Thoracic Spinal Ligament Sprain' title='Thoracic Spinal Ligament Sprain' />Thoracic Degenerative Disc Disease, Physical Therapy, New Jersey, NJBackground Etiology. Intervertebral Disc. The intervertebral disc is a fibrocartilaginous structure found between the bodies of the vertebra. There is a disc between each pair of vertebra in the spine except for the first and second cervical level atlas and axis. Linspire 6 0 17 Visibooks Guide. The disc is similar to a jelly donut. Degenerative Joint Disease Lumbar Spine. Learn more about Degenerative Joint Disease Lumbar Spine. Twin Boro Physical Therapy offers sports rehab and PT Services. It has a series of outer fibrous rings annulus fibrosis surrounding a gelatinous center nucleus pulposus. The outer annular rings are thinnest posterior and lateral. Most disc herniations occur here due to the weakness of the disc wall. The disc functions as a cushion, allows for movement, and serves as a cartilaginous joint between adjacent vertebrae. Quadratus Lumborum Muscle Low Back, Hip, Buttock, Groin, Pelvic, Abdomen Pain. Applicable To. Sprain of anterior longitudinal ligament, cervical Sprain of atlantoaxial joints Sprain of atlantooccipital joints Whiplash injury of cervical. Chiropractic care in fort wayne indiana, fort wayne chiropractor, 46804, auto accident care, diabetic neuropathy, neuropathy care, pregnancy back pain, sports injuries. Thoracic Or Lumbar SprainStrain Thoracic Or Lumbar SprainStrain. A thoracic or lumbar sprain or strain involves an injury to the soft tissues of the back. Issuu is a digital publishing platform that makes it simple to publish magazines, catalogs, newspapers, books, and more online. Easily share your publications and get. Strengthening exercises for a lateral ligament sprain can begin almost immediately after injury. Inflammation, damage or degeneration of a disc can cause a range of symptoms that vary based on the severity of the problem. Disc pathology may produce a loss of back motion, back pain, pain that may radiate from the back around the ribs and chest, numbness, tingling, muscle spasm or some combination of these symptoms. The most common area of thoracic disc problems occurs between T8 T1. Thoracic disc degeneration occurs far less than in the lumbar and cervical areas because the thoracic spine is less mobile than these other areas of the spine. Common conditions of the intervetebral disc include bulging disc, herniated disc, prolapsed disc, degenerative disc disease, anular tear of the disc, ruptured disc and slipped disc. Degenerative Disc Disease. Degenerative disc disease is not an actual disease but is the term used to describe the progression of changes, gradual wear and tear, and dysfunction associated with symptoms secondary to disc degeneration. Loss of bladder and bowel control can occur with severe injury anywhere along the spinal column. Source The Merck Manual of Medical Information Home Edition. Degeneration of the disc is normal with aging but can be accelerated in certain situations as a result of trauma, repetitive strain or injury and musculoskeletal imbalances like scoliosis. Disc degeneration itself is not a problem, but the associated conditions that may develop as it progresses can be symptomatic and debilitating. Stages of Disc Degeneration. The progression of disc degeneration can be classified in the following phases Dysfunction. Tears of the annular rings of the disc with irritation of the facet joints at the corresponding spinal level may occur. There is loss of joint mobility, localized back pain, muscle spasm, and loss of movement especially extension or backward motions. Instability. Loss of disc fluid with dehydration and disc narrowing. The facet joints and capsule may develop laxity resulting in instability. A patient will present with pain, sharp catching, giving way, a shift in spinal alignment and loss of motion. Restabilization. The body reacts to the instability by laying down bone in the form of osteophytes to stabilize the spine. This increase in bone formation can result in Stenosis. Back pain will usually decrease, but remain present in a less severe form. Individuals may develop stenotic like symptoms. Causes. Aging is the most common cause of disc degeneration. As the body ages the discs start to lose fluid and dehydrate. The discs start to narrow and lose their height, compromising their ability to absorb shock and stress. The outer fibrous annular rings may begin to crack and tear, weakening the disc walls. Individuals who smoke, are obese, and are involved in activities that require heavy labor are more likely to develop disc degeneration. Sudden fall or trauma to the spine or disc may begin the degenerative process. A disc herniation may initiate the stages of disc degeneration. Unlike muscles, there is minimal blood supply to the discs, so they lack reparative ability. Conditions of the intervertebral disc that can develop as a result of disc degeneration include bulging disc, herniated disc, prolapsed disc, degenerative disc disease, annular tear of the disc, ruptured disc and slipped disc. Symptoms. The symptoms associated with degenerative disc disease of the thoracic spine will depend on the location and structures that are affected. Thoracic disc degeneration can affect the back, shoulder blade, and run along the distribution of the ribs. Thoracic Spinal Ligament Sprain' title='Thoracic Spinal Ligament Sprain' />Many patients with DDD degenerative disc disease do not exhibit symptoms. Chronic thoracic pain with or without radiation to the chest wall or ribs. Sensory changes such as numbness, tingling, or parasthesia if the nerve is compromised. Muscle spasm and changes in posture in the thoracic area. Loss of motion with decreased ability to move the trunk when performing motions like turning, backward bending, and side bending. Sitting for extended periods of time may produce back and arm pain. Difficulty with lifting and over the head activities. In later stages spinal Stenosis may develop resulting in lower extremity weakness and loss of coordination. In these cases surgical intervention will be required. Treatment. Treatment of thoracic degenerative joint disease or injury will depend on the severity of the condition. When treating acute back problems Rest avoid the activities that produce the pain bending, lifting, twisting, turning or bending backwards. Medication to reduce inflammation anti inflammatory drugs and pain medication. Ice in acute cases apply ice to the thoracic spine to help reduce pain and associated muscle spasm. Apply it right away and then at intervals for about 2. Do not apply directly to the skin. Moist heat may be helpful to reduce pain and improve any feelings of stiffness. An exercise regiment designed specifically to address the cause of the symptoms associated with the degenerative disc disease and improve joint mobility, spinal alignment, posture, and range of motion. The use of supports may be necessary to reduce stress on the facet joints, muscles and thoracic area of the spine. Steroidal medication to reduce inflammation in moderate to severe conditions. Epidural injections directly to the involved disc may be indicated. Physical therapy to reduce inflammation, restore joint function, improve motion, and help return full function. Mild. In mild cases rest, ice and medication may be enough to reduce the pain. Many patients will do well with this regiment. Once the pain is reduced, physical therapy is recommended to develop a series of stretching and strengthening exercises to prevent reoccurrence of the injury. Return to activity should be gradual to prevent a flare up of symptoms. Moderate to Severe. If the problem persists, consulting with your health care provider should be the next step. Your physician will perform a thorough evaluation to determine the possible cause of your symptoms, the structures involved, the severity of the condition, and the best course of treatment. Medical Interventions. In addition to performing a thorough examination your physician may order the following tests to make a more concise diagnosis X ray to determine if there is any joint degeneration, fractures, bony malformations, arthritis, tumors or infection present. MRI to determine any soft tissue involvement including visualization of the discs, spinal cord and nerve roots. CT scans, which can give a cross section view of the spinal structures. EMG which is used to determine nerve involvement or damage. Myelogram, which involves the injection of dye into the spinal column followed by an X ray to visualize the position of, and the pressure being applied to, the discs or spinal cord. Normal Cervical Spine Xray Bone and Spine. Normal Cervical Spine X ray. Cervical spine is the part of the spine that is present in neck region. It is formed by first  7 vertebrae of the spine numbered from C1 to C7. The spine begins with C1 vertebra which is also called Atlas. Next vertebrae is Axis. Seventh cervical vertebra or C7  is also called vertebra prominens. It must be noted that normal cervical spine xrays do not exclude significant injury. The lateral view is often the most informative image. In a lateral view first thing to look for is if the cervical spine is adequately covered in the view. Next, alignment of the vertebrae is looked for. Normal cervical spine xray would reveal a smooth lordotic curve and any loss of lordosis indicates spasm. Vertebrae are studied for smooth cortical outline and height. Disc spaces are looked for any reduction of space. Prevertebral shadow is studied for any increase in width. A normal cervical spine x ray Lateral View Coverage All vertebrae are visible should be visible from skull base to the top of T1 is considered adequate. If T1 is not visible then a repeat image with the patients shoulders lowered. Otherwise, a swimmers view may be acquired. Alignment Anterior line  or the line of the anterior longitudinal ligament line formed by connecting anterior margins of cervical vertebral body, the posterior line the line of the posterior longitudinal ligament  formed by connecting posterior margins of cervical vertebrae and the spinolaminar line or the line formed by the anterior edge of the spinous processes  are checked for continuity. Vertebrae. Cortical outline of all the bones should be checked for fractures. Disc spaces. The vertebral bodies are spaced apart by the intervertebral discs not directly visible with X rays. These spaces should be approximately equal in height  increase as we come lower down. Prevertebral soft tissue. Some fractures cause widening of the prevertebral soft tissue due to prevertebral haematoma. The width is measured between anterior line and anterior margin of soft tissue visible on the xray. Normal prevertebral soft tissue is  narrow down to C4 and wider below Above C4  13rd vertebral body width Below C4 1. This xray shows a normal cervical spine. The present xray shows vertebra from C1 to C7. The view in present picture is lateral view. As you can view it, normal cervical spine appears lordotic. That means the anterior part of the spine appears convex and posterior concave. Normal Cervical Spine Xray AP View. Coverage The AP view should cover the whole cervical spine and the upper thoracic spine. Alignment. The lateral edges of the cervical spine are aligned. Bone. Check for bony integrity to rule out fractures. Spacing. The spinous processes are in a straight line and spaced approximately evenly. AP View. In diseases or spasm of cervical spine, this lordosis of normal cervical spine is lost. Most common of these causes a change in curvature is cervical spondylosis. For examination of cervical spine, both anteroposterior and lateral views are required. Though both the views are important, lateral view is more informative. Special view radiographs may be required in many cases for proper diagnosis of the disease. Cervical spine xray can be taken in standing position or lying down on the table. First method is done routinely on ambulatory patients in outpatient department. Lying down method is done in cases of injury or patients who cannot stand. Save. Get more stuff on Musculoskeltal Health. Subscribe to our Newsletter and get latest publications on Musculoskeletal Health your email inbox. Thank you for subscribing. We respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously.