Pain in the thoracic spine

Pain in the thoracic spine is often perceived as a pain in the heart or a man waving his hand: "Ah, I just catch a cold, it will go away!" But in fact, the pain in the thoracic spine can be a signal of many diseases that we do not even know about. The cause of pain can be diseases of the osseous system, respiratory organs or digestive system. Or maybe the immunity can fail. Let's take a closer look at the causes of pain in the thoracic spine.

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Why there are pains in the thoracic spine?

It can be pain due to poor performance or muscle injury. Disturbance of the muscles in this case is associated with traumas of the thoracic spine, so the person begins to worry the pain in the muscles between the ribs or the muscles of the press, which are especially pronounced when coughing and sneezing, active movements.

If the pain in the thoracic spine lasts long, passing into the chronic, they can cause such organs as the heart, respiratory organs, the digestive tract.

Pain in the joints and ligaments in the chest area may occur due to their inflammation or stretching. Pain can worsen in places where the ribs are attached to the spine, and still where the ribs go into the sternum and the cartilage splice several ribs - the costal group in its lower part.

Problems with the skeleton - deformity of the spine according to the type of scoliosis that develops in the spine, but can also touch the shape of the ribs, it is also necessary to take into account changes after traumas that arise and develop in the system of the musculoskeletal system.

Osteoporosis, which can occur in old age and affect the thoracic spine.

What sensations can arise in diseases of the musculoskeletal system?

• Pain, fairly strong, in the thoracic spine
• The pain that occurs in the chest with inhalation and exhalation, active movements
• Pain when tilting left or right
• Pain giving in the sternum, in the area where the heart is located, pain giving to the liver region or under the shoulder blade

Dystrophy of intervertebral joints as a cause of pain in the thoracic spine

If the dystrophic process of the joints passes to the joints between the vertebrae, a disease such as spondyloarthrosis occurs. It may later be accompanied by osteoarthritis, in which ribs and vertebrae are affected, as well as vertebral-joints and their transverse articulations (these are the places in the joints where the ribs join each other). Because of this, the intervertebral openings can be significantly narrowed, and then the nerve roots in the spinal column are squeezed, the sympathetic nerve fibers are under pressure, in this zone severe inflammation and pain begin to develop. The pain is strong, powerful, not allowing a person to breathe.

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Violations in the work of sympathetic nerves

It is worth knowing that sympathetic nerve fibers have the property to regulate the work of internal organs, therefore organs can not properly perform their roles in the body. Pain, other than the chest, can be given to the area between the shoulder blades or vertically across the entire spine in the chest region. People with such pains often complain that the pain becomes stronger with deep breathing or active movement.

If the nerve root is squeezed at the same time, the pain becomes, as it were, annular, girdling. It occurs most often on one side - where the intercostal nerve passes. If the sensitivity of this nerve is disturbed, then the person may not be limp, and there is a feeling, as if the creepy creepy. Perhaps, on the contrary, a stronger sensitivity in the area of the affected nerve, and the pain is felt as a burning sensation.

Violations in the work of internal organs

They also manifest, and from the area of the heart can arise pains such as angina pectoris - burning in the chest, a feeling of squeezing, general weakness. Pain in the chest can be accompanied by pain in the liver. The work of internal organs, such as the stomach, intestines, may be disrupted, the process of urination may be unstable and pain during urination can also disturb a person. To check the work of the urethra and digestive system, you need to undergo an x-ray or ultrasound.

When tested on an x-ray machine, two projections of the thoracic spine are made. In these pictures, the doctor can observe how much the height of the images between the vertebrae decreases, and also sees the growth of the bony spines of the vertebrae. Such deviations can very often occur in those who complain of pain in the thoracic spine, and there may not be other health complaints.

Similar to abnormalities that cause pain in the thoracic spine

Statistics show that the hernias of the intervertebral discs in the thoracic department can not be more than 1% of all cases of pain in this department. Intervertebral hernia is most often located in four disks of the lower part of the spine. If the thoracic hernia has already arisen, then the spinal cord can be squeezed, and this person is concerned about the pain. The cause of this condition, as we have already mentioned, is the narrow spinal cord of the spinal cord.

Traumas of the thoracic spine may occur due to osteoporosis (brittle bones) in the thoracic region, especially in the elderly. Then the vertebrae break down very easily because of the fragility of the tissue from which they are composed.

Osteochondrosis of the spine is very diverse in its manifestations. True, it is difficult to identify by symptoms, because the symptoms are not very clearly expressed. The clearest symptoms of this condition are the localization of pain in the thoracic region, as well as the severity of this pain.

If after an active physical exertion the pains become stronger, then it can be an osteochondrosis. Pain can also increase in lying position, when a person for a long time does nothing. And then even at night it is difficult for a patient to endure these pains, he suffers and is forced to constantly change his position during sleep. Pain in osteochondrosis can be burning, aching, acute, squeezing, dull, it hurts not only the chest, but also the entire space between the shoulder blades. There may be a sensation, as if a man were gripped by iron tongs and squeezed the chest and back. If you tap your fingers on the vertebrae a little, it responds with a lot of pain.

Pain can also spread and into the chest - it hurts the internal organs, so the pain is deep, as if coming from the inside.

When a person is still young, he may have symptoms that are characteristic of Sheyermann-May disease. This disease is characterized by chest pain, which patients describe as burning and violent. The cause of these pains is an aggravation of the condition, which doctors call the kyphosis of the thoracic spine. The spine is bent at this condition, this may be accompanied by deformation of the vertebrae in the lower part of the chest.

When diagnosing pain in the thoracic spine, first of all, it is necessary to exclude diseases of the heart and blood vessels, so you need to make an ECG. Other diseases that provoke pain in the thoracic spine are very numerous.

• Myeloma
• Injury of the sternum, ribs and thoracic spine
• Aortic aneurysm, which is called exfoliating, as well as aortic rupture
• Pulmonary embolism
• Pneumonia
• Pleurisy
• Gastric or duodenal ulcer
• Pancreas cancer
• Abscess of diaphragm
• Cholecystitis

What does the thoracic spine consist of?

It consists of 12 vertebrae. If you look at the thoracic spine, then outwardly it will remind us the first part of the capital letter "X" or a piece of bagel with the horns to the left. Doctors call this state a physiological kyphosis.

The role of the thoracic spine is to hold firmly the back wall of the sternum, or thorax. The joints of the spine help to attach the ribs to the thoracic vertebrae. Skeleton of the spine with ribs protects the chest from damage, and internal organs, too.

The intervertebral discs of the thoracic spine have a very small height, and this does not allow the spine in this area to be too mobile. Besides. The static position of the thoracic spine is provided by the processes of the vertebrae, which are called spinous. They are located on the vertebral column in the form of tiles.

The thorax also provides a reliable position to the thoracic spine. In the thoracic spine there is also a vertebral canal. It is narrow, like a pipe, so even the slightest swelling or hernia can cause the slightest disruption of the operation, as well as vertebral processes called osteophytes. When they interfere with the functioning of the vertebral canal, compression of the roots of the nerves, as well as the spinal cord, occurs.

The nature of pain in the thoracic spine

• Persistent pain in the sternum
• Shingles in the sternum
• Pain that occurs as a squeezing (it really can be squeezing the spine or nerve roots)
• Severe pain, which can be a signal of tumors of the spine
• Pain related to infections can be long-lasting (they can be caused by diseases such as tuberculosis spondylitis, epidural abscesses)
• Pain related to herpes zoster, or herpes - burning, sharp, stitching. The causes of such pain can also be diabetes or vasculitis

Which doctors should be consulted for the diagnosis and treatment of pain in the thoracic spine?

1. Neurologist
2. Gastroenterologist
3. Traumatologist
4. Oncologist
5. Physiotherapy Specialist
6. Vertebrologist
7. Masseur
8. Osteopath
9. Chiropractor

The most effective methods of treating pain in the thoracic spine

First of all, this massage and manual therapy. If these methods are combined, success in treatment will double. As for manual therapy, this is one of the most effective and at the same time sparing methods of treating pain in the thoracic spine. A person who has completed the course in the physiotherapy room, manual therapy and therapeutic massage is practically unbeatable. The pains go away very quickly, surgical intervention is no longer necessary (and very often doctors recommend it for pain in the thoracic department if the process has gone too far).

And, of course, you need to follow all the doctor's recommendations on what kind of life you need to lead: continue at home to practice physical therapy, exclude heavy workloads and take care of your nutrition. And then the pain in the thoracic spine may no longer return.