Thoracic osteochondrosis: symptoms, causes and methods of treatment

Osteochondrosis is one of the most frequently diagnosed pathologies of the spine. This pathology has a degenerative-dystrophic nature of origin, affects the intervertebral discs, which leads to their structural and external modifications. Doctors define three types of disease: cervical, thoracic and lumbar osteochondrosis, depending on the location of the disorders in the spine. If we talk about the statistics of the identified pathologies, it is believed that thoracic osteochondrosis is less common than other types. This is due to the peculiarities of the structure of the human spine in the thoracic region: the intervertebral discs of this part of the back have limited mobility, which significantly reduces the likelihood of their traumatic injury.

What is thoracic osteochondrosis

Identifying the disease is difficult, since its symptoms are often similar to pathological changes in other organs - heart, stomach, and so on. Thoracic osteochondrosis is dangerous in its consequences, so its early diagnosis offers greater possibilities for timely correction and prevention of undesirable consequences. The disease is equally often diagnosed in patients of both sexes of different ages, including children. Let us dwell in more detail on the causes of thoracic osteochondrosis, its symptoms, methods of treatment with drugs and at home.

Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine manifests itself as degenerative-dystrophic disorders in the structure of the bone, cartilage tissue of the vertebrae, which provokes the development of destructive processes in them. In addition to the vertebrae themselves, the intervertebral discs suffer - they stratify, decrease in size, as a result of which the nerve endings in the intercostal space are pinched. All of this together affects the normal functioning of the spine. The treatment started at the wrong time aggravates the situation, which is subsequently resolved exclusively with the help of a surgical intervention, which cannot always be resolved by the patient for various reasons.

Chest osteochondrosis can provoke the development of quite serious and dangerous diseases and conditions. Often it becomes the cause of pneumosclerosis, narrowing of blood vessels, dysfunctions of the genitourinary system, cancerous pathologies, etc. If osteochondrosis progresses rapidly, this usually limits a person's physical abilities: it is difficult for him to walk, work and freely do his usual activities.

With the development of osteochondrosis in patients, the bone component of the vertebrae is first affected, then the cartilage, and finally, the connective tissue and adjacent muscles.

If the signs of osteochondrosis appear in childhood or adolescence, in adolescence, this is a dangerous situation, because it indicates that the person's musculoskeletal system has begun to age without having fully formed and developed. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine in a child is rarely diagnosed. But the detected disease often indicates that there is some other dangerous disease.

Pathology is approximately equally common in both men and women. There are no age-specific priorities either. But it is worth noting that women are prone to the disease most often during the period of hormonal changes in the body - menopause.

If you start the treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine in the early stages, then there is a much better chance that the therapy will give a positive result.

The degree of the disease and the characteristic symptoms

The development of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is gradual, different stages are different. For the correct organization of the treatment process, it is necessary to understand the mechanisms of its development and progression.

• The initial stage of degenerative-dystrophic processes occurring in the spine is characterized by a slight decrease in the size of the intervertebral discs. Small cracks begin to appear on the surfaces of the fibrous ring of the intervertebral discs. The disc may be slightly outside the spine. At the same time, first degree thoracic osteochondrosis does not reveal itself as painful sensations, often a person is unaware of an incipient dangerous disease. With the help of computed tomography, the protrusion of the discs (their slight loss) is detected.
• If a person has grade 2 thoracic osteochondrosis, painful manifestations begin to appear in the back in the chest area. This is explained by the fact that the nerve fibers are pinched. The musculo-ligament apparatus of the back, eg. muscle corset, provides optimal support of the spine in the correct anatomical shape. To prevent spinal instability, it is extremely important to symmetrically train the muscle structures of the back. Otherwise, there is not only a violation of posture, the curvature of the spine, but also excessive mobility of its individual elements. It is due to the increased mobility of the vertebrae that the nerve fibers leaving the spine through the intervertebral space are pinched. How does osteochondrosis manifest in the second stage? Back pain necessarily appears in the second stage of thoracic osteochondrosis. It has different characteristics: it can pull for a long time or short-term, in the form of convulsions. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the nerve endings are compressed directly into the muscles, which regularly have an increased tone.
• The morphological signs of third degree thoracic osteochondrosis are very pronounced, affecting all structural anatomical components of the spine. The patient has the following pathological picture: there are hernias and protrusions of the intervertebral discs, muscles and ligaments become inflamed, tears appear on them, the vertebrae are displaced, signs of arthrosis of the vertebral joints develop. The clinical picture of the disease of the spine in the third stage is very diverse. In addition to the fact that a person actually has pain in thoracic osteochondrosis, the patient loses the tactile reaction of the part of the body where the damaged nerve passes; he has disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which are accompanied by malfunctions of the respiratory and circulatory systems. It becomes difficult for him to breathe, there is pain in the heart, arrhythmia, shortness of breath. In addition, the patient develops osteoarthritis of several joints at once, and pathological disorders begin in the functioning of the organs located in the chest area. Similar symptoms appear when the intervertebral cleft decreases by two thirds of its height. Its size is assessed by a chest X-ray, which is performed in two projections: straight and lateral.
• With the development of degenerative processes in the spine up to osteochondrosis of the fourth degree, the intervertebral fissure narrows to a minimum distance, dangerous conditions such as spondylosis, spondyloarthrosis (characterized by pathological changes in the intervertebral joints), spondylolisthesis (the vertebrae are twisted or displaced persons) develop. The body mobilizes its compensatory abilities in order to reduce the static and dynamic load on the spine, to prevent injury to the anatomical elements, as a result of which the vertebrae grow, flatten and grow together. The damaged area of the fibrous ring is replaced by a bone structure, osteophytes (bone growths) are formed, due to the prolapse of the vertebral disc, the spinal cord shrinks, the nerve endings are strongly compressed, the motor activity of the chest the spine is significantly limited, the person constantly hurts in the chest region from the back.
• As a result of the progression of the disease, the patient has low back pain in the lower back (low back pain), the legs are completely or partially paralyzed, the person loses the ability to work, becomes disabled.

Various symptomatic manifestations of the disease depend on various reasons, including a person's genetic predisposition. The same symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine fail in different patients in different ways. There is an objective explanation for this: various causes, conditions of onset and the general state of human health lead to osteochondrosis. Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in men appear somewhat earlier than in women. The main reason for this phenomenon lies in the physiological structure of the female body: the hormone estrogen protects the intervertebral discs, therefore, particularly favorable conditions for the disease arise during changes in the hormonal background (during pregnancy, menopause).

Many are interested in whether they are brought with osteochondrosis into the army. If the conscript has first degree osteochondrosis, he will be drafted into the army. In the event that a young man has a pronounced symptomatology of the disease, it is observed by a neuropathologist, then a delay is likely, in a neglected state (if there is a polysegmental osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine), they may not call at all.

Reasons for the appearance

Thoracic osteochondrosis at the beginning of its onset practically does not manifest itself in anything. However, you need to know why it might appear. The following reasons provoke pathology:

• Regular static or dynamic overload of the spine due to active strength training in professional athletes or people involved in sports without the necessary load control.
• Traumatic damage to the bone, the joint elements of the spine often leads to the fact that they do not merge properly, quickly collapse. Any injury to the spine is aggravated by pathological changes in the functioning of the structures of the nervous and circulatory systems. The necessary nutrient supply to the bones is often restored over a very long period of time.
• Poor posture, congenital or acquired curvature of the spine, leading to an unbalanced effect on the intervertebral discs.
• Abrupt lifting of weights, when the crushing part of the load falls on the thoracic region of the back. If a person constantly performs such movements, the likelihood of developing thoracic osteochondrosis is high.

• Disorders of the endocrine system. In the event that metabolic processes are disturbed in the body, all other organs and tissues do not receive the necessary nutrients, and their regeneration is also incorrect.
• Genetic prerequisites for possible pathological processes in the vertebrae, intervertebral discs. In this case, thoracic osteochondrosis occurs in any age category.
• Insufficient physical and physical activity of a person, sedentary work. The muscle structure of the back in this situation weakens, tissue nutrition deteriorates, the flexibility of the spine decreases, and the risk of developing thoracic osteochondrosis increases significantly.
• Underdevelopment of all tissues of the musculoskeletal system, which causes degenerative disorders of the spine. The cause is an unbalanced and excessive load on the spine.
• Various pathological changes in the intervertebral discs. They can become thinner or, conversely, grow, osteophytes can appear on them, interfering with the functioning of the joints, as well as damaging the blood vessels and exerting compression on the nerve fibers. The development of intervertebral hernias often causes the progression of osteochondrosis.
• Inflammatory processes in the spine or nearby muscles often cause signs of thoracic osteochondrosis in women and men.
• Reduced blood supply to the spinal cord, due to the fact that the veins and arteries are narrowed or pinched.
• The consequences of infectious diseases are the development or exacerbation of osteochondrosis.
• Hypothermia, abuse of bad habits, nutritional imbalance.
• Separately, psychosomatics are distinguished, that is, constant stress, nervous excitement can also cause osteochondrosis.

There are a few reasons for the development of thoracic osteochondrosis, therefore, to prevent its development, attention should be paid to prevention.

Common symptoms

Symptoms of breast osteochondrosis in women and men are similar. Usually, a progressive disease during an exacerbation is manifested by the following symptoms.

• Severe pain in the thoracic spine. They result from a long stay in an uncomfortable position during physical work.
• Radicular syndrome, as a result of compression of the nerve endings.
• Intercostal neuralgia.
• The appearance of spasms in the back muscles.
• An altered state of the heart muscle, in which pain is not relieved by taking special medications.

Also, during an attack of thoracic osteochondrosis, the patient may experience atypical symptoms: tachycardia, dizziness, heartburn, increased or decreased blood pressure. Body temperature, as a rule, does not change.

Diagnostic techniques

If the doctor assumes that the patient has osteochondrosis, he will propose to undergo the following studies to diagnose the pathology.

• X-ray examination, during which they determine: the boundaries and sizes of the intervertebral discs, existing bone growths, changes in the shape of the vertebrae, etc.
• X-ray with a contrast agent allows you to assess the degree of destruction of the discs in the diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region.

• CT or MRI shows a layer-by-layer visualization of the altered structures. These techniques are used in the most difficult situations.
• With the help of electromyography, neurological signs associated with a disease in the thoracic region are differentiated.

The main rules of treatment

When treating osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, the following key points are observed:

1. With the first manifestations of signs of osteochondrosis, you can prevent its further development by correcting your posture.
2. Any, even minor, symptoms of the disease require conservative therapy.
3. To achieve a positive result in treatment, systemic and long-term application of additional techniques to drug therapy is required.
4. If the disease is neglected, surgery is required.

When deciding how to treat osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, the doctor will take into account the stage of development of the disease, the individual characteristics of the patient and possible side reactions of the body.

Pharmacological treatment

Conservative therapy involves the use of the following groups of drugs.

• To reduce the manifestation of pain and inflammation, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers or glucocorticosteroids are prescribed. They are available in different pharmacological forms (tablets, solutions for injections, ointments), therefore, what exactly to cure the disease, the doctor will advise.
• Chondroprotectors are used to stimulate the restoration of cartilage tissue.
• To relieve muscle spasms, antispasmodics and muscle relaxants are used.
• To relieve unbearable back pain, the patient may be offered to make injections for osteochondrosis - to perform a blockade with the help of anesthetic drugs.

As a combined treatment for thoracic osteochondrosis, the possibilities of the following additional treatment methods are widely used.

1. With the help of acupuncture, you can quickly achieve the result - pain relief. The advantages of the technique include: high efficiency in a short time, a rare occurrence of side reactions of the body, an insignificant list of contraindications, a painless technique. Acupuncture is not practiced if a person is diagnosed with malignant neoplasms, there are mental disorders, during an exacerbation of inflammation and pregnancy. The duration of treatment is selected individually.
2. Through the possibilities of manual therapy, the blood supply to damaged areas of the body improves, the intensity of pain decreases, muscle spasm is eliminated, ligaments are restored, the development of osteochondrosis slows down.
3. Treatment of osteochondrosis with the help of physiotherapy is practiced everywhere, because, using them, drugs are injected into the sore spot. This is how electrophoresis with NSAIDs, glucocorticosteroids, etc. is used, for example. . In addition to electrophoresis, UHF, magnetotherapy and vacuum are often prescribed. The main goal, which is achieved with physiotherapy techniques, is to improve blood circulation in the painful area.
4. To relieve spasms in the back muscles, a course of massage is often prescribed. Classic massage is used during remission, and vibratory massage - in an acute period. If the patient has an intervertebral hernia, it is not recommended to use massage techniques.
5. Physical therapy is of great importance in treatment. The specific set of exercises in each case is selected by the doctor individually.
6. Diet is important when treating osteochondrosis. In the patient's diet, it is imperative to include proteins in the required amount, chondroitin (for this it is necessary to eat jelly, jellied meat, aspic), vegetables, fruits. You can't eat too much; exclude the use of fried and fatty foods.

How to treat thoracic osteochondrosis at home

Treatment with folk remedies can also be practiced, but before using one, you should consult with your doctor. The following recipes are popular.

• To prepare an infusion from celery root, take 3-4 g of raw materials, grind, pour 1 liter of boiling water. After 8 hours, strain the infusion, drink up to three times a day with a dessert spoon.
• To prepare the broth, take 2-3 sunflower roots, cut them into pieces of about 1 cm, pour three liters of boiling water and boil for another 3 minutes. The remedy is used like tea.
• At home, you can prepare an ointment for rubbing sore spots. 150 g of pork fat is mixed with 2 tbsp. L. wax, heated for 20 minutes in a water bath, then add 1 tbsp. L. fir oil, continue to heat the same amount, then add 1 tbsp. L. ammonia. The product is kept in a glass container in a cool place.

Treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis at home is usually used in the mild period or in addition to medication during an exacerbation.

Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is a disease that must be taken seriously in order to avoid negative consequences. For its successful treatment, you should carefully consider the advice of a doctor and follow them disciplinedly.