Spinal osteochondrosis is the most common cause of back pain. According to statistics, more than half of all people over the age of 40 encounter a similar ailment, and its first 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 in the spinal cord. Osteochondrosis can be of different types - it all depends on the area of the back that it has affected. This article will discuss the treatment of thoracic osteochondrosis, which is not such a common ailment, but causes great inconvenience.
Specificity of the disease
Chest osteochondrosis is a fairly rare disease due to the structure of the spinal column. In addition, this disease is quite difficult to diagnose, since its symptoms are often confused with manifestations of diseases of the internal organs.
An outstanding feature of the chest is the fact that it is the least subject to stress. A strong connection with the ribs and the sternum creates a mobile, but at the same time resistant structure, which is the 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 chest tension, which is often found in capricious athletes or young mothers during breastfeeding. Another common cause of chest osteochondrosis is scoliosis or poor posture.
The danger of the disease also lies in the fact that the main symptoms manifest themselves in a late stage of development, when the nerve cells of the spinal cord or the spine itself have already undergone severe compressions or pathological disorders due to insufficient blood have occurred. circulation.
Manifestations of osteochondrosis of the chest
Most often, doctors encounter such 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. Often they arise due to the formation of various 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 time, and drugs and injections rarely allow you to get rid of it.
- Lateral hernia. It is characterized by one-sided pain that occurs at the same level as the hernia, sometimes there is a loss of sensation of varying degrees. With such a manifestation of the disease, medicines and injections can cope with pain.
Very rarely there is a compression of the spinal cord itself. As a rule, such a manifestation of the disease is accompanied by severe pain in the girdle, numbness, weakness in the legs and profuse sweating. Chest pain 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 the pain syndrome and the elimination of the cause of the pain.
Preference is most often given to conservative methods of treatment. In cases where this method does not address the disease, they resort to surgical intervention, but this is very rare.
Pain relief 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 combination of drugs is used. So, in addition to NSAIDs, painkillers are prescribed - injections, tablets. This is done with very severe and unbearable pain and drugs such as muscle relaxants relieve muscle spasm in the affected area.
After the drug treatment begins 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.
Home treatment
In order to significantly reduce the pain that occurs due to such 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 lawful. In these cases, you need to resort to home recovery.
It is important to remember that such events can only be carried out after the initial treatment by a specialist.
Recovery procedures can be used at home and to prevent exacerbation or as a preventative 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: by rolling it into a tourniquet, rubbing is carried out.
Therapeutic exercises can be performed in a sitting or standing position. Arching your back helps a lot, as if you are stretching yourself after sleep. Another exercise that eliminates aggravation is to alternately raise your hands and move them smoothly behind your back. Do not neglect such a method of treatment as physiotherapy exercises. Health and sport are always intertwined.
Folk remedies
Medicinal herbal drugs are actively used at home. They exclude injections and tablets and consist exclusively of ointments and infusions. The most effective drugs:
Rub the back with a 10-day infusion of 200 grams of lilac per 0, 5 liters of vodka helps to prevent exacerbation very well and treats osteochondrosis itself with varying degrees of manifestation.
Chopped hop cones, taken in the same amount with melted lard, will help relieve 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 injections.
The presented folk preparations are effective methods of treating osteochondrosis with varying degrees of its manifestation. Also, these products can be used while breastfeeding, as they are made from natural ingredients.
In the treatment of such ailment, with varying degrees of its manifestation, it can consist of several methods. Sometimes the injections prescribed by a doctor give the maximum 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, injections will also not help. In addition, thoracic osteochondrosis is often combined with cervical osteochondrosis, and the treatment of cervicothoracic osteochondrosis involves the use of slightly different methods. Therefore, the first thing to do when such pain occurs, contact a specialist.