Clinically, thoracic osteochondrosis (chondrosis) is manifested by acute, penetrating or dull, painful pain, creaking and clicking when bending, stiffness.
The pathology is characterized by a number of specific symptoms, a feeling of shortness of breath, discomfort in the heart region, and even a sore throat.
Treatment of the pathology is predominantly conservative with pharmacological drugs. Physiotherapy procedures, massages, and chiropractors are also performed.
If such treatment is ineffective, the patient is shown surgical intervention.
Details of the symptoms
The symptoms of thoracic spine osteochondrosis never appear all at once. In the initial stage of development of this degenerative-dystrophic pathology, only mild discomfort in the back is noticed. Patients take them due to banal fatigue after a hard day's work, they write off the muscles "numb" due to a long stay in one body position.
But the intensity of the discomfort is slowly, constantly increasing. Unpleasant sensations are replaced by severe pain, complicated limited range of motion, dizziness, and headache. In medicine, all the symptoms of osteochondrosis of a certain localization are divided into several groups. This helps in faster diagnosis and determination of treatment tactics.
On a side note!The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in men and women do not differ in character, severity or localization. But with a stronger sex, they can occur a little later due to a stronger musculoskeletal system. Also, some men have erectile dysfunction in the background of osteochondrosis.
Vertebral symptoms
Under the influence of adverse factors (hypothermia, increased physical activity), prolonged remission of osteochondrosis in the chest may be interrupted by a sudden attack of acute pain. It is even more often caused by a long stay in one body position, for example, in a sitting position. If a person gets up abruptly, then there is such a sharp pain in the back that he loses the ability to move for a few minutes.
In medicine, this condition is called dorsago. It differs from ordinary pain by the accompanying symptoms:
- feeling short of breath when inhaling;
- severe stiffness.
The course of the pathology is often complicated by dorsalgia - pain in the thoracic spine, the intensity of which gradually increases. It increases by bending, turning the body to the side. In order not to experience pain, the person takes a forced position. At the same time, it inadvertently tenses the back muscles, inadvertently causing them to overstrain. Now they also start to hurt, especially when walking.
Extravertebral symptoms
With the development of thoracic osteochondrosis, the intervertebral discs become thinner and are destroyed. These cartilaginous pads can no longer distribute the resulting loads, excluding the impact of the vertebrae on each other. The body's compensatory response is triggered - the bone structures begin to deform with the formation of growths. They press on sensitive nerve endings, disrupting the spinal canal. Therefore, there are specific symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in women and men: loss of sensitivity of certain parts of the body, a burning sensation and crawling "goosebumps".
Bitan! Osteochondrosis of the thoracic localization is often manifested by dry, unproductive cough, sore throat, feeling of coma in it, as well as urinary disorders.
But that's not all. The spinal roots are not only responsible for the innervation (transmission of nerve impulses) of the spine, but also for the internal organs. Therefore, when they are injured, unpleasant sensations occur from the liver, kidneys, digestive tract, myocardium. What are the signs uncharacteristic of back pathologies manifested by thoracic osteochondrosis:
- pain in the heart region, identical to the recurrence of angina pectoris, shortness of breath, a feeling of "squeezing" the heart;
- panic attacks, psychoemotional instability, unreasonable fear, anxiety, sleep disorders;
- discomfort in the epigastric area, bouts of nausea, sometimes leading to vomiting, sour belching, bloating, boiling and rumbling in it;
- peristalsis disorders - constipation or diarrhea;
- prolonged, strenuous breaths with sobs.
The pain is not localized directly at the site 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 renal colic, symptoms of gastritis, gastric ulcer, hepatitis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, and even gastroenteritis.
Compression myelopathy
This is the name of extravertebral syndrome, which is rarely seen in clinical practice. It is observed in 3-4 stages of the disease, when due to the loss of stability by the vertebral segment, the nucleus pulposus protrudes beyond the fibrous ring. An intervertebral hernia develops, which constantly presses on the spinal cord. At a meeting with a vertebrologist or neurologist, patients complain of frequent belt pain radiating to the groin. At the same time, there are feelings of weakness, numbness of the lower extremities.
Due to the spinal cord injury, the innervation is seriously disturbed. In the absence of treatment, the functional activity of the organs located in the small pelvis is reduced. Compression myelopathy causes bowel emptying problems. And due to the pronounced narrowing of the diameter of the spinal canal, the sensitivity of the legs decreases. In severe cases, patients are diagnosed with paresis (partial or complete paralysis) of one or two lower extremities.
Symptoms of remission
Outside of relapse, thoracic osteochondrosis hardly bothers a person. Occasionally there is withdrawal, pain, dull back pain, which usually disappears after a long rest. But it is worth at least slightly increasing the load on the spine, lifting a heavy object, or bending over, as the following relapse follows. It can be triggered by the following factors:
- stressful situations, depressive states;
- hypothermia, sudden changes in temperature;
- prolonged stay in one body position;
- alcohol abuse;
- unbalanced diet, lack of foods rich in calcium, phosphorus, manganese, molybdenum in the diet.
Sometimes the remission phase ends as the person tries to avoid a new relapse. He visits a chiropractor or massage therapist with a dubious reputation or little practical experience. Attempting to stretch the spine leads to another aggravation.
The main methods of treatment
It is not yet possible to completely cure the pathology, so all the efforts of the doctor are aimed at improving the well-being of the patient. Patients are recommended to wear orthopedic products (corsets, bandages) that strengthen the structures of the vertebrae and prevent them from moving. Drugs of different clinical and pharmacological groups are prescribed, physiotherapeutic measures and physiotherapy exercises are performed.
The chiropractor’s hand movements are aimed at increasing the distance between the vertebrae that reduce thoracic osteochondrosis.
Bitan!In osteochondrosis of the chest of strong intensity, conservative treatment is useless. Patients are immediately offered surgical intervention - excision of the intervertebral hernia, arthrodesis, placement of implants in place of the damaged disc, bone transplantation.
Drug therapy
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine aims to eliminate all symptoms, inhibition of destructive and degenerative processes. In periods of exacerbation, solutions for parenteral administration are used, which show effects after 5-10 minutes. The result is then consolidated by taking a course of tablet preparations, ointments and gels. In the remission phase, mostly external agents are used that have a milder effect on the body.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
This is the most commonly used group of drugs in the complex treatment of osteochondrosis of the chest. Their active ingredients block the biosynthesis of mediators of pain, inflammation and fever from arachidonic acids. Even after one use of NSAIDs, a person's well-being significantly improves:
- the intensity of the pain syndrome decreases;
- an unpleasant gnashing that occurs when the body turns and disappears;
- inflammatory processes in soft tissues weaken, edema disappears;
- the range of motion in the chest area increases.
Intramuscular solutions are used to stop recurrence. Preparations in capsules or tablets can cope with moderate pain. And ointments and gels quickly remove mild discomfort.
Preparations with B vitamins
Preparations with B vitamins cope well with innervation disorders, improve the transmission of nerve impulses to the central and peripheral nervous system, stimulate the regeneration of damaged spinal roots. The composition of the agents is thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin.
In the first week of therapy, intramuscular administration of drugs is practiced, which, in addition to vitamins, also contain lidocaine, which currently relieves pain. And then, for a month, patients are shown taking pills.
Glucocorticosteroids
The use of these synthetic hormone analogues, which are produced by the adrenal glands, is practiced when safer agents are not effective. Glucocorticosteroids are prescribed to patients with acute, penetrating back pain, which radiates to internal organs. The drugs can be taken orally, but are much more commonly administered parenterally, including the sites of destroyed discs.
Glucocorticosteroids have a wide range of contraindications and possible side effects. Long-term treatment of thoracic spine chondrosis with hormones leads to damage to the tissues of the liver, kidneys and stomach. Therefore, their use is prohibited in patients with cirrhosis of the liver, peptic ulcer, renal failure and osteoporosis.
Muscle relaxants
Back pain is often attributed to increased skeletal muscle tone. Muscle relaxants are used for relaxation - first in the form of solutions for parenteral administration, and then in tablets. Medications relieve muscle spasm that causes compression of the roots of the spine. Which muscle relaxants are most effective:
- blocking polysynaptic reflexes;
- muscle spasm relaxation;
- decreased prostaglandin release.
Medications are rarely used for monotherapy. Treatment of thoracic chondrosis is performed with muscle relaxants in combination with glucocorticosteroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Their significant disadvantage is the fairly rapid formation of addiction, so their use is prohibited for more than a week.
Chondroprotectors
Unlike drugs that relieve the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the chest, such drugs are also used for pathogenetic therapy. This is the only group of drugs that can increase the production of chondrocytes, which are necessary for the partial regeneration of cartilaginous intervertebral discs. All therapeutic effects of chondroprotectors are due to the high content of glucosamine and / or chondroitin.
But not only because of the ability to restore discs, chondroprotectors are appreciated. Their components glow in the area of the damaged segment of the vertebrae. After 2-3 weeks, the maximum therapeutic concentration of glucosamine and chondroitin is created. Now the drugs are beginning to show pronounced analgesic, anti-inflammatory and anti-edematous effects.
Recommendation!Treatment of osteochondrosis with chondroprotectors in the form of solutions for injection or tablets is recommended. Despite all the manufacturers ’assurances about the effectiveness of the ointments and creams, they were unable to provide a base of evidence for their therapeutic efficacy.
Drug-free treatment
Treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis with pharmacological drugs must necessarily be combined with regular physical education. Exercise therapy is the most effective method of therapy to avoid disability. Thanks to daily training, the muscular frame of the back and the ligament-tendon apparatus of the thoracic region are strengthened, the production of synovial fluid that feeds the structures of the vertebrae is improved. The set of exercises is determined by the exercise doctor after studying the results of X-ray diagnostics. He is present in the first classes, he monitors the dosing of the cargo.
Manual therapy of osteochondrosis is also practiced, aimed at increasing the gaps between the discs and the vertebrae. Dry or underwater traction (traction) of the spine is performed, and at home - hanging on a bar. The effectiveness of manual therapy is increased by the simultaneous implementation of physiotherapy:
- electrophoresis;
- laser therapy;
- magnetotherapy;
- ultraviolet radiation;
- diadynamic currents.
Patients are shown 10-15 sessions of classical, vacuum, Scandinavian, acupressure. Hirudotherapy, acupuncture, spa treatments with radon and hydrogen sulfide baths are also useful.
Only with the help of an integrated approach to the treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis it is possible to exclude further disc damage and spinal deformity. Adherence to the doctor's recommendations helps to get rid of all the symptoms of chronic pathology as soon as possible.