Thoracic vertebral osteochondrosis manifests as degenerative changes in intervertebral disc dystrophy. This lesion affects the thoracic disc, which consists of 12 vertebrae. This area has a strong muscular corset and is considered the least active, so osteochondrosis is very rare on it.
The development of osteochondrosis in the thoracic region is accompanied by compression of the spinal cord. This complication is due to spinal stenosis in this area of the spine. Spinal cord compression is a very dangerous condition that can trigger the development of kidney, heart, pancreas, liver disease. To avoid such complications, it is necessary to start the treatment of the disease in a timely manner.
reason
The causes of thoracic and cervical osteochondrosis are:
- Malnutrition changes in tissues;
- Violation of metabolic processes;
- Scoliosis;
- Unreasonable load on disk;
- malnutrition;
- Being in uncomfortable positions for extended periods of time (working at the dinner table, while driving).
Pain characteristics of pathological conditions
Pathology has symptoms similar to other diseases. Therefore, it is often referred to as "chameleon disease". The pain of this spinal osteochondrosis is almost the same as:
- renal colic;
- peptic ulcer;
- Cardiovascular diseases;
- appendicitis;
- colitis;
- gastritis.
Therefore, a thorough diagnosis is necessary for the differential diagnosis of thoracic osteochondrosis.
The main symptoms are the presence of pain and discomfort. They cover the following areas:
- back;
- Heart;
- side;
- Chest;
- upper abdomen.
Pain in thoracic osteochondrosis increases during inhalation, exhalation, and during exercise. Patients may experience numbness in the left arm, the area between the shoulder blades.
There is also pain radiating to the shoulder blade. These painful sensations are similar to intercostal neuralgia. Pain from thoracic osteochondrosis worsens at night.
For this reason, patients often mistake the condition for a symptom of a heart attack, known as angina. Thoracic osteochondrosis pain caused by angina attacks is characterized by inability to stop with nitroglycerin and the absence of any pathological signs on the ECG that suggest a disease of the cardiovascular system.
Pathology causes symptoms similar to diseases of the cardiovascular system. As a result, patients often started self-medicating with cardiotonic drugs, which did not bring any relief.
The pathological symptoms of intervertebral disc depend on the mechanism caused by the pathological process and the localization of the disease. It has a significant effect on the compression of the root of the spine. Sometimes spinal cord compression with characteristic pain sensations is a complication of this pathology.
Symptoms of lesions in the neck and chest
The cervical spine consists of 7 vertebrae and the thoracic spine consists of 12 vertebrae. With the development of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, patients present with a variety of symptoms. Due to its manifestations, this disease can be confused with the following pathologies:
- myocardial infarction;
- Violation of cerebral circulation;
- damaged teeth;
- Phytovascular dystonia;
- Angina pectoris.
Osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic region presents with pain in:
- back
- neck
- teeth;
- head;
- upper limbs;
- Stomach
- shoulder straps;
- Chest;
- heart part.
In addition to pain, osteochondrosis in the cervicothoracic region also manifests in:
- Numbness in the neck, abdomen, and chest;
- tinnitus;
- Decreased ability to work;
- "Goosebumps" in front of you;
- sleep disorder;
- Potency disorder (male);
- Dizziness;
- irritability;
- Blood pressure jumps.
Symptoms that occur when a nerve root structure is compressed
Cervical thoracic osteochondrosis with radiculopathy presents with severe pain, the characteristics of which depend on the affected segment.
It usually manifests in the form of radiculopathy, mainly in the case of a herniated disc. Patients feel symptoms of radiculopathy after physical activity. Their slow growth was noticed for several weeks.
When thoracic vertebral osteochondrosis is associated with hernias, herniated discs, patients experience significant pain in:
- shoulder joint;
- abdomen;
- Shoulder;
- rib cage;
- shoulder blade.
Symptoms of the disease also depend on the direction of the hernia (lateral, medial). In the event of a lateral hernia complication, unilateral pain in the hernia area, and local sensory loss occurs. Coughing can increase pain and spinal movement.
If osteochondrosis is accompanied by a median hernia, the patient suffers from prolonged pain lasting several weeks. The main danger of this condition is compression of the spinal cord.
If thoracic osteochondrosis is accompanied by spinal cord compression, the patient will experience:
- pelvic organ disorders;
- local, low back pain;
- weakness in the legs;
- Intercostal, abdominal, groin pain;
- numbness.
Pathologically localized radiculopathy syndrome in the thoracic region
The patient suffers from radiculopathy due to osteochondrosis in the thoracic region. It manifests as a painful sensation that increases with movement, appears sharp and is reflected in other organs.
Radical syndrome in this region presents in a variety of ways:
- Numbness of the epithelium of the armpits, scapulae, hands, dry throat (failure of section 1);
- Pain in the armpits, shoulder blades, sternum, dry throat, slight descent of the shoulder blades, stomach pain, esophagus (segments 2-6);
- Paresthesia, muscle tension in the shoulder blades, ribs, upper abdominal area. There are also heartache and stomach pain (segments 7-8);
- Low back pain, paresthesias from the ribs to the navel. Muscle tone also increases, and stomach and bowel cramps occur (segments 9-10);
- Paresthesia from the navel to the groin. Intestine and stomach (segments 11-12) may feel heavy.
Nerve root syndrome with cervical pathological localization
With cervical radiculopathy, the following symptoms occur:
- Paresthesia on the top of the head and the nape of the neck (segment 1 failure);
- Paresthesia at the top of the head, decreased muscle tone in the back of the head + jaw, manifested as drooping (paragraph 2);
- Language paresthesias, speech deficits (para. 3);
- Heart, liver pain (paragraph 4);
- weakness, shoulder pain, arm (section 5);
- The pain reaches the thumb on the hand. Weakness when raising arms. The reason for this is decreased bicep tone (paragraph 6);
- Weakness of the neck, shoulders, shoulder blades, forearms, arms, middle and ring fingers (section 7);
- Pain reaches the little finger (paragraph 8).
female symptom characteristics
The symptoms of the disease depend to a large extent on the sensitivity of the patient, his personal characteristics. Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis are more pronounced in women than in men.
This is because the female body is an order of magnitude more sensitive than the male body.
Sections of the spine in women are thinner and smaller, which contributes to the rapid presentation of symptoms of the degenerative dystrophic process. Let's see how thoracic osteochondrosis manifests in women.
The spinal symptoms of the disease are:
- pain when raising the arm;
- soreness in the chest;
- tightness in the chest;
- pain between the shoulder blades;
- deep breathing accompanied by severe pain;
- As he turned, he leaned with a sore feeling.
Each of these symptoms is related to inflammatory processes within the spine. If the disease is accompanied by the development of an intervertebral hernia, other signs of disease with features of neurological and vascular disease are added to the above-mentioned signs of disease:
- itching, cold, burning in the lower extremities;
- Numbness of the skin, a feeling of "goose bumps";
- brittle nails;
- heartache;
- Gastrointestinal disorders;
- Epithelial exfoliation.
In women, the signs are similar to those of breast disease. For this reason, the disease in question requires additional diagnostic methods.
In men, thoracic osteochondrosis occurs less frequently than in women. This is due to anatomical features, including the strength of spinal elements. In men, symptoms are supplemented only by potency disorders.