In old age, the problem of a hernia of the thoracic spine is common. Most often, osteochondrosis is considered a provoking factor. The main reason is a sedentary lifestyle. In the article, we consider other provoking factors, symptoms and treatment of the disease.
Features
Before considering how to treat a hernia of the thoracic spine, you need to understand what it is and what features it has. The described disease is a protrusion of one of the discs. The fluid extends beyond the spinal column, or the deformed part squeezes it due to a crack in the fibrous ring. Often this pathology occurs after prolonged uneven loads. They affect one of the spine. Such physical exertion often injures the musculoskeletal system. When a person develops a hernia, he has compression of the spinal cord or nerve roots.
There are several types of protrusions. There is lateral, central, posterior, as well as central-lateral and posterior-lateral.
The first is directed either to the left or to the right. Because of it, the nerve roots are compressed. Central directed towards the spinal cord. In this case, the symptoms can be mild. A hernia can strongly compress the spinal cord, and this causes paralysis in patients. The back is directed from the abdomen to the back.
Symptoms
Intervertebral hernia of the thoracic spine is characterized by various symptoms. It all depends on the location of the problem, size. Still plays a role is whether there is a pinched nerve roots. Patients can take the pain that occurs due to this disease for a stomach ulcer, cholecystitis, or for a heart attack. To make a correct diagnosis, you must consult a doctor.
Next, you should consider the symptoms of a hernia of the thoracic spine. There are pains that intensify during movement or breathing, numbness of the fingers, as well as hands, sharp discomfort in the muscles, weakness, signs of dysfunction related to the pelvic and chest organs, partial or complete paralysis.
A hernia appears completely unexpectedly for patients, while the symptoms may be severe pain or cramping. How intense the sensations will be, and also exactly where they are felt, depends entirely on the pressure exerted on the brain and nerves. It should be noted that the presence of a hernia can affect the functioning of the heart, stomach, intestines and so on.
Symptoms also vary depending on the segment in which the hernia occurred. If we are talking about the upper, then the pains are in the neck, grab the arms, shoulder blades, chest. Various heart diseases can recur. Creeps can appear, hands and fingers go numb.
If we are talking about the middle segment, then the pain can be felt in the chest, below the shoulder blades, it will have a girdling character, which intensifies only in case of coughing, deep breaths, during movement, and so on.
The lower segment is characterized by pain in the corresponding part of the chest. It captures the shoulder blades, many can resemble a stomach ulcer or kidney disease. Dyspnea can occur, as a person has difficulty breathing.
Causes
Symptoms and treatment of a hernia of the thoracic spine are completely dependent on the causes of the ailment. We will talk about this later.
The spine daily supports the weight of a person, allows you to move and perform various physical activities. This design is quite vulnerable, although it is durable. It should be noted that the spine suffers greatly from a sedentary lifestyle, as well as from excessive loads. That is why the following factors can lead to such diseases:
- Degenerative-dystrophic. Here we are talking about people who are already in old age. In such patients, Schmorl's hernia of the thoracic spine most often occurs. They lend themselves to treatment quite hard.
- Degenerative. The disease can occur due to heavy loads, which are regular and excessive. Often because of them, the vertebrae suffer and as a result are destroyed. This mechanism is most often manifested in middle-aged people.
- Traumatic. The spine may suffer due to some kind of shock, sometimes compression. Most often, the injury appears after a fall, a hard landing, and also from lifting loads.
Diagnostics
It is also necessary to clarify how the diagnosis of hernias of the cervicothoracic spine, as well as other types of protrusion, is carried out. They use an MRI scan, computed tomography, radiography, myelography or electromyography. It should be noted that these methods are optional. As a rule, only one of the above methods is enough for a correct diagnosis. However, if there is a need to identify characteristic signs, then all means should be used.
For example, MRI can detect if nerve fibers are damaged. Myelography is necessary in order to check the condition of bone tissue. Radiography makes it possible to get all the data about the spine, to check if there are injuries. Computed tomography is an alternative to MRI, but it is less informative. MRI, on the other hand, provides complete and reliable information about the condition of the spine, whether there are affected areas and how much they have suffered.
Treatment
Treatment of a hernia of the thoracic spine is a rather important issue that needs special attention. How long the therapy will be, and also by what methods it is carried out, completely depends on the stage of the disease and the degree of damage. If we are talking about the initial, then conservative methods of treatment are used. It should be noted physical education, physiological procedures, being in a hospital or at home, as well as reflexology and medicines.
If there is a strong pain syndrome that cannot be stopped with painkillers, then a blockade of the nerve roots should be performed. In order to cure an intervertebral hernia, it is important to contact specialists immediately and also discuss all treatment methods with a doctor.
Conservative method
Not always at the initial stage exercises with a hernia of the thoracic spine help, so doctors can prescribe medications. Thanks to them, it will be possible to remove the inflammatory process, muscle spasm, as well as pain. They allow you to accelerate the restoration of cartilage. Painkillers, corticosteroids, muscle relaxants, non-steroidal drugs that relieve inflammation are used. After a person undergoes a course of drug treatment, physical education and massage are prescribed. Acupuncture and electrophoresis can also be performed if it is necessary to achieve the best possible result in the shortest possible time.
Surgical method
In severe symptoms, as well as in serious cases of the course of the disease, the only option is surgery. To eliminate a hernia of the thoracic spine and its consequences, several types of operations can be performed.
- Discectomy. This procedure removes the damaged disk or its affected parts. Two adjacent vertebrae are fixed so that they are motionless.
- Aminoplasty. The dissection method is used, where they create hinges due to the plates. This allows you to increase the space around the nerve roots.
- Laminectomy During this operation, the bone tissue of the vertebra, which is located near the spinal canal, is removed. As a rule, during this procedure, two vertebrae are also fixed. In this case, they grow together. Due to this, the musculoskeletal system is stabilized.
Effects
As a result of the progression of a hernia of the thoracic region, adjacent cells begin to atrophy, blood flow worsens, and metabolic processes slow down. Subsequently, the tissue near the spine completely ceases to function. These changes are irreversible, therefore it is impossible to cure them. Because of this, it is important to begin treatment in the shortest possible time after the onset of the first symptoms.
Preventative measures
To avoid the occurrence of a hernia of the thoracic spine, it is necessary to take preventive measures and monitor your health. It is imperative to pay attention to what daily physical activities are and whether they are excessive. As a rule, vertebral discs suffer equally from a small but constant, as well as from strong sudden loads. Compression in the departments can occur with a sedentary lifestyle, or if a person performs the same job in a bent position. To keep your spine in its best condition for as long as possible, you need to constantly move, do various exercises throughout the day, and also play sports.
If a person does not sit in one place, then fluid is constantly present in the disks. With a sedentary life, they become dry, easily damaged. Because of this, there are hernias in the spine.
If a person lifts a weight, it is necessary to monitor the position of the back. Discs are able to better withstand vertical loads than oblique or horizontal. That is why if the patient picks up heavy objects, he needs to do this in a sitting position, not bending over.
Useful sports such as swimming or water aerobics. They train muscles without loading the spine. If a person works in the office, or is engaged in any other sedentary activities, then he needs to constantly change his body position, straighten up and do some kind of sports exercises.
Summary
As conclusions, it should be noted that the hernia is not difficult to treat, if it is still at an early stage. However, it is desirable to prevent the occurrence of this problem, because it is much easier and less costly to observe preventive measures. You should do physical exercises daily, which will completely protect yourself from the occurrence of such a problem.