Osteochondrosis rarely develops in the thoracic spine - the intervertebral discs in it 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, the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis differ only in the location of the pain.The nature of the pain and its duration are similar.In thoracic prolapse, the spinal cord is not affected.Read about this and more below.
Stages of pathology
Osteochondrosis usually progresses over time.According to the severity of the manifestation, the pathology is divided into 4 stages.
Preclinical
Minimal disorders occur in the spine.A mild pain syndrome may be noticed, the back muscles become tense.It is possible to develop thoracalgia - pain in the chest, but this is a rare occurrence.
Discogenic radiculitis
There is a change in the structure of the intervertebral discs.Moderate pain may occur in the affected part of the spine.The patient is able to work.But his muscular 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 ligaments.A disc herniation is formed.The process affects the tissues located near the disc, the functioning of blood vessels, muscles, nerves and ligaments is disturbed.The disease becomes chronic.
Change in the shape of the bone structure
The vertebra hardens, its surface becomes ribbed and uneven.The muscles begin to spontaneously contract, leading to limited mobility of the entire spine or a particular vertebra.The nerves that extend from the spinal cord become pinched.This leads to a 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 can easily collapse.If the disease is not treated, it moves to the fourth stage.
Regeneration of intervertebral disc tissue and replacement with scar tissue
A damaged intervertebral disc cannot perform its functions well, which leads to the convergence of adjacent vertebral bodies.This leads to disorders in the intervertebral joints, which are called spondyloarthrosis.In this case, there may be a twisting or displacement of the vertebrae in relation to the adjacent ones.
The body turns on its compensatory mechanisms.To ease the load on the damaged disc, the vertebra flattens and grows in width.Therefore, its surface area increases.And the tissue of the fibrous ring, which has collapsed, can be replaced by bone.
Sometimes this reduces the pain, however, as the vertebrae grow, they make the spinal openings even narrower - the nerve is pinched.
Symptoms of the disease
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;
- heart syndrome, changes in the heart muscle - it is characterized by severe pain and is not susceptible to the action of nitroglycerin;
- pulmonary syndrome: congestion and hypoxia occur in the lungs;
- paresthesia - feeling of "goosebumps" all over the body;
- pain in the area of the pinched nerve;
- reduced sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and touch;
- disorders of the motor function of the spine.
The patient's body temperature does not increase.This serves as a sign that allows distinguishing pathology.
Degrees of disease
Lumbago
This is a sharp pain that shoots 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, unexpected rupture of the intervertebral disc capsule occurs when the load is too great.Such a traumatic injury leads to nerve irritation - pain occurs.
The muscles are tense and it 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, cervicalgia appears - it is manifested by pain when turning the head and palpating the neck muscles.During an exacerbation, cervicocranial pain is often observed, which manifests itself in the fact that a person has a severe headache in the back of the head.You may experience ringing in your ears, dizziness, a feeling of spots in your eyes, and your teeth may hurt.
Vertigo
They appear as a result of the narrowing of the cavity of the spinal canal.The intervertebral disc bulges and compresses the blood vessels.The brain fails to receive the required amount of blood.You may experience a severe headache, numbness in your arms, and pain in your shoulders.
Breathing becomes difficult, resulting in insufficient oxygen reaching the brain.This leads to a stab in the heart area.
Intervertebral hernia
At this stage of development, the picture looks quite serious - the spinal canal and intervertebral cavities are very narrowed.As a result, a hernia can form - a dangerous defect.It is often necessary to resort to surgical intervention at this stage of the disease.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the third degree depends on root compression.It is possible to use the same techniques as for the second degree.However, when the pain does not disappear within fifteen days and there are symptoms of prolapse (vertebral prolapse), 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 noticeable that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae can slip or twist relative to each other.
At this point, there may be growth of the vertebral bodies - this is called osteophytes.The growths lead to compression of the spinal nerves, blocking the spinal canal, which is called secondary spinal stenosis.As a result, compression of the spinal cord is possible, leading to ischemia.
This stage of the disease includes the consequences of previous hernia removal operations.They can manifest as disturbed innervation, 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 a sudden, 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 is possible during long-term monotonous work.
Dorsago is also called "lumbago of the chest".When this happens, the muscles in the back and chest become so tense that it becomes difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain travels along the ribs to the sternum area and radiates to the shoulder blade area.Sometimes the patient may feel as if it is a myocardial infarction.However, when performing an electrocardiogram, deviations from the norm are not detected.If you take nitroglycerin or any other heart medicine, there will be no results.
Avoid staying in one position for long periods of time.Sitting work is one of the main causes of osteochondrosis.
Dorsalgia is a mild pain that is present for a long time, sometimes up to weeks.The inflamed area of the spine gives "mild" pain.This is unpleasant, so the person usually comes to the doctor.
Dorsalgia can be expressed in the following:
- the pain intensifies when a person takes a deep breath or coughs;
- muscles become overworked;
- motor activity in the neck or lower back decreases;
- muscle spasms occur;
- the pain intensifies at night and when the person exercises.
Dorsalgia can be upper or lower.In the first case, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper part of the chest, on 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 wrong and the treatment is prescribed, the patient's condition will only worsen.
When a woman is breastfeeding, she may experience such manifestations of osteochondrosis.In this situation, it is necessary to treat the disease only by consulting a doctor, taking into account all the nuances.
It is important to weigh all the risks of using certain medicines in order not to harm the baby and your health.
Atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine are completely atypical.A person may not even be aware of the disease, because the symptoms are often similar to those of other pathologies.It is worth considering them in more detail and analyzing the situation as a whole:
- pain may appear that imitates heart pain that develops during angina and heart attack;drugs for coronary dilatation, for example, nitroglycerin, have no effect;and the ECG shows no abnormalities;
- pain similar to that experienced by women with the development of breast disease may occur;such pain can last for a long time;examination does not reveal problems in the mammary glands;
- the iliac region and the abdomen may be painful, the symptoms are not similar to those that occur in gastritis and colitis;pain under the right rib may be noted, similar to that characterized by hepatitis or cholecystitis;Digestion is usually disturbed - this is also a characteristic symptom of osteochondrosis, which is caused by a disturbance of innervation of internal organs;it is necessary to determine what caused disturbances in the process of food digestion, whether the cause is really thoracic osteochondrosis;
- The urination process and sexual functions can be disturbed, because the innervation in the genitourinary system is disturbed;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, long-lasting, several-week pain in the sternum, very similar to those present in diseases of the mammary gland, can be observed;A visit to a mammologist allows you to determine the cause of the pain.
These symptoms are associated with manifestations of back pain, as well as with intercostal neuralgia.The onset of atypical symptoms is usually observed in the evening hours.In the morning, as a rule, there is no whiter.Pain increases during the day if appropriate conditions are created that cause pain.