Clinically, thoracic osteochondrosis (chondrosis) is manifested by sharp, stabbing or dull, aching pain, grinding and clicking when bending and stiffness.
The pathology is characterized by a number of specific symptoms - a feeling of lack of air when inhaling, discomfort in the heart area, and even a sore throat.
Treatment of the pathology is mainly conservative with pharmacological drugs.Physiotherapy procedures, massage sessions are also carried out, and the help of a chiropractor is also sought.
If such treatment is ineffective, the patient is indicated for surgical intervention.
Details about symptoms
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine never appear all at once.In the initial stage of the development of this degenerative-dystrophic pathology, only mild discomfort in the back is noticed.Patients take them for banal overwork after a hard day at work, and write them off as "stiff" muscles due to staying in one position for a long time.
But the intensity of the discomfort is slowly, steadily increasing.Unpleasant sensations are replaced by severe pain, complicated limited range of motion, dizziness and headache.In medicine, all symptoms of osteochondrosis of this localization are divided into several groups.This helps to make a faster diagnosis and decide on treatment tactics.
Note!Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in men and women do not differ in character, severity or localization.But in the representatives of the stronger sex, they may appear a little later due to a stronger musculoskeletal system.Also, some men experience erectile dysfunction due to osteochondrosis.
Vertebral symptoms
Under the influence of unfavorable factors (hypothermia, increased physical activity), long-term remission of thoracic osteochondrosis can be interrupted by a sudden attack of acute pain.Even more often, it is triggered by prolonged stay in one body position, for example, sitting.If a person suddenly stands up, the back pain is so sharp that he loses the ability to move for several minutes.
In medicine, this condition is called dorsago.It differs from ordinary pain in the 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 is amplified when bending or turning the body to the side.In order not to experience pain, a person takes a forced position.At the same time, he involuntarily strains the muscles of the back, inadvertently causing them to overstrain.Now they are starting to hurt too, especially when walking.
Extravertebral symptoms
As thoracic osteochondrosis develops, the intervertebral discs become thinner and destroyed.These cartilage pads can no longer distribute the resulting load and prevent the vertebrae from hitting each other.The compensatory response of the body is triggered - bone structures begin to deform with the formation of growths.They put pressure on the sensitive nerve endings and invade the spinal canal.Therefore, women and men experience specific symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis: loss of sensitivity in certain parts of the body, tingling and creeping "goosebumps" sensations.
Important!Osteochondrosis of the thoracic localization is often manifested as a dry, unproductive cough, sore throat, feeling of a lump in it, as well as urination disorders.
But that's not all.Spinal roots are responsible not only for innervation (transmission of nerve impulses) of the spine, but also of internal organs.Therefore, when they are pinched, discomfort occurs from the liver, kidneys, digestive tract and myocardium.Which signs of thoracic osteochondrosis that are not characteristic of back pathologies are:
- pain in the area of the heart, identical to a recurrence of angina, difficulty breathing, a feeling of "compression" of the heart;
- panic attacks, psycho-emotional instability, unreasonable fear, anxiety, sleep disorders;
- discomfort in the epigastric region, attacks of nausea, which sometimes lead to vomiting, sour belching, flatulence, boiling and rumbling in it;
- peristalsis disorders - constipation or diarrhea;
- long, labored breaths with sobs.
The pain is not localized directly in the area of the destroyed intervertebral disc and (or) the formed intervertebral hernia.They radiate along the nerves.Signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region can be disguised as renal colic, symptoms of gastritis, stomach ulcer, hepatitis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, and even gastroenteritis.
Compressive myelopathy
This is the name of extravertebral syndrome, which is rarely encountered in clinical practice.It is observed in stages 3-4 of the disease, when due to the loss of stability of the spinal segment, the nucleus pulposus protrudes outside the annulus fibrosus.An intervertebral hernia is formed, which constantly puts pressure on the spinal cord.When visiting a vertebrologist or neurologist, patients complain of frequent pain in the belt that radiates to the groin.At the same time, there are feelings of weakness and numbness in the lower extremities.
In the background of spinal cord injury, innervation is seriously disturbed.In the absence of treatment, the functional activity of the organs located in the pelvis decreases.Compression myelopathy causes problems with bowel movements.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
Outside of relapse, osteochondrosis of the chest hardly bothers a person.Occasionally there is a nagging, aching, dull pain in the back, which usually disappears after a long rest.But as soon as you even slightly increase the load on the spine, lift a heavy object or bend down, another relapse follows.It can also be triggered by:
- stressful situations, depressive states;
- hypothermia, sudden temperature changes;
- staying in one body position for a long time;
- alcohol abuse;
- unbalanced diet, lack of food rich in calcium, phosphorus, manganese, molybdenum in the diet.
Sometimes the remission phase ends due to the person's attempt to avoid a new relapse.Visits a chiropractor or massage therapist with a dubious reputation or little practical experience.Attempting to stretch the spine leads to another aggravation.
Basic 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 patient's well-being.Patients are recommended to wear orthopedic products (corsets, bandages) that fix the structures of the vertebrae and prevent them from moving.Medicines from different clinical and pharmacological groups are prescribed, physiotherapeutic measures and exercise therapy are carried out.
The chiropractor's hand movements are aimed at increasing the space between the vertebrae, which are reduced in thoracic osteochondrosis.
Important!With severe thoracic osteochondrosis, conservative treatment is useless.Patients are immediately offered surgical intervention - excision of an intervertebral hernia, arthrodesis, installation of an implant in the place of a 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 periods of exacerbation, solutions for parenteral administration are used, which show effects after 5-10 minutes.Then the result is ensured during the course of taking pills, applying ointments and gels.In the phase of remission, mostly external agents are used, which 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 thoracic osteochondrosis.Their active ingredients block the biosynthesis of mediators of pain, inflammation and fever from arachidonic acid.Even after a single use of NSAIDs, well-being improves significantly:
- pain intensity decreases;
- the unpleasant creaking noise that occurs when turning the body and bending disappears;
- inflammatory processes in soft tissues weaken, swelling recedes;
- the range of motion in the thoracic region increases.
Intramuscular solutions are used to stop relapses.Medicines in capsules or tablets solve moderate pain.And ointments and gels quickly remove mild discomfort.
Preparations with B vitamins
Innervation disorders are well treated with drugs containing B vitamins. They improve the transmission of nerve impulses to the central and peripheral nervous system and stimulate the regeneration of damaged spinal roots.The composition of the product includes 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 instantly relieves pain.Patients are then advised to take the tablets for a month.
Glucocorticosteroids
The use of these synthetic analogues of hormones produced by the adrenal glands is practiced when safer means are ineffective.Glucocorticosteroids are prescribed to patients for acute, penetrating back pain, radiating to internal organs.Medicines can also be taken orally, but are much more often administered parenterally, including at the sites 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 tissue damage of the liver, kidneys and stomach.Therefore, their use is prohibited for patients with cirrhosis, peptic ulcer, kidney failure and osteoporosis.
Muscle relaxants
Back pain is often explained by increased tone of his skeletal muscles.For its relaxation, muscle relaxants are used - first in the form of solutions for parenteral administration, and then in tablets.Medicines relieve muscle spasms that cause spinal root compression.Which muscle relaxants are the most effective:
- blocking polysynaptic reflexes;
- relaxation of spasmodic muscles;
- reduction of prostaglandin release.
Medicines are rarely used as monotherapy.Thoracic chondrosis is treated with muscle relaxants in combination with glucocorticosteroids or nonsteroidal 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 remove the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis, such drugs are also used for pathogenetic therapy.This is the only group of drugs that can increase the production of chondrocytes necessary for the partial restoration of cartilaginous intervertebral 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 segment of the spine.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!It is recommended to treat osteochondrosis with chondroprotectors in the form of injectable solutions or tablets.Despite all the manufacturers' assurances about the effectiveness of ointments and creams, they could not provide evidence of their therapeutic effectiveness.
Treatment without drugs
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region with pharmacological drugs must be combined with regular physical exercises.Exercise therapy is the most effective method of therapy to avoid disability.Thanks to daily training, the muscular framework of the back and the ligamentous-tendon apparatus of the chest are strengthened, and the production of synovial fluid that nourishes the vertebral structures is improved.The set of exercises is determined by the physical therapy doctor after studying the results of X-ray diagnostics.He is present at the first classes and monitors the dosage of the load.
Manual therapy of osteochondrosis is also practiced, which aims to increase the space between the discs and vertebrae.Dry or underwater traction (extension) of the spine is performed at home, hanging on a bar.The effectiveness of manual therapy increases with simultaneous physical procedures:
- electrophoresis;
- laser therapy;
- magnetic therapy;
- ultraviolet radiation;
- diadynamic currents.
Patients are shown 10-15 sessions of classic, vacuum, Scandinavian, acupressure massage.Hirudotherapy, acupuncture and a sanatorium-resort with baths with radon and hydrogen sulfide are also useful.
Only with the help of an integrated approach to the treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis is it possible to eliminate further damage to the discs and deformation of the vertebrae.Following the doctor's recommendations helps to get rid of all symptoms of chronic pathology as soon as possible.