Characteristics of the disease
According to medical statistics, more than 30% of the world's population suffers from osteochondrosis. And every year the patient is getting younger. But compared to cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis, thoracic osteochondrosis occurs much less often.
- it has a natural bend, which causes some of the burden of upright walking to be removed from it;
- the other part falls on the ribs and sternum, which play the role of a physiological framework;
- this is the longest part of the spine (12 vertebrae), but the spinal canal is the narrowest;
- thoracic vertebrae are small in size, but equipped with long spinous processes;
- he is inactive.
If deformation of the intervertebral disc is visible in the thoracic region, it will disappear gradually. But it shows itself painfully.
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis
How clearly the disease manifests itself depends on the level, lifestyle and age of the patient.
- ill. It is felt in the upper back, between the shoulder blades and around the intercostal space with neuralgia. It gets worse with coughing, deep breathing and turning the body. Since there are many nerve fibers in the chest, chest pain (dorsago) appears, as if it were a heart attack.
- Radiculitis. In addition to pain, there is a loss of sensitivity. Usually the limbs, upper abdomen and the area below the collarbone become numb.
- Paresthesia. There is a feeling that goosebumps are crawling all over your body.
- Cardiac syndrome. Severe heart pain persists, which does not go away after taking medication.
- Pulmonary syndrome. Manifested by shortness of breath and congestion in the lungs.
- Stomach syndrome. Characterized by constant pain in the digestive organs.
- Muscle tension. It occurs reflexively in the upper back and chest.
In men and women, the clinical picture is more or less the same. But the signs of thoracic osteochondrosis in women usually appear at the onset of menopause. Previously, the spine was protected by estrogen.
In men, disease complications can affect potency.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis are much more disturbing at night than during the day. They get stronger with hypothermia, movement and stress. It is believed that women suffer from back pain more severely.
Localization of pain syndrome
The diagnosis of this disease is complicated by the similarity of symptoms with other diseases: myocardial infarction, angina pectoris and gastrointestinal disorders.
- With thoracic osteochondrosis, symptoms with painful sensations in the heart appear when the first to sixth thoracic nerves are affected. In women, the mammary glands may become sore.
- If thoracic nerves 6 to 9 are affected, pain occurs in the abdomen. The sensation is the same as colitis and gastritis. There may be a feeling of the presence of a foreign body in the esophagus.
- In the small intestine, kidneys and genitals, if the pathological process affects the 11th and 12th discs.
To make an accurate diagnosis, orthopedic surgeons prescribe examinations for patients.
It is necessary to undergo radiography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, ECG, and mammography for women.
The results will help determine the stage of the disease and treatment options.
Disease stage
| Stage | Change | symptoms |
| First | Disc dehydration, which causes loss of elasticity. Their height decreases, but their width increases - the intervertebral discs gradually become flat. | Pain appears directly on the damaged ring. It can pull or shoot. |
| Second | The annulus fibrosus begins to disintegrate. The nerve root is compressed, causing pain. | There is pain when moving. When maintaining the pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
| Third | The fibrous ring ruptures, causing a herniated disc to form. Pathological scoliosis or kyphosis develops. | There is pain when moving. When maintaining the pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
| Fourth | Vertebral friction against each other appears, which causes displacement of the intervertebral joints. The tissue around the vertebrae becomes inflamed. Cartilage tissue is replaced by bone tissue, which reduces motor function. Fibrosis appears. | There is pain when moving. When maintaining the pose for a long time, discomfort appears. |
The degree of exacerbation and remission can be observed. The latter is often observed at stage 4.
Disease stage
This is a more modern classification of symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis, used by specialists.
| Degree | Changes and symptoms |
| First | Intervertebral disc rupture is caused by sudden movement or too much force. Sharp pain, similar to the passage of an electric current along the spinal column. Muscle tension. |
| Second | Characterized by instability of the spinal column. Pain when moving. Prominence. |
| Third | The pain becomes constant. Loss of sensation. Changes in gait. Severe headache. Hard to breath. Tachycardia. |
| Fourth | The spine is unstable: the vertebrae slip and twist. Osteophytes grow, pinching the spinal nerves and putting pressure on the spinal cord. |
Thoracic osteochondrosis can cause serious diseases that are difficult to cure.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
Symptoms in women can be said to be no different from the clinical picture in men. The main difference in this case is that in half of human women, osteochondrosis develops at an older age. The female body has one peculiarity - estrogen effectively protects the intervertebral discs from destruction, therefore, signs of osteochondrosis in women most often begin to appear during the menopause or with hormonal imbalance. In addition, as already mentioned, the signs of thoracic osteochondrosis may be similar to the symptoms of dangerous diseases of the mammary gland.
Therefore, women are required to undergo tests such as mammography to clarify the diagnosis.
Thoracic osteochondrosis in women can manifest in different ways. The clinical picture will depend on the age, the stage of the pathology, as well as which vertebra is affected and how much it is affected. One of the signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine in women is burning and itching between the shoulder blades.
- Dorsago ("chest lumbago", "dagger pain") is a sudden, severe pain in the chest (between the shoulder blades), most often after a long stay in the same uncomfortable position. With lumbago in the chest, the muscles tense sharply and strongly - the person feels as if it becomes difficult for him to breathe. Pain during dorsago may increase if you turn your upper body.
- Thoracalgia is a chronic mild pain in the chest bone. Thoracalgia can manifest itself not only with osteochondrosis, but also with diseases of internal organs located in this area (lungs, heart, stomach). The main difference between such pain in osteochondrosis is the superficiality and segmental manifestation along the intercostal space. Thoracalgia with osteochondrosis worsens with movement and deep breathing, and subsides with rest.
- numbness, tingling in some areas of the skin;
- burning, itching between shoulder blades;
- cold feeling in the legs;
- pain in the pharynx and esophagus;
- stomach and intestinal dysfunction.
Pathological treatment in women
It is almost impossible to completely get rid of thoracic osteochondrosis that has already developed, but it is very possible to slow down or even stop the formation of pathological degenerative-dystrophic processes in the tissues of the spinal movement segments using modern medical methods and methods. The optimal therapeutic effect can only be achieved with an integrated approach to the treatment of this pathology using drugs, various physiotherapeutic techniques and targeted exercise therapy techniques (physical therapy).
Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine in women are not too different from men. In the acute period of osteochondrosis of the thoracic segment of the spine, patients need intensive treatment of exacerbations, in which various drugs and physical procedures are used to help eliminate, first of all, the pain syndrome, and in parallel, other negative manifestations. from the disease.
During remission, patients must be prescribed maintenance treatment, mainly based on taking drugs that restore the osteochondral structure and physical therapy. In severe cases, sometimes they use surgical intervention to stabilize the position of the spine.
Sensations in women with osteochondrosis
- Painful manifestations in the heart area. In this case, the symptoms are more similar to heart disease, such as a heart attack or angina. The pain feels dull or aching and can last for months. However, none of the vascular drugs brought improvement, and the ECG results did not reveal any abnormalities.
- Discomfort in the mammary glands. Most often it manifests itself in women, which is characterized by painful sensations. It can often be confused with mammary gland disease. In this case, a more detailed diagnosis is required.
- Spasm points and pain in the abdominal cavity. It is distinguished by the special signs of various pathological processes in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, which are often mistaken for gastritis, ulcers or cholecystitis. Intensified by physical movement.
Experts have also identified two signs of thoracic osteochondrosis, which, if detected, can immediately indicate the progression of the disease - the so-called dorsago and dorsalgia.
Complications of the disease
Thoracic osteochondrosis is a painful disease that greatly reduces the patient's quality of life.
Often osteochondrosis affects gradually or several departments at once.
- to disorders of the cardiovascular system;
- vegetative system;
- digestion;
- breathing;
- fainting;
- dizziness;
- panic attacks and fear that occur with rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath;
- chronic fatigue;
- Shingles.
Therefore, the treatment of the disease should be comprehensive, aimed at eliminating all symptoms. When diagnosed early and correctly, treatment has a favorable prognosis.