Due to its anatomical features and relative inactivity, osteonecrosis rarely affects the thoracic region, but this disease cannot be called rare. Therefore, if you feel stiffness and pain in your shoulder blades, you should find out what thoracic spondylosis is, its symptoms and treatment methods.
Indeed, the disease is rarely localized to this part of the spine, but it can bring about as much discomfort and consequences as damage to the neck and lower back. Its peculiarity can be safely called the "myth" of symptoms, which even an experienced doctor can mistake at the beginning of the disease.
What is thoracic cyst?
Osteochondrosis - degenerative-dystrophic lesions of the intervertebral discs and the vertebrae themselves.
As mentioned, the disease manifests itself in the thoracic region much less than in the lumbar or cervical region due to the following characteristics:
- inactive chest area;
- it is well fixed by the ribs and the entire ribcage;
- Due to scoliosis (i. e. physiological curvature of the spine back) in the thoracic region, the vertebrae are subjected to maximum strain in the anterior, more durable part.
But, unfortunately, everyone can develop the disease, especially if there are prerequisites for this.
What does an MRI of the thoracic spine show?
Diagnosis of established disease in the thoracic region must be made comprehensively, and MRI shows a better true picture than most studies.
How is an MRI done?
Everything is simple and painless - you need to lie on a bench, enter a special spherical chamber, and wait for the allotted time until the device "enlightens" the body. All metal objects should be removed in advance and alerted personnel in the event of pacemakers, prostheses and other foreign objects in the body.
In general, osteonecrosis was previously diagnosed only with the aid of palpation - they probed the vertebrae, if there was pain then there was osteonecrosis. Now doctors supplement their knowledge with special studies, the most informative of which is MRI, which helps to identify degenerative phenomena in the cartilage and vertebrae, to determine the presence of hernias. taste, the peculiarities of their development.
If you're not afraid of confined spaces, you can even take a nap.
Symptoms of osteonecrosis of the thoracic spine
Symptoms of smoldering osteonecrosis in the chest area can successfully hide for a long time, not manifesting outwardly, and cause no pain or even discomfort. And later, when the damage has caused obvious manifestations, it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint the source of the painful sensations - they can be to the heart, internal organs, legs. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze this issue in detail.
Therefore, doctors distinguish several types of symptoms.
The reflex is directly related to the negative effects of the disease on various receptors.
As a result, the patient feels:
- pain in the shoulder blade area or just below, often encircling and squeezing "like a hoof";
- the focus of pain can be localized in different parts of the body - in the sternum, simulating a heart attack, on the right side, disguised as a liver, and even in the lower back, likerenal colic, so when diagnosed, it is often necessary to undergo a thorough examination of internal organs to conclude that there is a problem at the back.
Compression symptoms appear due to compression or stretching of the nerve roots,
As a result there may be:
- weakness in the legs, they seem to refuse;
- loss of sensitivity in the extremities;
- numbness in the pinched area, a feeling of "goosebumps";
- feeling of lethargy in the chest;
- tension of the surrounding muscles, which can be found during massage;
- the decline in the work of the organs, fortunately, such cases of neglect are very rare.
With the psychophysiological characteristics of women, sometimes the symptoms of bone tumors in the chest area are confused with other diseases.
Usually, the pain spreads to the mammary glands, which automatically prompts a woman to think of problems with her breasts.
Drawing, frequent pains resembling fibrosis, tumors and other problems with the gland, prompting you to visit a mammologist for advice. And if the doctor, after examination, examination and mammography, does not find any abnormalities in the structure and functioning of the mammary glands, one can safely assume that the presence of necrosisbone.
Causes of thoracic osteonecrosis
The cause of osteonecrosis in the chest and other areas is the same, but to pinpoint the problem here, clear prerequisites are needed:
- curvature of the spine, especially in the thoracic region;
- the presence of bad habits;
- wear high heels;
- staying in an unnatural position for a long time, such as sitting in front of a computer, sewing machine, weeding in the garden;
- great physical activity;
- genetic predisposition to diseases of the back;
- pregnancy causes a shift in focus;
- flat feet and refusal to wear special orthopedic insoles;
- spinal cord injury.
Signs of thoracic osteonecrosis
Signs of thoracic osteonecrosis are pain, stiffness, and muscle tension in this area. As we have established, reflex and compression syndromes are distinguished, the former of which should be discussed in more detail.
Dorsago and back pain
The most obvious reflex syndromes of the disease are low back pain and back pain. What is it?
Dorsago - severe pain, sharp pain in the spine, as if someone stabbed a knife in the back. Sometimes the pain spreads to the heart or sternum.
The sensations are so "rainbow" that the patient is afraid to make any movement and even take a deep breath. On palpation, you may notice muscle tension near the spine. Usually, the pain occurs after sitting for a long time in an uncomfortable position and has a noticeable change. Because of the severity of the pain and its localization to the chest, dorsago is often mistaken for a heart attack, but the removed heart image clears the picture.
Back pain is a painful condition, manifesting gradually, covering the back, chest, severe pain when moving, especially leaning and turning, even from sneezing or cycling.
The annoying thing is that it is sometimes difficult to determine the most painful areas - these are superficial or deep tissues, back or chest, which further complicates determining the correct diagnosis.
What is intercostal neuralgia?
Pain is sometimes felt in the intercostal region, then this symptom is called intercostal neuralgia, which is characterized by:
- severe pain, covering the intercostal space, sometimes radiating to the lower back, arm, or shoulder blade and lasting for hours, even days;
- soreness when probing the ribs;
- redness or pallor of the skin at the center of inflammation, a feeling of heat or, conversely, numbness;
- inability to breathe evenly and deeply - every breath brings torment;
- some muscles in the chest or back twitch spontaneously.
How to cure intercostal neuralgia at home
Before treating intercostal neuralgia, you need to correctly determine the diagnosis, since its symptoms are similar to heart disease, and if you begin to fight this disease at home with a heart problemreal heart muscle, you can run into huge problems.
If this is not the first attack and the doctor confirms the diagnosis, you can use home treatments, the most important of which are:
- bed rest for 2-3 days;
- taking sedatives to relieve pain and reduce spasms;
- the use of local analgesics in gels and ointments;
- the use of warming agents - mustard putty and pepper putty;
- restore nerve tissue by taking vitamin B;
- Stabilization of the spine, for this purpose, corsets are used to hold the body in the correct position and reduce compression on the vertebrae.
Back pain can actually go away in a few days, but to avoid a recurrence, you'll have to battle the cause for a few months.
Atypical signs of osteonecrosis of the breast
In addition to clinical manifestations, thoracic bone tumors may have completely atypical signs, which are easily confused with other pathologies. Among them:
- mimics heart or chest pain in women, discomfort can persist for weeks, but additional tests do not reveal heart and chest problems;
- locate the pain in the pelvis, as in gastritis or colitis, or on the right side, as in the case of liver dysfunction, the diagnosis is complicated by digestive distress due to failurein the conduction of impulses along the nerve, and here it is difficult to determine the primacy;
- disruption of urinary and erectile function, which also occurs due to conduction of nerve endings.
But there is a hint - the worsening manifests itself closer to the night, increases every hour upon awakening due to the compression of the nerve in the back and, after rest, it passes, and at the same time tangles. dysfunction of the heart or other internal organs. noticeable day and night.
How is thoracic spine tumor treated?
Treatment of degenerative bone disease in the thoracic spine is a long-term problem, moreover, it cannot restore tissues, only slow down the process, and prevent the disease from getting worse. But this does not mean that you can calmly, reconcile and do nothing, realize the futility of efforts, because treatment will give you the opportunity to live and work to the fullest, and although these forms of neglect won't end badly, they will ruin lives dramatically.
Drug treatment
At the first symptoms of osteonecrosis, drug treatment consists in the use of drugs to eliminate pain, for these purposes it is best to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
They are prescribed for 1-2 weeks, during which time, as a rule, the pain disappears.
You can combine pills, capsules, or suppositories with topical pain relievers or compresses (although they can cause allergies, so before using them you need to put the drops on a small area of skin and wait. half an hour), similar ointments are also well suited.
Sometimes, with pain of particular intensity, anti-inflammatory drugs do not work, and then the analgesic in the form of drops is saved.
In some cases, you have to inject pain medication right down the spine, a procedure called vertebral blockade and performed by a doctor in a hospital.
Then, muscle relaxants are used to relax the muscles, diuretics are prescribed to combat the edema around the nerve endings, and blood circulation and tissue regeneration restore the title. In the future, to prevent recurrence, you will have to take chondroprotectors for several months.
Treatment at home
At home, you can use many non-drug treatments for osteonecrosis, which are:
- Massage;
- Exercise therapy;
- stretching exercises;
- compression and infusion to normalize metabolism in the vertebrae.
For the last point, here you can advise folk remedies such as:
- rub with tincture of chrysanthemum, for this, take 200 grams of vodka, trike and camphor per 100 grams of a flower, insist for 14 days and rub into the affected area before bedtime, wrap it with a warm towel;
- Mix the same amount of orange peel and perilla herb and pour a cup of boiling water, leave for an hour, strain, add 1 teaspoon each. valerian tincture and honey, drink ½ glass twice a day for a month.
Exercises for the chest area
Perhaps it is the exercises that treat osteoporosis in the chest area that will be most effective in preventing future complications.
Gymnastics reduces stiffness, relaxes muscles, increases strength, and increases a person's physical activity. Continuous and regular exercise helps to speed up blood circulation, remove inflamed nerve roots, relieve stress on the spine, and this exercise therapy is suitable not only for chest injuries but also for anyany part of the spine.
But doctors discourage such a wide range of exercises from being used during episodes of severe exacerbations, with general poor health, coordination problems, high blood pressure and irregular heartbeats.
Before exercising, it is better to take a shower, stretch your muscles, combine massage and warm up.
So the best exercises:
- lift the shoulders up 10 times in turn;
- turns his head to the sides, freezes at the pole for a few seconds;
- place your hands on your back below the shoulder blades, bend over and freeze for 10 seconds;
- in a standing position, bend to the side, touch your knees with your shoulders, repeat in the other direction;
- lying on the floor, we put the roller under the thoracic area, bring the hands behind the head and raise the shoulders, then move the roller a little higher, this movement is to stretch this lumbar spine;
- Lying on our stomach, we raise our chest above the floor, first with our arms extended forward, then with our arms extended at the sides and finally with the arms connected in the back. into a key.
Such charging helps you forget about your back problems for months.
Massage
Massaging in the case of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region relieves pain, improves blood circulation and lymph flow, relieves muscle spasms, improves their tone, and enhances nutrients in the disc cartilage.
As a rule, the course does not begin immediately on the first day, but after 3-4 days, when the main discomfort has disappeared, in rare cases, masseurs can help inexacerbation phase.
The first sessions should be done gently, without putting too much pressure on the tissues; Both skillful hands and special massagers are the right tools. It is not worth doing a massage without proper education and experience - you can only aggravate the problem, so do not skip a course from a specialist.
Manual therapy
At first glance, manual therapy is similar to massage - stroking the same hands, but in reality, a chiropractor, unlike a massage therapist, does not act on muscles and skin. , which acts on the vertebrae themselves, requiring more strength and skill. .
It uses techniques of alternating percussion, stretching and relaxation of muscles, spinal curvature to eliminate disorders in the structure of the spine, and instrumental methods in the treatment of elderly patients.
A manual therapist can improve back muscle tension, restore spinal mobility, correct curvature and prolapse of the vertebrae, and improve blood circulation.
Prevention is the best treatment
To prevent the appearance of this unpleasant disease, you will have to make an effort, but it will be worth it. Recommendations:
- monitor your weight, because the extra kilos are an extra burden on the spine;
- delicious and varied food;
- avoid hypothermia of the spine;
- playing sports, especially when the job is sedentary, swimming is perfect;
- breaks and warm-ups at work (some of the above compound word exercises will do);
- change your posture when you are at the computer, desk for a long time;
- Avoid excessive stress on the spine.
Adjust nutrition
The condition of joints, blood vessels and bones is directly dependent on nutrition, and if symptoms of osteonecrosis appear, it should be corrected. Therefore, it is necessary to exclude:
- smoked meat clogs the body;
- frying, causing the appearance of extra weight;
- sweet;
- soda, especially sweet.
Instead, visit:
- boiled meat and broth from pork, chicken and rabbit;
- vegetable;
- green vegetables;
- dairy products, especially kefir, cottage cheese and cottage cheese;
- boil fish at least once a week;
- fruit, apple is better.
Correct postures in dreams
Osteosarcoma of the chest regulates its own rules even in dreams, requiring you to choose the most correct positions. You will have to give up your favorite prone position - in this position, the head is tilted back, and the blood vessels are compressed, reducing blood circulation in the brain.
The best postures for the disease are:
- on the side, when all organs and limbs are at rest and not compressed;
- backside;
- In the fetal position with the legs pulled up in front of the chest, the muscles in the back relax well in it.
I note that equal attention will be paid to the bed, that is, the bed must have a firm base, orthopedic firm mattress and a small pillow, on which only the head, not the shoulders, should be supported at body level. We'll have to say goodbye to our favorite comfy mattress and a giant pillow.
Sitting posture
Even sitting with chronic osteonecrosis should be right! These tips must be strictly followed:
- avoid upholstered furniture;
- choose a chair so that your feet touch the floor, 2/3 of your thighs;
- there should be plenty of space under the table when sitting so that you don't have to bend your legs;
- with long sitting every 10-15 minutes, change your posture, warm up, walk;
- make sure that the back rests on the back;
- do not bend forward to avoid muscle tension;
- while driving, put a roller under the lower back to preserve physiological flexion;
- Even while relaxing on the sofa or bed, change positions every hour, relaxing your back muscles and stretching.
Osteosarcoma is not a fatal disease, but a very unpleasant disease, which should be controlled at the first manifestation. Now you know what to look for, how to recognize the varied symptoms, the exercises to do with osteonecrosis and beat it. Dare and healthy!