Osteochondrosis rarely develops in the thoracic spine - the intervertebral discs are smaller and thinner than in the cervical or lumbar spine. The thoracic region is less mobile, the main load being on the ribs and sternum.
Unlike cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis, thoracic symptoms only differ in the location of pain. The nature of the pain and its duration are similar. With prolapse in the thoracic region, the spinal cord is unaffected. Read more about it and more.
Pathology phases
Over time, osteochondrosis usually progresses. According to the severity of the manifestation, the pathology is divided into 4 phases.
pre-clinical
There are minimal disturbances in the spine. There may be a mild pain syndrome, the back muscles are tense. It is possible to develop chest pains - chest pains, but this is a rare occurrence.
Discogenic sciatica
There is a change in the structure of the intervertebral discs. Moderate pain may appear in the affected part of the spine. The patient is efficient. But your indicators of muscular endurance are decreasing.
Vascular-root
At this stage, the fibrous ring is completely destroyed. A herniated disc is formed, the process of deformation of the fibrous ring continues, which leads to its rupture. Then the nucleus pulposus falls into the space under the ligaments. A herniated disc is formed. The process affects the tissues located in the disc, the work of blood vessels, muscles, nerves, ligaments is interrupted. The disease becomes chronic.
Change in shape of bone structure
The vertebra gets thicker, its surface becomes ribbed, irregular. Muscles begin to contract spontaneously, which leads to limited mobility of the entire spine or of a specific vertebra. Compression of the nerves that extend from the spinal cord occurs. This leads to a deterioration of impulses coming from the brain to the tissues and organs of the body.
The mobility of the spine as a whole is preserved, but the individual vertebrae become fragile and can easily collapse. If the disease is not treated, it moves to the fourth stage.
Intervertebral disc tissue regeneration and scar tissue replacement
The damaged intervertebral disc is not able to perform its functions well, which leads to the convergence of the bodies of the neighboring vertebrae. This leads to abnormalities in the intervertebral joints called spondyloarthrosis. In this case, the vertebrae may be twisted or displaced in relation to neighboring ones.
The body triggers its own compensation mechanisms. To relieve the load on the damaged disc, the vertebra flattens out and grows in width. Therefore, its area increases. And the fibrous ring tissue, which has collapsed, can be replaced by bone.
This sometimes reduces the pain, however, as the vertebrae grow, they make the spinal orifices even narrower - the nerve is compressed.
disease symptoms
Symptoms of breast osteochondrosis are often caused by the following factors:
- the patient's age;
- spine affection;
- stage of disease development;
- the patient's condition is remission or exacerbation of the disease.
Symptoms also include:
- radiculopathy - painful injury to the nerve endings of the spinal cord;
- abdominal syndrome;
- cardiac syndrome, changes in heart muscle - is characterized by severe pain and unresponsive to nitroglycerin;
- pulmonary syndrome: congestion, hypoxia occurs in the lungs;
- paresthesia - "shivering" sensation in the body;
- pain in the pinched nerve area;
- decreased sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and touch;
- violations of spinal motor function.
The patient's body temperature does not increase. This serves as a signal to differentiate the pathology.
the degree of the disease
Lumbago
It is a sharp pain that penetrates the body. It manifests itself when lifting heavy objects and other physical activities - the pain is similar to an electric shock.
In terms of morphology, an unexpected rupture of the intervertebral disc capsule occurs when the load is too high. This traumatic injury causes nerve irritation - pain ensues.
The muscles are tense and this is expressed well. Lumbar lordosis is smoothed. Then the load is redistributed, and the intervertebral disc is further compressed, which leads to swelling, which increases pain.
When the pathology is concentrated in the neck region, neck pain appears - it is manifested by pain when turning the head and palpation of the cervical muscles. With an exacerbation, cervicocranialgia is often seen, which manifests itself in the fact that a person has a severe headache in the occipital region. There may be tinnitus, dizziness, a feeling of flies in the eyes and teeth may ache.
Dizziness
They appear as a result of the narrowing of the spinal canal cavity. The intervertebral disc protrudes and compresses the vessels. The brain cannot get the volume of blood it needs. You may experience a severe headache, numb hands, and sore shoulders.
Difficulty breathing, which causes oxygen to be insufficient to enter the brain. This leads to sharp pain in the heart region.
intervertebral hernia
At this stage of development, the picture looks quite serious - the spinal canal and intervertebral cavities are quite narrowed. As a result, a hernia can form - a dangerous defect. Often, at this stage of the disease, it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
The treatment of third-degree osteochondrosis depends on root compression. It is possible to use the same techniques as in high school. However, when the pain persists for fifteen days and symptoms of prolapse (prolapsed vertebra) are present, surgery is necessary.
Vertebrae growths
As a rule, at this stage of the disease, the manifestations of the hernia disappear, the symptoms of the disease are less pronounced, however, it is noticeable that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae may slip or twist in relation to each other.
At that time, growth of the vertebral bodies can occur - this is called osteophytes. The growths lead to compression of the spinal nerves, an overlapping of the spinal canal occurs, called secondary spinal canal stenosis. As a result, spinal cord compression is possible, which leads to ischemia.
This degree of disease also includes the consequences of previous operations to remove the hernia. They can manifest as disruption of innervation, paresis, inflammation.
back and back
The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis depend directly on the area of spinal injury. In most cases, the dorsal and dorsal vertebral syndromes are distinct.
Dorsago manifests as sudden sharp pain that occurs in the chest region. This usually happens if a person sits for a long time without changing their posture. Pain can occur when a person's position is physiologically uncomfortable. Also, it is possible when carrying out monotonous work for a long time.
Dorsago is also called "thoracic lumbago". When this happens, the muscles in the back and chest become so tense that it is difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain travels through the ribs to the sternum, radiating to the scapula area. Sometimes the patient may feel that it is a myocardial infarction. However, when performing an electrocardiogram, deviations from the norms are not detected. If you take nitroglycerin or other heart medicine, it won't work.
Avoid staying in the same position for too long. Sedentary work is one of the main causes of osteochondrosis.
Back pain is a mild pain that has been present for a long time, sometimes up to these weeks. The inflamed part of the spine causes "deaf" pain. This is uncomfortable, so the person usually goes to the doctor.
Back pain can be expressed in the fact that:
- the pain is worse when the person inhales deeply or coughs;
- the muscles are overloaded;
- motor activity in the neck or lower back decreases;
- there is muscle spasm;
- the pain is worse at night and when the person is physically active.
Back pain is superior and inferior. In the first, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper chest, in the neck. In the second case, it hurts mainly in the sacrum and lower back.
The symptoms of back pain are very similar to the first manifestations of pneumonia. It is important to remember this in order to diagnose the disease in time. If the diagnosis is incorrect and the treatment is prescribed, the patient's condition will only get worse.
When a woman breastfeeds her baby, she may have such manifestations of osteochondrosis. It is only necessary to treat the disease in this situation by contacting a doctor, taking into account all the nuances.
It is important to weigh all the risks of using certain medications, so as not to harm the baby's health and hers.
atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine are completely atypical. The person may not even be aware of the disease, as the symptoms are often similar to those of other pathologies. They should be considered in more detail and analyzed the situation as a whole:
- the onset of heart-mimicking pain that develops during angina pectoris and heart attack is possible; coronary dilation drugs such as nitroglycerin have no effect; and the ECG shows no abnormalities;
- pain may occur, similar to that which occurs in women with the development of diseases of the mammary glands; this pain can last a long time; during the examination, no problems are detected in the mammary glands;
- the iliac region and abdomen may be painful, symptoms are not similar to gastritis and colitis; pain can be seen under the right rib, similar to those that characterize hepatitis or cholecystitis; digestion is usually disturbed - this is also a characteristic symptom of osteochondrosis, which occurs due to disturbances in the innervation of Organs internal organs; it is necessary to find out what caused the interruption of the food digestion process, is actually the cause of thoracic osteochondrosis;
- the process of urination and sexual function can be interrupted because the innervation in the genitourinary system is distorted;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, prolonged pain may occur in the sternum, very similar to those present in diseases of the mammary gland; a visit to the mammologist allows you to identify the cause of the pain.
These symptoms are associated with manifestations of back pain as well as intercostal neuralgia. The onset of atypical symptoms is usually seen at night. In the morning, as a rule, there is no more white. Pain increases throughout the day if the right conditions are created for it, causing pain.