Osteochondrosis rarely develops in the thoracic spine; the intervertebral discs it contains are smaller and thinner than those of the cervical or lumbar spine. The thoracic region is less mobile, the main load falls on the ribs and sternum.
Unlike cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis, chest symptoms differ only 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 not affected. Read on about this and more.
Stages of pathology
Over time, osteochondrosis usually progresses. Depending on the severity of the manifestation, the pathology is divided into 4 stages.
Preclinical
There are minimal disorders in the spine. There may be a slight pain syndrome, the back muscles tighten. It is possible to develop thoracalgias, chest pains, but this is rare.
Discogenic sciatica
There is a change in the structure of the intervertebral discs. Pain of moderate intensity may appear in the affected part of the spine. The patient is efficient. But his indicators of muscular endurance are declining.
Vascular-radicular
At this stage, the annulus fibrosus 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 below the ligaments. A herniated disc forms. The process affects the tissues located on the disc, the work of blood vessels, muscles, nerves and ligaments is disrupted. The disease becomes chronic.
Change in the shape of the bone structure.
The vertebra becomes thicker, its surface becomes striated, uneven. The muscles begin to contract spontaneously, leading to limited mobility of the entire spine or of a specific vertebra. There is a pinching of the nerves that extend from the spinal cord. This leads to a deterioration of the impulses that reach the tissues and organs of the body from the brain.
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 goes to the fourth stage.
Regeneration of intervertebral disc tissue and replacement of scar tissue
The damaged intervertebral disc cannot 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, torsion or displacement of the vertebrae with respect to the neighboring ones may occur.
The body activates its own compensation mechanisms. To relieve the load on the damaged disc, the vertebra is flattened and increased in width. Then its area increases. And the tissue of the annulus fibrosus, which has collapsed, can be replaced by bone.
Sometimes this reduces pain, however, as the vertebrae grow larger, the holes in the spine become even narrower - the nerve is pinched.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of breast osteochondrosis are often caused by the following factors:
- the age of the patient;
- spinal condition;
- stage of development of the disease;
- the patient's condition is remission or exacerbation of the disease.
Symptoms also include:
- radiculopathy - painful damage to the nerve endings of the spinal cord;
- abdominal syndrome;
- cardiac syndrome, changes in the heart muscle - characterized by severe pain and does not respond to nitroglycerin;
- pulmonary syndrome - congestion, hypoxia occurs in the lungs;
- paresthesia - a feeling of "goose bumps" on the body;
- pain in the area of the compressed nerve;
- decreased sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and touch;
- violations of the motor function of the spine.
The patient's body temperature does not rise. This serves as a sign that allows you 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 doing other physical activity; 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 leads to irritation of the nerves - pain arises.
The muscles are tense and this is well expressed. Lumbar lordosis softens. Then the load is redistributed, and the intervertebral disc is further compressed, leading to edema, increasing pain.
When the pathology is concentrated in the neck region, cervicalgia appears, which is manifested by pain when turning the head and palpation of the cervical muscles. With an exacerbation, cervicocranialgia is often observed, which is manifested 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 the teeth may hurt.
Dizziness
They appear as a result of narrowing of the cavity of the spinal canal. The intervertebral disc protrudes and squeezes the vessels. The brain cannot get the blood volume it needs. You may experience a sharp headache, numb hands, and pain in your shoulders.
Difficulty breathing, causing insufficient oxygen to enter the brain. This leads to shooting pains in the region of the heart.
Intervertebral hernia
At this stage of development, the picture seems quite serious: the spinal canal and the intervertebral cavities are very narrow. 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.
Treatment of third degree osteochondrosis depends on root compression. It is possible to use the same techniques as in the second grade. However, when pain persists within fifteen days and there are symptoms of prolapse (prolapse of the vertebra), surgery is required.
Growths on the vertebrae.
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 noted that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae can slide or twist against each other.
At this time, growth of the vertebral bodies can occur, this is called osteophytes. The growths lead to compression of the spinal nerves, an overlap of the spinal canal occurs, called secondary spinal canal stenosis. As a result, compression of the spinal cord is possible, leading to ischemia.
This degree of the disease also includes the consequences of previous operations to remove the hernia. They can manifest as altered innervation, paresis, inflammation.
Dorsagus and dorsalgia
The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis directly depend on the area of the spinal injury. Most often, the vertebral syndromes of dorsagus and dorsalgia are distinguished.
Dorsago manifests itself in the form of a sudden sharp pain that occurs in the chest area. This often happens if a person sits for a long time without changing posture. Pain can occur when a person's position is uncomfortable from a physiological point of view. In addition, it is possible when monotonous work is done for a long time.
Dorsago is also called "chest lumbago. "When this happens, the back and chest muscles tense up so hard that it becomes difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain passes along the ribs to the breastbone and radiates to the area of the scapula. Sometimes the patient may feel that it is a heart attack. However, when performing an electrocardiogram, no deviations from the norms are detected. If you take nitroglycerin or another heart remedy, it will not have worked.
Avoid staying in one position for a long time. Sedentary work is one of the main causes of osteochondrosis.
Back pain is a mild pain present for a long time, sometimes up to those weeks. The inflamed part of the spine produces a "dull" pain. This is uncomfortable, so the person usually goes to the doctor.
Back pain can be expressed in the fact that:
- pain worsens when the person inhales deeply or coughs;
- muscles are overloaded;
- motor activity in the neck or lumbar region decreases;
- there is muscle spasm;
- the pain worsens at night and when the person is physically active.
The back pain is superior and inferior. At first, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper chest, in the neck. In the second case, it hurts mainly in the region of 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 wrong and treatment is prescribed, the patient's condition will only worsen.
When a woman breastfeeds her baby, she can experience 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 your baby's health and your own.
Atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine are completely atypical. It is possible that a person is not even aware of the disease, since the symptoms are usually similar to those of other conditions. They should be considered in more detail and analyze the situation as a whole:
- the appearance of pain that mimics the heart, which develops during angina pectoris and heart attack is possible; medications for coronary dilatation, such as nitroglycerin, have no effect; and the ECG shows no abnormalities;
- pains can occur, similar to those that occur in women with the development of diseases of the mammary glands; this pain can last a long time; when examining, problems in the mammary glands are not detected;
- the iliac region and abdomen can be painful, the symptoms are not similar to those of gastritis and colitis; pain can be seen under the right rib, similar to those that characterize hepatitis or cholecystitis; digestion is generally disturbed; this is also a characteristic symptom of osteochondrosis, which occurs due to disturbances in the innervation of internal organs; it is necessary to find out what caused the disruption of the process of digestion of food, if it really is the cause of osteochondrosis of the chest;
- the urination process and sexual function can be interrupted because the innervation in the genitourinary system is distorted;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, there may be long-term pain, weeks, in the sternum, very similar to those that are 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 pain in the back, as well as intercostal neuralgia. The appearance of atypical symptoms is usually observed at night. In the morning, as a rule, there is no more white. The pain increases throughout the day if the right conditions are created for it, causing pain.