In the modern world, it is not only humanity that is progressing.Unfortunately, diseases that affect humans are also constantly moving and evolving.
Two decades ago, symptoms of thoracic spondylosis were rare, usually occurring in older people.Nowadays, the age range of patients has expanded significantly and includes women, men and children of various ages.
The rarity of the manifestations of this disease is due to the fact that the thoracic part of the spinal region is inactive, which excludes various injuries and damage.
With osteonecrosis of the thoracic spine, bone and cartilage tissues of the spine undergo severe changes that lead to violation of their integrity.
If you do not contact a specialist in time, irreversible changes will occur that can only be prevented by surgical intervention.
In the development chain of the disease, the spinal system appears first, followed by the formation of cartilage, ligaments, and spinal muscles.
When osteoarthritis is diagnosed in adolescence, the premature aging process of the musculoskeletal system begins.
There are 4 levels of development of thoracic spine osteoarthritis depending on symptoms and treatment. The patient's health status depends on:
- I give degrees.Symptoms are mild or absent completely.Protrusion occurs.
- level II.The disc loses elasticity and height.There is instability in the spine.The first pain appears.
- level III.At this stage, a hernia is detected with severe pain.
- level IV.The bone tissue of the spine is destroyed because the intervertebral discs completely lose their basic functions.
Symptoms and signs
Signs of thoracic spondylosis depend on the patient's gender, level of disease development and mobility.Most symptoms appear with a certain level of stress and fatigue, as well as when staying in the same position for long periods of time.
How does osteochondrosis of the chest manifest:
- Chest pain, especially severe when inactive for long periods of time.
- There is a feeling of pressure in the middle of the back.Deep inhalation and exhalation are also difficult.
- Pain occurs when any movement involving the spine is included in physical activity.Hand movements, bending, rotating.
- Long-term back pain.
- Nerve disorders in some parts of the body, manifested by a feeling of numbness.
- Increased sensitivity of certain areas of the skin (also known as goosebumps).
- Feeling of discomfort in the lower limbs.
- Due to vascular damage in thoracic osteoarthritis, local symptoms appear on the skin in the form of peeling.The changes also affect the nails.
- Reproductive disorders and decreased sexual desire may occur.
Symptoms can also vary depending on gender.Signs of breast cartilage degeneration in women are slightly different than in men.
Symptoms of breast cartilage degeneration in women:
- Localized pain syndrome in the affected disc area.
- Pseudo-symptoms of diseases of internal organs arise along the compressed nerve.
- Compression symptoms.
Symptoms of breast bone degeneration in men appear much earlier than in women.The rest of the clinical picture is very similar.
Most of the differences appear only in the severity of symptoms, as men lead much more active lifestyles.
In addition, breast cartilage degeneration in women is less obvious and occurs later due to the protective effect of female sex hormones.
With thoracic osteoarthritis, symptoms and sensations may be similar to those with the development of heart disease, therefore, when diagnosing, studies of cardiac activity are also performed.
Treatment
The chronic course of the disease is different in that exacerbations can develop at any time, and the symptoms are very pronounced.The patient feels severe pain in the back and difficulty breathing.
Before treating thoracic osteoarthritis, it is important to understand the nature of the exacerbation and the extent of the disease.Most often, the cause of such conditions is due to specific factors:
- Stressful situations.
- Work very hard.
- Prolonged exposure to low temperature environments.
- Weightlifting or active sports.
Treatment is primarily based on a etiological approach.That is, the factors causing the acute phase have been eliminated.In severe cases, a limited daily treatment regimen is recommended.Here are some principles of this method:
- Low travel mode.
- A diet containing large amounts of vitamins, minerals and fiber is prescribed.
- Treatment with drugs to treat thoracic osteoarthritis.
- Topical therapy, including massage (as prescribed), and use of topical anti-inflammatory medications.
- Exercise therapy.Only if the doctor allows it.
- Physical therapy.
Medicines
Medical treatment of osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine is based on classical principles of treating compressed nerve fibers.The first step is to relieve the symptoms that cause significant suffering for the patient.
Selected drugs are prescribed individually, taking into account contraindications and side effects.Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy is considered primary and primary.Its effects appear from the first day of treatment.
How to treat thoracic spondylosis:
- NSAIDs.The drug is taken orally or injected.They have a number of positive properties.First of all, they improve the patient's quality of life, restoring normal mobility.
Unfortunately, this group of drugs also has a number of negative indicators.Contraindications include diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.An absolute ban is imposed in the presence of ulcers or acute gastritis.If kidney and liver function are impaired, the drug dosage needs to be adjusted.
NSAIDs are often combined with muscle relaxants.
- Muscle relaxants are a group of drugs that significantly relieve the patient's condition.When inflammation occurs in the vertebrae, strong muscle contractions of the fibers surrounding the inflamed area occur.Prolonged spasms also cause severe pain in the vertebrae area.Muscle relaxants eliminate this spasm, thereby reducing pain.
These medications should not be used if the patient drives a car or other equipment.
- Vitamin complex.Used to reduce inflammation in nerve fibers and stabilize nerve membranes.More often than others, B vitamins and nicotinic acid are used.
- Cartilage protective drugs.Combination of chondroitin with glucosamine in various dosages.
This group of drugs normalizes metabolic processes in joint tissue and has a strong anti-inflammatory effect with glucose.The course of treatment with chondroprotective drugs is long-term and is repeated at intervals.
Side effects are mainly observed in the gastrointestinal tract.This is the phenomenon of flatulence and belching.
To treat osteochondrosis of the chest area, special drugs are used in the form of injections.Different management principles.The main method is to introduce electrophoresis into the physical therapy room.It also comes in cream and ointment form.
For thoracic osteoarthritis, drug treatment is based on the principle of reducing the inflammatory process and releasing compressed nerves.
It is important to note that even prolonged courses of anti-inflammatory treatment without other corrective treatments will not relieve the patient's suffering in the long term.
If the attending physician recommends massage procedures, they must be performed.
Massage
Before treating osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine with massage, a functional diagnosis is performed and the first stage of treatment is prescribed, which includes taking anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants.
This set of measures is aimed at reducing spasms and inflammation in the area of the affected segment.Only after achieving certain results at an early stage can one talk about the benefits of massage.
How to treat osteoarthritis in the chest area with massage?
Massage procedures can also reduce muscle spasticity and improve blood supply to the damaged area.
- Acupressure.A procedure in which the hands of a specialist act on specific points, improving blood supply to them, thereby reducing the inflammatory process.It is important to know that pain is not allowed during acupressure.Acute pain syndrome is an absolute contraindication to such massage.
- Massage the affected part.Provides excellent results by improving blood supply to the entire area.At the same time, soft tissues begin to actively renew themselves, which has a beneficial effect in treatment.
- Classic massage.Thoracic osteonecrosis due to symptoms of the acute phase cannot be treated with classical massage.Any vibration or movement can cause severe pain.Only after complete removal of restrictions on motor activity and inflammatory processes can classical massage be performed.
- Plastic massage.Indicated for all stages of the disease, giving excellent results.After 5 sessions, you should move on to the next type of massage.
Since eliminating osteochondrosis of the chest is a complex task, combining massage with conservative treatment is considered one of the most effective non-surgical therapies.
Physical training
Osteochondrosis of the chest with signs of stages I – II of the disease is treated with physiotherapy, which has a beneficial effect on the muscle layers in the affected area, strengthens the ligaments and eliminates the further development of protrusions.
If the course of the disease is characterized by severe pain, then first conservative treatment, massage, and only then - exercise therapy.
What is exercise therapy?This is a complex of therapeutic and preventive procedures aimed at improving blood supply and stability of the affected segment.
There are some exercises that have worked well:
- Raise your arms as you exhale, bending back with a deep breath.Next, bow slowly with your back arched upward.
- From a sitting position, using the back of the chair as support, bend backwards with your hands behind your head.
- Stand on all 4 limbs, bend your back, fix the highest and lowest position possible.
- Position – emphasis on prone position.Bending the upper body is done diligently with an effort to raise the torso off the floor.
- Exercise boat.
Their effectiveness depends on how hard the patient works in each exercise.
All exercises are repeated 5 to 7 times.Before starting your class, warm up to avoid sprains and injuries.
Traction force
What to do if pathology is detected in the early stages?
In the early stages of the disease, traction is considered an excellent solution.Through this procedure, muscle spasms are eliminated and the displaced vertebrae are returned to their positions.The deformity of the spine is corrected.
What types of traction are there:
- Dry traction.This procedure is easier to perform than others.If the disease is detected in the early stages then the horizontal bar is perfect.If strong displacements and prolonged spasms are observed, special beds and exercise equipment are used.These tools accurately quantify the load and its duration.
- Wet traction.It is performed in warm water, which improves blood circulation in the affected segment and, if performed correctly, eliminates sudden movements.
With thoracic osteochondrosis, symptoms during treatment with a classic regimen may recur several times a year.For prevention, traction therapy and exercise are used to eliminate the risk of protrusions and sharp shifts.
Reviews of physiotherapy procedures during the remission period and after long-term treatment are mostly positive.These recommendations and implementation of procedures are completely justified!
Surgery
What to do if the chosen method does not bring results?
Due to the wrong treatment approach, thoracic spine osteoarthritis progresses symptomatically after treatment and makes the patient's life unbearable.This also happens due to going to the doctor too late.
Unfortunately, if the integrity of the disc is compromised and a herniation is diagnosed, surgical intervention is recommended to avoid life-threatening consequences.
After surgery, special elastic products are prescribed and the patient's mobility is limited until complete recovery.
Conclusion
Treatment of osteoarthritis at all stages and with any approach depends on how the osteoarthritis presents, the extent of tissue affected, and most importantly, what the prognosis is for certain procedures.Based on these diagnostic aspects, treatment measures are initiated.