Clinically, thoracic osteochondrosis (chondrosis) is manifested by sharp, stabbing or dull, aching pain, crunching and clicking when bending, as well as stiffness.
The pathology is characterized by a number of specific symptoms - a feeling of lack of air when inhaling, discomfort in the region of the heart, and even a sore throat.
The treatment of the pathology is predominantly conservative with pharmacological drugs.Physiotherapy procedures and massages are also performed, and the help of chiropractors is requested.
If such treatment is ineffective, the patient prescribes surgical intervention.
Details about the symptoms
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine never appear all at once.At the initial stage of the development of this degenerative-dystrophic pathology, only a slight discomfort is observed in the back.Patients consider them a banal overload after a hard day's work and describe them as "stiff" muscles due to long periods of one position.
But the intensity of the discomfort is slowly and steadily increasing.Unpleasant feelings are replaced by severe pain, which is complicated by limited movement, dizziness and headache.In medicine, all symptoms of osteochondrosis of this localization are divided into several groups.This helps to diagnose and decide on treatment tactics more quickly.
Note!Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in men and women do not differ in their character, severity and localization.But in the representatives of the stronger sex, they may appear a little later due to the stronger musculoskeletal system.In addition, some men experience erectile dysfunction due to osteochondrosis.
Vertebral symptoms
As a result of unfavorable factors (hypothermia, increased physical activity), the long-term remission of thoracic osteochondrosis can be interrupted due to sudden acute pain.It is even more often triggered by staying in one position for a long time, such as sitting.If a person suddenly stands up, he experiences such sharp pain in his back that he loses the ability to move for a few minutes.
In medicine, this condition is called dorsago.It differs from usual pain in accompanying symptoms:
- feeling of lack of air when inhaling;
- pronounced stiffness.
The course of the pathology is often complicated by dorsalgia - pain in the thoracic spine, the intensity of which gradually increases.It intensifies when the body is bent or turned to the side.In order not to feel pain, a person assumes a forced position.At the same time, it involuntarily stretches the back muscles, involuntarily provoking their overstretching.Now they are also starting to hurt, especially when walking.
Extravertebral symptoms
With the development of thoracic osteochondrosis, the intervertebral discs are thinned and destroyed.These cartilage cushions can no longer distribute the resulting load and prevent the vertebrae from colliding with each other.The body's compensatory reaction starts - the bone structures begin to deform with the formation of growths.They put pressure on sensitive nerve endings and damage the spinal canal.Therefore, specific symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis appear in women and men: loss of sensitivity in certain areas of the body, burning sensation and creeping "goosebumps".
Important!Osteochondrosis of the thoracic localization often manifests itself in a dry, unproductive cough, sore throat, feeling of lumps, and urinary disorders.
But that's not all.The spinal roots are not only responsible for the innervation of the spine (transmission of nerve impulses), but also for the internal organs.Therefore, when stung, discomfort occurs in the liver, kidneys, digestive system and heart muscle.What are the signs of thoracic osteochondrosis that are not characteristic of back pathologies:
- pain in the region of the heart, which is the same as a relapse of angina, shortness of breath, a feeling of "squeezing" the heart;
- panic attacks, psycho-emotional instability, fear without reason, anxiety, sleep disorders;
- discomfort in the epigastric region, attacks of nausea, which sometimes lead to vomiting, sour belching, flatulence, boiling and rumbling;
- peristalsis disorders - constipation or diarrhea;
- sobbing long, labored breaths.
The pain is not localized directly to the area of the destroyed intervertebral disc and (or) formed intervertebral hernia.They radiate along the nerve.Signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region can be disguised as symptoms of renal colic, gastritis, stomach ulcer, hepatitis, pancreatitis, gallbladder inflammation, and even gastroenteritis.
Compressive myelopathy
This is the name of the extravertebral syndrome, which rarely occurs in clinical practice.The disease is 3-4.stage, when the nucleus pulposus extends beyond the annulus fibrosus due to the loss of stability of the spinal segment.An intervertebral hernia develops, which constantly puts pressure on the spinal cord.During a visit to a vertebrologist or neurologist, patients complain of frequent belt pain radiating to the lumbar region.At the same time, there is a feeling of weakness and numbness in the lower limbs.
In the background of spinal cord injury, the innervation is severely disturbed.In the absence of treatment, the functional activity of the organs located in the pelvis decreases.Compressive myelopathy causes bowel problems.And due to the pronounced narrowing of the diameter of the spinal canal, the sensitivity of the legs is significantly reduced.In severe cases, patients are diagnosed with paresis (partial or complete paralysis) of one or two lower limbs.
Symptoms of remission
Apart from relapses, osteochondrosis of the chest almost does not bother a person.Occasionally there is a nagging, aching, dull backache that usually goes away after a long rest.But as soon as you increase the load on the spine even a little, lift a heavy object or bend down, another relapse follows.The following factors can also trigger it:
- stressful situations, depressive states;
- hypothermia, sudden temperature changes;
- staying in one position for a long time;
- alcohol abuse;
- unbalanced diet, lack of foods with high calcium, phosphorus, manganese and molybdenum content in the diet.
Sometimes the remission phase ends because a person is trying to avoid another relapse.You visit a chiropractor or masseuse with a dubious reputation or little practical experience.An attempt to stretch the spine leads to another aggravation.
Basic treatment methods
It is not yet possible to completely cure the pathology, therefore, all the efforts of doctors are aimed at improving the patient's well-being.Patients are recommended to wear orthopedic products (corsets, bandages) that fix the vertebral structures and prevent their displacement.Medicines of various clinical and pharmacological groups are prescribed, physiotherapy measures and exercise therapy are carried out.
The movement of the chiropractor's hands is aimed at increasing the distance between the vertebrae, which decreases as a result of thoracic osteochondrosis.
Important!In case of severe thoracic osteochondrosis, conservative treatment is useless.Patients are offered immediate surgical intervention - excision of intervertebral hernia, arthrodesis, insertion of implants in the place of the damaged disc, bone grafting.
Drug therapy
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is aimed at eliminating all symptoms and inhibiting destructive and degenerative processes.In the period of exacerbation, solutions for parenteral administration are used, which show the effect after 5-10 minutes.The result is then ensured by the use of tablets, ointments and gels.In the phase of remission, mainly external agents are used, which have a gentler effect on the body.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
This is the most commonly used drug group in the complex treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis.Their active substances block the biosynthesis of mediators of pain, inflammation and fever from arachidonic acids.Even after a single use of NSAIDs, a person's well-being improves significantly:
- the severity of pain decreases;
- the unpleasant crunching noise that occurs when turning and bending the body disappears;
- the inflammatory processes of the soft tissues weaken, the swelling ceases;
- the range of motion in the chest region increases.
Solutions for intramuscular administration are used to stop relapses.Medicines in capsules or tablets deal with moderate pain.Ointments and gels quickly eliminate mild discomfort.
Preparations containing B vitamins
Nervous disorders can be well treated with medicines containing B vitamins.They improve the transmission of nerve impulses to the central and peripheral nervous system and stimulate the recovery of damaged spinal roots.The composition of the products contains thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin.
In the first week of therapy, intramuscular injection of drugs is practiced, which, in addition to vitamins, also contains lidocaine, which immediately eliminates pain.And then patients are advised to take pills for a month.
Glucocorticosteroids
These synthetic analogues of hormones produced by the adrenal glands are used when safer means are ineffective.Patients are prescribed glucocorticosteroids for acute, stabbing back pain that radiates to the internal organs.Medicines can be taken orally, but much more often they are administered parenterally, including at the site of damaged discs.
Glucocorticosteroids are characterized by a wide list of contraindications and possible side effects.Long-term treatment of chondrosis of the thoracic spine with hormones leads to damage to the tissues of the liver, kidneys and stomach.Therefore, their use is prohibited in patients with cirrhosis, peptic ulcer, kidney failure and osteoporosis.
Muscle relaxants
Back pain is often explained by the increased tone of the skeletal muscles.To relax this, muscle relaxants are used - first in the form of solutions intended for parenteral administration, and then in the form of tablets.Medicines relieve muscle spasms that cause spinal root compression.Which muscle relaxants are the most effective:
- blocking of polysynaptic reflexes;
- relaxation of spasmodic muscles;
- reduces the release of prostaglandins.
Drugs are rarely used as monotherapy.Thoracic chondrosis is treated in combination with muscle relaxants, glucocorticosteroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Their significant disadvantage is that addiction develops rather quickly, so it is forbidden to use them for more than a week.
Chondroprotectors
Unlike drugs that eliminate the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis, such drugs are also used for pathogenetic therapy.This is the only class of drugs that can increase the production of discs necessary for the partial repair of cartilaginous discs.All the therapeutic effects of chondroprotectors are due to the high content of glucosamine and (or) chondroitin.
But chondroprotectors are valued not only for their ability to restore discs.Their components light up in the area of the damaged spinal segment.After 2-3 weeks, the maximum therapeutic concentration of glucosamine and chondroitin is created.Now the drugs are starting to have a pronounced analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-edema effect.
Recommendation!It is advisable to treat osteochondrosis with chondroprotectors in the form of injection solutions or tablets.Despite the fact that the manufacturers gave all assurances about the effectiveness of ointments and creams, they could not provide evidence of their therapeutic effectiveness.
It is not a drug treatment
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region with pharmacological drugs should be combined with regular exercise.Movement therapy is the most effective therapeutic method for avoiding disability.Thanks to the daily training, the musculature of the back and the ligamentous apparatus of the chest region are strengthened, and the production of synovial fluid that nourishes the vertebral structures is improved.Exercises are determined by the physical therapy doctor after studying the results of X-ray diagnostics.He is present during the first hours and monitors the dosing of loads.
Manual therapy for osteochondrosis is also practiced, which aims to increase the space between the discs and the vertebrae.Traction (extension) of the spine is carried out dry or under water, and at home hanging on a pole.The effectiveness of manual therapy increases with simultaneous physical procedures:
- electrophoresis;
- laser therapy;
- magnet therapy;
- ultraviolet radiation;
- diadynamic currents.
Patients are presented with 10-15 classic, vacuum, Scandinavian and acupressure massages.Hirudotherapy, acupuncture and sanatorium-resort treatment with radon and hydrogen sulphide baths are also useful.
Only with an integrated approach to the treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis can further damage to the discs and deformation of the vertebrae be eliminated.Following the doctor's recommendations will help you get rid of all the symptoms of chronic pathology as soon as possible.