The most common spinal problem is osteochondrosis. The disease can affect all parts of the spine, which are subject to greater stress. It manifests itself at any age, the more often the older generation falls into the risk group. Symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine increase with an acute onset of pain.
What is osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine in women
This disease characterizes dystrophic and degenerative disorders of the spine, alterations in the structure and shape of the intervertebral discs. Thoracic osteochondrosis of the spine progresses around the age of 40 and many patients carry it on their feet. This cannot be done, as over time the intercostal nerves are compressed; disability is not excluded. The upper thoracic vertebrae are involved in the pathological process, and the patient guesses about the disease from the characteristic chest pain.
Symptoms of breast osteochondrosis in women
It is problematic to determine the disease of the weaker sex, as its symptoms are similar to the manifestation of other pathological conditions in the female body. For example, an acute attack of pain in the peritoneal region can be the cause of damage to the mammary glands, or it can become a consequence of a heart attack, angina pectoris. To refute or confirm your hunch, you need to take a heart medication. Lack of positive dynamics indicates that the heart is healthy and obvious problems prevail in the spine.
Some patients believe that the cause of pain is chronic gastritis or duodenal ulcer. In fact, they are characteristic signs of breast osteochondrosis in women, which only increase with time, becoming more intense in the long term. The diagnosis can be confused with herpes zoster as the pain can be localized in the same area. To correctly differentiate the disease, the characteristics of some symptoms are not sufficient, an integrated approach to a progressive problem is needed.
Symptoms of Thoracic Osteochondrosis in Men
The disease can develop in the male body, especially if you adhere to a sedentary lifestyle, choose hard physical work for yourself. Signs of thoracic osteochondrosis in men can be confused with acute pleurisy, angina pectoris, scoliosis, cholecystitis and other myocardial pathologies. You can be sure it's not a heart attack with medication, but only the treating doctor prescribed heart pills. Superficial self-medication is totally ruled out. With this disease, not only chest pain occurs, but also other symptoms:
- numbness in the legs;
- crawling on the skin;
- increased muscle tension;
- symptoms of decreased potency;
- lumbago in the interscapular region.
How does thoracic osteochondrosis manifest?
The disease begins with an acute attack of pain, located in the chest, similar to a heart attack. In the beginning, painful sensations are observed when turning, sudden inclinations of the body and with deep breathing. Over time, back pain remembers itself, even in the resting phase. As the focus of the pathology is located in the upper chest, complications in the absence of adequate treatment are observed in relation to the myocardium, affecting the cardiovascular system. In addition, thoracic osteochondrosis is manifested by the following neurological symptoms:
- crawling feet;
- reflex tension of back and chest muscles;
- pelvic organ dysfunction;
- numbness of the abdomen and upper sternum;
- pain that gets worse with moderate exercise.
How does thoracic osteochondrosis hurt?
Not all patients know what thoracic osteochondrosis looks like - the symptoms don't remember for some time. The location of the lesion can be determined clinically, but the patient should first see a specialist with complaints of back pain or low back pain between the shoulder blades. If they did not receive treatment in time, the symptoms of a characteristic disease would only increase, intensify. Chest pain with osteochondrosis has a different character, depending on the degree of the pathological process and the specificities of the organism.
Exacerbation of thoracic osteochondrosis
If the trunk remains seated for a long time, with progressive osteochondrosis, the dorsum cannot be ruled out. This is an acute attack of pain, which can radiate to the cervical and lumbar spine while disturbing breathing, paralyzing a clinical patient's movements. Exacerbation of thoracic osteochondrosis only starts with these acute attacks on the left and right sides of the sternum, which are difficult to stop with medication. Such a state cannot be simulated, as it confuses the patient with the bed, deprives him of sleep and rest.
If we talk about the increasing symptoms of back pain, this sign of thoracic osteochondrosis develops later. It appears in the hypochondrium, but before that it develops imperceptibly for 2-3 weeks. Extensive damage to the intercostal spaces begins with a feeling of general discomfort when changing the position of the trunk, which is later replaced by a dangerous pain attack in the ridge region. Among the complications, doctors distinguish between gallbladder inflammation and herpes zoster.
Osteochondrosis attacks of the thoracic region
With such an unpleasant disease, the nerve fibers are affected, so an attack is always accompanied by sharp pain, which, at an early stage of development, has an unexplained location. At first, unpleasant sensations are observed with sudden movements, in case of increased activity, with coughing and sneezing, but later specific symptoms are remembered even at night, when the body is relaxed and at rest.
Frequent attacks of pectalgia are not excluded, when acute pain is concentrated in front of the chest, does not allow inspiration and expiration, literally paralyzes the whole body, disturbs the normal rhythm of life. In the absence of timely therapy, these painful attacks of osteochondrosis in the thoracic region only increase, rendering a previously healthy person invalid.
Symptoms of advanced osteochondrosis
The disease in an advanced degree leads to dislocation of the intervertebral discs, disturbs the shape and structure of the spine. For the patient, it is an acute pain that does not allow the body to turn, restricting movement and physical activity, which is one of the main causes of an unstable emotional sphere. In the course of the pathological process, systemic circulation is interrupted and the progressive symptoms of advanced osteochondrosis lead to such health complications:
- cardiac muscle dystrophy;
- renal dysfunction;
- intervertebral hernia;
- symptoms of decreased potency;
- shingle;
- dystrophy of other parts of the spine;
- extensive injuries of internal organs.