One of the most common causes of back pain is osteochondrosis. This is the name of the disease of the spine in which the intervertebral discs are affected. With such a lesion, the discs delaminate, deform, change height. Hence the pain.
According to statistics, almost 80% of the world's population suffers from this pathology to one degree or another. Impressive number! Its "terrifying size" is quite simple to explain.
Answer a few questions. Do you lead a more passive lifestyle than an active one? Would you rather travel by car than on foot? Do you spend a lot of time at the computer, sitting in one position? If you said more "yes" than "no", unfortunately, you have every chance of getting osteochondrosis sooner or later.
The danger of pathology lies in the fact that people who are afraid of osteochondrosis, as a rule, are not even aware of it. In the early stages it is difficult to recognize, and in the later stages it is difficult to cure.
In most cases, the pathology is diagnosed when internal organs are damaged after osteochondrosis. This often happens because the spine is the support of the whole body and the violation of its functions negatively affects the whole body.
Specialists in the treatment of osteochondrosis urge you to be more careful about yourself and your health. Notice even the slightest symptoms of feeling unwell and contact us immediately. We will help the disease be recognized at an early stage and cured before it becomes invincible.
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis
And to make it easier to understand that it is time to consult a specialist, pay special attention to the brightest signs of osteochondrosis.
Thoracic osteochondrosis, the symptoms of which depend on which part of the spine is affected by the deformity, is most often manifested by discomfort and back pain. There may also be sharp pain between the shoulder blades, intercostal spaces. The pain may be localized along the thoracic spine, intensified by movement.
Not only can back pain signal a problem. If your heart, nerves, liver, other internal organs are "playing", this can be a "warning bell".
The main symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis:
- reduced mobility in the thoracic spine. However, this is not always a symptom of osteochondrosis. Such signs are also manifested in Bechterew's disease, scoliosis and other spinal deformities, Forestier's disease, etc. An X-ray is needed to accurately determine the cause of the pain. By contacting professional specialists, you can undergo an X-ray examination right in our center and get an expert opinion immediately;
- chest pain, behind sternum, more often left. Similar symptoms occur in ischemic heart disease. Therefore, to clarify the details, you will need an ECG, an ECG. You can also go through them in a specialized clinic;
- pain in the interscapular space. It can be a pain of a painful or shooting nature, intensified by walking, bending, inhaling and exhaling.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, whose treatment is primarily aimed at relieving pain, is perfectly disguised in other diseases and is very easy to confuse. In order for that not to happen, it is necessary to go through simple examinations. Based on their results, our expert will determine the exact cause of your problem and find a way to solve it.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, which should be diagnosed by an experienced doctor, is a serious disease. Do not try to self-medicate.
But you can find out for yourself how high the risk of osteochondrosis is if you pay attention to your lifestyle, posture and the condition of different parts of the body.
Posture. Stand with your back to the wall, without shoes. Your body should be in contact with the wall at five points: the nape of the neck, shoulders, buttocks, buttocks and heels. Stay in this position for 3-4 minutes. If you are comfortable in this position, congratulations - no reason to worry. If you feel tension in different parts of the body, we will continue with the diagnosis.
cervical
The seventh cervical process is considered the beginning, which is visually visible and should be well felt during palpation, the remaining processes should be the same size and at the same distance from each other. If the vertebrae are poorly palpable, merge into a single "pillar" or their displacement is clearly visible - there is cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, the symptoms of which are listed above.
Headaches, nervousness and depression, thyroid problems, hearing and vision impairment, numbness of the hands and fingers, and hypertension may be due to cervicothoracic osteochondrosis.
Thoracic
The vertebrae of the thoracic region should normally be in the recess and have a proper arrangement "in a row". They should not protrude when bent and protrude on the skin. This is sedentary work during the day, sitting at the computer, studying Athletes who lift weights also often suffer from osteochondrosis People who have problems with the thoracic spine often suffer from colds: bronchitis, pleurisy, cough, pneumonia.
The diagnosis of thoracic osteochondrosis consists, above all, in a thorough medical examination. If the symptoms of the disease are clearly expressed, then the diagnosis can be made on the basis of the patient's complaints, examination, anamnesis, as well as the results of MR and radiography. The images allow you to clearly see how deformed the intervertebral discs are.
Lumbar
Clear evidence of osteochondrosis of the lumbar region are deposits on the side, which visually "push" the waist up. The person's attitude has clearly changed. Magnetic resonance imaging results in such cases diagnose the presence of disc herniation and Schmorl's hernia. Injury to the lumbar hernia can lead to paralysis of the legs, and neoplasms can degenerate into cancerous tumors.
sacral department
How often do babies fall on the coccyx? Often. In this case, parents rarely take the baby to the doctor. After all, such a bruise is taken for granted. And this is wrong. In fact, bruises are dangerous. They can lead to curvature of the bones, in which salt deposits then accumulate. Osteochondrosis of the sacral region leads to hemorrhoids, constipation, varicose veins of the lower extremities, arthrosis.
So, when you examine your spine on your own, you can draw conclusions about the presence of deviations in the body. But remember that the final diagnosis is made by a doctor.
In medical centers, you are waiting for real professionals, specialists of the highest category. You will be offered really high quality medical services that will solve your every problem.
The center is equipped with modern equipment that recognizes any pathology in the initial phase. You can also perform any type of laboratory tests in our center: from the presence of blood sugar to taking tests to detect sexually transmitted diseases.
Treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis
The treatment of any disease consists, above all, in eliminating the causes that caused it. And, of course, in parallel, experts carry out treatment that eliminates the symptoms of pathology. Only such a complex therapy will help achieve recovery.
If a doctor has diagnosed osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, treatment may be medication and reflex.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region with drugs is usually used in the exacerbation phase. Analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, sedatives and corticosteroids are used to stop the attack.
In addition to medications prescribed orally, your doctor may prescribe local blockades with lidocaine or novocaine. Drugs with strong anti-inflammatory action act on the main links of the pathogenesis of pain, so relief comes almost immediately.
Muscle relaxants, herbal preparations, antidepressants are added to the complex treatment of osteochondrosis.
Reflexology is performed in the remission phase and the main role in the treatment is occupied by reflexology, acupuncture, magnetopuncture, hand massage. These procedures reduce the dose of medication and permanently improve the effect of treatment.
Specialists will help you at any stage of the disease: from early diagnosis to treatment of complex cases. Neuropathologists and therapists, masseurs and reflexologists are at your service. Also, if necessary, doctors of other specializations who work in our center will be involved in the process of your treatment.
Your health is in your hands. The sooner you ask for help, the sooner we will help you.