Osteochondrosis is one of the most common musculoskeletal system diseases, well studied, but difficult to treat. It is not just about back pain and a lot of discomfort: over time and if left untreated, osteochondrosis can lead to the development of severe deformities and significantly reduce the patient's standard of living. Therefore, it is very serious to take this apparently fearless disease, even at the first signs.
Symptoms
Osteochondrosis often remains undiagnosed for a long time. Osteochondrosis syndromes may not even point directly to the spine, disguising themselves as other diseases. And the patient "suppresses" the pain syndrome with painkillers, placing the blame for everything on migraine - at best, and at worst - he is being treated for a completely different disease, without seeing any improvement for years.
In the initial stage of the development of the disease, osteochondrosis manifests itself only with mild pain and discomfort after intense physical activities or a long time sitting in an uncomfortable position at the table. The disease develops over the years, gradually all the symptoms intensify. The characteristic features of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region include:
- numbness and tingling in the limbs. Especially after a long stay in a position or sleep. This is one of the first signs of back problems. After rubbing, numbness and discomfort pass quickly and do not cause severe discomfort;
- cold sensations, chills on the skin in the hand area, often - from the hands or fingers individually, less often - in the affected area of the back;
- painful sensations often have a "wrong" location. The pain can occur either in the affected area of the spine or radiate (give) to the chest area, reminding the pain in a heart disease, it can occur when breathing. Therefore, when diagnosing osteochondrosis in the presence of pain in the heart region, an ECG will be a mandatory study - to exclude ischemic disease. In addition, the pain is usually attributed to the scapular area (intercostal neuralgia) or to the left hand;
- painful sensations often intensify at night;
- in addition, the patient is frequently plagued by headaches that resemble migraines. They can occur on one side of the head and cover the entire head;
- a general decrease in well-being, mood;
- osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is rarely accompanied by spinal cord compression. But if this happens, the symptoms will be more pronounced: the sensations of pain become strong, accompanied by serious disturbances in the functioning of Organs internal organs.
All symptoms of osteochondrosis are a consequence of the compression of the nerve roots that pass along the spine. Depending on the area and the degree of compression, the symptoms can vary widely, therefore, in the first suspicion of osteochondrosis, it is very important to perform instrumental studies and make the correct diagnosis.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region rarely occurs on its own - the thoracic region is inactive and is less stressed, in most cases this disease is associated with cervical osteochondrosis.
Methods of treating osteochondrosis
Like all degenerative diseases of the musculoskeletal system, osteochondrosis is treated very hard and for a long time - there is no simple and quick cure. You must be prepared for this. It is impossible to reverse the degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs. The ideal is to interrupt the development of the disease in the initial phase, when osteochondrosis does not impose restrictions on the patient's lifestyle. In the early stages, just adjust the patient's lifestyle a little: increase physical activity, complete the diet. But it is extremely rare to make a diagnosis early on in the development of pathological changes.
The traditional therapy complex for osteochondrosis includes:
- Drug therapy. . . It consists of several components:
- with severe pain syndrome, the patient is prescribed painkillers. Most of the time, they are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Less commonly used are steroidal, opioid and opioid anti-inflammatory drugs. They are stronger, but have many restrictions on their use;
- a mandatory part of treatment is taking supplements and vitamins that strengthen the bone system;
- muscle relaxants help to relieve muscle tension. But it must be said that, without constant exercise in medical gymnastics, taking muscle relaxants is strictly contraindicated;
- taking condoprotectors helps to speed up the recovery processes in the affected area, although the attitude of the specialists towards these drugs is very ambiguous.
- Drug-free treatmentit is much more important for the successful treatment of osteochondrosis.
- firstly, it should focus on the systematic and correct application of the corrective gymnastics complex. Exercise therapy aims to strengthen the muscle corset around the spine, accelerate local blood circulation and, with regular exercise, can significantly improve the patient's condition;
- Physiotherapy treatments help to relieve muscle pain and tension. They act in the same way as anti-inflammatory painkillers, but have far fewer contraindications;
- massage therapy. Both traditional therapeutic massage and many alternative methods are practiced, the main selection criterion is the professionalism of a specialist and consultation with the attending physician;
- manual therapy;
- traction (traction therapy) in a special simulator. The gentle traction of the spine allows to relieve muscle tension and reduce symptoms caused by compression of the nerve roots;
- you must also change the approach to your diet, make it more balanced.
Therapeutic exercises for osteochondrosis of the thoracic region
You can do medical gymnastics either in a special room at the hospital or at home. The more frequent and regular the sessions, the greater the effectiveness. It is advisable to teach classes several times a day, a mandatory part of the complex is morning exercises. Each workout should last from 5 (in the first stage) to 40 minutes, the number of repetitions for each exercise should be 5 to 20. Here is an approximate set of exercises:
- Lie on your back, the surface should be flat and firm, for your convenience, you can place a gym mat. Bend your knees and, at the same time, stretch your knee towards your nose and your head towards your knee. Hold the upper point for a few seconds, return to the starting point, change your legs;
- A universal exercise - familiar to everyone from the childhood "cat". Stay on all fours with your head down. As you inhale, bend your back as much as possible and raise your head. Then, as you exhale, arch your back and lower your head;
- In the middle of the workday, you can take a break for a simple exercise: alternately, raise each shoulder as high as possible, while one shoulder goes up, the other goes down;
- Sit in a chair with your back reaching towards the shoulder blades (a regular office chair will do), press your back firmly against the back of the chair. Then, raise your arms and bend your upper back as far as possible;
- Make several circular movements as wide as possible with your arms extended. Performed sitting in a straight rigid chair or standing;
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms behind your back, under your shoulder blades. Bend as much as possible in the thoracic region, resisting yourself with your hands;
- In addition, when standing, hunched as much as possible, the chin tends towards the chest, the shoulders towards each other. Hold in the lowest position for a few seconds. Then move backwards: straighten your shoulders as far as possible, bringing your shoulder blades together and throwing your head back. The exercise is performed at a slow, smooth pace.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region can progress very slowly, without causing much concern for a long time, but as a result, the patient is faced with many restrictions on his usual lifestyle and the fact that the standard of living is constantly falling. Therefore, if you experience the first feelings of discomfort and mild pain, you should see a doctor.