Osteochondrosis rarely develops in the thoracic spine - the intervertebral discs in it are smaller and thinner in size 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, the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis differ only in 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.Read about this and more below.
Pathological stage
Osteochondrosis usually develops over time.According to the severity of the manifestations, the pathology is divided into 4 stages.
preclinical
Minimal disruption appears in the spine.A slight pain syndrome may be observed, the back muscles become tense.It is possible to develop thoracalgia - chest pain, but this is a rare occurrence.
Discogenic radiculitis
There are changes in the structure of the intervertebral disc.Moderate pain may appear in the affected part of the spine.The patient can work.But his muscle endurance level is decreasing.
Vascular-radicular
At this stage, the fibrous ring is completely destroyed.A disc herniation is formed and the process of deformation of the fibrous ring continues, leading to its rupture.Then the nucleus pulposus prolapses into the space below the ligament.Disc herniation is formed.This process affects the tissue located near the disc, the function of blood vessels, muscles, nerves, and ligaments is disturbed.The disease becomes chronic.
Changing the shape of the bone structure
The vertebrae harden, the surface becomes ribbed and uneven.The muscles begin to contract spontaneously, which leads to limited movement of the entire spine or certain vertebrae.Nerves that extend from the spinal cord become pinched.This leads to the deterioration of impulses 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 collapse easily.If the disease is not treated, it enters the fourth stage.
Regeneration of intervertebral disc tissue and replacement with scar tissue
A damaged intervertebral disc cannot perform its function properly, which leads to convergence of adjacent vertebral bodies.This leads to a disorder of the intervertebral joints, called spondyloarthrosis.In this case, twisting or shifting of the vertebra relative to the neighbor may occur.
The body turns on its compensation mechanism.To ease the load on the damaged disc, the vertebrae flatten and increase in width.So the area increases.And fibrous ring tissue, which has collapsed, can be replaced by bone.
Sometimes this reduces the pain, however, when the vertebrae grow, they make the spinal opening narrower - the nerves are pinched.
Disease symptoms
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis are often caused by the following factors:
- age of the patient;
- damage to the spine;
- stage of disease development;
- The patient's condition is remission or worsening of the disease.
Symptoms may 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 not susceptible to the effects of nitroglycerin;
- pulmonary syndrome: congestion and hypoxia occur in the lungs;
- paresthesia - "tingling" feeling all over the body;
- pain in the area of compressed nerves;
- decreased sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and touch;
- spinal motor dysfunction.
The patient's body temperature does not rise.This serves as a sign that allows one to distinguish pathology.
Disease stage
Lumbago
This is a sharp pain that travels through the body.It occurs when lifting heavy objects and other physical activities - the pain is similar to an electric shock.
From a morphological point of view, an unexpected rupture of the intervertebral disc capsule occurs when the load is too high.Such a traumatic injury leads to nerve irritation - pain occurs.
The muscles are tense and this is clearly expressed.Lumbar lordosis is smoothed.In this way, the load is redistributed, and the intervertebral disc is compressed even more, which leads to swelling, which increases the pain.
When the pathology is concentrated in the neck area, cervicgia appears - it manifests itself as pain when turning the head and palpating the neck muscles.During exacerbations, cervicocranialgia is often observed, which manifests itself in the fact that a person experiences a severe headache in the back of the head.You may experience tinnitus, dizziness, a feeling of spots in your eyes, and your teeth may hurt.
Dizziness
Appears due to narrowing of the spinal canal cavity.Intervertebral discs bulge and compress blood vessels.The brain fails to get the required amount of blood.You may experience severe headaches, numbness in the arms and shoulder pain.
Breathing becomes difficult, causing insufficient oxygen to reach the brain.This leads to a 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 narrowed.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 osteochondrosis of the third degree depends on root compression.It is possible to use the same technique as for the second degree.However, when the pain does not go away within 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 manifestation of the hernia disappears, the symptoms of the disease are less noticeable, however, it is noticeable that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae can slip or twist in relation to each other.
During this time, the growth of the vertebral bodies may occur - these are called osteophytes.Growth leads to spinal nerve compression, blocking the spinal canal occurs, called secondary spinal stenosis.As a result, compression of the spinal cord is possible, which leads to ischemia.
The extent of the disease also includes the consequences of previous operations to remove the hernia.They can show themselves as impaired conservation, paresis, and inflammation.
Dorsago and dorsalgia
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis directly depend on the area of damage to the spine.The most common vertebral syndromes are dorsago and dorsalgia.
Dorsago manifests itself in the form of sudden and sharp pain that occurs in the chest area.This often happens if a person sits for a long time without changing their posture.Pain can occur when a person's position is physiologically uncomfortable.In addition, it can be done during long-term boring work.
Dorsago is also called "chest lumbago."When this happens, the muscles in your back and chest become so tight that it becomes difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain moves along the ribs to the sternum and radiates to the scapula.Sometimes the patient may feel it is a myocardial infarction.However, when performing an electrocardiogram, deviations from the norm are not detected.If you are taking nitroglycerin or other heart medications, there will be no results.
Avoid being in one position for a long time.Sedentary work is one of the main causes of osteochondrosis.
Dorsalgia is a mild pain that is present for a long time, sometimes up to several weeks.The inflamed area of the spine gives "mild" pain.This is uncomfortable, so the person usually comes to the doctor.
Dorsalgia can be expressed in the following:
- the pain becomes worse when a person takes a deep breath or coughs;
- muscles become too tense;
- motor activity in the neck or lower back decreases;
- muscle spasms occur;
- pain increases at night and when a person exercises.
Dorsalgia can be upper or lower.With the first, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper chest area, in the neck.In the second case, the pain is mainly in the sacrum and lumbar region.
The symptoms of Dorsalgia are very similar to the first manifestations of pneumonia.This is important to remember in order to diagnose the disease in time.If the diagnosis is made incorrectly and the treatment is prescribed, the patient's condition will only worsen.
When a woman is breastfeeding, she may experience such manifestations of osteochondrosis.It is necessary to treat the disease in this situation only in consultation with a doctor, taking into account all the nuances.
It is important to weigh all the risks of using certain medicines so as not to harm the health of the baby and yourself.
Atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine are completely atypical.A person may not be aware of the disease, because the symptoms are often similar to other pathologies.They should be considered in more detail and analyze the situation as a whole:
- pain may appear that mimics heart pain that develops during angina and heart attack;coronary dilatation drugs, for example, nitroglycerin, have no effect;and ECG shows no abnormalities;
- pain may occur similar to that experienced by women with the development of breast disease;such pain may continue for a long time;the examination did not reveal any problems in the mammary glands;
- the iliac and abdominal areas may be painful, the symptoms are not similar to those that occur with gastritis and colitis;pain can be observed under the right rib, similar to that which characterizes hepatitis or cholecystitis;Digestion is usually disturbed - this is also a characteristic symptom of osteochondrosis, which arises as a result of disturbances in the conservation of internal organs;it is necessary to find out what caused the disturbance in the process of digestion of food, whether the cause is really thoracic osteochondrosis;
- The urinary process and sexual function may be disturbed, because the conservation in the genitourinary system is distorted;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, long-term, weeks-long pain in the sternum, very similar to that found in diseases of the mammary glands, can be observed;A visit to a mammologist allows you to identify the cause of the pain.
This symptom is associated with the manifestation 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.Pain increases throughout the day if appropriate conditions are created that cause pain.