In just 24-36 sessions, depending on the intensity of treatment and the stage of development of the disease, you will get rid of pain caused by osteochondrosis of the chest, be able to normalize sleep and live life to the fullest.
It's important to understand
If osteochondrosis of the chest is detected, it is necessary to choose an individual set of therapeutic exercises, study the technique of implementation and exclude exercises with 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 need to independently maintain your health in moderation. level of prevention.
Osteonecrosis is a fairly common and serious disease.
The danger of it is that in the early stages it may not manifest itself in any form or may disguise itself as other pathologies.
This occurs especially frequently with osteonecrosis of the thoracic spine.
In this place, the vertebrae are not flexibly connected, so degenerative processes rarely develop here.
But if osteoarthritis of the thoracic spine appears, it will cause obvious symptoms and severe pain.
Pathogenesis of osteoarthritis
Recently, osteochondrosis has been diagnosed not only in the elderly as previously. This disease is increasingly common among young people.
This is due to the characteristics of lifestyle and nutrition. After all, osteoarthritis occurs due to disruption of metabolism and blood circulation.
There can be many reasons for this, but one of the most common is lack of physical activity and sedentary work.
This is a degenerative-dystrophic pathology, characterized by the gradual destruction of intervertebral discs. They lose water and nutrients, the cartilage tissue dries out and begins to crack.
As a result, the intervertebral disc stops performing its shock-absorbing function, the vertebrae move closer together and also begin to collapse.
In the chest area, such processes rarely develop because the load on the intervertebral discs here is very small. But various injuries, metabolic and blood circulation disorders can lead to the development of thoracic osteoarthritis.
Moreover, it is here that the disease is especially severe. After all, here there are many nerve endings leading to internal organs.
Complications may occur
The danger of thoracic osteochondrosis is that it begins unnoticed. Usually in the early stages there is almost no pain, and the sensations that arise can be confused with pain in the stomach or heart.
Therefore, many patients are unsuccessfully treated for gastritis or angina for a long time until a comprehensive examination. X-rays of the spine will help identify narrowing of the intervertebral space and suspect the development of osteonecrosis.
If this is not done and treatment is not started, the disease will progress rapidly. The destruction of cartilage tissue of the intervertebral disc can only be prevented by special methods. The disks themselves are not recoverable. In addition, in the chest area, this process happens faster, because the spine has poor mobility, so the blood supply to the tissues here is poorer.
Therefore, if not treated promptly, osteoarthritis can lead to serious complications. It can cause the following diseases:
- protrusion or intervertebral herniation;
- spinal cord compression;
- intercostal neuralgia;
- ciliary dyskinesia;
- intestinal, liver, or pancreatic disorders;
- heart disease.
Typical symptoms and signs of thoracic osteonecrosis
Every person susceptible to spinal diseases should know how osteoarthritis manifests. If you do not ignore typical symptoms, you can begin treatment in time and stop the progression of the pathology.
The main sign of spinal damage is pain associated with physical activity. In the early stages, they are not strong and appear in the evening, after rest they disappear.
In addition, the pain increases when breathing deeply, raising your arms, turning your body or lifting heavy objects. And it usually starts in one place, then spreads to the entire chest.
Due to painful sensations, muscle spasms occur in this place and make it difficult for the patient to move. Often the pathology is accompanied by intercostal neuralgia.
What can be confused with osteonecrosis of the chest?
This disease can only be cured in the early stages. But the problem is that it is very difficult to promptly diagnose breast osteonecrosis, its symptoms are often confused with other diseases.
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. Often it is confused with pathologies of internal organs.
- Basically, its symptoms are similar to angina. The pain in the heart increases when inhaling, difficulty breathing and the inability to lift the arm force the patient to take heart medication. But there was no relief and the ECG also did not show any disturbance in the functioning of the heart.
- Sometimes the pain that occurs resembles symptoms of a stomach ulcer, gastritis or pancreatitis. But they are aggravated not after eating, as in these pathologies, but after physical activity.
- Women may experience pain in the mammary glands.
- Locating the pathology in the upper part of the chest area can cause a lump in the throat and difficulty swallowing.
Thoracic osteochondrosis can cause nausea, difficulty breathing or even suffocation.
There is often a feeling of numbness or tingling in the upper extremities, muscle weakness, and an inability to lift the arm or move it to the side.
Causes of breast bone degeneration
Usually, to accurately diagnose the disease, it is necessary to take into account possible causes. People with genetic predisposition, overweight, and bad habits are susceptible to such diseases.
It is also recommended to examine the spine in patients with various endocrine and metabolic disorders, diseases of the circulatory system and diabetes mellitus.
Thoracic spondylosis occurs most often in people over 45 years old. At this time, the metabolism slows down and the tissues lack nutrients.
In addition, physical activity decreases, leading to weakening of the muscle layer in the spine.
But there are other causes of osteonecrosis in the chest area:
- back injuries, bruises or sprains;
- Regular weight lifting and heavy physical activity;
- rachiocampsis;
- Sitting for long periods of time in poor posture, such as when working at a computer or driving a car.
What is the extent of the disease?
Osteonecrosis of the chest is a chronic disease. It develops very slowly, but is constantly progressing.
To choose the appropriate treatment method, doctors need to distinguish many stages of the disease. They have characteristic symptoms and require a special therapeutic approach.
- The first degree of osteochondrosis is virtually painless. If they occur, it happens after physical activity.
- In the second stage, the pain becomes more severe. Indeed, as the disc is gradually destroyed, the vertebrae move closer together, which can cause nerve root compression. In this case, neurological symptoms and signs of dysfunction of internal organs appear.
- In the third stage of osteoarthritis, 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 greatly limited.
- The final stage of the pathology is characterized by complete destruction of the intervertebral disc. Bone spurs appear on the vertebrae, sometimes they completely fuse with each other. Every movement of the patient causes 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 overwork. And after resting, they continue to maintain their usual lifestyle. Because of this, the disease progresses, leading to serious complications.
Impairment of the shock-absorbing function of the intervertebral discs leads to curvature of the spine. Kyphosis often develops. Because of this, the chest becomes compressed and breathing becomes difficult.
If you don't see a doctor promptly, the discs can collapse completely. This will lead to convergence of the vertebrae and compression of nerve endings. With each movement, the situation will worsen because the vertebrae will begin to collapse due to friction. This can damage the spinal cord and paralyze the body below the damaged vertebrae.
Disease prevention
To prevent serious complications of pathology, you need to promptly consult a doctor. The sooner treatment is started, the greater the chance of completely stopping the degenerative process.
This is best done with the help of occupational therapy. At the initial stages of the pathology, as well as during prevention, this method will help strengthen the muscle layer of the spine and improve blood supply to the intervertebral disc tissue.
Specialists at the modern occupational therapy center will help prevent the development of degenerative processes in people who are predisposed to this disease. After all, moderate physical activity is necessary to maintain a healthy spine.
A individually designed daily diet with exercises and a special diet will help avoid disc destruction and complications of this process.
How is the treatment performed?
Collection of anamnesis - analysis of the disease, identification of limitations and contraindications, explanation of the principles of exercise therapy, features of the recovery period.
Myofascial diagnosis is a manual diagnostic method in which the doctor evaluates the range of motion of the joint, determines pain tension, swelling, hypotonia or hypertonia of the muscles and other changes.
Functional diagnostics (performed in the rehabilitation room) - the doctor explains how to perform certain exercises on the device and observes: how the patient performs them, what range of motioncan be performed, what movements cause pain, how much weight the patient can bear working with how the cardiovascular system responds. Problem areas are identified. Data is entered into the card. The highlight is established.
Based on the results of the doctor's initial examination and functional diagnosis, a preliminary treatment program for each individual is drawn up.
You should bring with you:
- for pain in the spine - MRI or CT (magnetic resonance or computed tomography) of the problem area;
- Joint pain treatment – X-ray;
- in case of comorbidities - extracted from medical history or outpatient card;
- Comfortable clothes and shoes (sports)
Lessons with instructors
At the beginning of the treatment cycle, the doctor and patient create a treatment plan, including treatment dates and times, and follow-up visits with the doctor (usually 2-3 times a week).
The basis of the treatment process is sessions in the rehabilitation room using a simulator and training sessions in the gym.
The rehabilitation simulator allows you to accurately quantify the load on each individual muscle group, providing the appropriate mode of physical activity. The treatment program is compiled 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 adhere to correct movement and breathing techniques, know your weight standards when working on the exercise machine, adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen andFollow your specialist's recommendations.
Joint exercise sessions help restore visual coordination, improve joint mobility and elasticity (flexibility) of the spine and are an excellent preventive system to use on your own.
Each treatment cycle includes 12 sessions. Each lesson is supervised by an instructor. The duration of one treatment session is from 40 minutes to 1. 5 hours. The instructor develops a program that takes into account comorbidities and the patient's condition during the school day. Teach exercise technique and monitor correct execution. Every 6th session, a second consultation with the doctor is held, changes and additions to the program are made, depending on the dynamics.
How many cycles will it take? – exclusively for everyone
It is important to know:
- How long have you had this problem (stage of illness)
- How your body prepares for physical activity (do you do gymnastics or any sports).
- What results do you want to get?
If the disease is in the early stages and the body is ready, then one treatment cycle is enough. (for example - young people 20-30 years old play sports. We focus their attention on the technique of performing exercises, breathing, stretching, excluding "wrong" exercises that are harmful to theproblem areas. Such patients must undergo training and receive skills in "body care", receive recommendations in case of exacerbation and continue self-education).