Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is a condition diagnosed quite often. Statistics show that it accounts for about 40% of all diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In the early stages, a person may not be aware of their pathology for a long time.
Over time, he develops severe painful sensations located in the thoracic spine. If you do not start full treatment in a timely manner, there is a risk of serious complications. The greatest danger is the respiratory disorder.
Classification
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is a fairly common disease in elderly patients. If you do not start full treatment on time, there is a risk of serious complications.
Before starting treatment, the doctor should accurately classify the nature of the pathology. It can be:
- Dorsago - painful sensations arise from impulses that appear from time to time in the chest. Usually, this discomfort begins after a long stay in one position. A person is faced with difficulty in breathing, when he practically can not perform actions with his head. If he can move, the pain pierces his entire spine.
- Back pain is a condition characterized by prolonged attacks of pain. On average, they can last up to these weeks. Usually, this condition occurs due to severe damage to the intervertebral discs. During an exacerbation, you need to lead an inactive life and refuse all activity. The pain increases dramatically at night.
Causes of pathology
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine can occur in absolutely anyone at any age.
However, the following groups of people are at increased risk:
- Lead an inactive lifestyle. If you do not play sports, metabolic processes are disturbed. Because of them, the human spine begins to accumulate deposits that begin to squeeze the nerve endings. The degree of degenerative destruction significantly increases discomfort.
- Overweight - each additional kilogram places an additional load on the spine. The heavier your weight, the heavier your chest spine.
- Smokers - because of smoking, the blood circulation in the body is disturbed, because of this, the tissues of the spine do not receive enough useful elements.
- Leading an overly active lifestyle. Especially often, the thoracic spine suffers from frequent heavy lifting.
- Various postural disorders. A curved spine is unable to distribute the load properly, which causes pain in the chest area.
Events
The initial stage of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is characterized by an extremely long period. For a long time, a person may not notice painful sensations. This is where the danger of pathology lies, because only at the first stage can it be actively treated.
In most cases, the development of osteochondrosis can be recognized by the following manifestations:
- Tightness of the back muscle corset;
- Dull, aching pain located between the shoulder blades;
- Sensation of increased pressure in the chest area;
- Pain that occurs on palpation of the spinous processes;
- Pain that may radiate to other parts of the body.
A person with osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine often has limited mobility in the morning. Tightening can also occur in parts of the breastbone.
Often a person is faced with numbness in the limbs, his posture begins to deteriorate quickly - this is due to excessive tension in the muscle tissue. In addition, a sharp cutting pain may occur, localized in the intercostal spaces.
To date, official medicine has not been able to find effective ways to restore damaged intervertebral discs, for this reason it is imperative to contact a chiropractor. Responsibly approach the choice of a specialist, since any wrong movement can lead to serious complications.
Processing methods
Before starting treatment for osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, it is necessary to undergo a prolonged diagnosis. With its help, it is possible to accurately determine the localization of the degenerative process, thanks to which it is possible to provide more effective and high-quality treatment. Please note that only your doctor can prescribe medication. There are a large number of different drugs which differ in their principle of action.
First of all, you will be prescribed pain relievers - steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They stop the production of arousal mediators, due to which a person begins to feel much better.
Please note that the patient should be under the constant supervision of the attending physician during treatment.
To obtain the maximum effect from the treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, the treatment should be carried out in combination. You don't have to limit yourself to medication alone. The treatment should be filled with physiotherapy and sports activities.
Drugs
Drug therapy is of the utmost importance in the treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. With the help of various drugs, it is possible to stop painful sensations as soon as possible.
It is also recommended to stay in bed during recovery. Be sure to consult a qualified healthcare practitioner who can prescribe a safe and highly effective treatment regimen.
In general, treatment for breast osteochondrosis includes the use of the following drugs:
- Analgesics - allow you to stop acute pain syndrome quickly. It also prevents the development of failures of the respiratory system, which often leads to complications;
- anti-spasm drugs;
- Vitamin preparations based on B vitamins. They normalize metabolic processes, prevent degenerative changes.
Effective exercise
Special physical exercises are able to cope with the manifestations of osteochondrosis of the chest. They should be done regularly - this is the only way to get meaningful results from the approaches.
Keep in mind that before starting such treatment, you should definitely consult an experienced specialist. He will tell you which resorts are right for you. Even breathing exercises with osteochondrosis of the chest region have a positive effect on the well-being of a person.
The following exercises should be performed:
- Plank - lie down on the floor, crawl to the wall. Throw your legs up against the wall so that they are parallel to the wall. Sew in a similar position for 1. 5 minutes to start. Each time, the number of approaches can be increased.
- Hold on to a horizontal bar regularly. This will help you adjust the spaces between your intervertebral discs and make you feel much better.
- Lie on your back with your legs as close to your chest as possible and stay in this position for a few seconds. This posture can relieve tension in the muscles of the spine, thereby relieving pain.
For more effective treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, it is imperative to engage in physical education. It is best to go to the clinic for exercise therapy, where you will do everything under the supervision of your doctor. Be extremely careful when playing sports. Any wrong movement can easily lead to injury.
Manual therapy
Manual therapy is a unique method of influencing a person's back, in which the chest region completely gets rid of painful sensations. With the correct and regular approach, you will be able to completely get rid of painful sensations, tensions.
In addition, manual therapy contributes to the complete restoration of blood circulation. The active components begin to spread rapidly through the tissues, after which the person feels much better.
Massages
Massage is an influencing method in which a doctor activates metabolic processes with his hands. It can be performed both at home and in the hospital.
The massage movements achieve the following results:
- Eliminates increased muscle tone;
- Strengthen the intervertebral discs;
- Speeds up the start of full recovery;
- Promotes the improvement of metabolic processes.
Physiotherapy
Various physiotherapeutic procedures will help to cope with the manifestations of osteochondrosis of the chest.
They not only fight painful sensations, but also contribute to the normalization of internal processes. The following procedures are the most popular at the moment:
- Plasma injections. Part of the blood is taken from a person, from whom the plasma is separated. It is injected in its pure form directly into the tissues of the spine, which helps to get rid of the painful sensations. Cupping massage is a type of vacuum effect on the body, which can relieve pain and increase muscle tone in a short period of time.
- Magnetotherapy - exposure of the spine to a magnetic field. The procedure allows you to stop the degenerative process and improve metabolic processes. In addition, it relieves swelling and inflammation.
- Alitherapy is an innovative treatment that uses bees. The insect should bite the person directly in the affected area. It starts metabolic processes, accelerates the elimination of toxins and toxins.
- Mud Healing. It helps to nourish the spine with beneficial substances that prevent the development of degenerative changes in the human body.
- Spinal block - the use of special injections that relieve pain. Keep in mind that these drugs should be used as a cure.
What can be confused with osteochondrosis of the breast?
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is a disease the manifestations of which can be easily confused with a number of other diseases. Its symptoms may look like:
- Angina pectoris and heart attack. However, the patient's cardiogram is normal, and the use of drugs to normalize blood pressure does not bring any results;
- Renal colic, appendicitis or cholecystitis;
- Diseases of the mammary glands;
- Ulcer, gastritis and colitis;
- Inflammation of the lungs.
Prevention of thoracic osteochondrosis of the spine
Thoracic osteochondrosis is a dangerous disease due to which the quality of life of any person is significantly reduced. If you start to adhere to preventive measures in a timely manner, the likelihood of complications will decrease significantly.
Many doctors strongly recommend that you follow these tips:
- If you work for a long time at the computer, get up from the table every hour and do a light warm-up. This will help normalize blood circulation and prevent stagnation.
- Keep your back warm at all times. For this reason, forgo cold showers and short clothes. Always keep it warm.
- Drink vitamin complexes regularly, which restore the structure of damaged tissues.
- Take a horizontal position for at least 30 minutes in the middle of the day. This will help the spine to align, which will make stress management easier.
- Exercise regularly. Muscle tone has a beneficial effect on the condition of the back.