Thoracic osteochondrosis

Thoracic osteochondrosis is a disease in which the intervertebral discs of the thoracic spine are destroyed. This department being the most sedentary, it is less susceptible to diseases.

Thoracic osteochondrosis is characterized by spasms and pain in the chest, under the ribs, shortness of breath, stabbing, cuts, sharp pain behind the breastbone. Symptoms and manifestations of the disease can be similar to those of other diseases.

Symptoms

Spinal pain is the most common and superficial symptom. Of course, they do not always talk about the development of osteochondrosis in humans. Therefore, you need to pay attention to other sensations in the body:

1. Unpleasant sensations and chest pain. Often times if you are sedentary you may not notice it. But as soon as you start to do a physical activity in which the breathing is accelerated, you will notice that the pain intensifies. The nature of this pain can be called shingles.
2. In addition, you can feel pain in completely unexpected places - the area of the heart, abdomen, liver. This is because chest osteochondrosis tends to "disguise" itself as a particular disease. For example, many may confuse it with gastritis, ulcers, or angina.
3. If you notice that every now and then in the chest area you have "goose bumps", this may indicate chest osteochondrosis in conjunction with other manifestations.
4. In some cases, there may be a loss of sexual function, for example, impotence in men.

Pain in thoracic osteochondrosis

One of the main characteristics of this type of pain is shingles. But it is not always possible to recognize this pain in it. Here is how it can be felt and characterized:

• most often manifests itself in the dark, behind the breastbone;
• a feeling that can be described as a "stake in the chest";
• unpleasant sensations in the area of the hypochondrium, on the right and on the left;
• feeling as if there is a foreign body behind the breastbone;
• If the lesion only affects the upper part of the chest area, a person may experience pain in the area of the esophagus and pharynx.

Since these symptoms are still very vague and may suggest a number of other illnesses, the doctor recommends having an additional ECG analysis.

Influence on organs

In the process of development, this disease can have a negative effect on internal organs, namely the lungs and heart. Here is what can cause thoracic osteochondrosis:

• effect on the heart. Mainly, it is caused by the pinching of the nerve roots in the chest area. After all, this is where the heart nerve plexuses start from. It is these plexuses that are involved in regulating the heart. The main alarm bells here are regular heart palpitations (extrasystoles), arrhythmia, tachycardia. The effect on the cardiovascular system can therefore be manifested either in one of these symptoms or in all of them at the same time;
• effect on the lungs. It is most often manifested by shortness of breath and painful sensations at the same time.

Why does thoracic osteochondrosis appear?

Despite the fact that osteochondrosis as a whole is quite common, thoracic osteochondrosis is less common. The prerequisites for the onset of this disease are already found in schoolchildren who, grimacing, sit down at their desks. Because of this, children can develop scoliosis and, at an older age, osteochondrosis. Most of the other causes of development are closely related to scoliosis:

• violation of posture;
• metabolic disorders affecting the integrity of the intervertebral discs;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• hereditary reasons;
• Injury of the spine;
• static work and prolonged stay in an uncomfortable twisted position.

How to treat?

After an accurate diagnosis has been made during the tests, the doctor prescribes special drug therapy. With thoracic osteochondrosis, it may include the following drugs, depending on the severity of the disease and the characteristics of its manifestation:

1. First of all, drugs are prescribed to "suppress" the pain and relieve the discomfort. They are called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or glucocorticoids.
2. To avoid a lack of fluid in the intervertebral disc, papain is used.
3. Medicines called "chondroprotectors" are prescribed. With their help there is a general strengthening of cartilage tissue.
4. Medicines can be added to the list to relieve spasms in the muscles around the spine.
5. If the development of an inflammatory process is detected, special anti-inflammatory therapy is prescribed.

But, of course, it is impossible to cure with drugs alone. Make sure you follow a healthy lifestyle, good nutrition. These actions will be useful not only for the treatment, but also for the prevention of this disease and many others.

Exercises for thoracic osteochondrosis

Since lack of physical activity is one of the root causes of the development of the disease, the role of exercise in this case is great. In addition, by supplementing drug therapy with exercise, your body will return to normal and stabilize much faster.

There are a number of special exercises for the thoracic region. When performing them, follow the basic rules: no jerks, act slowly, smoothly, without trying to overload the body. An increase in amplitude is allowed, but only if you do not feel pain. So what are the most effective exercises provided by physiotherapy?

1. Lie on the floor on your stomach. Hands - along the body. We bend in the thoracic region - gently, gently. Raise your arms and head as high as you feel it, but try to avoid the pain. It is recommended to complete at least 5 approaches.
2. For the next exercise, we need a chair with a small, strong backrest. Sit exactly on a chair. We breathe out as we lean back on our back, while pulling our arms back. Then we return to the starting position. We repeat 10-12 times.
3. We stand up straight. Hands joined, feet joined. We take a deep breath and raise our hands. On the exhale, we slowly lean back and lower our arms. We return to the starting position. It is recommended to do 7-9 approaches at a time.
4. Get on all fours on the floor. Slowly arch your back while inhaling, exhaling - return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 7 to 10 times.
5. We lie down on the floor on our stomachs. Hands at the seams. Your task is to tear the body off the ground, stretching your head towards your heels. We pull the whole body, work the chest. The number of approaches required is 7 to 8.
6. We work with the upper part of the thoracic region. Starting position - hands at the seams, feet shoulder-width apart. We work with our shoulders. We raise them first together, then each separately. We twist our shoulders forward - backward, forward - backward. We perform 10 to 15 approaches for each task.
7. Also, for the upper part of the thoracic region, you can perform circular movements with your hands. Starting position, as in the previous task. We stretch our arms out to the sides, clenching our palms in our fists. We rotate our fists back and forth, then rotate the elbow hand back and forth, then with the whole hand back and forth. We do each part of the exercise 4-6 times, usually we repeat the exercise 2-4 times.

Exercise morning and night for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Dilute it with a series of exercises for other muscle groups by inserting several of the options above.

Massage

Massage is also a very good remedy in the fight against osteochondrosis. Here, a therapeutic massage takes place, which is prescribed by a specialist after a thorough examination of the patient. You can also do it at home - here are several options for doing it.

Honey massage. We need 2-3 tablespoons of honey, preferably not candied, warm. Dip the palms in honey so that they are covered with a thin layer. We apply in the area behind the breastbone and sharply tear it, repeat several times, moving the palms from one place to another.

This massage should not be performed for too long as it is painful. Enough 10-15 minutes for a session. After that, the skin will turn red, it will "burn".

Classic massage. It consists of several stages, which include: stroking, kneading, vibrating, rubbing. It is recommended to perform massage using an osteochondrosis cream or ointment - this may be recommended by your attending specialist.

The duration of this massage should not exceed 20 minutes and the general treatment with this method should not consist of more than 11 to 13 sessions. As a preventive measure, kneading is therefore also recommended for the neck, arms, shoulders, buttocks and even legs.

Home Care

In addition, there are alternative methods for the treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis. For example, the friction is very good, the base of which can also be used to perform massage. Lilac flowers, horseradish root, garlic, onions, potatoes, ficus are usually taken as the basis. 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 rub from ficus leaves:

• Leaves of ficus in the amount of 6-8 are passed through a grater or cut into small pieces. Placed in a container, where it is poured with 2 bottles of triple cologne. To mix together. Grinding should be in a dark place for 2 weeks. Then it should be used at least 2 times a day until heat appears on the skin.

Working in front of a computer is one of the most important causes of osteochondrosis. If you spend a lot of time in front of the computer, it is recommended that you exercise at least every two hours.

Computer work and osteochondrosis

Performing activities on the computer every day without physical activity can lead to poor posture. This happens because the person is doing static work for a long time, not leaving the muscles and spine to rest, and not doing any warm-up or respite. In the future, without correcting this problem, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region may develop.

To prevent this from happening, experts advise performing the so-called desktop charging, designed specifically for those who mostly work on a computer.

For example, the following exercises are very good:

1. Lean back, pull your arms up, throw your head back. Feel a pleasant weight on your back. Perform at least 3-4 times after every hour of working on the computer.
2. Make circular rotations with your head. Look left and right, tilt your head back and forth.
3. Raise your arms up - to the sides - to the front - to the sides. Repeat several times.
4. Stand next to your work area, if you can, and switch from one foot to the other.

Remember to change position when working at the computer, this will keep your health, spine and posture for a long time!

Strengthen the back muscles with osteochondrosis

Strengthening the back muscles is a very important part in the treatment and prevention of osteochondrosis. To do this, it is enough to engage in physical activity - exercise, go to fitness classes or to the gym. Choose the option that works best for you. For example, swimming builds muscles well, so you can not only enjoy it, but also improve your body.