Damage to the thoracic spine is often confused with a pathology of the internal organs. The lungs, heart, mammary glands and stomach located here can also cause pain in this position. For this reason, it is often difficult for doctors to diagnose osteochondrosis of the thoracic region: symptoms in women are mistaken for mastopathy.
Thoracic osteochondrosis - symptoms and sensations
To begin with, it should be noted that osteochondrosis is the most common pathology of the spine. By its nature, it is a degenerative, dystrophy-related lesion of the discs between the vertebrae. Such processes lead to irreversible changes in the spinal structure, which affect the functionality of the spine as a whole.
Given the dense innervation and the presence of a large number of nerve roots, patients with osteochondrosis experience strong, sharp pain. At the same time, their nature and intensity can change. This complicates the diagnostic process: to differentiate thoracic osteochondrosis, symptoms and sensations in women are analyzed, excluding the pathology of the mammary glands, heart and stomach.
The first signs of osteochondrosis in women
Painful sensations come to the fore among all possible signs of damage to the spine. Strong, aching pains that intensify at night, when you stay in the same position for a long time, are often the first to attract attention. Increased pain is also observed during physical activity with:
- curves;
- sharp turns to the side;
- prolonged physical exercise, even at low intensity;
- deep breathing;
- raising his hands.
Some patients complain of a feeling of compression in the chest area. If osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine is suspected, the symptoms in women can be complemented by a number of signs, these are:
- numbness of some areas of the epidermis;
- feeling of cold in the lower limbs;
- pain in the projection of the stomach and esophagus;
- disruptions in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.
Degrees of osteochondrosis
Symptoms of thoracic osteochondrosis in women largely depend on the nature of degenerative changes. Taking them into account, the corresponding stages of the disease (grade) are distinguished:
- 1st degree: resolved when changes are observed in the core of the disk itself.Excessive load leads to dehydration of the nucleus, which causes a decrease in the height of the disc and the development of cracks in the area of the fibrous ring. There is no pain, some women complain of slight discomfort with prolonged static electricity.
- 2nd degree – due to the decrease in the height of the disc, the distance between the vertebral bodies is reduced.The spinal ligaments eventually sag. The vertebrae acquire greater mobility, which is not typical for the thoracic region as a whole. As a result, the risk of displacement increases. The pain occurs mainly during work. It is precisely at this stage that osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is detected and symptoms in women become noticeable.
- Grade 3 – the formation of intervertebral disc prolapses is observed.These phenomena are accompanied by subluxations and the development of arthrosis of the intervertebral joints. Mobility decreases and sensations of numbness and tingling appear in the limbs. Painful sensations are recorded in the back, neck and chest region.
- 4th degree: the body tries to compensate for the hypermobility of the vertebrae and adapt to the dysfunction of the spine.At the points where the vertebral bodies come into contact with each other, osteophytes form which can cause compression of the nerves and injuries to the vertebrae.
How to distinguish thoracic osteochondrosis from other diseases?
According to statistics, osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine, the symptoms of which in women generally do not differ from those recorded in men, occurs less frequently than lesions of the cervical and lumbar spine. However, this does not simplify the process of diagnosing the disease. Due to the peculiarities of localization, many doctors confuse pathology with diseases of the chest organs.
However, experienced specialists who know how to identify thoracic osteochondrosis already at the first stage try to exclude diseases of the breast, heart, stomach and lungs. Therefore, there is no cough in thoracic osteochondrosis, unlike pathologies of the respiratory system, which are always accompanied by this symptom.
How to distinguish thoracic osteochondrosis from heart pain?
In practice, doctors are often faced with a situation where the patient complains of regular pain in the heart, but changes on the cardiogram and ultrasound are not recorded. In these cases, painful sensations in the chest on the left are associated with neurological disorders due to osteochondrosis. When the space between adjacent vertebrae decreases, the nerve roots are compressed, causing painful sensations that mimic a heart attack.
Knowing how to distinguish angina from thoracic osteochondrosis, you can immediately identify myocardial disorders. Among the main differences:
- With osteochondrosis, the pain lasts for hours, weeks and has a wave-like course, subsides and reappears. With angina pectoris, an attack of pain lasts 10-15 minutes, disappears after nitrates.
- The appearance of pain in osteochondrosis does not occur against the background of physical activity, unlike angina pectoris.
- Neurological pain due to spinal injuries can be relieved with analgesics, but for patients with heart disease these drugs are ineffective.
Thoracic osteochondrosis and VSD
Fixed signs of thoracic osteochondrosis in women must be differentiated from manifestations of VSD. Unlike spinal injuries, diseases of the cardiovascular system are characterized by a number of symptoms that you need to pay attention to.Among the characteristic signs of VSD:
- tachycardia, heart pain;
- the appearance of asthma attacks;
- unstable blood pressure due to circulatory disorders (pressure with thoracic osteochondrosis is always normal).
Thoracic osteochondrosis and stomach pain
Abdominal pain with thoracic osteochondrosis is provoked by a violation of the innervation of the vertebrae located on the projection of the stomach. If the patient has stomach problems, a nagging pain occurs, accompanied by unpleasant sensations such as heartburn. At the same time, painful sensations are in no way related to activity and physical activity.Pain with thoracic osteochondrosis in the abdominal area has the following characteristics:
- aggravated by movements involving the spine;
- discomfort does not decrease after taking drugs that improve digestion;
- they appear regardless of the fullness of the stomach: on an empty stomach, after eating.
Thoracic osteochondrosis and pain in the mammary gland
Mastalgia is a common symptom among women. Many girls experience painful sensations in the chest due to cyclical hormonal changes. However, if cyclic pain is not present, doctors suspect possible changes in the spine. At the same time, women themselves begin to look for the cause on the Internet, trying to figure out how to understand that you have osteochondrosis.
In cases where degenerative changes occur in the spine, the pain changes location and appears regardless of the phase of the menstrual cycle. In this case there is no swelling or engorgement of the breast. The gland itself completely retains its appearance, size and shape, unlike cases where breast pathologies develop. Similar signs of osteochondrosis in women help to differentiate the disease.
What to do with thoracic osteochondrosis?
Having suspected thoracic osteochondrosis in women, doctors send patients for an appropriate examination. This diagnosis of the disease and correct correction allow us to avoid the negative consequences that are inextricably linked with spinal disorders. A thorough diagnosis, based on hardware examination data, is important.
Diagnosis of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
The main and often the only diagnostic method is chest x-ray. It allows you to diagnose osteochondrosis in women, regardless of the severity of the changes. It all depends on the quality of the photo.When osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is present, the symptoms in women in the photo are as follows:
- violation of the contours of the discs themselves located between the vertebrae;
- modified disc shape;
- the presence of osteophytes (pathological growths);
- spinous processes with sharp edges, irregularly shaped vertebrae;
- the presence of intervertebral hernia.
Treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine
Therapy for this disease is complex. Treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis is carried out simultaneously in several directions:
- Elimination of pain- use NSAIDs.
- Strengthen the spine– moderate and balanced physical activity, physiotherapy.
- Surgery– when intervertebral hernias occur.