Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is a condition that is diagnosed quite often. Statistics show that it accounts for about 40% of all diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In the initial stages, a person for a long period of time may not be aware of his pathology.
Over time, he develops serious painful sensations that are localized in the thoracic spine. If you do not start full treatment in a timely manner, there is a possibility of serious complications. The greatest danger is breathing disorder.
Classification
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is a disease that is quite common in elderly patients. If you do not start full therapy in a timely manner, there is a possibility of serious complications.
Before starting treatment, the doctor needs to accurately classify the nature of the pathology. It can be:
- Dorsago - painful sensations arise from impulses that from time to time appear in the chest. Usually, this discomfort begins after a long stay in one position. A person is faced with difficulty breathing, while he practically cannot perform any actions with his head. If he manages to move, then the pain pierces the entire spinal column.
- Dorsalgia is a pathology in which prolonged attacks of pain occur. On average, they can last up to those weeks. This condition usually occurs due to severe damage to the intervertebral discs. During an exacerbation, you should lead an inactive lifestyle and refuse any activity. Soreness increases significantly at night.
Causes of pathology
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine can occur in absolutely any person at any age.
However, the following groups of people are at increased risk:
- Leading an inactive lifestyle. If you do not play sports, metabolic processes are disrupted. Because of them, the human spine begins to accumulate deposits, which begin to squeeze the nerve endings. Discomfort increases significantly with the degree of degenerative destruction.
- Overweight - each extra kilogram carries an additional load on the spinal column. The higher your weight, the heavier your chest spine becomes.
- Smokers - because of cigarettes, the blood circulation in the body is disturbed, because of this, the tissues of the spine do not receive enough useful elements.
- Leading an overly active lifestyle. Especially often the thoracic spine suffers from frequent heavy lifting.
- Various posture disorders. A curved spinal column is not able to properly distribute the load, which causes the thoracic region to suffer.
Manifestations
The initial stage of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is characterized by an extremely long period. For a long time, a person may not notice any painful sensations. This is where the danger of pathology lies, since only at the first stage it is actively treatable.
In most cases, developing osteochondrosis can be recognized by the following manifestations:
- Tightness of the back muscle corset;
- Dull aching pain located between the shoulder blades;
- Feeling of increased pressure in the chest area;
- Soreness that occurs during palpation of the spinous processes;
- Soreness that can radiate to other parts of the body.
A person with osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine often has limited mobility in the morning. A crunch may also occur in certain parts of the sternum.
Often a person is faced with numbness of the limbs, his posture begins to rapidly deteriorate - this is due to excessive tension in the muscle tissue. Additionally, cutting sharp pain may occur, which is localized in the intercostal spaces.
To date, official medicine has not been able to find effective means to restore damaged intervertebral discs, for this reason, it is imperative to contact a chiropractor. Responsibly approach the choice of a specialist, since any wrong movement can cause serious complications.
Treatment methods
Before starting treatment for osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, it is necessary to undergo an extended diagnosis. With its help, it is possible to accurately determine the localization of the degenerative process, due to which it is possible to provide more effective and high-quality treatment. Please note that only your doctor can prescribe medications. There are a huge number of different drugs that differ in their principle of action.
First of all, you will be prescribed pain medications - steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. They stop the production of arousal mediators, due to which a person begins to feel much better.
Please note that the patient must be under constant supervision of the attending physician during the treatment therapy.
To get the maximum effect from the treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, therapy should be carried out in combination. You should not be limited solely to medications. Treatment should be filled with physical therapy and sports activities.
Medication
Drug therapy is of the greatest importance in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. With the help of various drugs, it is possible to stop painful sensations as soon as possible.
It is also recommended to stick to bed rest during recovery. Be sure to consult with a qualified healthcare provider who can prescribe a safe and highly effective treatment regimen for you.
In general, the treatment of chest osteochondrosis includes the use of the following drugs:
- Analgesics - allow you to quickly stop acute pain syndrome. It also prevents the development of failures in the respiratory system, which often causes complications;
- Anti-spasm drugs;
- Vitamin preparations based on B vitamins. They normalize metabolic processes, prevent degenerative changes.
Effective Exercise
Special physical exercises can cope with manifestations of osteochondrosis of the chest. They must be performed regularly - this is the only way you can get significant results from the approaches.
Keep in mind that before starting such treatment, you should definitely consult with an experienced specialist. He will tell you which complexes are best for you. Even breathing exercises with osteochondrosis of the thoracic region have a positive effect on a person's well-being.
The following exercises should be done:
- Plank - lie on the floor, crawl to the wall. Throw your legs on the wall so that they are parallel to it. Stitch in a similar position for 1. 5 minutes to start. Each subsequent time, the number of approaches can be increased.
- Hang on a horizontal bar regularly. This will help you build up the spaces between your intervertebral discs, making you feel much better.
- Lie on your back with your legs as close to your chest as possible and stay in this position for a few seconds. This posture can relieve tension in the spinal muscles, thereby relieving pain.
For more successful treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, it is imperative to engage in physical education. It is best to go to the clinic for exercise therapy, where you will do everything under the supervision of your doctor. Be extremely careful when doing sports. Any wrong movement can easily lead to injury.
Manual therapy
Manual therapy is a unique method of influencing a person's back, in which the thoracic region completely gets rid of painful sensations. With the correct and regular approach, you will be able to completely get rid of painful sensations, tension.
In addition, manual therapy contributes to the full restoration of blood circulation. The active components begin to rapidly spread through the tissues, after which the person feels much better.
Massages
Massage is a method of influence in which the doctor activates metabolic processes with his hands. It can be carried out both at home and in a hospital.
Massaging movements achieve the following results:
- Eliminate increased muscle tone;
- Strengthen the intervertebral discs;
- Accelerates the onset of complete recovery;
- Promotes the improvement of metabolic processes.
Physiotherapy procedures
Various physiotherapeutic procedures will help to cope with the manifestations of osteochondrosis of the chest.
They not only fight painful sensations, but also contribute to the normalization of internal processes. The most popular at the moment are the following procedures:
- Plasma injections. A part of the blood is taken from a person, from which plasma is separated. It is injected in its pure form directly into the tissues of the spine, due to which it is possible to get rid of painful sensations.
- Cupping massage is a kind of vacuum effect on the body, which is able to relieve pain and increased muscle tone in a short time.
- Magnetotherapy - exposure of the spinal column to a magnetic field. The procedure allows you to stop the degenerative process and improve metabolic processes. In addition, it relieves swelling and inflammation.
- Alitherapy is an innovative treatment that uses bees. The insect must bite the person directly into the affected area. This starts metabolic processes, accelerates the removal of toxins and toxins.
- Mud healing. This helps nourish the spinal column with beneficial substances that prevent the development of degenerative changes in the human body.
- Spinal block - the use of special injections that relieve pain. Keep in mind that such medicines should be used in a course.
What can be confused with osteochondrosis of the chest?
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is a disease, the manifestations of which can be easily confused with a number of other diseases. Its symptoms may resemble:
- Angina pectoris and heart attack. However, the patient's cardiogram is normal, and the use of drugs to normalize blood pressure does not bring any result;
- Renal colic, appendicitis or cholecystitis;
- Diseases of the mammary glands;
- Ulcer, gastritis and colitis;
- Inflammation of the lungs.
Prevention of thoracic osteochondrosis of the spine
Chest osteochondrosis is a dangerous disease, due to which the quality of life of any person is significantly reduced. If you start to adhere to preventive measures in a timely manner, then the likelihood of complications will significantly decrease.
Many doctors strongly recommend following these tips:
- If you work at the computer for a long time, get up from the table every hour and do a light warm-up. It will help to normalize blood circulation and prevent stagnation.
- Keep your back warm at all times. For this reason, give up cold showers and short clothes. Always keep it warm.
- Drink vitamin complexes regularly that restore the structure of damaged tissues.
- Take a horizontal position for at least 30 minutes in the middle of the day. This will help the spine to align, making it easier to handle stress.
- Exercise regularly. Muscle tone has a beneficial effect on the condition of the back.