Thoracic osteochondrosis is a disease in which the intervertebral discs in the thoracic spine are destroyed. Since this department is the most inactive, it is less susceptible to the disease.
For osteochondrosis of the chest, cramps and pain in the chest, below the ribs, shortness of breath, stabbing, cutting, acute pain in the back of the sternum are characteristic. The symptoms and manifestations of the disease may be similar to other diseases.
symptoms
Pain in the spine is the most common and superficial symptom. Of course, they don’t always talk about the development of osteochondrosis in a person. Therefore, you should pay attention to other sensations in the body:
- Discomfort and pain in the chest. Often with an inactive lifestyle, you may not realize it. But once you start doing any physical activity that speeds up breathing, you will notice that the pain is increasing. The nature of this pain can be called a belt.
- In addition, you may experience pain in a completely unexpected place - the heart area, stomach, liver. This is due to the fact that thoracic osteochondrosis tends to "mask" as a specific disease. For example, many may be confused with gastritis, ulcers or angina pectoris.
- If you notice that periodically in the chest area you have "goosebumps", then in combination with other manifestations of this may indicate thoracic osteochondrosis.
- In some cases, there may be a loss of sexual function, for example, impotence in men.
Pain in thoracic osteochondrosis
One of the main features of this type of pain is the belt. But it is not always possible to recognize this pain with him. Here are other ways it can be felt and characterized:
- most often shown in the dark, behind the sternum;
- a feeling that can be described as a "stock in the chest";
- discomfort in the hypochondrium, both on the right and on the left;
- feeling as if there is a foreign body behind the sternum;
- if the lesion only touches the upper part of the thoracic area, then pain can be experienced by a person in the esophagus and pharynx area.
Since these symptoms are still very vague and may indicate some other disease, doctors recommend additional ECG tests.
Effects on organs
In the process of development of this disease can have a negative impact on internal organs namely the lungs and heart. Here are the things that can cause thoracic osteochondrosis:
- effects on the heart. Notably, it causes pinching of nerve roots in the chest area. After all, that’s where the heart plexus nerves go. It is this plexus that controls the work of the heart. The main alarm bells here are normal heart palpitations (extrasystoles), arrhythmias, tachycardia. Effects on the circulatory system, therefore, may appear in one of these symptoms, or all at once;
- effects on the lungs. It manifests itself most often in difficulty breathing and painful sensations at the same time.
Why does thoracic osteochondrosis appear?
Despite the fact that osteochondrosis as a holistic disease is relatively common, thoracic osteochondrosis is less common. Prerequisites for the occurrence of this disease can already be found among school students who, grimacing, sit at their desks. Because of this, children can develop scoliosis, and at a more mature age - osteochondrosis. Most other developmental causes are closely related to scoliosis:
- posture violations;
- violation of metabolic processes that affect the integrity of the intervertebral disc;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- hereditary causes;
- spinal cord injuries;
- static work and long stays in uncomfortable and twisted postures.
How to treat?
After an accurate diagnosis has been established during the test, the doctor prescribes special medications. In the case of thoracic osteochondrosis, it may include the following drugs, depending on the severity of the disease and the characteristics of its manifestations:
- First of all, medications are prescribed that "remove" pain and relieve discomfort. They are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or glucocorticosteroids.
- To prevent fluid deficiency in the intervertebral disc, papain is used.
- Prescribe drugs called "chondroprotectors". With their help, there is a general strengthening of cartilage tissue.
- Medications that relieve muscle spasms around the spine can be added to the list.
- If the development of inflammatory processes is detected, then special anti-inflammatory therapy is prescribed.
But, of course, drugs alone cannot cure it. Make sure you follow a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition. This action will be useful not only for treatment, but also for the prevention of these and many other diseases.
Exercises for thoracic osteochondrosis
Since lack of physical activity is one of the fundamental causes of disease progression, the role of exercise in this case is great. In addition, adding drug treatment with exercise, your body will return to normal and stable faster.
There are some special exercises for the thoracic area. When performing it, follow the basic rules: no jerks, act slowly, smoothly, without trying to burden the body. An increase in amplitude is allowed, but only if you are not in pain. So, what are the most effective exercises provided by physical therapy?
- Lie on the floor on your stomach. The hands are along the body. We bend in the thoracic area - smoothly, slowly. Raise your arms and head as high as you feel, but try to avoid pain. It is recommended to do at least 5 approaches.
- For the next workout, we need a chair with a small, strong back. We sat straight on the chair. We exhaled, bending backwards, while moving our hands backwards. Then we return to the starting position. We repeat 10-12 times.
- We stood up straight. Hands at the seams, feet together. Take a deep breath and raise your hands up. As you exhale, slowly bend backwards and lower your arms. We returned to the starting position. It is recommended to do 7-9 sets at a time.
- Get on the floor by crawling. Slowly bend your back as you inhale, as you exhale, return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 7-10 times.
- We lay on the floor with our stomachs. Hands on stitches. Your job is to tear the body off the floor, stretching your head to your heels. We pull the whole body, we train the chest. The number of approaches required is 7-8.
- We work with the upper part of the thoracic area. Starting position - arms at the hem, legs open shoulder -width apart. We work with shoulders. We lifted them first together, then each separately. We rotate the shoulders forward - backward, forward - backward. We performed 10-15 approaches for each task.
- Also, for the upper part of the thoracic area, you can do circular movements with your hands. Starting position, as in the previous task. Stretch your hands to the sides, clench your palms into fists. We do a forward fist rotation - backwards, then an arm rotation from the elbow - back and forth, then the whole arm back and forth. We do each part of the exercise 4-6 times, in general we repeat the exercise 2-4 times.
Exercise in the morning and evening, give at least 15-20 minutes. Dilute with a set of exercises for other muscle groups by including some of the options described above.
massage
Massage is also an excellent tool in combating osteochondrosis. Here there is a therapeutic massage, which is prescribed by a specialist after a thorough examination of the patient. You can also do it at home - here are some options for how this can be done.
honey massage. We will need 2-3 tablespoons of honey, preferably not sweet, warm. We dipped the palms in honey so that it was covered with a thin layer. We apply on the area behind the sternum and tear it sharply, repeat several times, moving the palms from place to place.
This massage should not be done for too long, as it causes pain. Enough 10-15 minutes for one session. The skin after that will turn red, will "burn".
Classic order. It consists of several steps, which include: rubbing, kneading, vibration, rubbing. It is recommended to do a massage using a cream or ointment against osteochondrosis - it can be recommended to you by the attending specialist.
The duration of this massage should not exceed 20 minutes, and the total course of treatment in this way should not include more than 11-13 sessions. As a preventative measure, it is also recommended to knead the neck, arms, shoulders, buttocks and even legs.
Home Treatment
In addition, for the treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis, there are alternative methods. For example, rubbing is very good, the foundation can also be used while doing a massage. Lilac flowers, radish root, garlic, onions, potatoes, ficus are usually taken as a base. Honey, vegetable oil, and sometimes cologne or alcohol are added. Everything is thoroughly mixed into a homogeneous mass and the damaged area is rubbed. For example, according to the following recipe, you can prepare a swab from ficus leaves:
- Ficus leaves in the amount of 6-8 are passed through a grater or cut into small pieces. Placed in a container, where they pour 2 bottles of triple cologne. Mix it up. 2 weeks of rubbing should be in a dark place. Then need to use it at least 2 times a day until heat appears on the skin.
Working at a computer is one of the leading causes of osteochondrosis. With a long stay at the computer, it is recommended to do exercise at least every two hours.
Doing activities on the computer every day without physical activity can cause poor posture. This happens because a person does static work for long periods of time, without allowing the muscles and spine to rest and without doing any warm -up or rest. In the future, without correcting this problem, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region may develop.
To prevent this from happening, experts advise doing so -called office charging, designed specifically for those who work at computers most of the time.
For example, the following exercises are excellent:
- Bend your back by stretching your arms upwards, throwing your head back. A pleasant heavy feeling in the back. Do it after every hour of work at the computer at least 3-4 times.
- Do a round head turn. Look left and right, tilt your head forward and backward.
- Raise your hands up - to the side - forward - to the side. Repeat several times.
- Stand next to your workspace, if possible, and move from foot to foot.
Do not forget to change your position while working at the computer, then you will save your health, spine and posture for a long time!
Strengthens back muscles with osteochondrosis
Strengthening the back muscles is a very important part of the treatment and prevention of osteochondrosis. To do this, it is enough to do physical activities - exercise, attend fitness classes or gym. Choose the option that works best for you. For example, swimming strengthens muscles well, so you can not only enjoy it, but also improve your body.