Symptoms and treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine

Chest spine osteochondrosis is much less common compared to a similar pathology involving adjacent segments. This is due to the strengthening effect of the chest - the strong and flexible frame made of ribs supports the intervertebral joints well. Even if osteochondrosis develops in this segment, it rarely reaches the late stages. The ribs partially relieve the load on the discs, preventing them from collapsing under intense and prolonged stress.

Chest osteochondrosis often develops in men - of course, they have to do harder and more harmful work. But if a woman is in similar working conditions, the risk of osteochondrosis increases dramatically. Female ligaments and muscles are, of course, more flexible and stretchable, which protects the weaker sex from degenerative damage to the chest.

In men, on the contrary, as early as adulthood, all moving joints "ossify" - first, such changes can be observed in the intercostal joints. Therefore, the clinical picture develops gradually as it is associated with slow damage to the joints between the ribs and vertebrae. The sooner a person identifies the first symptoms of chest osteochondrosis, the more effective and shorter the subsequent treatment will be.

Symptoms

Chest osteochondrosis is rare even without small manifestations, but in the early stages, patients usually simply do not notice any signs of the disease. Any discomfort is attributed to the banal fatigue that arose as a result of prolonged work or uncomfortable posture. But the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine have an insidious property - they develop by leaps and bounds.

That is, the progression of manifestations does not occur gradually, but suddenly - due to any external factors. Their development depends on a certain mechanism that occurs in the joints between the vertebrae and the ribs:

• During a person’s lifetime, chest mobility decreases - this is due to the thickening of the connective tissue connecting the adjacent bones.
• From long and high loads, metabolic products accumulate in it, leading to damage to "soft" structures - ligaments and cartilage.
• In the intercostal joints, they begin to be replaced by bone tissue that forms tiny outgrowths at the site of the defects.
• First, these spikes begin to irritate the nerve roots that come from the neighboring spinal cord. The effect on them results in a reflex contraction of the surrounding muscles - convulsions.
• It aggravates disability by making the ribs less flexible and flexible. As a result of these changes, the nutrition of the surrounding tissues changes as their blood supply deteriorates.
• A vicious circle is gradually formed - the harmful blood flow deprives soft tissues of the possibility of rapid healing. If the load continues to act, osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine gradually develops.

The rate of progression of the disease depends on the severity of the adverse factors and the body’s abilities - most patients remain in the early stages until old age.

First degree

Chest osteochondrosis is difficult to diagnose at an early stage - the symptoms of the disease are still not very specific. Most patients miss the first stage of the disease, only to see a doctor when severe symptoms occur. But with a careful approach to your health, the signs of pathology can be easily identified:

1. As soft tissues compact in the area between the ribs and the vertebrae, their elasticity and flexibility are reduced. Therefore, when stretching or performing exercises, there is pain and cracking in the chest region, which occurs between the shoulder blades.
2. A similar sound is heard in the collarbone or sternum, where both cartilage and connective tissue thicken.
3. Along with them, they interfere with the flexibility of the shoulder girdle, which manifests itself in the difficulty of placing the hands behind your back. It becomes difficult for the patient to perform certain movements - scratching his back, contracting his shoulder blades.
4. There is discomfort in any part of the chest, but more often in the interscapular region. It is used to project most of the nerve roots produced from the spinal cord at this stage.
5. Resistance to prolonged physical work and maintenance of posture decreases - a feeling of back fatigue quickly arises.
6. Depth of breath decreases - when you try to take a deep breath, you can observe its limitation.

At this stage, the disease can be safely treated at home because irreversible changes have not yet developed in the soft tissues in the joint area.

Second degree

While the impact of negative factors persists, signs of chest osteochondrosis begin to intensify - at this stage, patients tend to seek help. The disease begins to significantly limit human activity - the symptoms interfere not only with work but also during rest. Their occurrence is related to the development of permanent changes leading to ossification of the rib-vertebral joints:

1. Among the symptoms, pain, which is a consequence of the pressure on the nerve roots, comes to the fore. It has some characteristics - a burning or shooting character, a connection to physical activity, or a prolonged uncomfortable posture.
2. Unpleasant sensations are usually defined between the shoulder blades, from where they spread along the ribs. The pain pulse is always one-sided.
3. The intensity of this symptom depends entirely on the movement of the trunk or breathing - even with calm breathing, an increase in pain can be observed.
4. The disease is distinguished from the persistence of symptoms by common intercostal neuralgia - in the first case, the pain syndrome resolves on its own and quickly (within a few minutes). Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is distinguished by the duration of the pain - these are continuous, decreasing only at rest.
5. Chest discomfort and stiffness increase, leading to a decrease in body tolerance. It is more difficult for the patient to do the work that involves prolonged stress.

At home, it is almost impossible to eliminate the symptoms at this stage - they try to use long medication in combination with physiotherapy procedures for the treatment.

Third degree

In the last stage of the disease, strong deformation of the joints between the ribs and the vertebrae occurs. This puts pressure on the surrounding blood vessels and nerves that target the internal organs. Therefore, the symptoms of the disease are given unusual features that are characteristic of another pathology:

1. The pain syndrome persists, gaining intense and continuous character. The lumbago between the shoulder blades and along the ribs also disturbs the patient at rest, resulting in constant pressure on the nerve roots.
2. There are damaged areas of sensitivity in the abdomen and chest - they look like streaks in the direction of the ribs. They are characterized by numbness, tingling or "creeping".
3. The abdominal muscles have intermittent reflex cramps accompanied by discomfort.
4. As the nerves of the internal organs are involved in the process, symptoms of their defeat may occur. More often, false angina pectoris, liver or kidney colic is observed, which simulates diseases of similar organs.
5. Chest osteochondrosis often leads to the development of irritable bowel syndrome - a disorder of the digestive system whose causes have not been identified in the study.

Even long-term treatment does not allow for a definite relief of symptoms if the patient has persisted to such an extent with the disease. Supportive therapy only reduces the signs of the disease, which are firmly established in the thoracic spine.

Treatment

How to treat chest osteochondrosis? The tactic of assistance is based on the duration of the disease - the more pronounced the symptoms, the more stages it involves in treating osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. Although you often have difficulty prescribing medications, many patients want to receive treatment at home. The patient does not want to waste the extra time needed to visit the hospital or clinic.

In addition, they rarely issue sick leave for this disease, forcing people to quickly stop the activities they have started. Feeling some improvement, the recent patient returns to his normal activities. But inadequate treatment of breast osteochondrosis leads to a rapid return to previous symptoms. Therefore, patients who are too "busy" can perform some procedures at home - the point is not to give up on things they have started.

At home

You can only do this without going to the hospital in the early stages of the disease, when any changes in the spine are reversible. Some measures can be taken to eliminate the muscle cramps that are caused by:

• The resting place needs to be changed - the bed on which the soft tissue of the spine is restored during sleep. To do this, you need to make it stiffer, you need to buy an orthopedic mattress to rule out the wrong position of your back.
• For each activity, you should use support for the spine - a soft corset that grabs the lumbar and chest regions. It should be worn regularly while working and should only be taken off during rest or sleep.
• Warming ointments are recommended to relieve symptoms. They are placed between the shoulder blades before the expected load to artificially warm up the muscles.
• You need to get used to a good habit - exercise at home after waking up. What’s more, you don’t need to do it just in the morning - you have to find a few minutes to warm up because of the inconvenience of the back.
• You need to change your diet, increase the amount of vegetables and fruits in your diet - the vitamins in them slow down the destruction of connective tissue.

Patients who have enough free time are advised to engage in physical activity - walking or swimming.

Conservative

With the development of pronounced signs, treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine begins with the help of drugs. They make it possible to eliminate pain and other manifestations that interfere with normal activity:

• Above all, anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed that have an analgesic effect. They inhibit the processes of soft tissue destruction that inevitably lead to the development of bone outgrowths.
• They also use muscle relaxants - drugs that eliminate painful muscle contractions. By using them, the chest can return to its former flexibility and mobility.
• In addition, vitamin complexes are prescribed to protect nerve tissue. These allow the spinal cord roots to be quickly restored, which are under pressure.
• Analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs can also be used in the form of creams that are applied between the shoulder blades. But they are usually only combined with drugs to ensure synergy.

Medication usually lasts for 2-3 weeks, after which the patient is placed at home.

Surgical

The operative method of treatment is usually used when the medication is ineffective. In addition, the intervention is not always radical:

• The most commonly used blockade is the introduction of drugs directly into the lesion with a needle. A local anesthetic is usually used to relieve symptoms. After the procedure, its effect lasts for several days.
• Blockades with glucocorticosteroids are more effective - they provide a therapeutic effect that lasts for several weeks. The composition contains hormones that suppress the inflammatory process in the area of application.
• In the most severe cases, an operation is performed - removal of the deformed areas of the joints between the ribs and the vertebrae. In this way, the pressure on the nerve roots and blood vessels, which leads to the elimination of most manifestations, can be eliminated.

Surgical correction does not lead to a complete cure of the disease, it only facilitates the patient's condition. Therefore, after any manipulation, it is necessary to continue conservative therapy aimed at slowing the progression of the disease.

Rehabilitation

Elimination of the main symptoms of osteochondrosis does not mean the end of treatment. In the post-treatment period, the patient undergoes remedial measures:

1. In the initial period, procedures that have a reflex effect are prescribed. Electrophoresis and phonophoresis, UHF, and laser eliminate reflex muscle contraction in the thoracic spine.
2. Then more active procedures begin - massage, therapeutic exercises. They help strengthen the muscles of the chest.
3. Healing ends with self-training, which must continue in a continuous mode. They allow the progression of osteochondrosis to be slowed.

Such patients are advised to choose sports that allow them to develop muscle endurance and strength at the same time. Therefore, patients are advised to participate in swimming and competition that allow for an even load on all muscles. Daily workouts are optional - three times a week is enough.