebral discs: jellied meat, broth and.etc., the use of vegetables and fruits that contribute to cleansing the body is shown;
- during the appearance of acute pain - warming with salt, sand;
- acupuncture.
Symptomatic agents aimed at relieving symptoms of the disease include external and internal phytotherapy.
Prevention of the disease
To prevent osteochondrosis, in general, and osteochondrosis of the thoracic area of the spine, in particular, several conditions must be met:
- sleep on hard surfaces and on pillows with a slope of not more than 15 degrees, relative to the mattress;
- avoid exorbitant loads on the spine and professions, associated with a shaking body;
- observe the right lifestyle;
- regularly drink water, prevent dehydration;
- Pregnant women are registered in the early stages, use vitamins and elements that contribute to the correct development of the fetus;
- Prevention of rickets in a child, which is a prevention of disorders in the musculoskeletal system.
Spine osteochondrosis is a disease that can be treated, especially in the first stages.On subsequent ones, if it was not possible to completely overcome the disease, there is no reason to despair.Existing methods of treatment are designed to significantly reduce the suffering of the patient.Early diagnosis, the execution of all the prescriptions of the doctor can completely save the patient from the exhausting ailment.