Thoracic Bone Spur Symptoms

Bone spur symptoms in the thoracic (mid-back) region of the spine typically arise due to the bone spur compressing the spinal cord or a nerve root in that area. Nerve compression can lead to the development of symptoms, which usually involves focal pain and radiating pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness. Sometimes, these symptoms manifest in seemingly unrelated areas of the body. This is known as radiculopathy, or the more common “referred pain.” Radiculopathy occurs because nerves feed into various parts of the body and when one is damaged or pinched, its synapses (or signals) misfire and cause feelings of discomfort to travel along the length of the nerve.

Thoracic Nerves

There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, with 12 located in the thoracic spine. These are known as the T1-T12 root pairs and each one provides sensory messages to different locations in the trunk and abdominal area. As a result, thoracic bone spur symptoms will vary based on which specific thoracic nerve roots are pinched. Keep in mind that even though degenerative spine conditions rarely affect the thoracic region, the thoracic nerve roots are every bit as vulnerable to potential compression as elsewhere in the spine if a bone spur develops.

Where Symptoms Might OccurA bone spur that interferes with the first thoracic nerve (T1) might cause symptoms to affect the upper back and the arms. The T1 nerve pair also innervates the skin and muscles of the arms. Compression of the upper thoracic nerves (T2-T6) could cause discomfort in the chest muscles and the skin of the chest and upper back. Symptoms may affect the skin and muscles of the abdomenand the lower back if a bone spurcompresses one of the lower thoracicnerves (T7-T11). The last nerve, T12,feeds into the muscles and skin ofthe buttocks.

Thoracic Bone Spurs are Rare

It should be noted that bone spur formation in the thoracic region is relatively rare. Whenever the bony growths form in the spine, they usually are found in the cervical (upper) and lumbar (lower) spine, where the vertebrae and other spinal components tend to degenerate faster because they are responsible for bearing a great deal of weight and providing a wide range of motion. Since the thoracic spine is connected to and supported by the ribcage, this spinal region is quite stable and does not have to work as hard, and therefore, is less likely to suffer from joint degeneration.

Treating ThoracicBone Spur Symptoms

Although bone spur formation in the thoracic region is far less common than in the cervical (neck) and lumbar (lower back) regions, treatment of bone spur symptoms arising from thoracic nerve compression follows the same basic guidelines as any other part of the spine. Far more often than not, the pain, tingling, numbness, and/or muscle weakness caused by spinal nerve compression can be managed using a combination of conservative, nonsurgical treatment methods. These may include non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), exercise to build core strength, stretching to improve core flexibility, corticosteroid injections, and other methods. Surgery typically does not become an option unless debilitating symptoms persist after several weeks or months of conservative treatment.