In just 24-36 sessions, depending on the intensity of the treatment and the stages of the disease, you will get rid of the pain caused by osteochondrosis of the chest, you will be able to normalize sleep and live fully
It is important to understand
If osteochondrosis of the chest is detected, it is necessary to choose an individual set of therapeutic exercises, to study the technique of their performance and to exclude exercises that have contraindications.
With this diagnosis, it is important to regularly attend treatment sessions, undergo a full course of treatment in a specialized center, and in the future you must maintain your health in a preventive mode yourself.
Osteochondrosis is a fairly common and serious disease.
Its danger is that in the initial stages it may not manifest itself in any way or may be disguised as other pathologies.
This happens especially often with osteochondrosis of the chest.
In this place, the vertebrae are not so loosely connected, so degenerative processes rarely develop here.
But if osteochondrosis of the chest occurs, it causes pronounced symptoms and severe pain.
Pathogenesis of osteochondrosis
Recently, osteochondrosis is diagnosed not only in the elderly, as it was before. This pathology occurs more and more often among young people.
This is due to the characteristics of lifestyle and nutrition. Ultimately, osteochondrosis occurs due to disruption of metabolic processes and blood circulation.
There can be many reasons for this, but one of the most common is lack of physical activity and sedentary work.
It is a degenerative-dystrophic pathology, which is characterized by gradual destruction of the intervertebral discs. They lose water and nutrients, the cartilage dries out and begins to crack.
Due to this, the disc ceases to perform shock absorbing functions, the vertebrae move closer to each other and also begin to collapse.
In the chest area, such processes rarely develop, since the load on the discs here is small. But various injuries, metabolic disorders and blood circulation can lead to the development of thoracic osteochondrosis.
Moreover, it is in this place that the disease is particularly severe. After all, here there are many nerve endings going to the internal organs.
Possible complications
The danger of thoracic osteochondrosis is that it begins unnoticed. Often, at the first stage, there are almost no painful sensations, and those that occur can be confused with pain in the stomach or heart.
Because of this, many patients are unsuccessfully treated for gastritis or angina for a long time until they undergo a complete examination. X-ray of the spine will help identify the narrowing of the intervertebral space and suspect the development of osteochondrosis.
If this is not done and treatment is not started, the disease will progress rapidly. The destruction of the cartilage tissue of the discs can only be stopped with special methods. The discs themselves are not recoverable. In addition, in the chest area, this process occurs faster, because due to the low mobility of the spine, the blood supply to the tissues here is worse.
Therefore, without timely treatment, osteochondrosis can lead to serious complications. It can cause the following pathologies:
- protrusion or intervertebral hernia;
- spinal cord compression;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- biliary dyskinesia;
- disorders of the intestines, liver or pancreas;
- heart diseases.
Characteristic symptoms and signs of thoracic osteochondrosis
Every person who is prone to diseases of the spine should know how osteochondrosis manifests itself. If you do not ignore the characteristic symptoms, you can start treatment on time and stop the progression of the pathology.
The main sign of spinal cord injury is that pain is associated with physical activity. In the initial stages, they are not strong and appear in the evening, and after rest they disappear.
In addition, the pain intensifies when taking a deep breath, raising the arms up, twisting the torso or lifting heavy objects. And it usually starts in one place, only then spreads to the entire chest.
Due to painful sensations in this place, muscle spasms appear and it becomes difficult for the patient to move. Often the pathology is accompanied by intercostal neuralgia.
What can go wrong with osteochondrosis of the chest?
This disease can be cured only in the initial stage. But the problem is that it is difficult to diagnose osteochondrosis of the chest in time, its symptoms are often confused with other pathologies.
It is not always accompanied by typical symptoms. Some patients do not feel back pain or intercostal neuralgia.
Sometimes thoracic osteochondrosis manifests itself with atypical symptoms characteristic of other diseases. It is most often confused with pathologies of internal organs.
- In principle, its manifestations are similar to angina pectoris. Pain in the heart, which is aggravated by inhalation, shortness of breath and the inability to raise the arm, force patients to take cardiac drugs. But there is no relief, and the ECG also does not reveal any abnormalities in the work of the heart.
- Sometimes there is pain that resembles the symptoms of peptic ulcer, gastritis or pancreatitis. But they worsen not after eating, as in these pathologies, but after physical activity.
- Women may notice pain in the mammary glands.
- The localization of the pathology in the upper part of the chest can cause a lump in the throat and difficulty swallowing.
Osteochondrosis of the chest can cause nausea, difficulty breathing or even suffocation.
There is often numbness or tingling in the upper extremities, muscle weakness, and inability to raise the arm or move it to the side.
Causes of osteochondrosis of the chest
Often, in order to accurately diagnose a disease, it is necessary to take into account its possible causes. People with a hereditary predisposition, overweight and bad habits are susceptible to such pathologies.
It is also recommended to examine the spine in patients with various endocrine and metabolic disorders, diseases of the circulatory system and diabetes mellitus.
Osteochondrosis of the chest most often occurs in people over 45 years old. At this time, metabolic processes slow down, tissues lack nutrients.
In addition, physical activity decreases, which leads to a weakening of the muscular corset of the spine.
But there are other causes of osteochondrosis in the chest area:
- back injuries, bruises or sprains;
- regular weight lifting, heavy physical activity;
- rachiocampsis;
- prolonged sitting in an incorrect position, for example when working on a computer or driving a car.
What are the degrees of the disease?
Osteochondrosis of the chest is a chronic pathology. It develops very slowly, but it is constantly progressing.
In order to choose the right treatment methods, doctors distinguish several stages of the disease. They have characteristic symptoms and require a special approach to therapy.
- The first degree of osteochondrosis almost does not cause pain. If they appear, it happens after physical activity.
- In the second stage, the pain becomes stronger. In fact, due to the gradual destruction of the disc, the vertebrae move closer to each other, which can cause pinching of the nerve roots. In this case, neurological symptoms and signs of internal organ dysfunction appear.
- In the third stage of osteochondrosis, an intervertebral hernia often appears. A ruptured disc puts pressure on blood vessels and nerves, leading to severe pain and other health problems. The mobility of the spine in this place is severely limited.
- The last stage of the pathology is characterized by complete destruction of the disc. Osteophytes appear on the vertebrae, sometimes they completely fuse. Every movement of the patient causes him pain, so the disease at this stage often leads to disability.
Why should you consult a doctor immediately?
Some patients ignore the first symptoms of the disease. They mistake mild back pain and muscle weakness for overexertion. And after a break, they continue to lead their usual way of life. Because of this, the disease progresses, leading to serious complications.
A decrease in the cushioning functions of the intervertebral discs leads to curvature of the spine. Thoracic kyphosis usually develops. Due to this, the chest is compressed and breathing is disturbed.
If you do not see a doctor in time, the intervertebral discs can completely collapse. This will cause the vertebrae to come together and pinch the nerve endings. With each movement, the situation will be aggravated by the fact that the vertebrae will begin to collapse due to friction. This can cause damage to the spinal cord and paralysis of the body below the damaged vertebrae.
Disease prevention
To prevent serious complications of the pathology, you should consult a doctor in time. The earlier the treatment begins, the greater the possibility of completely stopping the degenerative processes.
This is best done with the help of kinesitherapy. In the initial stage of the pathology, as well as during its prevention, this method will help strengthen the muscular corset of the spine and improve blood supply to the disc tissue.
Specialists in a modern kinesitherapeutic center will help prevent the development of degenerative processes in people with a predisposition to them. After all, moderate physical activity is necessary to maintain a healthy spine.
An individually developed daily regime with special exercises and diet will help to avoid the destruction of the disc and the complications of this process.
How is the treatment carried out?
Collection of anamnesis - analysis of the disease, identification of limitations and contraindications, explanation of the principles of kinesitherapy, characteristics of the recovery period.
Myofascial diagnostics is a manual diagnostic method in which the doctor assesses the range of joint movements, determines painful tightness, swelling, hypo- or hypertonus of the muscles and other changes.
Functional diagnostics (performed in the rehabilitation room) - the doctor explains how certain exercises are performed on the equipment and observes: how the patient performs them, what range of motion he can work with, what movements cause pain, what weight the patient can do. work with, how the cardiovascular system reacts. Problem areas have been identified. The data is entered into the card. Accents are set.
Based on the results of the primary examination by a doctor and functional diagnostics, a preliminary individual treatment program is drawn up.
It is recommended to have with you:
- for spine pain - MRI or CT (magnetic resonance or computed tomography) of the problem area;
- in case of joint pain - X-rays;
- in the presence of accompanying diseases - extracts from the medical history or outpatient card;
- comfortable (sports) clothes and shoes
Lessons with an instructor
At the beginning of the treatment cycle, the doctor and the patient draw up a treatment plan, which includes the date and time of the treatment session, follow-up visits to the doctor (usually 2-3 times a week).
The basis of the treatment process is treatment sessions in the rehabilitation room with the help of simulators and sessions in the gym.
Rehabilitation simulators allow you to precisely dose the load on individual muscle groups, ensuring an adequate regimen of physical activity. The treatment program is drawn up by the doctor individually for each patient, taking into account the characteristics of the body. Supervision is carried out by qualified instructors. At all stages of recovery, it is important to follow the correct movement and breathing technique, know your weight standards when working on machines, adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen and follow the recommendations of specialists.
Joint gymnastic sessions help to restore visual coordination, improve joint mobility and elasticity (flexibility) of the spine and are an excellent preventive system for independent use.
Each treatment cycle consists of 12 sessions. Each lesson is supervised by an instructor. The duration of one procedure is from 40 minutes to 1. 5 hours. The instructor draws up a program taking into account co-morbidities and the patient's condition on the day of the class. Teaches the technique of performing the exercises and monitors their correct performance. A second consultation with a doctor is held every 6th lesson, changes and additions are made to the program depending on the dynamics.
How many cycles will it take? – individually for everyone
It is important to know:
- How long have you had this problem (stage of the disease)
- How your body is prepared for physical activity (do you do gymnastics or any sport).
- what result you want to get.
If the disease is in an early stage and the body is prepared, one cycle of treatment is sufficient. (example - young people aged 20-30 who are involved in sports. We focus their attention on the technique of performing exercises, breathing, stretching, excluding "wrong" exercises that are harmful to problem areas. Such patients undergo trainingand gain the skill of "taking care of your body", receive referrals in case of exacerbation and continue to study independently).