Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is much less common than cervical or lumbar. This is due to the fact that the vertebrae included in the thoracic region are much more firmly connected to each other, and movement in the joints is minimal. In addition, this part of the spinal column has muscular protection and is more rigidly fixed by the ribs.
Nevertheless, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is such a disease, the treatment of which should not be postponed until later, as this can lead to rather undesirable consequences.
Causes of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
The main reason is dystrophic-degenerative changes occurring in the intervertebral discs. This may be due to the presence of scoliosis or the following factors:
- Heredity
- Eating and metabolic disorders
- Overweight
- Increased physical activity
- Physical inactivity, prolonged stay in one position
- Spine injury
- Nervous strain
- Advanced age
- Smoking
- Hypothermia
All of these factors affect the nutrition of the intervertebral discs, which leads to metabolic disorders and the onset of degenerative transformations in them.
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region
A similar pathology makes itself felt by painful sensations.
They are of two types:
- Dorsago or chest lumbago. This is a sudden, sharp and severe pain that occurs in the spine when trying to stand up after being in the same position for a long time, usually long work at a table in a tilted position of the body. The pain is felt even during breathing, the muscles are in a tense state, the movements in the thoracic and adjacent spine are limited.
- Dorsalgia (back pain). In this case, the pain is not so pronounced, at rest it causes only slight discomfort. But when you try to bend over or take a deep breath, it gets stronger. In this state, the mobility of the spine decreases, the muscles of the back are tense.
- With the defeat of the first root, a decrease in sensitivity occurs and pain occurs in the upper thoracic vertebra, spreading to the suprascapular region up to the elbow joint.
- If there is a compression of 2-6 roots, the pain is concentrated in the ribs and spreads from the spine to the interscapular and axillary regions.
- Compression of the 7th and 8th of the root leads to tension in the muscles of this zone and the occurrence of painful sensations of a girdle nature from the costal-vertebral joints to the epigastric region.
- The defeat of the 9 and 10 roots causes pain in the lower thoracic vertebrae, spreading to the navel, 11 and 12 - below the navel.
Signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine can be manifested by pain between the ribs. This is due to compression of the nerve roots, which results in decreased sensitivity and limited mobility.
Visceral manifestations of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
Radicular syndromes are quite often accompanied by complaints about internal organs:
- The defeat of the upper thoracic roots can be accompanied by pain in the esophagus and pharynx, there is a feeling of the appearance of a foreign body there. These symptoms can occur periodically or be constant, and when you press on the area of the spine affected by osteochondrosis, it becomes stronger.
- If the middle thoracic roots are affected, discomfort and a sensation of pain occurs in the stomach, aggravated by prolonged lying on a hard surface face up and by moving in the corresponding part of the spine.
- If the pathological changes have occurred below, there is discomfort in the duodenum, which intensifies during coughing or sneezing, turning the torso or prolonged sitting.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic region can cause disruption of the stomach. In this case, there is:
- Nausea
- Heartburn
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- pain of the left hypochondrium
- Flatulence
- Possible vomiting
In connection with the disruption of the normal functioning of the duodenum, the following may occur:
- Pain in the epigastric region and back
- Belching
- Nausea
- Heaviness in the right hypochondrium
- Sometimes bloating and vomiting
Quite often, osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine can cause the onset of symptoms characteristic of heart diseases:
- Burning chest on the left
- Cutting, burning, pressing pain of the heart
- Sensation of constriction in the throat
Osteochondrosis can cause spasm of the larynx (laryngospasm), during attacks of which breathing becomes difficult and becomes wheezing, coughing may occur. In this case, it is very important to establish whether such symptoms are not a lung pathology.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
Due to the fact that a variety of pathologies can be masked under this disease, you need to be examined by a neurologist, who, after examination, will give directions for the following studies:
- X-ray
- CT (computed tomography)
- MRI
As a rule, this is enough to identify the pathology and make a diagnosis.
In the treatment of osteochondrosis, the main goals are:
- Relieve pain
- Restore the functions of the spinal roots
- Slow down dystrophic changes in the intervertebral discs
For this, the following procedures are quite effective:
- Vacuum and laser therapy
- Acupuncture
- Whirlpool baths
- Electrophoresis
- Inductometry
- Massage
- Traction (traction)
- Magneto and pharmacopuncture
- Exercise therapy
Drug therapy for osteochondrosis:
- NSAIDs
- Chondroprotectors
- Ointments
- Muscle relaxants, the action of which is aimed at relieving muscle spasms
If the listed methods did not lead to a positive result, the treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is performed surgically.
The operation consists of two stages:
- Removal of the cause of the pain (decompression).
- Discectomy - removal of an intervertebral disc or just a part of it.
- Foraminotomy - enlarging the root canal to prevent compression of the nerve by a disc or bone spur.
- Facetectomy - removal of the facet joints located between the processes of the vertebrae of the joints to eliminate the entrapment of the nerve fibers.
- Laminectomy - the back part of the vertebra is removed, which compresses the spinal cord during deformation.
- Laminotomy - the difference from the previous operation is the removal of a fragment of the posterior part of the vertebra.
- Corpectomy - removal of a vertebra and adjacent discs with the insertion of a bone implant.
- Spine stabilization. When a vertebra or disc is removed, the supporting structure of the human body is disturbed, which can lead to the appearance of serious neurological conditions. In order to avoid negative consequences, the vertebrae must be fixed. Most often, the method of vertebral fusion (spinal fusion) is used, in which conditions are created for the fusion of the bones of the spine. The resulting voids are filled with grafts from the bone of the patient or donor, as well as special biological substances that stimulate the restoration of bone tissue.
Treatment of osteochondrosis with alternative methods
In this case, it should be about relieving pain, which can only be used in conjunction with full-fledged treatment. For this, various herbs are used that have anti-inflammatory, local anesthetic and sedative properties.
To consolidate the positive result of treatment, it is necessary to eat right, try to avoid stressful situations and reasonable physical activity. In this case, osteochondrosis will bother you much less often.