The spine is made up of joints and vertebrae. Depreciation, mobility, nutrition are provided by the intervertebral discs and joint capsules - cartilage structures with liquid inside. Ligaments maintain a complex structure of bone and cartilage, limit hypermobility and reduce the risk of dislocation. Muscle tissue protects against damage and provides nutrients. For a variety of reasons (age, injury, exhaustion, changes in metabolism), cartilage structures are erased and thinned. The joints are fused together, the pressure in the spine changes.
The intervertebral discs are dense and durable formations that are damaged due to the incorrect position of the joints. When damaged, they leave their usual position, protrusions appear, hernias, which put pressure on the nerve endings. The process of autoimmune reactions begins - the body perceives a hernia as a foreign formation that must be fought. Muscle spasms, blood circulation is disturbed, the person feels pain. Often the pain radiates to internal organs. Against the background of neuralgia, tachycardia, pain in the heart, lungs and an unpleasant sensation in the stomach appear. In women there is difficulty in raising the arm, tilting the head.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic and cervicothoracic regions develops imperceptibly. Often, the patient becomes aware of the presence of a problem during the examination when dealing with complaints about the work of the heart. After the examination, the neurologist makes a diagnosis of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis.
Cervico-thoracic osteochondrosis
The first symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis can be detected independently at home. A change in posture is the difficulty of keeping the back straight for a long time, discomfort in the shoulder blades, an increase in kyphosis - the deflection of the spine. There are 2 tests to detect problems in yourself.
How to detect the signs of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis:
Press your back against the wall as firmly as possible. Pay attention to the distance between your lower back and the wall. Normally, the back should be fully pressed against the wall. A large distance indicates the development of compensatory deviations: lordosis and kyphosis. Vertebrae and joints are mobile structures. Changes in one segment are compensated for by the flattening or deflection of the other. Changes in women occur during pregnancy, when the spine adjusts to the load while carrying a baby. In women after 40, flattening of the lumbar region, kyphosis developed in the chest, are often evident.
Standing straight. As you inhale, stretch the top of your head and arms upward, as you exhale, bend over, reach the floor with your hands. Normally, your hands should freely touch the floor. If you are doing the exercise in front of a mirror, look at how straight your back is when it is tilted.
Scoliosis, an overweight problem, frequent colds worsen the situation, causing a new exacerbation. Degenerative-dystrophic processes occur more rapidly in weakened areas. Over time, the symptoms of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis become clearer:
- bending over, inability to control correct posture;
- the appearance of a widow's hump at the level of the 7th cervical vertebra;
- discomfort under the shoulder blade (usually on the right);
- chest pain when taking a deep breath;
- difficulty raising the arm, bringing the shoulder blades together;
- increased blood pressure, tachycardia.
Unfortunately, people don't always associate chest pain and symptoms of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine. After reading the available recipes, self-medication begins. Instead of massages and physical education, they take drugs to reduce pressure. Instead of chondroprotectors, mustard plasters are placed on the chest area.
Widow's hump
The widow's hump, scruff, and withers are an accumulation of fat in the cervicothoracic spine. The withers appear where the muscles are least developed. This is not just an aesthetic problem. Stagnation of the cervicothoracic region prevents free rotation of the head. In women with a widow's hump, the head hurts a lot, the blood pressure changes and there is a feeling of a lump in the throat. It is difficult to reduce and separate the shoulder blades, the hands become numb, darken in the eyes, hearing decreases, and when turning the head, a creak is emitted.
The disease got its name because in women over 45, doctors noticed the formation of a seal in the cervicothoracic region. Previously, at this age, women became widows. Today, wither marks can be seen in overweight young women. In men, the withers are not formed due to the atomic characteristics: developed trapezius, deltoid muscles and biceps.
Metabolic disorders, excess weight, physical inactivity, weak muscles of the upper limbs form a wen. It is very difficult to get rid of the formed withers, it is necessary to perform exercises, massage and follow a diet.
Bechterew's disease
A dangerous disease that occurs mainly in men, in which the muscles atrophy, the joints merge. The biggest problem is that the disease is diagnosed in the advanced stages. It is very difficult to grasp the moment of development, because patients come to a medical institution when the spine is already constrained.
The first symptoms of pain appear in the sacrum and eventually reach the neck. The deflection in the cervical-thoracic region increases, the body bends forward, acquiring the position of the supplicant. Due to the change in the position of the chest, it becomes difficult to breathe. Irradiation of pain in the hands, increased blood pressure, muscle cramps torment the patient. Internal organs are affected: heart, lungs, kidneys. Due to the wrong position, circulatory disorders hurt the eyes.
Timely diagnosis allows you to start treatment at an early stage. Taking drugs (painkillers, muscle relaxants), physical therapy, physiotherapy give good results. The patient has to make a lot of efforts to recover. In difficult situations, surgery is possible to eliminate immobility.
Loss of hearing
With cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, blood circulation in the brain is disturbed. The blood in the vessels stagnates, noise and ringing in the ears begin. An audio problem has occurred. The brain compensates for this by creating ghost sounds. The experiments conducted have shown that patients with circulatory disorders hear sound, regardless of its presence. This is a protection system: if the ear cannot pick up some sounds from the outside world, the brain creates these sounds by itself.
The exacerbation of the disease is accompanied by congestion in the ears. In the presence of inflammatory processes: whistling, ringing, buzzing. In addition to hearing, vision deteriorates, memory is impaired.
Heart problems
During a spasm, the muscles compress the vertebral artery, which supplies blood to the brain. With a lack of nutritional fluid, the central nervous system gives a signal to increase the heart rate to increase the pressure. The heart beats faster, stronger, the pressure rises, nutrition is restored.
Medicine is taken to lower blood pressure - blood flow is reduced, the heart starts beating faster again. Patients with osteochondrosis of the thoracic region rapidly develop cardiovascular disease. They can be disturbed by a feeling of discomfort in the chest area, which is aggravated by the movement of the arms, deep inhalation, rotation, tilt.
Back pain - back pain, appears due to pinching of the nerve roots. Reflex muscle contraction aggravates the situation: blood flow is disturbed, edema appears. It is important to provide medical attention on time and to see a doctor for help with regular pain.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
First aid for osteochondrosis is provided at home if you feel severe pain in the back, an unpleasant sensation in the chest area, it is difficult to raise your hand and move.
You have to take NSAIDs. Remember that with osteochondrosis, drugs with an anti-inflammatory effect help best. Analgesics are less effective, although they have fewer side effects. Rub NSAID ointment or condoprotective ointment at the site of inflammation. The massage movements will disperse the blood, relieve swelling, and the medicine will help you survive the exacerbation. You need to move through the pain: make circular movements with your hands, head, hips, join the shoulder blades. Stretch your back by leaning against a table or chair.
Hot packs are not recommended. After all, the blood will flow faster to the place of edema, it will not be able to pass through the vessels due to muscle spasm. As a result, the swelling will increase, the inflammation will spread. For pain in the thoracic region, stretch the spine on the horizontal bar or with a Glisson ring. Correction with active traction is used only with well-developed muscles, and it is not even necessary to strive for a state of complete rest.
If the exacerbation recurs within a month, it is best to see a doctor for examination, diagnosis and treatment. It is impossible to fully recover from osteochondrosis - there is no technique that allows you to turn back the clock and stop degenerative processes.
But there are techniques that will help cope with pain and adapt to ongoing changes. These are drug treatment, massage, physiotherapy, manual therapy, vertebrorevitology, acupuncture and kinesiology.
After making a diagnosis, the doctor will choose a recovery option: prescribe the necessary medications that will help you survive the exacerbation, recommend procedures and manipulations for recovery.