Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis depend on which vertebra has undergone dystrophic lesions, and their intensity depends on what changes have occurred in it. An experienced specialist, after listening to the patient's complaints, will be able to make a correct diagnosis and suggest which part of the spine has undergone a serious change and destruction. The sooner the doctor diagnoses thoracic osteochondrosis and prescribes medication, the sooner relief will come.
Thoracic osteochondrosis is many times less common than cervical osteochondrosis, since the thoracic spine is less susceptible to stress and deformation. But, nevertheless, it delivers a lot of pain and discomfort and has a diverse array 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 itself as girdle pain in the costal part of the body. Patients describe such pains with a feeling of "a stake in the chest", their mobility is disturbed, since pain pierces at the slightest careless movement. The pain is aggravated by coughing, sneezing, taking a deep breath, and turning the torso. Shortness of breath appears, breathing becomes shallow and frequent. It is very difficult for the patient to raise his hands up or tilt, as this provokes a sharp and severe pain. The inconvenience is also caused by the vibration of the body, that is, riding a bicycle, a car on a rough road, as well as any jumping. Cooling the body can provoke an exacerbation of pain, even with proper treatment, the disease can begin with renewed vigor.
Often the pain is located in the spaces between the ribs. This is due to compression of the nerve roots, which leads to intercostal neuralgia. Pain sensations become stronger at night, when turning from side to side or changing posture, the patient wakes up from a sharp piercing pain, even despite treatment with painkillers.
Sweating, fatigue and rapid fatigue join the pain signs, sometimes there is an increase in temperature locally over the inflamed segment of the spine.
Signs of dorsago and dorsalgia
Strong and very sharp pain is called dorsago. With thoracic osteochondrosis, the symptoms of dorsago occur in people who sit motionless for a long time in an inclined position of the body forward. With a sharp rise or a change in position, the body is pierced by a sharp sharp pain. It is so strong and unexpected that it takes your breath away and it becomes difficult to breathe. The muscles of the chest and back become like stone, sometimes piercing with cramps. The treatment dulls the pain and brings relief to the patient.
Dorsalgia, on the contrary, is a pain of a aching nature. It is not very intense, but constantly reminiscent of itself. With sudden and quick movements, coughing, sneezing or deep inspiration, the body also pierces with acute lightning-fast pain. Turns and tilts of the body are also given with difficulty and pain. The muscles of the back and chest are tense and the feeling predominates, as if the upper body is pulled together with a belt.
In order to get rid of or temporarily alleviate the condition from these pains, sometimes it is enough to walk or do a light workout.
Signs of a neurological nature in osteochondrosis
Most often, osteochondrosis of the thoracic segment is given out, symptoms of a neurological nature. This is manifested by a feeling of "goosebumps" or loss of sensation in the abdomen or upper chest. Sometimes patients note tension or stiffness of the back muscles, mainly the upper part, as well as the chest. In more severe and advanced cases, there is a violation in the work of the pelvic organs.
In men and women, thoracic osteochondrosis proceeds 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 ailment during menopause. This is due to a decrease in the hormone progesterone, which protects the spine, or rather the vertebral discs, from wear.
With osteochondrosis, a woman may have strange symptoms, such as peeling of the skin and brittle nails. Women are more difficult to tolerate both thoracic and cervical osteochondrosis, this is due to the low pain defect of 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 about 30-40 years. Men may complain of a decrease in 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
Since there are many nerve fibers and endings in the thoracic region, therefore, pain behind the sternum can radiate in any direction. The symptoms of osteochondrosis are very similar to the signs of other diseases, this aggravates the situation with the diagnosis. Early diagnosis of osteochondrosis and initiation of treatment is very important for a more favorable outcome of the disease.
Many people confuse osteochondrosis with heart disease. But here it is worth remembering some differences. Firstly, with thoracic osteochondrosis, the pain is longer in time and cannot be treated with cardiac medications. And the second sign is that there is no increase in blood pressure, as often happens with a disease of the cardiovascular system. And most importantly, the results of the ECG do not show any abnormalities in the work of the heart.
In women, pain can spread to the mammary glands, and this sign of thoracic osteochondrosis is very common. In this situation, it is necessary to consult with a mammologist and rule out a disease of the mammary glands.
Sometimes the patient complains of pain in the epigastric region, which can be confused with gastritis or stomach ulcers. Pain can also be localized in the right hypochondrium and unqualified medical personnel may suspect cholecystitis or pancreatitis. With pain in the lower abdomen, appendicitis can be suspected. In such cases, it is advisable to conduct an additional examination of ultrasound of the abdominal organs, X-ray and EGD of the stomach, and, of course, a clinical blood test.
If the lower part of the thoracic 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 aggravated by physical exertion.
If osteochondrosis has affected the upper part of the spine, then the pain will spread to the pharynx and esophagus. The patient will feel signs of a foreign body in the throat and there may be difficulty in swallowing food, especially poorly chewed.
Only a doctor should deal with the diagnosis and treatment, 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 such professions as truckers, pilots, machinists. And also in the risk group are professions associated with lifting weights, for example, loaders. With prolonged lifting and carrying large loads, rubbing and flattening of part of the vertebrae occurs, which also leads to osteochondrosis and not only the thoracic, but also the cervical and lumbar segments of the spine. In more advanced cases, the arms or back begin to go numb closer to the area of the shoulder blades. This is an alarming bell for contacting a specialist for examination and treatment.
Most office workers are prone to cervicothoracic osteochondrosis. That is, not only the thoracic vertebrae, but also the cervical vertebrae are involved in the process of change and destruction. Due to prolonged sitting at computers, and even in the wrong position, it leads to weakening and flabbiness of the muscles that support the spine. The vertebrae begin to shift, thereby pinching the nerves.
Also, being motionless in one position, the blood flow of the intervertebral discs is disturbed, which leads to starvation of the disc tissues and their destruction. They experience pain in the head, shoulders and chest. They have hearing loss and tinnitus. With a sharp rise or movement of the head, the employee may lose consciousness, as the work of the vestibular apparatus is disrupted. Vision is often impaired, and flies appear before the eyes. The muscles of the shoulder girdle and chest begin to hurt, as after a long exercise.
It happens that after treatment it is worth changing your profession, as frequent relapses at the old place of work are possible.