Thoracic osteochondrosis is a disease in which the intervertebral discs in the thoracic spine are destroyed. Since this department is the lowest, it is less susceptible to disease.
Thoracic osteochondrosis is characterized by spasms and pain in the chest, under the ribs, shortness of breath, stinging, cutting, sharp pain behind the sternum. The symptoms and manifestations of the disease may be similar to those of other diseases.
Symptoms
Spine pain is the most common and superficial symptom. Of course, they do not always talk about the development of osteochondrosis in humans. Therefore, you should pay attention to other sensations in the body:
- Unpleasant sensation and chest pain. Often, if you are sitting, you may not notice this. But once you start doing any physical activity in which breathing speeds up, you will notice that the pain intensifies. The nature of this pain can be called herpes.
- In addition, you may experience pain in completely unexpected places - in the region of the heart, abdomen, liver. This is due to the fact that chest osteochondrosis tends to be "disguised" as a separate disease. For example, many may confuse it with gastritis, ulcers or angina pectoris.
- If you notice that occasionally in the chest area you have "lumps", then along with other manifestations, this may indicate thoracic osteochondrosis.
- In some cases, there may be a loss of sexual function, for example, impotence in men.
Pain in osteochondrosis of the chest
One of the main characteristics of this type of pain is herpes. But it is not always possible to recognize this pain from her. Here's how it can feel and be characterized differently:
- most often manifested in the dark, behind the chest;
- a feeling that can be described as "a peg in the chest";
- discomfort in the region of the hypochondrium, both on the right and on the left;
- feeling as if there was some foreign body behind the sternum;
- if the lesion affects only the upper chest region, then a person may experience pain in the esophageal and pharyngeal region.
Since these symptoms are still very vague and can speak to a range of other diseases, the doctor recommends undergoing an additional ECG analysis.
Impact on organs
In the process of development, this disease can have a negative effect on the internal organs, namely the lungs and the heart. Here's what thoracic osteochondrosis can bring:
- effect on the heart. It is mainly caused by tightening of the nerve roots in the chest area. After all, that’s where the cardiac nerve plexuses go. It is these plexuses that are involved in the regulation of the heart. The main alarm bells here are regular heartbeats (extrasystoles), arrhythmia, tachycardia. Therefore, the effect on the cardiovascular system can appear either in one of these symptoms, or in all at once;
- effect on the lungs. Most often it is manifested by shortness of breath and painful sensations at the same time.
Why does osteochondrosis of the chest appear?
Despite the fact that osteochondrosis as a whole is quite common, thoracic osteochondrosis is less common. Prerequisites for the appearance of this disease can already be found in school students, who, making up, sit at their desks. Because of this, children can develop scoliosis, and at a more mature age - osteochondrosis. Most other causes of development are closely related to scoliosis:
- violation of residence;
- metabolic disorders affecting the integrity of intervertebral discs;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- hereditary reasons;
- spinal cord injury;
- static work and prolonged stay in an uncomfortable, twisted position.
How to treat?
Once an accurate diagnosis has been made during the tests, the doctor prescribes special medication treatment. In the case of osteochondrosis of the chest, it may include the following drugs, depending on the severity of the disease and the characteristics of its manifestation:
- First of all, medications are prescribed that "relieve" the pain and alleviate the discomfort. They are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or glucocorticosteroid drugs.
- To avoid dehydration of the intervertebral disc, papain is used.
- Drugs called "chondroprotectors" are prescribed. With their help, there is a general strengthening of cartilage tissue.
- Medications can be added to the list to relieve muscle spasms around the spine.
- If the development of an inflammatory process is detected, then a special anti-inflammatory therapy is prescribed.
But, of course, it is impossible to cure with medication alone. Make sure you follow a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition. These actions will be useful not only for the treatment but also for the prevention of this and many other diseases.
Exercises for chest osteochondrosis
Since lack of physical activity is one of the underlying causes of disease development, the role of exercise in this case is great. In addition, by supplementing with exercise medication treatment, your body will return to normal and stabilize much faster.
There are a number of special exercises for the chest region. When performing them, follow the basic rules: no crackling, act slowly, smoothly, without trying to overload the body. An increase in amplitude is allowed, but only if you have no pain. So what are the most effective exercises offered by physical therapy?
- Lie on the floor on your stomach. Hands - along the body. We bend in the chest region - smoothly, gently. Raise your arms and head as high as you feel, but try to avoid pain. It is recommended to complete at least 5 approaches.
- For the next exercise, we need a chair with a small, firm back. Sit exactly in a chair. We exhale, leaning back on our backs while pulling our arms back. We then return to the starting position. We repeat it 10-12 times.
- We stand up straight. Hands in stitching, feet together. We take a deep breath and raise our hands. During extraction, we slowly lean back and lower our arms. We return to the starting position. It is recommended to do 7-9 accesses at the same time.
- Stand on all fours on the floor. Slowly bend your back while breathing as you exhale - return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 7-10 times.
- We lie on the floor with our bellies. Hands in sewing. Your task is to pull the body off the floor, reaching with the head towards the heels. We pull the whole body, we work the chest. The required number of approaches is 7-8.
- We work with the upper chest region. Starting position - hands sewing, feet shoulder width apart. We work with our shoulders. First we grow them together, then each one separately. We turn our shoulders forward - backward, forward - backward. We perform 10-15 approaches for each task.
- Also, for the upper chest region, you can perform circular movements with your hands. Initial position, as in the previous task. We spread our arms to the sides, we squeeze our palms into fists. We rotate the fists back and forth, then rotate the hand from the elbow back and forth, then with the whole hand forward and backward. We perform each part of the exercise 4-6 times, in general we repeat the exercise 2-4 times.
Exercise in the morning and evening for at least 15-20 minutes. Dilute it with a set of exercises for other muscle groups by introducing some of the above options.
Massage
Massage is also a very good medicine in the fight against osteochondrosis. Here a therapeutic massage is done, which is prescribed by a specialist after a thorough examination of the patient. You can do it at home too - here are some options on how to do it.
Massage with honey. We need 2-3 tablespoons of honey, preferably not sweetened, warm. Dip your palms into the honey so that it is covered with a thin layer. Apply to the area behind the sternum and cut it abruptly, repeat several times, moving the palms from one place to another.
This massage should not be performed for too long as it is painful. 10-15 minutes are enough for one session. After that, the skin will redden, it will "burn".
Classic massage. It consists of several steps, which include: hitting, kneading, vibrating, rubbing. It is recommended to massage using an anti-osteochondrosis cream or ointment - it can be recommended by your attending specialist.
The duration of this massage should not exceed 20 minutes and the general course of treatment with this method should not include more than 11-13 sessions. As a preventative measure, kneading is therefore also recommended for the neck, arms, shoulders, buttocks and even the legs.
Home treatments
In addition, there are alternative methods for treating osteochondrosis of the chest. For example, rubbing is very good, the base of which can also be used while performing the massage. Lilac flowers, horseradish root, garlic, onions, potatoes, ficus are usually used as a base. Honey, vegetable oil and sometimes cologne or alcohol are added. Mix everything thoroughly to a homogeneous mass and rub the damaged area. For example, according to the following recipe, you can prepare rubbing from ficus leaves:
- Ficus leaves in quantity 6-8 are passed on a grater or cut into small pieces. It is placed in a container, where it is poured with 2 bottles of triple cologne. Mix. Grinding should be in a dark place for 2 weeks. It is then necessary to use it at least 2 times a day until the heat appears on the skin.
Computer work is one of the most important causes of osteochondrosis. If you spend a lot of time at the computer, it is recommended that you do exercises at least every two hours.
Computer work and osteochondrosis
Doing computer activities every day without physical activity can lead to poor behavior. This is because the person performs static work for a long period of time, giving no rest to the muscles and spine and doing no warm-up or rest. In the future, without correcting this problem, osteochondrosis of the chest region may develop.
To prevent this from happening, experts advise performing so-called office charging, created specifically for those who work on the computer most of the time.
For example, the following exercises are very good:
- Bend at the back, pulling the arms up, throwing the head back. Feel a nice weight on your back. Perform after each working hour on the computer at least 3-4 times.
- Perform circular rotations with your head. Look left and right, tilt your head back and forth.
- Raise your arms up - to the sides - forward - to the sides. Repeat several times.
- Stay close to your work area, if you can, and cross from foot to foot.
Do not forget to change your position while working on the computer, then you will maintain your health, spine and posture for a long time!
Strengthening the back muscles with osteochondrosis
Strengthening the back muscles is a very important part in treating and preventing osteochondrosis. To do this, just do physical activity - exercise, go to fitness classes or the 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.