Chest osteochondrosis

Chest osteochondrosis is a disease in which the intervertebral discs in the thoracic spine are destroyed. As this class is the most sedentary, it is less susceptible to disease.

Chest osteochondrosis with cramps and pain in the chest, under the ribs, shortness of breath, stabbing, cutting, sharp pain behind the sternum. The symptoms and manifestations of the disease may be similar to those of other diseases.

Symptoms

Spine pain is the most common and superficial symptom. Of course, they do not always talk about the development of osteochondrosis in humans. Therefore, you need to pay attention to other sensations in the body:

1. Uncomfortable feelings and chest pains. It is often the case that if you are sitting, you will not notice this. But as soon as you start doing any physical activity in which your breathing speeds up, you will notice that the pain intensifies. The nature of this pain can be called shingles.
2. In addition, you may feel pain in completely unexpected places - in the heart, abdomen, liver. This is due to the fact that chest osteochondrosis tends to "disguise" a particular disease. For example, many may confuse it with gastritis, ulcers, or angina pectoris.
3. If you notice that there is occasional "goosebumps" in the chest area, this, along with other manifestations, may indicate chest osteochondrosis.
4. In some cases, loss of sexual function may occur, such as impotence in men.

Pain in osteochondrosis of the chest

One of the main features of this type of pain is shingles. But it is not always possible to recognize this pain from it. Here's how to feel and characterize it differently:

• most often manifested in the dark, behind the sternum;
• a feeling that can be described as a "stake in the chest";
• discomfort in the hypochondrial region, both right and left;
• feeling as if there is a foreign body behind the sternum;
• if the lesion affects only the upper part of the chest region, one can also feel pain in the esophageal and pharyngeal region.

Because these symptoms are still very vague and may speak of many other conditions, your doctor will suggest further ECG analysis.

Effects on organs

In the process of development, this disease can have a negative effect on the internal organs, namely the lungs and the heart. Here's what chest osteochondrosis can mean:

• effect on the heart. It is mainly caused by pinching of the chest nerve roots. That's where the nerve wraps go from there. These plexuses are involved in the regulation of the heart. The main alarm bells here are the regular heartbeat (extrasystoles), arrhythmia, tachycardia. Thus, effects on the cardiovascular system may occur simultaneously in one or all of these symptoms;
• effect on the lungs. It most often manifests itself in shortness of breath and painful feelings at the same time.

Why does chest osteochondrosis appear?

Although osteochondrosis as a whole disease is quite common, chest osteochondrosis is less common. The preconditions for the development of the disease can already be found among schoolchildren who sit grimacing at their desks. This can lead to scoliosis in children and osteochondrosis at a more mature age. Most other causes of development are closely related to scoliosis:

• violation of posture;
• metabolic disorders that affect the integrity of intervertebral discs;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• hereditary causes;
• spinal cord injury;
• static work and long stays in an awkward, twisted position.

How to treat?

After making an accurate diagnosis during the tests, your doctor will prescribe special medication. Depending on the severity and manifestations of the disease in chest osteochondrosis, it may contain the following medicines:

1. First, medications are prescribed that "remove" pain and relieve discomfort. These are called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or glucocorticosteroid drugs.
2. Papain is used to prevent dehydration of the intervertebral disc.
3. Medicines called "chondroprotectors" are prescribed. With their help, the general strengthening of cartilage tissue takes place.
4. Medications can also be added to the list to relieve cramps in the muscles around the spine.
5. If an inflammatory process is observed, special anti-inflammatory therapy is prescribed.

But, of course, it is not possible to cure with medication alone. Be sure to follow a healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition. These measures will be useful not only for the treatment but also for the prevention of this and many other diseases.

Exercises for chest osteochondrosis

As lack of physical activity is one of the main causes of the disease, movement plays a major role in this case. In addition, if you supplement your medication with exercises, your body will return to normal much more quickly and stabilize.

There are a number of special exercises for the chest region. When performing them, follow the basic rules: do not jerk, act slowly, evenly, without trying to overload the body. Increasing the amplitude is allowed, but only if you do not experience pain. So what are the most effective practices provided by physiotherapy?

1. Lie on your stomach on the floor. Hands - along the body. We bend in the chest region - smoothly, gently. Raise your arms and head as much as you can, but try to avoid pain. We recommend that you take at least 5 approaches.
2. For the next exercise, we need a small chair with a strong backrest. Sit in exactly one chair. We exhale, leaning back on our backs while pulling our arms back. We then return to the starting position. Repeat 10-12 times.
3. We're standing straight. Hands at the seams, legs together. We take a deep breath and raise our hands. As you exhale, we slowly bend back and lower our arms. We return to the starting position. It is recommended to perform 7-9 approaches at a time.
4. Stand on all fours on the ground. When inhaling, bend your back slowly, while exhaling - return to starting position. Repeat the exercise 7-10 times.
5. We lie on our stomachs on the ground. Hands at the seams. It is your job to tear your body off the floor with your head reaching towards your heels. We tighten the whole body, work out the chest. Number of approaches required 7-8.
6. We work with the upper part of the chest region. Starting position - hands at seams, feet shoulder-width apart. We work with our shoulders. First we grow up together, then each one separately. We twist our shoulders back and forth, back and forth. We perform 10-15 approaches per task.
7. In addition, you can make circular movements with your hands at the top of the chest region. Starting position as in the previous task. We extend our arms to the side, clenching our palms into fists. We rotate our fists back and forth, then rotate the hand back and forth from elbow, then back and forth with the whole hand. Each part of the exercise is performed 4-6 times, usually the exercise is repeated 2-4 times.

Exercise for at least 15-20 minutes in the morning and evening. Dilute with exercises for other muscle groups by inserting more of the above options.

Massage

Massage is also a very good cure in the fight against osteochondrosis. Here, a therapeutic massage is performed, which is prescribed by a specialist after a thorough examination of the patient. You can do this at home - there are several ways to do it.

Honey massage. We need 2-3 tablespoons of honey, preferably unsweetened, warm. Dip the palms in honey so that they are covered with a thin layer. Apply to the area behind the sternum and suddenly tear it off, repeating it several times, moving the palms from one place to another.

This massage should not be performed for too long as it is painful. Enough 10-15 minutes for a time. After that, the skin turns red, "burns".

Classic massage. It consists of several steps that include: caressing, kneading, vibrating, rubbing. It is recommended to massage with an osteochondrosis cream or ointment - this may be recommended by your doctor.

The duration of this massage should not exceed 20 minutes, and the general treatment process with this method should not include more than 11-13 sessions. As a preventative measure, kneading is therefore recommended on the neck, arms, shoulders, buttocks and even the legs.

Home treatments

In addition, there are alternative methods for treating chest osteochondrosis. Rubbing, for example, is very good and can be used as a basis for massage. They are usually based on purple flowers, horseradish root, garlic, onion, potato, ficus. Honey, vegetable oil and sometimes cologne or alcohol can be added. Mix everything thoroughly into a homogeneous mass and rub the damaged area. For example, you can make a rub from ficus leaves according to the following recipe:

• Fiche leaves 6-8 are passed through a file or cut into small pieces. Place in a bowl, pour 2 bottles of triple cologne. Mix. Grinding should be in a dark place for 2 weeks. It should then be used at least twice a day until the heat appears on the skin.

Working with a computer is one of the leading causes of osteochondrosis. If you spend a long time in front of the computer, it is recommended that you do the exercises at least every two hours.

Computer work and osteochondrosis

Everyday activities on your computer without physical activity can lead to poor posture. This is because the person does static work for a long time, does not relax the muscles and spine, and does not warm up or rest. In the future, osteochondrosis of the thoracic region may develop without correcting the problem.

To avoid this, experts advise you to perform a so-called office charge, which is specifically designed for those who work most of the time with a computer.

For example, the following exercises are very good:

1. Bend your back, pull up your arms, and fold your head back. Feel a pleasant weight in your back. Do at least 3-4 times before each computer.
2. Make circular rotations with your head. Look left and right, tilt your head back and forth.
3. Raise your arm - sideways - forward - sideways. Repeat several times.
4. Stand next to your work area if you can and switch from foot to foot.

When working on a computer, don't forget to change your posture to keep your health, spine and posture long!

Strengthening the muscles of the back with osteochondrosis

Strengthening the muscles of the back is a very important part of treating and preventing osteochondrosis. To do this, it is enough to do physical activity - exercise, go to fitness classes or the gym. Choose the option that works best for you. Swimming, for example, strengthens muscles well, so you can not only enjoy it, but also develop your body.