Everyone knows that the main supporting axis of the human skeleton is its spine. That is why so much attention is paid to him - without the proper work of this body, a person loses the main part of his life.
Human spine anatomy
The anatomy of our body tells us that this important supporting element is not as simple as it seems at first glance - it is divided into 5 parts. The pillar includes: the cervical , thoracic, lumbar, sacrum and tailbone. The total number of vertebrae in all departments: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 4-5 coccyx. In addition, several fused bones make up the sacral.
Evolution created the human body as it is today: moderately agile and at the same time capable of unique actions (as the Guinness Book of Records will tell about). A person owes most of his abilities to the spine, as well as to the surrounding organs and its supporting organs: ligaments, muscles, intervertebral discs, and even the spinal cord located inside the column.
"Assistants" of the spinal column
Each vertebra, regardless of belonging to a particular department, has a more massive part located in front, taking all the main burden on itself. This is his body. An arc departs from it, forming a ring with the body, and the brain is located in it. From here come the vertebral processes. They perform a connecting function. All together, the cervical, thoracic, lumbar vertebrae are combined into one column using intervertebral discs. In addition, this design is supported by ligaments and muscles. The sizes of the intervertebral discs vary, in an adult they can reach 25% of the entire length of the spine. In addition, their sizes differ by departments: in the cervical and lumbar discs are larger, since it is necessary to ensure the greatest mobility.
Anatomy of the structure of the thoracic vertebra
Thoracic vertebrae take on a little more load than their "counterparts", so you can notice small differences in their structure. One of them is a more massive vertebral body. In addition, the edges are neighbors of these elements, hence the difference in anatomy.
The departments of the thoracic vertebra are as follows: upper and lower vertebral notches, upper and lower articular process, transverse process and its costal fossa, vertebral body, upper and lower costal fossae, spinous process, vertebral arch and vertebral foramen.
The purpose of the costal fossae is to connect the vertebral body with the ribs. They are located next to the arc. The location of the ribs between the two "neighbors" determines the presence of an upper and lower fossa in the thoracic vertebra, however, they are incomplete (half). Nevertheless, there are exceptions - the 1st vertebra has only a full and one lower half fossa for the corresponding 1st and 2nd ribs. Also, the 10th vertebra, intended for the corresponding rib, has one half hole, and the 11th and 12th “assistant” acquired only a complete hole for the corresponding “neighbors”.
In particular, the structure of the spinous processes can also be added to the thoracic vertebrae . They are longer and tilted down, where, when connected, they form something similar to a tile. This feature is easiest to see at the level of the 4-10th vertebrae.
What is breast kyphosis?
The flexibility of the spine is one of its main abilities, it is acquired in the process of development. There are concepts such as lordosis and kyphosis. Lordosis is the ability of the cervical and lumbar to bend forward, and kyphosis is the ability of the thoracic and sacral to bend backward.
It often happens that under the influence of injuries or weakened muscles and ligaments, abnormal posture begins to develop. This in turn leads to a number of diseases.
The anatomical properties of the spine contribute to the fact that the thoracic vertebrae, forming thoracic kyphosis, can take on a large load and absorb it. However, it must be remembered that displacements of this load in one direction or another can lead to deformation of the vertebral body shape or to destructively affect the intervertebral region.
Osteochondrosis of the thoracic vertebrae
This disease is one of the most common in the thoracic musculoskeletal system. By its nature, it is somewhat different from a similar disease in another department, because, as previously noted, the structure of the vertebrae is somewhat different.
You may notice that the thoracic vertebrae are less mobile. But the symptoms of osteochondrosis of this department can be distinguished by quite painful sensations, since the spinal nerves from this zone innervate the entire shoulder girdle and upper limbs. And also the internal organs of the thoracic and abdominal region can take a hit on themselves. There is also the narrowest spinal canal and the vertebrae themselves are small, which means the most favorable conditions for the development of disc hernia.
What are the causes of breast osteochondrosis?
In order to understand what is the cause of the disease, let's pay attention to who is most often exposed to it?
- People with impaired metabolism and overweight.
- Leading a sedentary lifestyle.
- Patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, with thyroid gland pathology.
- People staying for a long time in an uncomfortable position.
- Patients with osteochondrosis of the cervical spine.
- Patients with scoliosis or excessive kyphosis.
Signs of breast osteochondrosis
The disease has a wide variety of symptoms. Probably, how many chest vertebrae a person has, so many manifestations of osteochondrosis. This diversity is due to the large zone of innervation emanating from the thoracic spinal cord. Very often infringement or inflammation of the radicular nerves occurs. This process is accompanied by pain syndrome of different intensity and localization. However, it can even lead to impaired functions of internal organs.
Symptoms of thoracic vertebrae are affected by osteochondrosis are as follows:
- Backache.
- Tinea pain in the chest with greater intensity on inspiration.
- Numbness, goosebumps in the chest area.
- Heartache.
- Abdominal pain.
- Pain and decreased muscle activity in the upper limbs.
- Disorder of the work of internal organs due to innervation.
Displacement of the thoracic vertebrae
Under the literary medical diagnosis of “subluxation of the vertebrae”, a well-known displacement of the thoracic vertebrae was hidden. Symptoms of it are very similar to osteochondrosis. This outcome is preceded by a change in the location of the vertebra or damage to the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc, which leads to a narrowing of the entire channel, compression of nerve fibers and blood vessels and, as a result, pain and swelling.
The difference between subluxation and dislocation is that although the surfaces of the articular joint are shifted, they continue to come into contact.
Since the thoracic vertebrae are less susceptible to stress and less involved in motor activity, displacement in the thoracic region is a rare occurrence. More often, such a pathology occurs in the cervical part. Nevertheless, if the displacement did occur, then the complications here are more dangerous. This can lead to a violation of the blood supply or circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid. Given how many thoracic vertebrae, the consequences of subluxation can also include:
- Difficulty breathing or asthma (subluxation of the 1st thoracic vertebra).
- Disruption of the heart (subluxation of the 2nd thoracic vertebra).
- Broncho-pulmonary malaise (subluxation of the 3rd thoracic vertebra).
- Pancreatitis and other diseases of the biliary tract (subluxation of the 4th vertebra).
- Arthritis (displacement of the 5th thoracic vertebra).
- Gastric ulcer, gastritis (6-7 vertebra).
- Decreased immunity (8 vertebrae).
- Impaired renal function (displacement of the 9th vertebra).
- Intestinal disorders, visual impairment, problems in the work of the heart (10th vertebra).
- Skin diseases (subluxation of the 11th vertebra).
- Rheumatism and even infertility due to displacement of the 12th vertebra.
Symptoms include the following:
- Pain between the shoulder blades, sharp then pulling, which is noticeably aggravated during the movement of the torso.
- Limited mobility of one or both hands.
- Weakness.
- Muscle tension.
Fractures of the thoracic spine
One of the most complex diseases of the spine is a fracture. And the thoracic region is no exception. According to the localization among the fractures in this department, fractures of the 5,6,7th thoracic vertebrae, 9-12th, transverse and spinous processes are distinguished.
Due to the occurrence, several species are distinguished. This is a post-traumatic fracture of the thoracic vertebrae (consequences of severe accidents or sports injuries), if the severity falls on the shoulders of the victim, when falling from a height; among paratroopers and paratroopers as a result of labor activity. Fractures against the background of metastases in the spine or osteoporosis are less common, but they also occur.
By the nature of the damage, it is noticed that more often fractures of the thoracic vertebrae are not accompanied by displacement and very rarely are accompanied by damage to the spinal cord.
Our spine is our support in the literal and figurative sense, a person’s life changes dramatically if there comes a moment when we lose it. That is why it is so important to know more about this body and take better care of its health.