Clinically, thoracic osteochondrosis (chondrosis) is manifested by sharp, piercing or dull, aching pain, crunching and clicking when bending over, and stiffness.
The pathology is characterized by numerous specific symptoms - a feeling of lack of air when inhaling, discomfort in the cardiac region, and even a sore throat.
Treatment of the pathology is predominantly conservative with pharmacological drugs.Physiotherapeutic procedures, massage sessions are also carried out, and the help of chiropractors is 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.At the initial stage of development of this degenerative-dystrophic pathology, only mild discomfort in the back is noted.Patients take them for banal overwork after a hard day at work, and write them off as “stiff” muscles due to being 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 by limited range of motion, dizziness and headaches.In medicine, all symptoms of osteochondrosis of this localization are divided into several groups.This helps to diagnose it faster and decide on treatment tactics.
Note!Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in men and women do not differ in character, severity, or localization.But in representatives of the stronger sex they may occur 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 stands up suddenly, such a sharp pain occurs in the back 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 increases gradually.It intensifies when bending or turning the body to the sides.In order not to experience pain, a person takes a forced position.At the same time, he involuntarily strains the back muscles, involuntarily provoking their overstrain.Now they too are starting to hurt, 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 loads and prevent the vertebrae from hitting each other.A compensatory response of the body is triggered - bone structures begin to deform with the formation of growths.They put pressure on sensitive nerve endings and infringe on the spinal canal.Therefore, specific symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis occur in women and men: loss of sensitivity in certain areas of the body, a burning sensation and crawling “goosebumps”.
Important!Osteochondrosis of the thoracic localization often manifests itself as a dry, unproductive cough, sore throat, a feeling of a lump in it, as well as urination disorders.
But that's not all.The spinal roots are responsible not only for the innervation (transmission of nerve impulses) of the spine, but also of the internal organs.Therefore, when they are pinched, discomfort occurs from the liver, kidneys, digestive tract, and myocardium.What signs of thoracic osteochondrosis that are uncharacteristic for back pathologies are:
- pain in the cardiac region, identical to relapse of angina, shortness of breath, a feeling of “compression” of the heart;
- panic attacks, psycho-emotional instability, causeless fear, anxiety, sleep disorders;
- discomfort in the epigastric region, attacks of nausea, sometimes leading to vomiting, sour belching, bloating, seething and rumbling in it;
- disturbances of peristalsis - constipation or diarrhea;
- long, labored breaths with sobs.
The pain is not localized directly to the area of the destroyed intervertebral disc and (or) formed intervertebral hernia.They radiate along the nerve.Signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region can be disguised as renal colic, symptoms of gastritis, gastric ulcers, 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 at stages 3-4 of the disease, when, due to the loss of stability of the spinal segment, the nucleus pulposus protrudes beyond the annulus fibrosus.An intervertebral hernia forms, which constantly puts pressure on the spinal cord.When visiting a vertebrologist or neurologist, patients complain of frequent girdle pain radiating to the groin area.At the same time, there are feelings of weakness and numbness in the lower extremities.
Against the background of spinal cord infringement, innervation is seriously disrupted.In the absence of treatment, the functional activity of 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 greatly reduced.In severe cases, patients are diagnosed with paresis (partial or complete paralysis) of one or two lower extremities.
Symptoms of remission
Outside of relapses, osteochondrosis of the chest almost does not bother a person.Occasionally, nagging, aching, dull pain in the back occurs, which usually goes away after a long rest.But as soon as you increase the load on the spine even a little, lift a heavy object or bend over, another relapse follows.It can also be triggered by the following factors:
- stressful situations, depressive states;
- hypothermia, sudden temperature changes;
- staying in one body position for a long time;
- alcohol abuse;
- unbalanced diet, lack of foods high in calcium, phosphorus, manganese, molybdenum in the diet.
Sometimes the remission stage ends due to a person’s attempts to avoid another relapse.He visits a chiropractor or massage therapist with a dubious reputation or little practical experience.An attempt to stretch the spine leads to another exacerbation.
Basic treatment methods
It is not yet possible to completely cure the pathology, so all efforts of doctors are aimed at improving the patient’s well-being.Patients are recommended to wear orthopedic products (corsets, bandages), which fix the vertebral structures and prevent their displacement.Drugs of various clinical and pharmacological groups are prescribed, physiotherapeutic measures and exercise therapy are carried out.
The movements of the chiropractor's hands are aimed at increasing the spaces between the vertebrae, which decrease with thoracic osteochondrosis.
Important!With thoracic osteochondrosis of high severity, conservative treatment is useless.Patients are immediately offered surgical intervention - excision of intervertebral hernia, arthrodesis, installation of implants in place of the 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.During periods of exacerbation, solutions for parenteral administration are used, which show effects after 5-10 minutes.Then the result is secured by a course of taking tablets, applying ointments and gels.At the stage of remission, mainly external agents are used, which have a more gentle 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 acids.Even after a single use of NSAIDs, a person’s well-being significantly improves:
- the severity of pain decreases;
- the unpleasant crunching noise that occurs when turning the body and bending disappears;
- inflammatory processes in soft tissues weaken, swelling resolves;
- the range of movements in the thoracic region increases.
To stop relapses, solutions for intramuscular administration are used.Medicines in capsules or tablets cope with moderate pain.And ointments and gels quickly eliminate mild discomfort.
Preparations with B vitamins
Innervation disorders are treated well with drugs containing B vitamins. They improve the transmission of nerve impulses to the central and peripheral nervous systems and stimulate the restoration of damaged spinal roots.The composition of the products includes thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin.
In the first week of therapy, intramuscular injection of drugs is practiced, which, in addition to vitamins, contains lidocaine, which instantly eliminates pain.And then patients are advised to take pills 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, piercing pain in the back, radiating to the internal organs.The drugs can also be taken orally, but much more often they are administered parenterally, including to the sites of damaged discs.
Glucocorticosteroids are characterized by a wide list of contraindications and potential side effects.Long-term treatment of chondrosis of the thoracic spine with hormones leads to damage to the tissues of the liver, kidneys, and stomach.So their use is prohibited for patients with cirrhosis, peptic ulcers, renal failure, and osteoporosis.
Muscle relaxants
Back pain is often explained by increased tone of its skeletal muscles.To relax it, muscle relaxants are used - first in the form of solutions for parenteral administration, and then in tablets.The drugs relieve muscle spasms that cause compression of the spinal root.Which muscle relaxants are most effective:
- blocking polysynaptic reflexes;
- relaxing spasmodic muscles;
- reducing the release of prostaglandins.
The drugs are rarely used as monotherapy.Treatment of thoracic chondrosis is carried out with muscle relaxants in combination with glucocorticosteroids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Their significant drawback is that addiction develops quite quickly, so it is prohibited to use them for more than a week.
Chondroprotectors
Unlike drugs that eliminate the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis, such drugs are also used for pathogenetic therapy.This is the only group of medications that can enhance the production of chondrocytes necessary for the partial restoration of cartilaginous intervertebral discs.All 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 glow in the area of the damaged spinal segment.After 2-3 weeks, the maximum therapeutic concentration of glucosamine and chondroitin is created.Now the drugs are beginning to exhibit pronounced analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-edematous activity.
Recommendation!It is advisable to treat osteochondrosis with chondroprotectors in the form of injection solutions or tablets.Despite all the manufacturers’ assurances about the effectiveness of ointments and creams, they were unable to provide evidence of their therapeutic effectiveness.
Non-drug treatment
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region with pharmacological drugs must be combined with regular physical exercise.Exercise therapy is the most effective method of therapy to avoid disability.Thanks to daily training, the muscular frame of the back and the ligamentous-tendon apparatus of the thoracic region 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 dosing of loads.
Manual therapy for osteochondrosis is also practiced, aimed at increasing the spaces between the discs and vertebrae.Dry or underwater traction (extension) of the spine is performed, and at home, hanging on a bar.The effectiveness of manual therapy increases with simultaneous physical procedures:
- electrophoresis;
- laser therapy;
- magnetic therapy;
- ultraviolet irradiation;
- diadynamic currents.
Patients are shown 10-15 sessions of classical, vacuum, Scandinavian, acupressure massage.Hirudotherapy, acupuncture, and sanatorium-resort treatment with radon and hydrogen sulfide baths 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 the symptoms of chronic pathology as soon as possible.