Osteochondrosis rarely develops in the thoracic spine - the intervertebral discs in it are smaller and thinner in size than in the cervical or lumbar spine.The thoracic region is less mobile, the main load falls on the ribs and sternum.
Unlike cervical and lumbar osteochondrosis, the symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis differ only in the location of the pain.The nature of the pain and its duration are similar.With prolapse in the thoracic region, the spinal cord is not affected.Read about this and more below.
Stages of pathology
Osteochondrosis usually progresses over time.According to the severity of the manifestation, the pathology is divided into 4 stages.
Preclinical
Minimal disturbances appear in the spine.A slight pain syndrome may be observed, the back muscles become tense.It is possible to develop thoracalgia - chest pain, but this is a rare occurrence.
Discogenic radiculitis
There is a change in the structure of the intervertebral discs.Moderate pain may appear in the part of the spine that is affected.The patient is able to work.But his muscle endurance levels are decreasing.
Vascular-radicular
At this stage, the fibrous ring is completely destroyed.A disc herniation forms and the process of deformation of the fibrous ring continues, which leads to its rupture.Then the nucleus pulposus prolapses into the space under the ligaments.A disc herniation forms.The process affects the tissues located near the disc, the functioning of blood vessels, muscles, nerves, and ligaments is disrupted.The disease becomes chronic.
Changing the shape of the bone structure
The vertebra hardens, its surface becomes ribbed and uneven.The muscles begin to spontaneously contract, which leads to limited mobility of the entire spine or a specific vertebra.Nerves that extend from the spinal cord become pinched.This leads to a deterioration of impulses from the brain to the tissues and organs of the body.
The mobility of the spine as a whole is preserved, but individual vertebrae become fragile and can easily collapse.If the disease is not treated, it goes into the fourth stage.
Regeneration of intervertebral disc tissue and replacement with scar tissue
A damaged intervertebral disc is unable to perform its functions well, which leads to the convergence of adjacent vertebral bodies.This leads to disorders in the intervertebral joints, called spondyloarthrosis.In this case, twisting or shifting of the vertebrae relative to neighboring ones may occur.
The body turns on its compensation mechanisms.To relieve the load on a damaged disc, the vertebra flattens and grows in width.So its area increases.And the tissue of the fibrous ring, which has collapsed, can be replaced with bone.
Sometimes this reduces the pain, however, as the vertebrae grow, they make the spinal openings even narrower - the nerve is pinched.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis are often caused by the following factors:
- patient's age;
- damage to the spine;
- stage of disease development;
- The patient’s condition is remission or exacerbation of the disease.
Symptoms may also include:
- radiculopathy – painful damage to the nerve endings of the spinal cord;
- abdominal syndrome;
- cardiac syndrome, changes in the heart muscle - characterized by severe pain and not susceptible to the effects of nitroglycerin;
- pulmonary syndrome: congestion and hypoxia occur in the lungs;
- paresthesia - a feeling of “goosebumps” throughout the body;
- pain in the area of the compressed nerve;
- decreased sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and touch;
- disorders of the motor function of the spine.
The patient's body temperature does not increase.This serves as a sign that allows one to differentiate pathology.
Degrees of the disease
Lumbago
This is a sharp pain that shoots through the body.It occurs when lifting heavy objects and other physical activity - the pain is similar to an electric shock.
From a morphological point of view, unexpected rupture of the intervertebral disc capsule occurs when the load is too high.Such traumatic injury leads to irritation of the nerves - pain occurs.
The muscles are tense and this is clearly expressed.Lumbar lordosis is smoothed.This way, the load is redistributed, and the intervertebral disc is compressed even more, which leads to swelling, which increases pain.
When the pathology is concentrated in the neck area, cervicalgia appears - it manifests itself as pain when turning the head and palpating the neck muscles.During an exacerbation, cervicocranialgia is often observed, which manifests itself in the fact that a person has a severe headache in the back of the head.You may experience tinnitus, dizziness, a feeling of spots in your eyes, and your teeth may hurt.
Dizziness
Appear as a result of narrowing of the cavity of the spinal canal.The intervertebral disc bulges and compresses the blood vessels.The brain fails to obtain the required volume of blood.You may experience a severe headache, numbness in your arms, and sore shoulders.
Breathing becomes difficult, causing insufficient oxygen to reach the brain.This leads to stabbing pain in the heart area.
Intervertebral hernia
At this stage of development, the picture looks quite serious - the spinal canal and intervertebral cavities are greatly narrowed.As a result, a hernia may form - a dangerous defect.Often at this stage of the disease it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
Treatment of third-degree osteochondrosis depends on root compression.It is possible to use the same techniques as for the second degree.However, when the pain does not go away within fifteen days and symptoms of prolapse (prolapse of a vertebra) are present, surgery is required.
Growths on the vertebrae
As a rule, at this stage of the disease, the manifestations of the hernia disappear, the symptoms of the disease are less pronounced, however, it is noticeable that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae can slip or twist in relation to each other.
At this time, growth of the vertebral bodies may occur - this is called osteophytes.The growths lead to compression of the spinal nerves, blocking the spinal canal occurs, called secondary spinal stenosis.As a result, compression of the spinal cord is possible, which leads to ischemia.
This degree of disease also includes the consequences of previous operations to remove a hernia.They can manifest themselves as impaired innervation, paresis, and inflammation.
Dorsago and dorsalgia
The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis directly depend on the area of damage to the spine.The most common vertebral syndromes are dorsago and dorsalgia.
Dorsago manifests itself in the form of sudden, sharp pain that occurs in the chest area.This often happens if a person sits for a long time without changing his posture.Pain can occur when a person’s position is physiologically uncomfortable.In addition, it is possible during long-term monotonous work.
Dorsago is also called “chest lumbago.”When this happens, the muscles in your back and chest become so tense that it becomes difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain travels along the ribs to the sternum area and radiates to the scapula area.Sometimes the patient may feel like it is a myocardial infarction.However, when performing an electrocardiogram, deviations from the norm are not detected.If you take nitroglycerin or another heart remedy, there will be no result.
Avoid staying in one position for a long time.Sedentary work is one of the main causes of osteochondrosis.
Dorsalgia is a mild pain that is present for a long time, sometimes up to weeks.The inflamed area of the spine gives a “mild” pain.This is uncomfortable, so the person usually comes to the doctor.
Dorsalgia can be expressed in the following:
- the pain becomes worse when a person takes a deep breath or coughs;
- muscles become overstrained;
- motor activity in the neck or lower back decreases;
- muscle spasms occur;
- the pain intensifies at night and when a person exercises.
Dorsalgia can be upper or lower.With the first, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper chest area, in the neck.In the second case, the pain is mainly in the sacrum and lumbar region.
The symptoms of Dorsalgia are very similar to the first manifestations of pneumonia.This is important to remember in order to diagnose the disease on time.If the diagnosis is made incorrectly and treatment is prescribed, the patient’s condition will only worsen.
When a woman breastfeeds a child, she may experience such manifestations of osteochondrosis.It is necessary to treat the disease in this situation only by consulting a doctor, taking into account all the nuances.
It is important to weigh all the risks of using certain medications so as not to harm the baby’s health and your own.
Atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine are completely atypical.A person may not even be aware of the disease, since the symptoms are often similar to those of other pathologies.They are worth considering in more detail and analyzing the situation as a whole:
- pain may appear that mimics cardiac pain that develops during angina and heart attack;coronary dilatation drugs, for example, nitroglycerin, have no effect;and the ECG shows no abnormalities;
- pain may occur similar to that experienced by women with the development of breast diseases;such pain may continue for a long time;examination does not reveal any problems in the mammary glands;
- the iliac region and abdomen may be painful, the symptoms are not similar to those that occur with gastritis and colitis;pain may be observed under the right rib, similar to that which characterizes hepatitis or cholecystitis;Digestion is usually disturbed - this is also a characteristic symptom of osteochondrosis, arising due to disturbances in the innervation of internal organs;it is necessary to figure out what caused the disturbances in the process of food digestion, whether the cause is really thoracic osteochondrosis;
- The process of urination and sexual function may be disrupted, because the innervation in the genitourinary system is distorted;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, long-term, weeks-long pain in the sternum, very similar to those present in diseases of the mammary gland, may be observed;A visit to a mammologist allows you to identify the cause of the pain.
These symptoms are associated with manifestations of pain in the back, as well as with intercostal neuralgia.The onset of atypical symptoms is usually observed in the evening.In the morning, as a rule, there is no whiter.The pain increases throughout the day if appropriate conditions are created that provoke pain.