Breast osteochondrosis: signs, causes, diagnosis

Osteochondrosis– a number of dystrophic diseases of the articular cartilage. Typically, this disease affects men and women over 30 years old. But recently it is found even in teenagers.

Depending on the location of the joint damage, there are cervical, thoracic and lumbar joint damage. In most cases, osteochondrosis manifests itself as severe back pain, headaches and dizziness.Osteochondrosis of the thoracic regionIt occurs less often than cervical, but is no less dangerous due to various complications.

Breast osteochondrosis: what is it?

In thoracic osteochondrosis, pathological changes in the spine occur in the chest area. The intervertebral discs are most commonly affected. The chest region is not as mobile as the neck region, so the characteristic symptoms of the disease are not immediately noticeable. The diagnosis is made at a later stage of the disease.

Dystrophic diseases affect the cartilage and connective tissue of the muscle, leading to complications and other serious illnesses.

Patients are used to treating osteochondrosis mildly, but without timely treatment, thoracic osteochondrosis can be dangerous to health. The disease often affects both the cervical and thoracic spine, which affects the quality of life.

What degrees are there?

Treatment of the disease begins with making a diagnosis and determining its stage.

1. In the first phaseUsually people do not notice any changes, no pain occurs, but the intervertebral discs begin to lose their elasticity. Characteristic protrusions occur when the intervertebral disc protrudes into the spinal canal without the fibrous ring tearing.
2. In the second phase– The disease progresses, pain, dizziness and other neurological symptoms appear. Intervertebral discs are even less elastic and there is a risk that they will bulge into the spinal canal with a rupture of the fibrous ring - resulting in an inguinal hernia.
3. In the third stageThe pain causes a lot of inconvenience and is aggravated by the appearance of a hernia.
4. Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spinefourth stagecharacterized by progressive neurological symptoms, the intervertebral discs completely lose their strength and elasticity. The destruction of the vertebrae begins.

It is impossible to determine osteochondrosis by external signs, although it is often accompanied by another pathology of the spine - scoliosis, which can be seen on visual examination.

What could be the reasons

The cause of spinal diseases is inadequate nutrition of the cartilage and vertebrae. It is impossible to say exactly why such a dysfunction of the body occurs.However, there are many contributing factors:

1. A sedentary lifestyle and, as a result, weak back muscles.
2. Bad posture, uncomfortable posture.
3. Various back injuries, improper lifting of weights (twitching from the floor), heavy physical activity.

4. Other diseases of the spine.
5. Poor nutrition, lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, especially calcium, which are necessary for the formation of healthy bone tissue.
6. Pregnancy. Often, women notice signs of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region during pregnancy when the load on the spine becomes higher; In addition, the body often lacks vitamins and minerals due to additional resource costs.
7. Inheritance. If you have relatives who suffer from this disease, your chances of getting it increase. In this case, you need to take care of prevention.

When making the diagnosis, doctors often note a combination of factors: sedentary work, frequent incorrect lifting of weights, and poor posture.

Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region

At an early stage, the disease does not manifest itself in any way. A pronounced pain syndrome is often preceded by neurological disorders (dizziness, eye spots, etc. ) that the patient does not associate with back problems. When pain occurs, people begin to suspect problems with the spine. Let's consider the main signs of thoracic osteochondrosis:

1. Stinging, pressing pain in the upper chest area, which gets worse after exercise, hard work, or an uncomfortable position. May be associated with shortness of breath, cough and difficulty breathing.
2. Feeling of cold in hands and feetwithout reason, numbness in the limbs.
3. Headache, dizziness, fog in the eyes, blurred vision, tiredness, lack of air. When intervertebral discs are displaced, nerve endings and blood vessels are compressed, which leads to neurological symptoms.

With thoracic osteochondrosis, patients experience pain in the area of the heart or stomach, which significantly complicates the diagnosis of the disease.

These are the main signs indicating intervertebral osteochondrosis. Some patients experience pain in the gastrointestinal tract and heart, which often leads to an incorrect diagnosis. The type of pain also varies. For example, some patients suffer from long-lasting, non-acute pain -Dorsalgiaor conversely, severe pain that stiffens the muscles and makes breathing difficult –dorsago.

These sensations are felt in the stomach area, the patient misinterprets them and is sent to examine the liver, pancreas, etc. , not suspecting that the cause of the pain is osteochondrosis of the thoracic region. With a combination of several forms of chondrosis - cervical and thoracic - people complain of a feeling of a foreign body in the throat, which increases after physical exertion or after an uncomfortable position.

Complications

• As the disease progresses, comorbidities are added to the main disease. This results in prolonged compression of the blood vessels in the spine areato disorders of the cardiovascular system, which in particularly severe cases can lead to disturbances in cardiac function.
• Another common complication, especially when combining thoracic and cervical forms of osteochondrosis, isvegetative-vascular dystonia. Due to the compression of blood vessels and nerve endings, the proper nutrition of the brain is disrupted, causing patients to experience severe headaches, dizziness, a feeling of fog in the eyes and blurred vision for a long period of time. In advanced cases, fainting can occur due to a back disease.
• Possible from the nervous systemPanic attacks, which occur with excessive mental or physical stress, severe fatigue. In these moments, patients notice heart palpitations and breathing problems: it is difficult for them to breathe, there is not enough air.
• Another complication that creates difficulties not only for patients but also for doctors isIntercostal neuralgia.Pinching of the nerve roots in the thoracic spine leads to a specific pain syndrome reminiscent of the sensations of heart disease. Patients turn to doctors with heart problems, which makes diagnosis difficult. This disease is accompanied by various diseases of the spine, but its symptoms usually disappear with the start of treatment.

If you do not pay attention to the development of breast osteochondrosis, after a while it will significantly affect the quality of life and limit activity and range of motion.

diagnosis

Doctors are prevented from making a correct diagnosis by the multitude of symptoms, which is why they often suspect disorders in the gastrointestinal tract or nervous system. To avoid errors, orthopedists or neurologists order an X-ray of the thoracic spine; an MRI or CT scan is often carried out to clarify the diagnosis.

To rule out heart disease, the patient is given an EKG. Treatment is prescribed only after diagnosis.

Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region

Unfortunately, this disease cannot be cured. When pain occurs, changes in the spine cannot be corrected. However, modern medicine can relieve pain and thereby improve the quality of life. Properly selected therapy and a healthy lifestyle can prevent exacerbations.

Several factors come into play during treatment. To relieve symptoms and prevent the situation from worsening, medication and physical therapy are usually used. Surgery is only necessary if a herniated disc develops. There are dozens of home treatments, but each of them should be discussed with your doctor so as not to aggravate the situation.

Treatment with medication

Drugs for osteochondrosis are used to relieve pain; anti-inflammatory painkillers are often used for this purpose. In later stages or in severe exacerbation, the patient receives an anesthetic block. To relieve neurological symptoms, take medications to improve cerebral circulation.

physical therapy

Effective non-drug methods to relieve pain and tension in the back muscles:Magnetic field therapy, laser therapy, acupunctureetc. After just a few full-fledged procedures, a positive result will be noticeable. Use only after consulting a doctor!

massage

The most popular and affordable home method. The massage releases muscle tension, thereby relieving pain. The best results can be achieved by specialists, but self-massage of the collar area also brings benefits. The effect on the muscles helps to relax the painful area. It is recommended to carry out the massage in courses.

Movement therapy

The treatment complex for osteochondrosis includes physiotherapy. Moderate exercise strengthens the back muscles, improves the flexibility and mobility of the spine. Regular physical exercise can help prevent the disease from getting worse or even delay the onset of symptoms for decades. Many doctors recommend the doctor's method, which offers its own program to combat diseases with the help of special training equipment.

Every treatment method hasContraindicationsBefore use, you must consult a doctor. In addition, vitamin and mineral complexes with a complex effect on the disease are used to restore proper nutrition of cartilage tissue and joints.

What to do if osteochondrosis worsens?

An exacerbation of osteochondrosis surprises you: you have to go to work, but your back does not straighten, it is difficult for you to turn your neck, and you feel dizzy. It usually occurs as a result of excessive physical exertion, an uncomfortable position for a long period of time (sitting at a computer, working in garden beds, etc. ). An exacerbation is characterized by severe back pain or headaches, restricted mobility, dizziness or even fainting.

What measures should you take to relieve these symptoms? Gentle exercise, massage and sleeping in the fresh air help. Severe pain is treated with medication. Only a doctor prescribes medication! When taking medication, improvement occurs within two hours.

home remedies

Despite their availability, folk remedies also need to be used with caution. They are all aimed at getting rid of pain. To do this, use various compresses, for example from raw grated potatoes with honey. The paste is applied to the sore spot and wrapped in foil. The compress should be left on for several hours, preferably overnight, and then rinsed off.

To relieve neurological symptoms and manifestations of vegetative-vascular dystonia, infusions of soothing herbs help: chamomile, lemon balm, sage, mint, lingonberry leaf.

There are contraindications, it is necessary to consult a specialist.

Only a number of measures help to combat osteochondrosis: proper nutrition, physiotherapy, massage, avoiding excessive physical activity and an active lifestyle. If the disease has made itself felt, complete elimination is not possible, but it is possible to bring the disease into a state of remission in the long term.