Chameleon disease is often called osteochondrosis of the chest. It is quite difficult to diagnose, often confused with other diseases. At the same time, osteochondrosis occurs in the thoracic region infrequently and is an injury to the intervertebral discs.
How does the disease occur?
Osteochondrosis, which affects the thoracic spine, is often disguised as a pathology of internal organs. It is manifested by heart pain, shortness of breath, feeling short of breath when inhaling, panic attacks. Therefore, the diagnosis of thoracic osteochondrosis is somewhat difficult.
The intervertebral discs of each section of the spine consist of a nucleus pulposus and a stronger annulus fibrosus. The latter protects the semi-liquid core and prevents it from being injured.
However, for certain reasons, there are situations when metabolic processes slow down and, as a result, there is an increase in pressure on the discs. In this case, the disk is deformed, its structure is disturbed.
If treatment is not started at this stage, the symptoms become even more pronounced. The annulus fibrosus can crack and the core dry out.
The disease leads to the violation of spinal nerves, destruction of joints.
Causes of disease
Several reasons can cause the appearance of osteochondrosis in the thoracic region, the most common among them are:
- thoracic trauma;
- inactivity, sedentary work (applies to anyone who works at a computer or is a driver);
- scoliosis.
In addition, problems with the thoracic region are associated with its structure. In this interval of the spine, there are many more crowded discs than in the lumbar or cervical region. Due to the presence of ribs and muscular corset, the thoracic region moves less.
There are cases when the main cause of osteochondrosis in the thoracic region of the spine is osteochondrosis of other departments.
What is the danger of osteochondrosis?
If, despite symptoms, treatment is delayed, osteochondrosis in the thoracic region can lead to a number of complications and problems, including:
- intercostal neurology - when the intercostal nerves are compressed;
- spinal cord compression;
- shortness of breath, problems with the work of the heart;
- problems with the functioning of the intestines, liver, kidneys;
- stool problems;
- hernia.
What diseases can be confused with osteochondrosis?
As mentioned above, the symptoms of osteochondrosis do not always allow you to quickly establish a diagnosis. This is why osteochondrosis of the chest can be accidentally confused with:
- pathologies of the mammary glands;
- diseases of the digestive system;
- pneumonia (two diseases can be distinguished by dry cough, shortness of breath and fever with pneumonia. In the case of osteochondrosis, these symptoms are not observed);
- heart attack (in this case, osteochondrosis can be distinguished by an electrocardiogram);
- renal colic.
Symptoms
With osteochondrosis of the thoracic region, symptoms of radiculopathy occur more often, that is, those associated with compression of the nerve trunks and the appearance of a hernia between the vertebrae. In this case, severe pain manifests itself after physical work, training. Symptoms in the following weeks become more pronounced, depending on the location of the hernia. If at the top, the liver, heart, stomach suffer. If smaller, then the problems are related to the kidneys.
The location of the hernia also has a significant impact on symptoms. Therefore, if it is located closer to the middle, the pains become stronger, continue for several weeks continuously and do not subside after taking the medication. Lateral hernia is manifested by periodic and mild pain, local loss of sensation is possible.
Osteochondrosis of the chest, which is accompanied by compression of the spinal cord, has the following symptoms:
- strong pain;
- limb numbness;
- pain radiates to stomach, groin, legs;
- pelvic organ dysfunction.
In addition to the above, osteochondrosis can manifest additional symptoms, in particular:
- numbness of individual areas of the skin;
- sensation of "chills" in the thoracic spine;
- nail fragility;
- dry skin, peeling;
- disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea or, conversely, constipation);
- giving sore throat;
- itching or cold sensation in the lower extremities.
Dorsago as a consequence of osteochondrosis of the thoracic region
Osteochondrosis in the thoracic spine is characterized by the presence of a dorsum. This is one of its main symptoms. In fact, the word "back" should be understood as a very strong and sudden pain in the chest. It is often called a "shot", as the sensations in this case are the same as a stab wound. A severe back attack makes breathing difficult and free movement impossible. This happens after prolonged physical exertion in people who already suffer from osteochondrosis and joint diseases.
Mild but increasing and prolonged pain in the chest region is called back pain. Symptoms more pronounced when a person bends over. The pain can also intensify at night, especially in women with osteochondrosis who wear high-heeled shoes.
Diagnosis
With thoracic osteochondrosis, effective treatment must be carried out. Symptoms without it will only intensify and interfere with normal life.
Having discovered the symptoms, the doctor directs the patient for further examination. Among the most used diagnostic methods for osteochondrosis of the thoracic region are:
- MRI. The tomograph allows to obtain a sharp three-dimensional image with contrast of the area of the human body under study. Therefore, the doctor can see the condition of the vertebrae in the thoracic region, assess the health of the joints. The procedure does not take long (from 20 to 55 minutes) and is painless. The patient needs to expose the thoracic spine and lie on a special couch. The scanner, which is placed on top of the person, at this point takes a picture of the sections.
- Ultrasound procedure. Before carrying out treatment, it is worth making sure that osteochondrosis of the thoracic region is not accompanied by tumors. For this, an ultrasound method is suitable. The device clearly shows the condition of soft tissues, joints, intervertebral discs. As in the first case, the procedure does not take much time and is painless. With the help of an ultrasound examination, the thoracic region of pregnant women and even children can be examined.
Obviously, no treatment is offered by the doctor until the patient has passed the general clinical blood and urine tests, and also until the electrocardiogram results are available. The latter allows a doctor with similar symptoms to distinguish thoracic osteochondrosis from a heart attack or other heart problems.
Treatment
Referring to a neuropathologist, a patient with thoracic osteochondrosis will be given a recommended course of treatment. Methods and drugs, as well as the duration of their use, are determined by the doctor in each individual case. As a rule, when osteochondrosis is detected in the chest, doctors recommend:
- drug treatment - its purpose is to relieve pain, muscle spasms, reduce the inflammatory process, restore the tissues around the joints and vertebrae;
- physiotherapy - aims to use ultrasonic waves, electric current or laser to relieve acute pain in the thoracic region and reduce the negative effects of osteochondrosis, provides treatment for the joints;
- manual therapy - thanks to the massage movements of a specialist, it is possible to align the position of the discs in the thoracic region, relieve spasm;
- isometric kinesiotherapy (gymnastic treatment) - helps improve mobility of the thoracic region, relieves pain.
In addition to the methods described above, the treatment of osteochondrosis can be carried out using hirudotherapy, millimeter wave therapy, apitherapy, magnetic therapy and other methods.