Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is much less common than cervical or lumbar. This is due to the fact that the vertebrae in the chest are much more tightly connected to each other, and movement in the joints is minimal. In addition, this part of the spine has muscular protection and is more firmly fixed than the ribs.
However, osteochondrosis of the chest is a disease whose treatment should not be delayed, as it can lead to many side effects.
Causes of osteochondrosis of the chest
The main reason is dystrophic-degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs. This may be due to the presence of scoliosis or the following factors:
- Heredity
- Nutritional and metabolic disorders
- Overweight
- Increased physical activity
- Lack of physical activity, prolonged stay in one position
- Damage to the spine
- Nervous tension
- Old age
- Smoking
- Hypothermia
All these factors affect the nutrition of the intervertebral discs, which leads to metabolic disorders and the occurrence of degenerative transformations in them.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the chest
Such pathology is felt by painful sensations.
They are of two types:
- Dorsago or lumbago on the chest. This is a sudden, sharp and severe pain that occurs in the spine when trying to stand up after a long time in the same position, usually prolonged work on a table in an inclined position. The pain is felt even when breathing, the muscles are tense, the movements in the chest and adjacent spine are limited.
- Dorsalgia (back pain). In this case the pain is not so pronounced, at rest it causes only slight discomfort. But when you try to bend down or take a deep breath, it gets stronger. In this condition, the mobility of the spine decreases, the back muscles are tense.
- With the defeat of the first root there is a decrease in sensitivity and pain in the upper thoracic vertebra, spreading in the suprasapular area to the elbow joint.
- If there is compression of 2-6 roots, the pain is concentrated in the ribs and spreads from the spine to the interscapular and axillary areas.
- Compression of the 7th and 8th roots leads to tension in the muscles of this area and the emergence of painful sensations of a lumbar nature from the costovertebral joints to the epigastric region.
- Defeat of the 9th and 10th roots causes pain in the lower thoracic vertebrae, spreading to the navel, 11 and 12 - below the navel.
Signs of osteochondrosis of the chest may be manifested by pain between the ribs. This is due to compression of the nerve roots, which leads to reduced sensitivity and limited mobility.
Visceral manifestations of osteochondrosis of the chest
Radicular syndromes are often accompanied by complaints from internal organs:
- Defeat of the upper roots of the chest may be accompanied by pain in the esophagus and pharynx, there is a sensation of the appearance of a foreign body there. These symptoms may be intermittent or permanent, and when you press on the area of the spine affected by osteochondrosis, it becomes stronger.
- When the middle thoracic roots are affected, there is discomfort and a feeling of pain in the stomach, which is intensified by prolonged lying on a hard surface face up and when moving in the relevant part of the spine.
- If the pathological changes have occurred from below, there is discomfort in the duodenum, which is exacerbated by coughing or sneezing, torso rotation or prolonged sitting.
Osteochondrosis of the chest can cause upset stomach. In this case there are:
- nausea
- Heartburn
- diarrhea
- constipation
- pain in the left hypochondrium
- Flatulence
- Possible vomiting
The following may occur in connection with the dysfunction of the duodenum:
- Epigastric and back pain
- Burping
- nausea
- Severity in the right hypochondrium
- Sometimes swelling and vomiting
Quite often osteochondrosis of the chest can cause the symptoms of heart disease:
- Burning chest on the left
- Cutting, burning, pressing pain in the heart
- Feeling of tightness in the throat
Osteochondrosis can cause spasm of the larynx (laryngospasm), during attacks in which breathing becomes difficult and wheezing, coughing may occur. In this case, it is very important to determine whether such symptoms are not lung pathology.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the chest
Due to the fact that various pathologies can be masked under this disease, you should be examined by a neurologist, who after examination will give instructions for the following tests:
- X-rays
- CT (computed tomography)
- NMR
As a rule, this is enough to identify the pathology and make a diagnosis.
In the treatment of osteochondrosis the main goals are:
- Pain relief
- Restore the functions of the spinal roots
- Delay dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs
For this purpose, the following procedures are quite effective:
- Vacuum and laser therapy
- Acupuncture
- Hot tubs
- Electrophoresis
- Inductometry
- Massage
- Clutch
- Magneto and pharmacopuncture
- Exercise therapy
Drug therapy for osteochondrosis:
- NSAIDs
- Chondroprotectors
- Ointments
- Muscle relaxants, whose action is aimed at relieving muscle spasms
If the listed methods have not led to a positive result, the treatment of osteochondrosis of the chest is performed surgically.
The operation consists of two stages:
- Elimination of the cause of pain (decompression).
- Discectomy - removal of the intervertebral disc or only part of it.
- Foraminotomy - widening of the root canal to prevent compression of the nerve by a disc or bone spike.
- Phasetectomy - removal of the facet joints located between the growths of the vertebrae of the joints to eliminate the entrapment of nerve fibers.
- Laminectomy - removes the back of the vertebra, which deforms compresses the spinal cord.
- Laminotomy - the difference from the previous operation is the removal of a fragment from the back of the vertebra.
- Corpectomy - removal of the vertebrae and adjacent discs with bone implant placement.
- Stabilization of the spine. Removal of a vertebra or disc disrupts the supporting structure of the human body, which can lead to serious neurological conditions. To avoid negative consequences, the vertebrae must be fixed. The most commonly used method is vertebral fusion (spinal fusion), which creates conditions for fusion of the bones of the spine. The resulting cavities are filled with bone grafts from the patient or donor, as well as special biological substances that stimulate bone regeneration.
Treatment of osteochondrosis with alternative methods
In this case, it should be about pain relief, which can be used only in combination with a complete treatment. For this, various herbs are used that have anti-inflammatory, local anesthetic and sedative properties.
To consolidate the positive result of treatment, it is necessary to eat properly, try to avoid stressful situations and reasonable physical activity. In this case, osteochondrosis will bother you much less often.