The spine is made up of joints and vertebrae. Depreciation, mobility, nutrition are provided by the intervertebral discs and joint capsules - cartilaginous structures with fluid inside. Ligaments maintain a complex structure of bone and cartilage tissue, limit hypermobility and reduce the risk of dislocation. Muscle tissue protects against damage and delivers nutrients. Due to a number of reasons (age, injury, exhaustion, changes in metabolism) cartilage structures are erased and thinned. The joints merge, the pressure in the spine changes.
Intervertebral discs are dense, durable formations that are damaged due to improper joint position. In case of damage, they leave their usual position, bulges appear, hernias that put pressure on the nerve endings. The process of autoimmune reactions begins - the body perceives the hernia as a foreign entity that we must fight. Muscle spasms, blood circulation is disturbed, a person experiences pain. Often the pain radiates to the internal organs. Against the background of neuralgia appear tachycardia, pain in the heart, lungs and stomach upsets. In women, there are difficulties in raising the arm, tilting the head.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic and cervical-thoracic region develops imperceptibly. Often the patient learns of a problem during the examination when dealing with complaints of heart function. After the examination, the neurologist diagnosed cervicothoracic osteochondrosis.
Cervical-thoracic osteochondrosis
The first symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis can be detected on their own at home. The change in posture is the difficulty of keeping your back straight for a long time, discomfort in the shoulder blades, increased kyphosis - the deviation of the spine. There are 2 tests to detect problems in yourself.
How to detect signs of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis:
Press your back against the wall as tightly as possible. Pay attention to the distance between the lower back and the wall. Usually the back should be fully pressed against the wall. The long distance shows the development of compensatory disorders - lordosis and kyphosis. The vertebrae and joints are movable structures. Changes in one segment are compensated by flattening or deviating the other. Changes in women occur during pregnancy, when the spine adjusts to the load of carrying a child. In women after the age of 40, flattening of the lumbar region, developed kyphosis in the chest, is often observed.
Stand up straight. As you inhale, stretch your upper head and arms up, while exhaling, bend over, reach the floor with your hands. Usually the hands should be free to touch the floor. If you do the exercise in front of a mirror, then look at how straight your back is when you are leaning.
Scoliosis, overweight problem, frequent colds worsen the situation, provoking a new exacerbation. Degenerative-dystrophic processes occur faster in weakened areas. Over time, the symptoms of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis become clearer:
- stooping, inability to control proper 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 with deep breathing;
- difficulty raising the arm, bringing the shoulders together;
- high blood pressure, tachycardia.
Unfortunately, people do not always associate chest pain and symptoms of osteochondrosis of the chest. After reading the available recipes, self-treatment begins. Instead of massage and physical education, they take drugs to reduce blood pressure. Mustard patches are applied instead of chondroprotectors in the chest area.
Widow's hump
Widow's hump, hip, withers is the accumulation of fat in the cervical-thoracic spine. The withers appear where the muscles are least developed. This is not just an aesthetic problem. Stagnation of the cervicothoracic area prevents free rotation of the head. In women with a widow's hump, the head hurts very often, the blood pressure changes and there is a lump in the throat. It is difficult to reduce and separate the shoulder blades, the hands tingle, darken the eyes, hearing decreases, and when you turn your head there is a crunch.
The disease got its name because in women over 45 years, doctors noticed the formation of a seal in the cervicothoracic area. Before that, women became widows at that age. Today, signs of the withers can be seen in overweight young ladies. In men, the withers are not formed due to atomic features: developed trapezius, deltoid muscles and biceps.
Metabolic disorders, overweight, lack of physical activity, weak muscles of the upper limbs form a crown. It is very difficult to get rid of the formed withers, it is necessary to exercise, do massages and follow a diet.
Bechterew's disease
A dangerous disease that occurs mainly in men, in which muscles atrophy, joints merge. The biggest problem is that the disease is diagnosed in the late stages. It is very difficult to capture the moment of development, as patients come to the hospital when the spine is already limited.
The first symptoms of pain appear in the sacrum and eventually reach the neck. The deviation in the cervical-thoracic area increases, the body bends forward, acquiring the position of the petitioner. Due to the change in the position of the chest, breathing becomes difficult. Irradiation of pain in the hands, high blood pressure, muscle cramps torment the patient. Internal organs are affected - the heart, lungs, kidneys. Due to the wrong position, circulatory disorders injure the eyes.
Early diagnosis allows you to start treatment at an early stage. Good results give medication (painkillers, muscle relaxants), exercise therapy, physiotherapy. The patient has to work hard to recover. In difficult situations, immobilization surgery is possible.
Hearing loss
In cervicothoracic osteochondrosis, the blood circulation in the brain is disturbed. The blood in the vessels stagnates, noise and ringing in the ears begin. There is a problem with the sound. The brain compensates for this by making phantom sounds. Experiments have shown that patients with circulatory disorders hear the sound, regardless of its presence. This is a defense system - if the ear cannot pick up some sounds from the outside world, the brain creates those sounds itself.
Exacerbation of the disease is accompanied by ear obstruction. 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 spinal artery, which delivers blood to the brain. In the absence of nutrient fluid, the central nervous system signals an increase in heart rate to increase pressure. The heart beats faster, harder, the pressure rises, nutrition is restored.
A medicine is taken to lower blood pressure - it reduces blood flow, the heart starts beating faster again. Patients with thoracic osteochondrosis rapidly develop cardiovascular disease. They may be disturbed by a feeling of discomfort in the chest area, which is intensified by the movement of the arms, deep breathing, turning, leaning.
Dorsalgia - back pain, occurs due to pinching of nerve roots. Reflex muscle contraction worsens the situation - blood flow is disrupted, edema occurs. It is important to get medical help in time and consult a doctor for help with regular pain.
Treatment of osteochondrosis
First aid for osteochondrosis is provided at home if you feel sharp back pain, discomfort in the chest, it is difficult to raise your arm and move.
You must take NSAIDs. Remember that anti-inflammatory drugs help better in osteochondrosis. Analgesics are less effective, although they have fewer side effects. Rub NSAID ointment or chondroprotective ointment at the site of inflammation. Massage movements will disperse the blood, relieve swelling, and the drug will help you survive the exacerbation. You have to move through the pain - make circular movements with your arms, head, thighs, bring your shoulders together. Stretch your back while leaning on a table or chair.
Warm compresses are not recommended. After all, the blood will flow faster to the site of swelling, 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 chest pain, stretch the spine on a horizontal bar or with a Glisson loop. Active traction correction is used only with well-developed muscles and it is also not necessary to strive for a state of complete rest.
If the exacerbation is repeated within a month, it is better to consult a doctor for examination, diagnosis and treatment. It is impossible to fully recover from osteochondrosis - there is no technique that can allow you to turn the clock back and stop degenerative processes.
But there are techniques that will help you cope with the pain and adapt to current changes. These are drug treatment, massage, physiotherapy, manual therapy, vertebrorevitology, acupuncture and kinesiology.
Once diagnosed, the doctor will choose an option for recovery: prescribe the necessary drugs that will help you survive the exacerbation, will recommend procedures and manipulations for recovery.