Osteochondrosis rarely develops in the thoracic spine - the intervertebral discs in it are smaller and thinner 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, chest symptoms differ only in the site of pain. The nature of pain and its duration are similar. With prolapse in the thoracic part, the spinal cord is not affected. Read more about this and more.
Stages of pathology
Over time, osteochondrosis usually progresses. According to the severity of the manifestation, the pathology is divided into 4 phases.
Preclinical
There are minimal disorders in the spine. There may be a mild pain syndrome, the back muscles are tense. Thoracic pain is possible - chest pain, but it is rare.
Discogenic sciatica
There is a change in the structure of the intervertebral discs. Pain of moderate intensity may occur in the affected part of the spine. The patient is efficient. But indicators of his muscular endurance are declining.
Vascular-radicular
At this stage, the annulus fibrosus is completely destroyed. A herniated disc is formed, the process of deformation of the fibrous ring continues, which leads to its rupture. Then the nucleus pulposus falls into the space below the ligaments. A disc herniation forms. The process affects the tissues located on the disc, the work of blood vessels, muscles, nerves, ligaments is disturbed. The disease becomes chronic.
Changing the shape of bone structure
The vertebra becomes rough, its surface becomes ribbed, uneven. Muscles begin to contract spontaneously, which leads to limited mobility of the entire spine or a specific vertebra. There is a pinching of the nerves that extend from the spinal cord. This leads to a deterioration of impulses coming 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 brittle and can easily collapse. If the disease is not treated, it progresses to the fourth stage.
Intervertebral disc tissue regeneration and scar tissue replacement
A damaged intervertebral disc cannot perform its functions well, leading to convergence of the bodies of adjacent vertebrae. This leads to abnormalities in the intervertebral joints called spondyloarthritis. In this case, the vertebrae may twist or move relative to their neighbors.
The body includes its own compensatory mechanisms. To alleviate the load on the damaged disc, the spine is flattened and grows in width. Thus, its area increases. And the tissue of the annulus fibrosus, which has collapsed, can be replaced with bone.
Sometimes it reduces the pain, however, growing, the vertebrae make the spinal holes even narrower - the nerve is tightened.
Symptoms of the disease
Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the breast are often caused by the following factors:
- patient age;
- spinal cord injury;
- disease development phase;
- the patient's condition is remission or exacerbation of the disease.
Symptoms also include:
- radiculopathy - painful damage to the nerve endings of the spinal cord;
- abdominal syndrome;
- heart syndrome, changes in the heart muscle - it is characterized by severe pain and does not respond to nitroglycerin;
- pulmonary syndrome: congestion, hypoxia occurs in the lungs;
- paresthesia - a feeling of "goosebumps" on the body;
- pain in the area of the compressed nerve;
- reduced sensitivity to temperature fluctuations and touch;
- violations of motor function of the spine.
The patient's body temperature does not rise. This serves as a sign that allows you to distinguish pathology.
Degree of disease
Lumbago
It is a sharp pain that penetrates the body. It is manifested when lifting heavy objects and other physical activities - the pain is similar to an electric shock.
In terms of morphology, unexpected rupture of the intervertebral disc capsule occurs when the load is too great. This traumatic injury leads to nerve irritation - pain occurs.
The muscles are tense and it is well expressed. Lumbar lordosis is smoothed out. Thus, the load is redistributed, and the intervertebral disc is compressed even more, which leads to edema that intensifies the pain.
When the pathology is concentrated in the neck area, cervical pain occurs - it is manifested by pain when turning the head and palpation of the cervical muscles. In addition to exacerbation, cervicocranialgia is often observed, which is manifested in the fact that a person has a severe headache in the occipital region. There may be tinnitus, dizziness, flies in the eyes, and may cause toothache.
Dizziness
They appear as a result of narrowing of the spinal canal cavity. The intervertebral disc protrudes and constricts blood vessels. The brain is unable to get the amount of blood it needs. You may feel a sharp headache, numb hands and sore shoulders.
Difficulty breathing, which causes insufficient oxygen to enter 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 very narrow. As a result, a hernia can form - a dangerous defect. It is often necessary to resort to surgery at this stage of the disease.
Treatment of third-degree osteochondrosis depends on root compression. It is possible to use the same techniques as in the second stage. However, when the pain disappears within fifteen days and there are symptoms of prolapse (vertebral prolapse), surgery is needed.
Growths on the vertebrae
As a rule, at this stage of the disease, the manifestations of hernia disappear, the symptoms of the disease are less pronounced, however, it is noticeable that the spine is unstable, the vertebrae may slip or twist relative to each other.
At this point, there may be growth of the vertebral body - this is called osteophytes. Outgrowths lead to compression of the spinal nerves, there is an overlap of the spinal canal, which is called secondary stenosis of the spinal canal. As a result, spinal cord compression is possible, leading to ischemia.
This stage of the disease includes the consequences of previous hernia removal operations. They can manifest as disturbed innervation, paresis, inflammation.
Dorsago and dorsalgia
The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis directly depend on the area of the spinal lesion. The most common vertebral syndromes are dorsago and dorsalgia.
Dorsago manifests itself in the form of sudden sharp pain that occurs in the area of the chest. This often happens if a person sits in a sitting position for a long time without changing posture. Pain can occur when a person's position is uncomfortable from a physiological point of view. In addition, it is possible to perform monotonous work for a long time.
Dorsago is also called "chest lumbago". When this happens, the muscles in the back and chest become so tense that it becomes difficult to breathe.
Sometimes the pain passes along the ribs to the sternum, radiating to the scapular area. Sometimes the patient may feel that it is a myocardial infarction. However, when performing electrocardiograms, no deviations from the norms are detected. If you take nitroglycerin or some other heart medication, then there will be no results.
Avoid staying in one position for a long time. Sedentary work is one of the main causes of osteochondrosis.
Dorsalgia is a mild pain present for a long time, sometimes up to those weeks. The inflamed part of the spine gives "dull" pain. This is uncomfortable, so the person usually comes to the doctor.
Dorsalgia can be expressed in the fact that:
- the pain worsens when the person takes a deep breath or coughs;
- muscles are overloaded;
- motor activity in the neck or lumbar region decreases;
- there is muscle spasm;
- the pain is stronger at night and when a person engages in physical activity.
Dorsalgia is superior and inferior. Initially, the main painful manifestations are concentrated in the upper part of the chest, in the neck. In the second case, the pain is mainly in the sacrum and lower back.
The symptoms of dorsalgia are very similar to the first manifestations of pneumonia. This is important to remember in order to diagnose the disease in time. If the diagnosis is incorrect and the prescribed treatment is prescribed, the patient's condition will only get worse.
When a woman breastfeeds her baby, she may experience such manifestations of osteochondrosis. It is only necessary to treat the disease in this situation by contacting 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 your baby’s health and your own health.
Atypical symptoms
In some cases, the symptoms of thoracic spine osteochondrosis are completely atypical. The person may not even be aware of the disease, as the symptoms are often similar to the symptoms of other pathologies. They need to be considered in more detail and analyze the situation as a whole:
- there may be pain that mimics the heart, which develops during angina pectoris and heart attack; coronary dilation drugs, such as nitroglycerin, have no effect; and the ECG shows no abnormalities;
- pain, similar to that occurring in women with the development of mammary gland disease, may occur; this pain can last for a long time; examination does not reveal problems in the mammary glands;
- the iliac region and abdomen may be painful, the symptoms not similar to those of gastritis and colitis; pain below the right rib may be observed, similar to that characterized by hepatitis or cholecystitis; digestion is usually disturbed - it is also a characteristic symptom of osteochondrosis, which occurs due to disorders of innervation of internal organs; it is necessary to understand what caused the disturbance of the digestive process, whether it is really the cause of osteochondrosis of the chest;
- the process of urination and sexual function may be disturbed, because the innervation in the genitourinary system is disturbed;
- when thoracic osteochondrosis worsens, prolonged, weekly sternal pain may occur, very similar to that present in breast disease; A visit to a mammologist allows you to identify the cause of the pain.
These symptoms are associated with manifestations of back pain as well as 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 during the day if the right conditions are created for it, causing pain.