The symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis depend on which vertebra has suffered dystrophic injuries, and its intensity depends on what changes have taken place in it. An experienced specialist, after listening to the patient's complaints, will be able to make the correct diagnosis and suggest which part of the spine has suffered a serious alteration and destruction. The sooner a doctor diagnoses thoracic osteochondrosis and prescribes medication, the sooner relief will come.
Thoracic osteochondrosis is much less common than cervical osteochondrosis, as the thoracic spine is less susceptible to stress and deformation. But nevertheless, it causes a lot of pain and discomfort and has a diverse range of symptoms.
Thoracic osteochondrosis, symptoms and signs
The pain is mainly located between the shoulder blades or in the intercostal space. Thoracic osteochondrosis often manifests as waist pain in the costal part of the body. Patients describe these pains as feeling like "a stake in the chest", their mobility is disturbed as the pain pierces at the slightest careless movement. The pain is aggravated by coughing, sneezing, taking a deep breath, and turning the trunk. Shortness of breath appears, breathing becomes shallow and frequent. It is very difficult for the patient to lift or tilt the hands, as this causes sharp, intense pain. The inconvenience is also caused by the vibration of the body, i. e. riding a bicycle, car on a bumpy road, as well as any jumps. 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 and stabbing pain, even despite treatment with analgesics.
Sweating, fatigue and rapid fatigue add to the signs of pain, sometimes there is a rise in temperature locally over the inflamed segment of the spine.
Signs of back and back pain
Severe and very sharp pain is called back pain. With thoracic osteochondrosis, back symptoms occur in people who sit still for a long time in a forward-leaning position. With a sharp rise or a change of position, the body is pierced by a sharp, sharp pain. It's so strong and unexpected that it takes your breath away and it's hard to breathe. The chest and back muscles become like stone, sometimes puncturing with cramps. The treatment alleviates the pain and brings relief to the patient.
Back pain, on the contrary, is a pain of a painful nature. It's not very intense, but it constantly reminds itself. With sudden and rapid movements, coughing, sneezing or deep inspiration, the body also pierces with sharp and rapid pain. Turns and bends of the body are also given with difficulty and pain. The muscles of the back and chest are tense and the sensation predominates, as if the upper part of the body is being pulled by a belt.
To get rid of or temporarily relieve the condition of these pains, sometimes just walking or doing a light workout is enough.
Signs of a neurological nature in osteochondrosis
Most often, osteochondrosis of the thoracic segment is given, symptoms of a neurological nature. This is manifested by a feeling of "goose bumps" or loss of sensation in the abdomen or upper chest. Sometimes patients notice tightness or tightness of the muscles of the back, particularly the upper part, as well as the chest. In more severe and advanced cases, there is a violation in the work of Organs 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 a decrease in the hormone progesterone, which protects the spine, or rather the vertebral discs, from wear and tear.
With osteochondrosis, a woman may have strange symptoms such as peeling skin and brittle nails. Women are more difficult to tolerate thoracic and cervical osteochondrosis 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 than women and the average age is 30 to 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 treat it yourself.
Signs of osteochondrosis that can be confused with other conditions
As there are many nerve fibers and endings in the chest area, pain behind the breastbone can radiate in any direction. The symptoms of osteochondrosis are very similar to those of other diseases, which makes the situation worse 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 it is worth remembering some differences. Firstly, with thoracic osteochondrosis, the pain is longer and cannot be treated with cardiac medications. And the second sign is that there is no increase in blood pressure, as is often the case with a disease of the cardiovascular system. And most importantly, the ECG results show no abnormalities in the heart's work.
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 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 may also be localized to the right upper quadrant 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 carry out an additional ultrasound examination 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, then the patient will have signs of intestinal diseases. But this condition does not depend on the food ingested and the pain is aggravated by physical exertion.
If osteochondrosis has affected the upper part of the spine, 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 handle 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 professions such as truck drivers, pilots, machinists. Also in the risk group are the professions associated with lifting weights, for example, porters. With prolonged lifting and carrying large loads, friction 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 feel numb closer to the shoulder blades area. This is an alert 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. Due to prolonged time sitting at computers, and even in the wrong position, it leads to weakening and sagging of the muscles that support the spine. The vertebrae begin to dislocate, thus compressing the nerves.
Also, being immobile 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 elevation or movement of the head, the employee may lose consciousness, as the work of the vestibular apparatus is interrupted. Vision is often impaired and flies appear before the eyes. The shoulder girdle and chest muscles begin to ache, like after a long exercise.
It turns out that after treatment it is worth changing profession, as frequent relapses in the old place of work are possible.