Symptoms of chest osteochondrosis depend on which vertebrae have undergone dystrophic lesions, and their intensity depends on what changes have taken place in it. After listening to the patient's complaints, an experienced specialist will be able to make the correct diagnosis and suggest which part of the spine has undergone serious changes and destruction. The sooner your doctor diagnoses chest osteochondrosis and prescribes medication, the sooner relief comes.
Chest osteochondrosis is much less common than cervical osteochondrosis because the chest spine is less sensitive to stress and deformity. Nevertheless, it causes a lot of pain and discomfort and has many symptoms.
Chest osteochondrosis, Symptoms and Signs
The pain is mainly localized between the shoulder blades or in the intercostal space. Chest osteochondrosis often manifests as belt pain in the ribs of the body. Patients describe such pain as a feeling of "stake in the chest, " and their movement is disturbed, as the pain strikes even with the slightest careless movement. The pain is exacerbated by coughing, sneezing, deep breathing, and twisting of the torso. Shortness of breath occurs, breathing will be shallow and frequent. It is very difficult for the patient to raise or tilt their hands as this causes sharp and severe pain. The inconvenience is also caused by the vibration of the body, ie cycling, driving on uneven roads, and possible jumps. Cooling of the body can cause the pain to get worse, and with proper treatment, the disease can start with renewed vigor.
Often the pain is found in the spaces between the ribs. This is due to compression of the nerve roots, leading to intercostal neuralgia. At night, the sensation of pain intensifies, and when turning from side to side or changing posture, the patient wakes up from sharp stabbing pain, even in the presence of analgesic treatment.
Sweating, fatigue, and rapid fatigue are associated with signs of pain, sometimes with a localized rise in temperature in the inflamed spine.
Signs of dorsago and dorsalgia
The strong and very sharp pain is called dorsago. In chest osteochondrosis, symptoms of dorsago occur in people who sit still for a long time in a tilted position. In the event of a sharp rise or change in position, a sharp, sharp pain pierces the body. It is so strong and unexpected that it will take your breath away and make it hard to breathe. The muscles of the chest and back become stone-like, sometimes pierced by cramps. The treatment alleviates the pain and brings relief to the patient.
Dorsalgia, on the contrary, is a painful nature. Not too intense, but constantly reminiscent of himself. With sudden and rapid movements, coughing, sneezing, or deep inhalation, acute lightning-fast pain pierces the body. The twists and turns of the body are also given with difficulty and pain. The muscles of the back and chest tighten and the feeling reigns as if the upper body is tightened by a belt.
To get rid of these pains or to temporarily alleviate the condition, sometimes it is enough to walk or do a light workout.
Neurological signs in osteochondrosis
Most commonly, osteochondrosis of the thoracic segment is produced by neurological symptoms. This manifests as a feeling of "goosebumps" or loss of feeling in the abdomen or upper chest. Sometimes patients experience tension or stiffness in the back muscles, especially in the upper part as well as in the chest. In more severe and advanced cases, they violate the work of the pelvic organs.
In men and women, chest osteochondrosis occurs in nearly the same way and the symptoms are similar. The only difference is that in women, the disease occurs later. Women are prone to this disease during menopause. This is due to a decrease in the hormone progesterone, which protects the spine, or rather the discs, from abrasion.
In osteochondrosis, a woman may have strange symptoms such as peeling skin and brittle nails. Women have a harder time tolerating both chest and cervical osteochondrosis due to their weaker non-low pain defect.
Men, on the other hand, often turn to specialists in osteochondrosis of the thoracic region more often than women, and the average age is about 30 to 40 years. Men may complain of a decrease in potency. The key here is to confess the intimate problem to the doctor and not treat it yourself.
Signs of osteochondrosis that can be confused with other diseases
Because there are many nerve fibers and nerve endings in the chest region, the pain behind the sternum can radiate in any direction. The symptoms of osteochondrosis are very similar to those of other diseases, which exacerbates the situation with a diagnosis. Early diagnosis of osteochondrosis and initiation of treatment is very important for a more favorable outcome of the disease.
Many people confuse osteochondrosis with heart disease. But here are some differences to note. First, in chest osteochondrosis, the pain lasts longer and cannot be treated with heart medications. The second sign is that blood pressure is not rising, as is often the case with cardiovascular disease. And most importantly, the ECG results do not show any abnormalities in the work of the heart.
In women, the pain can spread to the mammary glands, and this sign of chest osteochondrosis is very common. In this situation, you should consult a mammologist and rule out breast disease.
Sometimes the patient complains of pain in the epigastric region, which can be confused with gastritis or gastric ulcer. The pain may also be localized in the right hypochondria, and unqualified medical personnel may suspect inflammation of the gallbladder or pancreas. Appendicitis is suspected in abdominal pain. In such cases, ultrasound examination of the additional abdominal organs, gastric X-ray and EGD examination, and, of course, clinical blood examination are appropriate.
If the lower part of the thoracic spine is affected, the patient will show signs of intestinal disease. But this condition does not depend on the food consumed, and the pain is exacerbated by physical exertion.
If the osteochondrosis has affected the upper part of the spine, the pain spreads to the pharynx and esophagus. The patient will feel signs of a foreign body in the throat and may have difficulty swallowing food, especially badly chewed food.
Only a doctor should deal with the diagnosis and treatment, self-medication in this case is unacceptable.
The effect of the profession on the development of osteochondrosis
The specifics of some professions can cause the development of osteochondrosis. The reason for this is the sedentary lifestyle, especially in professions such as truckers, pilots, mechanics. And the risk group includes weightlifting professions such as loaders. Prolonged lifting and carrying heavy loads results in abrasion and flattening of part of the vertebrae, which also leads to osteochondrosis and not only the thoracic but also the cervical and lumbar segments of the spine. In more advanced cases, the arms or back begin to numb, closer to the area of the shoulder blades. This is an alarm call to the specialist for examination and treatment.
Most office workers are prone to cervicothoracal osteochondrosis. In other words, not only the vertebrae of the chest region, but also the cervical vertebrae are involved in the process of change and destruction. Prolonged sitting in front of a computer and even in a bad posture leads to weakening and flabby muscles in the spine. The vertebrae begin to move, pinching the nerves.
Furthermore, because it is immobile in one position, the blood flow in the intervertebral discs causes disturbance, leading to starvation and destruction of the disc tissue. They feel pain in the head, shoulders and chest. They have hearing loss and tinnitus. With a sharp rise or movement of the head, the worker may lose consciousness as the vestibular device is interrupted. Vision often deteriorates, flies appear in front of the eyes. The muscles of the shoulder girdle and chest begin to ache like after a long exercise.
It may be worthwhile to change professions after treatment, as frequent relapses in the old workplace are possible.