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Thoracic Herniated Disk
A herniated disk anywhere in the spine causes symptoms in the same manner. The inner material of the spinal disk pushes through the outer capsule placing pressure on a nearby nerve root causing pain to be felt in the area of the body where that nerve pathology leads to. Symptoms related to a thoracic herniated disk will often be felt as pain in the upper back that will often radiate to the front of the chest in the rib area. Numbness and tingling are often felt along with pain as the compressed or “pinched nerve” starts to become deprived of oxygen and nutrients. The location of these symptoms are dependent on which nerve the thoracic herniated disk is compressing.
Because the thoracic section of our spine receives less pressure and motion or movement then the rest of our spine, a thoracic herniated disk is quite uncommon. Although uncommon, the symptoms from a herniated disk in the thoracic section of the spine can be quite serious and debilitating.
Thoracic Herniated Disk Causes
A herniated thoracic disk is commonly caused by one of two possibilities:
Degenerative Thoracic Disk - As the human body ages so does our spine. There is a natural process to aging that involves degeneration of parts in our anatomy. Our spinal disks are just as susceptible to this as anything else. When the disk starts to degenerate, the outer capsule begins to weaken and could eventually tear causing a disk herniation. A degenerative disk is usually not seen in a patient under the age of forty and is more commonly diagnosed in people fifty to sixty years in age. This is a particularly slow process, and the patient will usually not seek medical attention in the early stages of this disease as the symptoms will not be severe.
Thoracic Trauma - Traumatic injury that affects the thoracic spine can be responsible for the sudden development of a thoracic herniated disk. For a herniated thoracic disk to occur there needs to be significant sudden force place on the thoracic area of the back. For this reason there is often other injury in the area that can be linked to the disk problem.
Correct diagnosis of a herniated thoracic disk is vital so you can begin to heal naturally. Early diagnosis is important as to avoid any permanent damage that may occur.