Pain in thoracic osteochondrosis is an unpleasant symptom that many patients have recently experienced. The danger of this disease lies in the fact that it is not easy to diagnose due to vague and fuzzy symptoms. Often osteochondrosis is confused with various other ailments. Because of this, the patient does not receive the necessary treatment, and in some cases he does not attach importance to such an ailment. In this article we will talk about the features of this disease, the nature of pain, existing methods of treatment.
What are they confused with?
Pain in thoracic osteochondrosis is often accompanied by atypical symptoms, which is why they are confused with other diseases. For example, when they are accompanied by heaviness in the hypochondrium and nausea, they can be mistaken for pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. Such symptoms are often attributed to an exacerbation of gastritis orpyelonephritis, sometimes cholecystitis. Errors in diagnosis lead doctors to prescribe ineffective or even dangerous therapies that do not help the patient at all, but only aggravate his condition.
When pain in thoracic osteochondrosis occurs abruptly and suddenly, sweating intensifies and the pulse may increase. They have a "shooting" character, can be given in the heart or chest, which is why doctors often take these symptoms for manifestations of various heart ailments.
Pain in thoracic osteochondrosis are considered very insidious, as they are difficult to diagnose. In addition, it is easy to confuse it with gastritis, pneumonia, renal colic, pancreatitis, ischemic conditions.
Different from heartaches
In order not to confuse heart problems with pain in osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, you need to know what to pay attention to. For heart pain, localization is of great importance. It appears in the left half of the chest or just behind the sternum. In addition, it can give between the shoulder blades, in the left hand or in the lower jaw. In addition, it is worth paying attention to the characteristics of pain. In the classic version, it should be squeezing, pressing, dagger or baking.
Another important point - provoking factors. For angina pectoris, this is an emotional or physical stress, that is, pain cannot occur at rest. Only in a critical state of the vessel that directly feeds the heart muscle, angina pectoris can appear with minimal stress on the heart in a calm state andeven at night.
Also in the study of the origin of pain should pay attention to the time factor. Real heart pain cannot be too long in time, as a rule, it lasts only a few minutes. Pain in the region of the heart, which lasts for several hours or days, indicates a pathology of the musculoskeletal system. At the same time, true heart pain lasting more than 20 minutes indicates a serious complication that threatens the patient's life. It's a myocardial infarction.
Features of the disease
Thoracic osteochondrosis is a disease in which degenerative and dystrophic processes develop, which lead to pathological changes in the body, primarily in bone tissues and cartilage. Untimely treatment of this disease can lead to changes in the structure of intervertebral discs, ligaments, joints, and even to their destruction.
Often, against the background of thoracic osteochondrosis, other diseases develop. These are infertility, pneumosclerosis, atherosclerosis, prostatitis, malignant neoplasms appear.
In the process of developing this disease for the patient, everything begins with bone damage. Then the disease affects the connective, cartilage and muscle tissues. If the disease is diagnosed in children or adolescents, their musculoskeletal system begins to age even before the full development and maturation of the body. There is no age limit for this disease. It is detected with the same frequency in both men and women.
Symptoms
It is important to distinguish this disease so as not to miss the time when timely treatment should be started. Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the cervical and thoracic spine will help to do this. Consider the main ones:
- chest pain that develops when a person is in one position, it can also occur with any body movement, weight lifting, physical exertion;
- pain syndrome that occurs during active movements, with sharp turns and tilts of the body, raising arms;
- a feeling of constriction in the middle of the back, which makes it difficult to take deep breaths in and out;
- non-passing aching and dull pain in the shoulder blades;
- chill;
- numbness of certain parts of the body;
- cold feet;
- itching and burning in the legs;
- failures in the vascular system of the thoracic region are possible, due to which the nail plate becomes thinner, the skin flakes off;
- disturbances occur in the functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (abdominal discomfort, nausea, heartburn, diarrhea, flatulence, constipation);
- intercostal neuralgia;
- problems with sexual and reproductive function.
There are typical symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in women. They appear when the disease is in an acute stage of development. In this case, the classic symptom of thoracic osteochondrosis in women is soreness of the mammary glands. To deal with this problem, you should visit a mammologist.
Note that thoracic osteochondrosis in women isparticular danger, as it can lead to infertility. This is due to atrophy or damage to the organs of the reproductive system.
Characterization of pain
It is worth dwelling on how chest osteochondrosis hurts. In this state, discomfort can be of two types:
- dorsago, that is, sharp and intense pains that appear in the form of attacks, prevent normal breathing and hold down muscles;
- dorsalgia - prolonged pain in the area of affected intervertebral discs.
Feeling when colitis in the chest is one of the sure signs of osteochondrosis. The pain can be both constant and periodic, but of such strength that it makes a person put his hand to his chest and bend over. The true cause of these manifestations lies in the damage or compression of the nerves. Violation of blood flow provokes general weakness of the body, numbness of the hands and dizziness.
Reasons
If you have constant colitis in your chest, this is a reason to seek help from a doctor. Only by accurately establishing the cause of the disease, it will be possible to begin timely treatment.
Often osteochondrosis develops due to thinning discs or intervertebral hernia. Also, all kinds of pathological changes in the intervertebral discs, which can be attributed to hereditary predisposition, lead to this disease. This problem can occur in patients at any age.
Here is a list of other causes that can cause this disease:
- impaired blood supply to the spinal cord. It occurs due to narrowing or clamping of the supply arteries and veins;
- destroyed cartilage tissue and osteophytes;
- mineral metabolism disorders in the body due to lack of calcium or other he althy substances;
- dystrophic changes in bone, cartilage and muscle tissue;
- regular weight lifting;
- curvature of the spine;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- active and strength sports;
- Injuries suffered.
How to deal with an aggravation
When an exacerbation occurs, patients experience sudden and sharp pain that they are unable to stop on their own. In such a situation, it is forbidden to self-medicate, as this can lead to fatal consequences. How to relieve pain in thoracic osteochondrosis, only a doctor will tell.
You need to consult a neurologist, who will conduct diagnostic tests and prescribe appropriate treatment. As a rule, provoking factors during an exacerbation are stress and nervous shocks, hypothermia, weight lifting, overwork and difficult working conditions, too active sports.
Often, with an exacerbation of osteochondrosis, the patient must be immediately sent to the hospital by ambulance, since it is easier to stop pain in a hospital setting. First of all, patients are prescribed drugs that quickly relieve muscle spasms. If a painful situation develops, anti-inflammatory ointments are prescribed,analgesics, various physiotherapy procedures.
When a disc herniation is detected, more constructive treatment is required. In this case, surgery is often indispensable.
During an exacerbation, the patient should limit physical and motor activity, eat a balanced diet, gently rub problem areas, take all the drugs prescribed by the doctor. When indicated, engage in physiotherapy exercises.
Diagnosis
If patients with osteochondrosis do not have neurological problems, complex therapy can be dispensed with. It is worth starting treatment with a visit to a doctor who will take an anamnesis, conduct a visual examination, palpate the area of the thoracic region, and send it for further examination.
As a rule, the patient will have to do magnetic resonance imaging or x-rays. This will help to identify the location of the pathology, to study in detail the state of the musculoskeletal system, to identify malignant and benign neoplasms at an early stage.
Only after confirming the initial diagnosis can a treatment plan be started.
Treatment methods
In most cases, patients are offered to stay on complex therapy. It includes injections, drugs, ointments, creams, gels, exercise therapy and physiotherapy.
Of the physiotherapeutic methods most often used:
- laser therapy;
- magnetotherapy;
- vacuum therapy;
- acupuncture;
- pharmacopuncture;
- wet and dry traction.
If the disease is not at an advanced stage, 10-15 procedures may be enough to achieve the effect.
Charging
Before doing the exercise, experts strongly advise warming up. You should warm up the muscles, which will make the workout more effective. You can take a warm shower.
When exercising with thoracic osteochondrosis, remember that all exercises should be performed without haste and as smoothly as possible. If something causes severe pain, you should immediately stop and rest for a few minutes.
Massage
Therapeutic massage for thoracic osteochondrosis is part of complex therapy. As a preventive measure, it is necessary to take appropriate courses twice a year.
The massage therapist is able to tone the back muscles, relieve pain and general fatigue. Massage courses help eliminate spasms that often occur with osteochondrosis, strengthen the muscle corset.
Therapeutic exercise
The main goal of physiotherapy exercises with such a diagnosis is to increase the mobility of the intervertebral and costovertebral joints. Provided that all exercises are performed correctly and regularly, exercise therapy can relieve even severe muscle spasms.
With moderate exercise, you will be relieved of stiffness in the spine, which is typical for patients with a weak muscular corset.
Classesshould be carried out on a daily basis under the supervision of an experienced instructor. In this case, you will achieve a beneficial effect for the whole organism as a whole, improve the condition of the respiratory system. Patients are ventilated, deep exhalations and inhalations can be done completely painlessly.
