The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis depend on which spine has undergone dystrophic lesions, and their intensity depends on what changes have occurred in it. An experienced specialist, after hearing the patient's complaints, will be able to make a correct diagnosis and suggest which part of the spine has undergone serious change and destruction. The sooner a doctor diagnoses thoracic osteochondrosis and prescribes medication, the sooner relief will come.
Thoracic osteochondrosis is much rarer than cervical osteochondrosis because the thoracic spine is less sensitive to stress and deformities. But, regardless, it brings a lot of pain and discomfort and has a diverse range of symptoms.
Thoracic osteochondrosis, symptoms and signs
The pain is localized mainly between the shoulder blades or in the intercostal space. Often thoracic osteochondrosis manifests as lumbar pain in the coastal part of the body. Patients describe such pains with the feeling of a "stake in the chest", their mobility is impaired, because the pain breaks even with the slightest careless movement. The pain is intensified by coughing, sneezing, deep breathing and turning the torso. Shortness of breath occurs, breathing becomes shallow and frequent. It is very difficult for the patient to raise or bend his arms, because it causes sharp and strong pain. Discomfort is also caused by the vibration of the body, ie riding a bicycle, car on an uneven road, as well as any jumps. Cooling the body can cause the pain to worsen, and even with proper treatment, the disease can begin with renewed vigor.
Often the pain is in the spaces between the ribs. This is due to compression of the nerve roots, which leads to intercostal neuralgia. The sensation of pain becomes stronger at night, when turning from one side to the other or changing posture, the patient wakes up from a sharp penetrating pain, even despite treatment with painkillers.
Signs of pain are accompanied by sweating, fatigue and rapid fatigue, and sometimes there is a rise in temperature locally over the inflamed segment of the spine.
Signs of dorsaga and dorsalgia
Strong and very sharp pain is called dorsago. In thoracic osteochondrosis, the symptoms of dorsag occur in people who sit motionless for a long time in an inclined position of the body forward. With a sudden rise or change of position, the body breaks through a sharp sharp pain. It is so powerful and unexpected that it takes your breath away and makes it difficult to breathe. The muscles of the chest and back become like stones, sometimes pierced by cramps. The treatment dulls the pain and brings relief to the patient.
Dorsalgia, on the other hand, is a pain of a painful nature. It’s not very intense, but it constantly reminds me of myself. With sudden and rapid movements, coughing, sneezing, or deep breathing, the body also pierces with acute lightning pain. Rotations and tilts of the body are also given with difficulty and pain. The muscles of the back and chest are tense and a predominant feeling prevails, as if the upper body is connected by a belt.
To get rid of or temporarily alleviate the condition from these pains, sometimes it is enough to take a walk or do a light workout.
Signs of neurological nature in osteochondrosis
The most common are osteochondrosis of the thoracic segment, symptoms of a neurological nature. This is manifested by a feeling of "shivering" or loss of sensation in the abdomen or upper chest. Sometimes patients notice tension or stiffness in the back muscles, mostly the upper part, as well as the chest. In severe and advanced cases, there is a disorder in the work of the pelvic organs.
In men and women, thoracic osteochondrosis occurs in almost the same way, and the symptoms are similar. The only difference is that women have a later manifestation of the disease. Women are prone to this disease during menopause. This is due to the reduction of the hormone progesterone, which protects the spine, or spine, from wear and tear.
With osteochondrosis, a woman can have strange symptoms, such as peeling skin and brittle nails. Women have a harder time withstanding both thoracic and cervical osteochondrosis, which is due to a weak painful defect in the weaker sex.
Men, on the other hand, turn to specialists with osteochondrosis of the thoracic region many times more often than women, and the average age is around 30-40 years. Men may complain of decreased potency. The most important thing here is to confess to the doctor about the intimate problem, and not to treat it yourself.
Signs of osteochondrosis that can be confused with other diseases
Because there are many nerve fibers and endings in the thoracic region, the pain behind the sternum can radiate in any direction. The symptoms of osteochondrosis are very similar to the symptoms of other diseases, which complicates the situation with the diagnosis. Early diagnosis of osteochondrosis and initiation of treatment are very important for a more favorable outcome of the disease.
Many people confuse osteochondrosis with heart disease. But here are some differences to keep in mind. First, in thoracic osteochondrosis, the pain is longer in time and cannot be treated with heart medications. And the second sign is that there is no increase in blood pressure, as often happens with diseases of the cardiovascular system. And most importantly, the ECG results do not show any abnormalities in the work of the heart.
In women, the pain can spread to the mammary glands, and this sign of thoracic osteochondrosis is very common. In this situation it is necessary to consult a mammologist and rule out mammary gland disease.
Sometimes the patient complains of pain in the epigastric area, which can be mistaken for gastritis or gastric ulcer. The pain may also be localized in the right hypochondrium and unqualified medical staff may suspect cholecystitis or pancreatitis. In addition to pain in the lower abdomen, appendicitis may be suspected. In such cases, it is recommended to perform additional ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs, X-ray and EGD of the stomach and, of course, clinical blood analysis.
If the lower part of the thoracic part of the spine is affected, the patient will have signs of intestinal diseases. But this condition does not depend on the food taken and the pain is intensified by physical exertion.
If osteochondrosis has affected the upper spine, then the pain will spread to the throat and esophagus. The patient will feel signs of a foreign body in the throat and may have difficulty swallowing food, especially poorly chewed.
Diagnosis and treatment should be done only by a doctor, self-medication in this case is unacceptable.
The influence of the profession on the development of osteochondrosis
The specifics of some professions can develop osteochondrosis. This is due to a sedentary lifestyle, especially in professions such as truck drivers, pilots, mechanics. And in the risk group are professions related to weightlifting, for example, loaders. Prolonged lifting and carrying of heavy loads causes rubbing and flattening of the vertebrae, which leads to osteochondrosis, not only of the thoracic, but also of the neck and lumbar segment of the spine. In more advanced cases, the arms or back begin to tingle closer to the shoulder blade area. This is a wake-up call to contact a specialist for examination and treatment.
Most office workers are prone to cervicothoracic osteochondrosis. That is, not only the vertebrae of the thoracic region, but also the cervical vertebrae are involved in the process of change and destruction. Prolonged sitting at the computer, and even in the wrong position, weakens and weakens the muscles that support the spine. The vertebrae begin to move, pinching the nerves.
Also, immobile in one position, the blood flow in the intervertebral discs is disturbed, leading to starvation of the disc tissues and their destruction. They feel pain in their head, shoulders and chest. They have hearing loss and tinnitus. With a sudden lifting or movement of the head, the employee may lose consciousness because the work of the vestibular apparatus is disturbed. Vision is often damaged, and flies appear in front of the eyes. The muscles of the shoulder girdle and chest begin to ache, as after a long exercise.
It happens that it is worth changing the profession after the treatment, because frequent relapses in the old workplace are possible.