Osteochondrosis rarely develops in the thoracic spine - the intervertebral discs in them are smaller and thinner than in 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 at the location of the pain. The nature of the pain and its duration are similar. With prolapse in the thoracic region, the spinal cord is not affected. Keep reading about this and more.
Pathological stage
Over time, osteochondrosis usually develops. According to the severity of manifestations, pathology is divided into 4 stages.
preclinical
There is minimal disruption to the spine. There may be a slight pain syndrome, the back muscles tense. It is possible to develop thoracalgias - chest pain, but this is a rare occurrence.
discogenic sciatica
There are changes in the structure of the intervertebral disc. Moderate intensity pain may appear in the affected part of the spine. The patient is efficient. But his muscular endurance indicators are declining.
Vascular-radicular
At this stage, the fibrous annulus is completely destroyed. A herniated disc is formed, the process of deformation of the fibrous ring continues, leading to its rupture. Then the nucleus pulposus falls into the space below the ligament. A herniated disc forms. This process affects the tissues located in the discs, the work of blood vessels, muscles, nerves, ligaments is disrupted. The disease becomes chronic.
Changes in the shape of bone structure
The vertebrae become rough, the surface becomes ribbed, uneven. Muscles begin to contract spontaneously, leading to limited movement of the entire spine or certain vertebrae. Nerve pinching extending 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 brittle and easily collapsed. If the disease is not treated, then it enters the fourth stage.
Regeneration of intervertebral disc tissue and scar tissue replacement
The damaged intervertebral disc is unable to perform its function properly, leading to convergence of neighboring vertebral bodies. This leads to an abnormality in the intervertebral joint called spondyloarthrosis. In this case, twisting or displacement of the vertebrae relative to that of a neighbor can occur.
The body activates its own compensation mechanism. To lighten the load in the damaged disc, the vertebrae become flat and enlarge in width. So the area increases. And the fibrous annulus tissue, which has collapsed, can be replaced by bone.
Sometimes this reduces the pain, however, growing, the vertebrae make the spinal hole narrower - the nerve is pinched.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of breast osteochondrosis are often caused by the following factors:
- patient age;
- spinal affection;
- stage of disease development;
- 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;
- stomach syndrome;
- heart syndrome, changes in the heart muscle - it is characterized by severe pain and unresponsiveness to nitroglycerin;
- pulmonary syndrome: congestion, hypoxia occurs in the lungs;
- paresthesia - a feeling of "goose bumps" on the body;
- pain in areas of compressed nerves;
- reduce sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and contact;
- violation of spinal motor function.
The patient's body temperature did not rise. This serves as a sign that allows you to differentiate pathology.
Stage 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.
Morphologically, unexpected rupture of the intervertebral disc capsule occurs when the load is too high. This traumatic injury leads to nerve irritation - pain arises.
The muscles are tense and this is well expressed. Lumbar lordosis is smoothed. So the load is redistributed, and the intervertebral disc is compressed even more, which leads to edema, which increases the pain.
When the pathology is concentrated in the neck area, cervixgia appears - it manifests itself with pain when turning the head and palpation of the cervical muscles. With exacerbations, cervicocranialgia is often observed, which manifests itself in the fact that a person experiences severe headaches in the occiput area. There may be tinnitus, dizziness, a feeling of flies in the eyes, and teeth may ache.
Dizziness
They appear as a result of narrowing of the spinal canal cavity. The intervertebral disc protrudes and squeezes the duct. The brain cannot get the amount of blood it needs. You may experience sharp headaches, numb hands and shoulder pain.
Difficulty breathing, which causes insufficient oxygen to enter the brain. This leads to stabbing pain in the heart area.
Intervertebral hernia
At this stage of development, the picture looks quite serious - the spinal canal and intervertebral cavity are very narrow. As a result, a hernia may form - a dangerous defect. Often, at this stage of the disease, it is necessary to use surgical intervention.
Treatment of third -degree osteochondrosis depends on root compression. It is possible to use the same technique as in the second degree. However, when the pain persists for fifteen days and symptoms of prolapse (vertebral prolapse) are present, surgery is required.
Growth 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 noticeable that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae can slide or twist in relation to each other.
During this time, growth of the vertebral body can occur - these are called osteophytes. Growth leads to spinal nerve compression, spinal canal overlap occurs, called secondary spinal canal stenosis. As a result, spinal cord compression is possible, leading to ischemia.
This stage of the disease also includes the consequences of previous surgery to remove the hernia. They can manifest as disturbed conservation, paresis, inflammation.
Dorsago and dorsalgia
The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis directly depend on the area of the spinal lesion. Often, dorsago vertebral syndrome 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 is in a sitting position for a long time without changing their posture. Pain can occur when a person’s position is uncomfortable from a physiological point of view. In addition, it is possible when doing tedious work for a long time.
Dorsago is also called "chest lumbago". When this happens, the muscles in your back and chest become so tense that it is difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain passes through the ribs to the sternum, radiating to the scapular area. Sometimes patients may feel that it is a myocardial infarction. However, when performing an electrocardiogram, deviations from the norm were not detected. If you take nitroglycerin or other medications for the heart, then there will be no results.
Avoid being in one position for long periods of time. Sedentary work is one of the leading causes of osteochondrosis.
Dorsalgia is a mild pain that is present for a long time, sometimes up to several weeks. The inflamed part of the spine gives a "boring" pain. This is uncomfortable, so the person usually comes to the doctor.
Dorsalgia can be expressed in the fact that:
- the pain becomes worse when the person takes a deep breath or coughs;
- muscles are too tense;
- motor activity in the neck or lumbar region is reduced;
- there are muscle spasms;
- the pain is worse at night and when the person is doing physical activity.
Dorsalgia is superior and inferior. Initially, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper part of the chest, in the neck. In the latter case, it is painful especially in the sacral area and lower back.
The symptoms of Dorsalgia are very similar to the first manifestations of pneumonia. This is important to remember to diagnose the disease in time. If the diagnosis is incorrect and treatment is prescribed, the patient’s condition will only worsen.
When a woman breastfeeds her baby, she may experience such manifestations of osteochondrosis. It is only necessary to treat the disease in this condition 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 endanger the health of the baby and yourself.
Atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine are not entirely typical. A person may not be aware of the disease, as the symptoms are often similar to other pathologies. They should be considered in more detail and analyze the situation as a whole:
- the appearance of pain mimicking the heart, which develops during angina pectoris and heart attack, is possible; coronary dilatation drugs, such as nitroglycerin, have no effect; and ECG showed no abnormalities;
- pain may occur, similar to that occurs in women with the development of mammary gland disease; this pain can last a long time; when examined, problems in the mammary glands were not detected;
- iliac and abdominal areas may be painful, symptoms not similar to gastritis and colitis; pain below the right rib may be observed, similar to that characterizing hepatitis or cholecystitis; digestion is usually disturbed - this is also a characteristic symptom in osteochondrosis, which occurs as a result of disturbances in the preservation of internal organs; it is necessary to find out what causes disorders of the digestive process, whether it is really the cause of osteochondrosis of the chest;
- the process of urination and sexual function may be disturbed, because the preservation in the genitourinary system is distorted;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, there may be long -term, weekly, pain in the sternum, very similar to that found in mammary gland disease; a visit to a mammologist allows you to identify the cause of the pain.
These symptoms are associated with manifestations of pain in the back, as well as with intercostal neuralgia. The onset of atypical symptoms is usually observed in the evening. In the morning, as a rule, nothing is whiter. The pain increases throughout the day if suitable conditions are created for this, causing pain.