In just 24-36 sessions, depending on the intensity of the treatment and the stage of development of the disease, you can get rid of the pain caused by thoracic osteochondrosis, you will be able to normalize your sleep and live a full life.
It is important to understand
If osteochondrosis of the chest is detected, a unique set of therapeutic exercises should be selected, the technique of execution should be studied, and exercises with contraindications should be excluded.
With this diagnosis, it is important to regularly attend treatment sessions, undergo full-scale treatment in a specialized center, and in the future independently maintain your health in a preventive manner.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common and serious disease.
Its danger is that it may not manifest itself in any way in the initial stage or may be disguised as other pathologies.
This is especially common with osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine.
In this place, the vertebrae are not connected so movably, so degenerative processes rarely develop here.
But if osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine appears, it causes pronounced symptoms and severe pain.
Pathogenesis of osteochondrosis
Recently, osteochondrosis has been diagnosed not only in the elderly, as before. This pathology is becoming more and more common among young people.
This is due to the specifics of lifestyle and nutrition. After all, osteochondrosis occurs due to disruption of metabolic processes and blood circulation.
There are many reasons for this, but one of the most common is lack of physical activity and sedentary work.
It is a degenerative-dystrophic pathology characterized by the gradual destruction of the intervertebral discs. They lose water and nutrients, the cartilage dries out and begins to crack.
Because of this, the disc does not perform its shock-absorbing functions, the vertebrae become closer to each other and begin to collapse.
Such processes rarely develop in the chest region, since the load on the discs is small here. But various injuries, metabolic disorders and blood circulation can lead to the development of thoracic osteochondrosis.
Moreover, the disease is particularly severe in this place. After all, many nerve endings go to the internal organs here.
Possible complications
The danger of thoracic osteochondrosis is that it begins unnoticed. Often, in the first stage, there are almost no painful sensations, and they can be confused with pain in the stomach or heart.
Therefore, many patients are unsuccessfully treated for gastritis or angina for a long time until they undergo a full examination. An X-ray of the spine helps to identify the narrowing of the intervertebral space and to suspect the development of osteochondrosis.
If this is not done and treatment is not started, the disease progresses rapidly. The destruction of the cartilage tissue of the discs can only be stopped with special methods. The discs themselves cannot be recovered. In addition, this process takes place faster in the chest region, since the blood supply to the tissues is worse here due to the low mobility of the spine.
Therefore, without timely treatment, osteochondrosis can lead to serious complications. It can cause the following pathologies:
- protrusion or intervertebral hernia;
- spinal cord compression;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- biliary dyskinesia;
- disorders of the intestines, liver or pancreas;
- heart diseases.
Typical symptoms and signs of thoracic osteochondrosis
Every person who is susceptible to spinal diseases should know how osteochondrosis manifests itself. If you do not ignore the typical symptoms, you can start treatment in time and stop the progression of the pathology.
The main sign of damage to the spine is pain associated with physical activity. In the initial stage, they are not strong, they appear in the evening and then disappear after rest.
In addition, the pain is intensified by taking a deep breath, raising the arms, turning the trunk, or lifting heavy objects. And it usually starts in one place, only then it spreads to the whole chest.
Due to the painful sensations, muscle spasms occur in this place, and the patient's movement becomes difficult. The pathology is often accompanied by intercostal neuralgia.
What can be confused with thoracic osteochondrosis?
This disease can be cured only in the initial stage. But the problem is that it is difficult to diagnose osteochondrosis of the chest in time, its symptoms are often confused with other pathologies.
They are not always accompanied by characteristic symptoms. Some patients do not feel back pain or intercostal neuralgia.
Sometimes thoracic osteochondrosis manifests itself with atypical symptoms characteristic of other diseases. It is most often confused with pathologies of internal organs.
- Basically, its manifestations are similar to angina pectoris. Heart pain, shortness of breath, and the inability to raise the arm when inhaling force patients to take heart medications. But there is no relief and the EKG does not reveal any disturbance in the functioning of the heart.
- Sometimes there is pain that resembles the symptoms of a stomach ulcer, gastritis or pancreatitis. But they do not get worse after eating, as in these pathologies, but after physical activity.
- Women may notice pain in the mammary glands.
- The localization of the pathology in the upper part of the chest region can cause a lump in the throat and difficulty in swallowing.
Osteochondrosis of the chest can cause nausea, difficulty breathing or even suffocation.
Numbness or tingling in the upper limbs, muscle weakness and inability to lift or move the arm to the side are common.
Causes of thoracic osteochondrosis
Often, for an accurate diagnosis of the disease, its possible causes must be taken into account. People with hereditary predisposition, overweight and bad habits are susceptible to such pathologies.
A spinal examination is also recommended for people suffering from various endocrine and metabolic disorders, circulatory system diseases, and diabetes.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine occurs most often in people over 45 years of age. During this time, metabolic processes slow down, and tissues lack nutrients.
In addition, physical activity decreases, which leads to a weakening of the muscular ligament of the spine.
But there are other causes of osteochondrosis in the chest region:
- back injuries, bruises or sprains;
- regular weight lifting, heavy physical activity;
- rachiocampsis;
- sitting for a long time in an incorrect posture, for example when working on a computer or driving a car.
What are the stages of the disease?
Osteochondrosis of the chest is a chronic pathology. It is developing very slowly, but it is constantly improving.
In order to choose the appropriate treatment methods, doctors distinguish several stages of the disease. They have characteristic symptoms and require a special approach to therapy.
- The first degree of osteochondrosis causes almost no pain. If they occur, they occur after physical activity.
- In the second stage, the pain becomes more severe. In fact, the gradual destruction of the disc causes the vertebrae to move closer together, which can cause pinching of the nerve roots. In this case, neurological symptoms and signs of internal organ dysfunction appear.
- Intervertebral hernia often appears in the third stage of osteochondrosis. A ruptured disc puts pressure on blood vessels and nerves, leading to severe pain and other health problems. The mobility of the spine is severely limited at this point.
- The last stage of the pathology is characterized by the complete destruction of the disc. Osteophytes appear on the vertebrae, sometimes they completely fuse. Every movement of the patient causes pain, so the disease often leads to disability at this stage.
Why do you need to see a doctor right away?
Some patients ignore the first symptoms of the disease. They mistake mild back pain and muscle weakness for overuse. And after resting, they continue their usual lifestyle. Because of this, the disease progresses, which leads to serious complications.
A decrease in the shock-absorbing functions of the intervertebral discs leads to curvature of the spine. Thoracic kyphosis usually develops. Because of this, the chest is compressed and breathing is impaired.
If you do not see a doctor in time, the intervertebral discs can completely collapse. This leads to convergence of the vertebrae and pinching of nerve endings. With each movement, the situation is aggravated by the fact that the vertebrae collapse due to friction. This can cause damage to the spinal cord and paralysis of the body below the damaged vertebrae.
Disease prevention
In order to prevent serious complications of the pathology, it is necessary to consult a doctor in time. The earlier the treatment starts, the greater the possibility of stopping the degenerative processes completely.
This is best done with the help of kinesiotherapy. In the initial stages of the pathology, as well as during prevention, this method helps to strengthen the muscular ligament of the spine and improves blood supply to the disc tissue.
The specialists of the modern kinesiotherapy center help prevent the development of degenerative processes in people who are prone to it. After all, moderate physical activity is necessary to maintain a healthy spine.
The individually designed daily system with special exercises and diet helps to avoid the destruction of the disc and the complications of this process.
How is the treatment done?
Anamnesis collection - analysis of the disease, determination of limitations and contraindications, description of the principles of kinesitherapy, characteristics of the recovery period.
Myofascial diagnostics is a manual diagnostic method in which the doctor assesses the range of joint movements, determines painful tension, swelling, hypo- or hypertonia of the muscles and other changes.
Functional diagnostics (in the rehabilitation room) - the doctor explains how to perform certain exercises on the equipment and observes: how the patient performs them, what range of motion he can work with, what movements cause pain, what weight the patient can work with, how the heart reactsand vascular system. Identification of problem areas. The data is transferred to the card. Accents are set.
Based on the results of the initial examination by the doctor and the functional diagnostics, a preliminary individual treatment program is prepared.
It is advisable to bring with you:
- in case of spinal pain - MRI or CT (magnetic resonance or computed tomography) of the problem area;
- in case of joint pain - X-ray;
- in the presence of accompanying diseases - extracts from the medical history or the outpatient card;
- comfortable (sports) clothes and shoes
Lessons with an instructor
At the beginning of the treatment cycle, the doctor and the patient draw up a treatment plan, which includes the date of the treatment and the medical follow-up (usually 2-3 times a week).
The treatment process is based on treatments in the rehabilitation room with simulators and treatments in the gym.
The rehabilitation simulators allow the exact dosing of the load of each muscle group, ensuring adequate physical activity. The doctor compiles the treatment program individually for each patient, taking into account the characteristics of the body. Supervision is carried out by qualified instructors. At every stage of recovery, it is important to observe the correct movement and breathing techniques, to know the weight standards when working on exercise machines, to follow the prescribed treatment regimen and to follow the recommendations of specialists.
Joint gymnastics helps restore visual coordination, improves joint mobility and flexibility (flexibility) of the spine, and is an excellent preventive system for self-use.
Each treatment cycle consists of 12 sessions. Each lesson is supervised by an instructor. A treatment lasts from 40 minutes to 1. 5 hours. The instructor compiles a program, taking into account the accompanying diseases and the patient's daily status. It teaches the technique of performing the exercises and monitors the correct execution. A second consultation with the doctor is held every 6 hours, changes and additions are made to the program depending on the dynamics.
How many cycles does it take? – for everyone individually
Important to know:
- How long has this problem existed (stage of the disease)
- How your body prepares for physical activity (gymnastics or any sport).
- what result you want to achieve.
If the disease is in an early stage and the body is prepared, one treatment cycle is sufficient. (example - 20-30-year-old young people who go to sports. We focus their attention on the technique of performing exercises, breathing, stretching, excluding "bad" exercises that damage problem areas. Such patients participate in training and receive the skill of "taking care of their body", getrecommendations in case of exacerbation and continue learning independently).