Spinal osteochondrosis is the most common cause of back pain. According to statistics, more than half of all people over 40 years old meet with a similar ailment, and its early manifestations occur already in the second and third decade of life. At the same time, it is almost impossible to cure the disease - it is chronic. The disease itself affects the intervertebral discs and cartilage, which compresses the nerve cells of the spinal cord. Osteochondrosis can be of several types - it all depends on which area of the back it struck. This article will consider the treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis, which is not such a common ailment, but causes great inconvenience.
Specificity of the disease
Osteochondrosis of the chest is a fairly uncommon disease, which is due to the structure of the spine. In addition, this disease is quite difficult to diagnose, as its symptoms are often confused with manifestations of diseases of the internal organs.
An exceptional feature of the chest is the fact that it is the least subject to stress. A strong connection with the ribs and sternum creates a mobile, but at the same time durable structure, which is least exposed to various diseases.
With an early degree of development of the disease, it practically does not make itself felt, which is another feature. The disease can cause a sharp increase in tension in the chest, which is often found in temperamental athletes or in young mothers when breastfeeding. Another common cause of osteochondrosis of the chest is scoliosis or poor posture.
The danger of the disease also lies in the fact that the main symptoms appear in a late degree of development, when the nerve cells of the spinal cord or the column itself have already undergone serious compression or pathological disorders have occurred due to a failure in blood circulation.
Manifestations of osteochondrosis of the chest
Most often, doctors encounter such an ailment as radiculopathy - compression of the nerve fibers of the spinal cord. In this case, the treatment of osteochondrosis of the thoracic spine depends on the symptoms that appear. They often arise due to the formation of varying degrees of intervertebral hernia, while distinguishing two of its types:
- Median hernia. It is characterized by constant pain that does not go away for a long period, and drugs and injections rarely allow you to get rid of it.
- Lateral hernia. It is characterized by unilateral pain that occurs at the same level as the hernia, sometimes there is a loss of sensitivity of varying degrees. With such a manifestation of the disease, medicines and injections can cope with pain.
Very rarely there is compression of the spinal cord itself. As a rule, such a manifestation of the disease is accompanied by severe girdle pain, numbness, weakness in the legs, and profuse sweating. Pain from the chest often spreads to the groin, abdomen and can disrupt the functioning of internal organs.
Treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis
Competent specialists should think about how to treat thoracic osteochondrosis. Doing this at home is highly discouraged. As a rule, such treatment consists of two stages - the removal of pain and the elimination of the cause of pain.
Preference is most often given to conservative methods of treatment. In cases where this method does not cope with the disease, they resort to surgical intervention, but this is very rare.
Removal of pain is achieved by two components - rest and medication. The patient is prescribed bed rest and prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs relieve swelling and inflammation, thereby reducing the compression of nerve fibers in the spinal cord.
Sometimes, with severe pain, a drug combination of drugs is used. Then, in addition to NSAIDs, painkillers are prescribed - injections, tablets. This is done with very strong and unbearable pain, and drugs such as muscle relaxants relieve muscle spasm in the affected area.
After the drug treatment has begun to work, a period of remission begins. At this time, physiotherapy exercises are used together with wellness massage and complete rest. This set of measures is an effective treatment.
Treatment at home
In order to significantly reduce the pain that occurs due to such an ailment, it is necessary to carry out a long and complex treatment. Often for these purposes they go to the hospital, which is not always convenient and permissible. In such cases, you have to resort to recovery at home.
It is important to remember that such events can be carried out only after the initial treatment by a specialist.
Recovery procedures can be used at home and in order to prevent exacerbation, or as a preventive measure. Consider the most effective methods that allow you to get rid of the disease without using drugs - injections and pills. These methods include.
Therapeutic exercise and massage
At home, self-massage is allowed, which consists in warming up the back muscles from the neck to the lower back. Often a folded towel is used for these purposes - rolling it into a tourniquet, rubbing is carried out.
Therapeutic exercises can be performed in a sitting or standing position. Arching in the back helps a lot, as if you are stretching after sleep. Another exercise that eliminates aggravation is to alternately raise your hands and smoothly move them behind your back. Do not neglect such a method of treatment as physiotherapy exercises. Health and sports are always interconnected.
Folk remedies
Actively at home, drugs based on medicinal herbs are used. They exclude injections and tablets, and consist exclusively in ointments and infusions. The most effective drugs:
Rubbing the back with a 10-day infusion of 200 grams of lilac per 0. 5 liters of vodka helps prevent exacerbation very well and treats osteochondrosis itself with varying degrees of manifestation.
Crushed hop cones, taken in the same amount with melted lard, will help relieve the aggravation.
Mix 1. 5 cups of radish juice with a glass of vodka and 200 grams of honey, add 10 gr. salt and rub into the affected area of the back - and you will not need any injections.
The presented folk preparations are effective methods of treating osteochondrosis with varying degrees of its manifestation. In addition, these products can be used during breastfeeding, as they consist of natural ingredients.
In the treatment of such an ailment, with varying degrees of its manifestation, it may consist in different methods. Sometimes injections prescribed by a doctor give the greatest effect, sometimes folk remedies. Neglecting the advice of specialists, and even more so completely refusing to examine them, is stupid and risky. With a highly developed degree of the disease, even injections will not help. In addition, thoracic osteochondrosis is often combined with cervical, and the treatment of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis involves the use of slightly different methods. Therefore, the first thing to do when similar pain sensations appear, contact a specialist.